Murmur of the Lonely Brook by Debashis Dey

Author:Debashis Dey [Dey, Debashis]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, General, Suspense, Literary, Romance, kinnauri, Epic, debashis dey, suspence, draupadi, Women, mainstream, nomads, tibet, multi cultural, multiple husband, romantic drama, Drama, Marriage, polyandry, Love, romantic, Family Saga, himalayas, India, common, murmur of the lonely brook, tribes, kinnaur, himachal, C429, Extratorrents, Kat
ISBN: 9780988170001
Publisher: Salfas
Published: 2012-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Shevak was worried. It was becoming difficult to get a decent price for the apples. Quite a few traders bid but their offers were much less then expected. A few of the villagers, hard pressed for money, could not hold on and were accepting less and less. The grader had come earlier and Shevak’s apples were graded medium or poor, making it difficult to bargain for a better price. The highest rate went at five hundred rupees per crate and that was for someone who had agreed to a rate contract earlier. A few traders went for such contracts because sometimes the prices shot up much higher.

The recent roadblock had created another crisis: getting crates and boxes for the apples. And the dealers in Sangla were selling them at a premium. A farmer needs good quality boxes and crates or there will be another deduction. Shevak had some old stock but was waiting for fresh stock to arrive.

Shevak sat at Lalaji’s shop with Naresh, who was confronted with the same problem.

“We can take the apples directly to Shimla,” he said.

“Yes, that’s an option, except that we’ll have to make some payments to the police along the way unless we travel at night when they are not there.”

“You once took apples to Delhi and got a good price.”

“The apples were also good at that time. Still, the price would be far better than the offers we are getting here.”

“Yes, and it would be a good break also. After all, we work all through the year.”

Shevak looked at Naresh, who, like most of the folks, spent his days in leisure while his wife labored in the field and at home. She also fed the cows. Some days he took out the cows and then drank all day, dozing below the shade of some tree. Some days he spent with his brother’s widowed wife and everyone knew he slept with her. And again, like others, he drank every evening.

“But maybe I will travel to Shimla,” Naresh said. “The prices there are not much different than in Delhi.”

Shevak thought about his last trip to Delhi. It had taken almost three days and on the way he had to tip the police twice. But he struck a good deal immediately on arrival, which made him happy. The city with its tall buildings amazed him more, as did the thousands of lights glowing at night. The trader even arranged a city tour for him with one of his employees. He saw all the notable places, including the Kutub Minar, India Gate, Parliament, Red Fort, and the Jantar Mantar. The next two days he roamed alone in the city and the market using the state buses. Everybody had warned him to be careful with money, so he deposited nearly all of it in his bank on the first day. They also advised him not to wear the green topi, as it would give away his identity. He listened to them and was careful.

But on the second day, he came across a tall building and could not resist counting the number of floors.

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