The sword,,
Have you gone deaf?
I said give me the sword, Hurry up ,
Father,,,
Can I come along?
Sita, keep mum and eat your food
Girls can’t go along
But why?
Girls can’t ask questions either,
You better make her understand that,
Come brother, Joravar
Why hasn’t it started yet?
The Dholi (drummer) hasn’t come yet
We’re waiting for him
These lowborn Dholis (drummers) have started acting too pricey
The whole territory is suffering from the drought
and these Dholis are anyway so few in number
Every village hosts prayers for the rain, Naturally, they’ll act pricey
Hey
Give it some space,
It’s getting suffocated that’s why it’s not playing
Is it not able to catch the single (signal)?
Eh Petha, stay a little away from the radio,
The radio waves are hitting your back and bouncing away
Here, I’ll sit down, Fine?
Eh, that worked like magic! - Petha, do one thing,
You lie down flat so that the signal is crystal clear
(Radio Announcement)
Hey Ravji
Such a sweet voice, right?
Without a doubt, but could not understand a thing, right?
Aye Ranmal
You have tuned into enemy nation’s (Pakistan) radio station,
Tune into ours,
Eh, Mukhi baapa (head of the village)
Eh
It’s time for the prayer to begin, Why are you toying around with that radio again?
I swear on the Goddess, father, I was just going to leave after catching the signal,
Oh Goddess, please send some signals to his brain too
(Radio Announcement)
According to the latest weather forecast, there will be mild to heavy rains in Central Gujarat, South Gujarat
whereas in Kutch and all of western Gujarat, monsoon rains will begin in the coming week,
Now, it won’t rain for sure!
Eyy, idiot, They have machines to forecast,
They don’t conjure the news from thin air,
But Father, the radio has been making it rain since the last two years,
But what about the clouds? They beg to differ,
Look, the Dholi is here (Radio announcement continues)
Today, on All India Radio, India’s Prime Minister has declared a state of emergency across the country,
Let’s listen to her message-
Oh Mother, we devote this first garba of the season to you
Give us a sign, Mother, for any mistakes made or inadequacies served
If there is any act, ceremony or sacrifice you want us to perform, please tell us
Please don’t leave our land dry for the third consecutive year
or we will have to leave this village and go,
Hail the Goddess,
Oh Mother, you bring peace to the world
and usher prosperity
I bow down to you, and offer my prayers, Oh Great one
We remember you with reverence, Oh Mother
Your lamps are burning incessantly
Please make your presence felt and bless us
The lofty flags are flying in your abode, Oh Goddess
Come soon to play and shower your blessings upon us
The lofty flags are flying in your abode, Oh Goddess
Come soon to play and shower your blessings upon us
Ma
Why can’t we do Garba (dance)?
Don’t you ever feel like doing Garba?
Sleep now,
Call back your river of emotions
Sheath your lightning
Call back your river of emotions
Sheath your lightning
Halt the ringing of your anklets
Stud your path with thorns
And pray to the Goddess for a lonesome night
A night without dreams
This issue is regarding the water supply in Jeeva’s house,
Nobody is ready to fetch water for them,
It’s not that nobody is ready to do it
but who will carry the extra pots?
All women need to manage the pots for their own houses,
Jeeva is bedridden and Santok (his wife) is too old to go,
The only person left now is their daughter-in-law, Kesar,
But she is a widow,
She isn’t allowed, - But what is the other option?
We can’t let them die of thirst,
Let me think for a moment,
The Goddess will show us the way,
Wow, Mukhi baapa!
You’ve thought of the perfect thing to do! What an idea!
(Crowd cheering)
He is the head of the village for a reason!
You’ve thought of the perfect thing, Sir,
But what has he thought?
That Sundar’s widow Kesar will go fetch water with the rest of the women,
Are you out of your mind, Bhagla?
A widow will go out?
Arrey, Mukhi baapa has suggested this solution,
And it seems 100 percent correct,
In the nearby villages of Bhuj and Anjar, the women go to watch movies as well,
So, if we go by the ways of the society -- Society,
Bhagla, society,
The society will dance naked,
Does it mean we should too?
No no, we just have to allow her to fetch water, That’s it,,
Now, we can’t let three people die without water,
This is the only way,
Tell all the women of the village to not talk to her,
Also, tell them to keep an eye on her
It is anyway an empty, salt dessert,
Even if she wants to do anything wrong,
who is she going to meet there?
This discussion is over, now,
Tell me, Bhagla
What have you brought for us from the city?
I’ve brought salt,
some grains and cloth as well,
Here
And any news?
In the latest news, Emergency
Emergency?
It has been imposed throughout the country, Emergency,
Even in Kutch?
Yes, Kutch is also a part of the country, father,,
That’s right,
But what happens during an Emergency?
You can’t speak a word against the government,
Or else, they can put you behind bars,
The government has not been able to reach here
how will the Emergency get to us?
This is what happens when you let a woman run the country,
Anything else?
Another thing is that,
Deva baapa,
your son Arjan’s letter has come from the army,
Here, read it,
Hail the Goddess
Just tell us what it says,
Deva baapa,
Arjan has been granted leave for his wedding,
But only for 10 days,
Why just for 10 days? - Emergency,
See baapa, The Emergency has already reached you,
We’ll have to host the wedding as soon as Arjan is back,,
And it will be great if you don’t allow the widow to fetch water until then,,
It's inauspicious
Alright
Sundar’s widow will go to fetch water after Arjan’s wedding,
Till then, the water for their house --
You’re right, Sir!
Till then, they can take the water they need from your house,
(crowd cheering)
Not yet
See? He’s the head of the village for a reason!
(crowd cheering)
Okay then, Devaji,
start preparing for the celebration,
Are you educated?
How far?
Seventh grade,
Huh?
Seventh grade
That’s too much
I’ve heard that educated girls somehow grow wings,
And some grow horns, too,
What have you grown?
Here, in our village,
the rules of the caste come first,
Better know your limits,
No matter what you’ve grown, wings or horns,
cut them on your own,
If I cut them, it will hurt more,
I’d heard that my bride is very beautiful,
But I didn’t know she would be this beautiful,
You have to go fetch water,
You’re late,
The women are waiting outside,
Wait
Eh,, Did anyone see her face?
Arjan Bhai must have seen her face last night,
Would he even have seen the face?
I’ve heard she’s very beautiful,
Now, all that beauty will remain within four walls of her home,
All her beauty and knowledge will be blown off in the kitchen,
And then, she will go from the village to the lake and from the lake to the village, all her life,
With us, like us,
Not like us,
She’s from the city,
A wife neither belongs to a village nor a city,,
she only belongs to her husband,
Go now,
Wait everyone, wait here!
Listen, Manjhri,
This is Gauri, Champa, Radha, Mena, Ganga, Gomti, Rudi, Kanchan,
Phew,
Now if I start introducing everyone, we’ll reach the lake
and then we won’t be able to talk,
And if we’re not able to talk, we feel constipated,
See, the only time we talk and listen is when we go to fetch water,
Other than that, we have to put a knot to this snake of a tongue and put it away,
But then, what if this suffocated snake, stings?
Even then we end up poisoning ourselves,
Arrey Gomti, don’t get started on snakes and poison,
Let’s ask her quickly or we’ll run out of time,
What do you want to ask?
See, the only new thing that comes to this village is a bride,
Other than that, nothing new happens here,
That’s why we have a lot to ask,
Okay, start asking then,
Will answer what I know, and if I fail, I fail,
Don’t worry, we are all failures here,
Start walking or we'll get late,
First, tell me what kind of people are there in the city?
Weird kind, They walk on their heads, have three hands and a wheel attached to their feet,
They’re just all of like us, of course,
How much have you studied? - A little,
Enough to be able to read,
Ah, Make her read,
It will be so much fun to watch a woman swiftly read a board!
But there are no boards to read, here,
One can only find boards in the city,
That’s Kesar,
She’s the widow of Jivabha’s son, Sundar,
She has come out of the house after a year and a half,
But what is she doing?
I think she’s out of her mind, - Stay,
Anyone would lose their mind after being caged for so long,
She’s just been released from a prison,
She just wants to feel free for a moment here,
How do you know?
I can read the boards of her heart from here,
Remember, we aren’t allowed to talk to her,
I’m Manjhri
You shouldn’t have talked to her,
That’s the rule,
Rules are theirs and the game as well,
It’s enough that we are victims of it,
We don’t have to play the game,
Hmm
Seems like the woman from the city has a big mouth,
Her husband is going to have a hard time,
Brother
Did you fire the gun properly or not?
If it was upto me,
I would have fired all six bullets,
But she gave up in just two rounds,
Arjan must have been in a forgiving mood at the time,
Otherwise, he’s capable of pulling up a tired enemy and firing again,
He’s an army man, He never misses his aim,
Okay stop you two,
You’ll also get married one day,
Don’t take too much ‘interest’ in other peoples’ private matters,
Oh ho,
Bhaglo has started speaking English quite a lot,
I pick it up from people in the city,
And a little from the ‘cinema’ as well,
The Cinema?
The Movies?
Movies,
Arjan, I saw a movie of you army guys in Bhuj recently,
It’s called Haqeeqat! Ahaa,, Such a fierce gun fight,
Did you get hurt?
Aren’t you scared being at the border?
Afraid of what?
Either you kill or get killed,
Is infiltration from Pakistan still a problem?
I’m near the Chinese border,
Near the Himalayas,
Oho, so all fair complexioned girls that side?
Oho
Now, instead of talking about other girls, concentrate on your wife, Gauri,
It seems like your gun is firing in thin air,
It’s been 15 months to your wedding, And still no result,
Is it a real gun? Or a toy gun?
Bhagla,
Tell us about that movie, no!
Which one? Hakikat?
No no, ‘Baabi’!
It’s ‘Bobby’,
Yes,, The one with the girl in the shorts,
Yes, that pretty one,
Oh, I remember, Last time, you told us the story till that song,
‘Hum tum,, Chaabi kho jaaye’ (What if we are locked inside a room and the lock won't open)
I think we’ll have to get these two married,
They’ve started thinking from down there,
Hail the Goddess!
Please don’t get up,
Let me put it inside for you,
You're in your ninth month of pregnancy, right?
Yes, the last month,
Does the baby kick yet or not?
Eh baby, Kick, no?
It kicks on its own whim,
Eh
It kicked,
I was just thinking
that it will be a good day if it kicked,
See, it sensed what you wanted,
It can already hear the voices of one’s heart,
I am certain it’s a girl,
Hail the Goddess Amba, Mukhi Baapa!
Are you leaving?
Yes, - Listen,
He wants to talk to us, (tells the horse)
You stay here,
Yes, Yes,
When you go to Bhuj next, get some Opium from Barmer (village),
When the mind is tensed, it feels good to smoke up a little,
Don’t be so tensed, everything will be fine,
That reminds me,
The museum people were asking for this canon again,
They’ll give us decent money too, The village will benefit a little,
I have already refused once,
Haven’t you told them that this canon has been in our village for years now?
I told them that,
But the museum people are saying
that we’re asking for it precisely because it is ancient,
They also said that it’s just a canon, not some old temple
that if we give it away, the Goddess will be angry,
Listen, this canon was here before us,
We don’t know if it’s a divine signal,
It’s just our duty to protect it,
This, I told them this too,,
that it’s our duty to protect it,
Then they told me, You fool,
in this drought your village is going to turn into a museum,
Then, will you eat this relic of yours?
But I clearly explained to them
that our chieftain has refused,
And his verdict is final
So, finally you don't want to give it, right?
Alright,
Final?
Let’s get out of here, Don’t stop before we reach Bhuj (village),
It’s for baapuji,,
He coughed a lot last night,, This will make him feel better,
I used to make it for my grandfather,
Manjhri!
All this must not happen here,
Women of this village aren’t allowed to do embroidery work
But why?
She was the widow of Karsan,
Muli
Before Bhaglo, Kano used to come from the city,
What is that?
That is my embroidery work,
Can I have a look? - Yes please, wait,
Women can't work to earn money here,
It’s like selling yourself in the market,
But Kano secretly started taking away Muli’s embroidery work to sell in the city,
She shouldn't have forgotten her place,
One day, the secret got exposed,
But before anyone could do anything,
Muli fled with him,
She ran away to live happily but the dimwit, she got our embroidery banned for life,
The men burnt all our threads, needles and cloth in the village,
We searched them for a very long time
but couldn’t find them anywhere,
The Goddess got angry,
It did not rain for three years after that,
The priest said
unless they are found and sacrificed to the Goddess, it will not rain,
One day, a news came
that they live in Anjar,
I, myself, had cleaned the blood stains from this sword
Mother,
what happened then,
Did it rain that year?
You fool,
Go away from here,
Brother Ranmal,
Arjan has a wife now,
He is younger than you, right?
Okay, elder than you,
No!
He is younger than me,
So, when is your turn, then?
My to be wife is still quite young,,
And you?
I’m grown up,
Are you sure?
Of course, I need to grow older,
Otherwise who will be the next chieftain? Your father?
Not a word against my father!
Then should I talk about your mother?
Come on, Take my mother’s name now,
Yes, I will, definitely, take the great mother’s name,
Today is the second full moon, Mother Goddess Amba, please bless us with rain,,
We lay today’s prayer dance at your feet,
Don’t hesitate brother,
dance as much as you desire,
Alright, do what you please,
Oh great Goddess, You have 1000 hands!
Please make it rain, Goddess, Please make it rain,
Did you do Garba in your village?
Yes,
In this village, you can’t,
Come here, look at this, Something is pricking me,
Keep your dreams to yourself
Smother all your desires
Halt the ringing of your anklets
Stud your path with thorns
And pray to the Goddess for a lonesome night
A night without dreams
Isn’t it weird?
When it does not rain, they get to do Garba and we have to fast (restrain from eating),
That’s how it has always been,
We endure all the pain and they get to be the father,
I broke the fast yesterday,
Really? - What, really?
I was famished, I should have died or what?
It will, definitely, not rain now,
Wait,
There’s someone lying there,
He's a man,
You shouldn’t go near him, Let’s leave,
Let’s go, Hurry up,
Someone would have killed him and dumped him there,
But nobody comes this side,
Looks like he died of thirst, Come on, let’s go,
What if he’s alive?
Water-
-Water-
water
He'll die!
Let him, Lets leave,
I am a widow,
Everyone is waiting eagerly to point fingers at my character,
If I was blessed like you,
I would have given him water,
Still if no one does anything, I’ll give him water,
Otherwise someone else will become a widow and suffer, like me,
Whose Dhol is this?
It's mine
Will you play?
Let’s go now, Are you out of your mind?
Let's leave,
You’ve saved my life,
All of you started dancing without a drop of shame,
So what? No one saw us, right?
The Goddess sees everything,
Now wait for the consequences,
Uncle!
What happens when a dog wails?
How was it wailing?
(wails)
In this way,
Was it shivering?
Yes, it was,
(wails)
It’s okay, it’s okay, Relax,
There’ll be an earthquake,
Mother,
what should I cook for lunch?
Mother,
What has happened to you, mother,
Mother!
Don’t leave us!
Let me sleep, you fool!
Eh wait,
*mumbling prayers*
Run,
Earthquake! Earthquake!
Where?
You were spooked, - No, you were,
Let's go, - Don’t tell anyone,
Did anything weird happen at anyone’s place? - No,
Did anything unfortunate happen in the village? - No,
Anything strange? - No,
So do we dance today?
A drum reverberates and rolls
In the empty desert of my mind
Oh it has broadened
The horizon of my caged mind has broadened a bit
A drum reverberates and rolls
In the empty desert of my mind
A drum reverberates and rolls
I was the one stopping myself from flying
I fluttered a little but soon grounded myself
I was out of breath,
I was out of breath by just a sliver of joy
I was out of breath,
I was out of breath by just a sliver of joy
I did not sleep
For the sake of a few dreams, I didn’t sleep
I put a charm,
To keep the evil eye away from my dreams and hopes
A drum reverberates and rolls
In the empty desert of my mind
Oh it has broadened
The horizon of my caged mind has broadened
You have thorns in your feet or what?
No,
We’re not comfortable with this,
Dancing in front of some stranger – - I’m,,
I’m Mulji
Caste?
Have you lost your way?
Yes,
Seems like there’s no one in his family,
There is
I have a wife, Mangla
and a daughter,
Reva
Where are they?
They're right here, with me
Reva
Where did she run off to? Reva,,,
Mangla
Reva
Eh Mangla,,
Reva
He’ll go directly to the city, no?
And then where? - That I don’t know,
To the border
To all those beautiful women?
No, to the bullets, - The bullets!
That’s it,
There’s no need to pack 6 months of food,
When will you come back now?
I'm not sure,
Even a week hasn’t passed to your wedding,
When will you take her along?
Her?
I cannot take her with me,
There’s continuous firing,
Blasts can be heard all the time,
It is not a place for women, It is not their cup of tea,
What?
Manjhri
Aye Manjhri, where are you lost?
Nothing,
Already missing Arjan bhai or what?
Chuck it,
I have started my fast from today,
You haven’t cooked yet?
Manjhri,,
I have cooked one extra piece of bread for him!
Bread in exchange of him playing the drum, eh?
Not just bread… If I could, I would give away my empire, I just don’t have one,
And not only me, any of us would do the same,
For the first time I’ve seen women waiting eagerly to go fetch water,
Leela! O Leela!
Coming, mother,
I'm going now, See you tomorrow morning,
To fetch water,
And to dance,
Amba Baa,
Open the door,
Come fast, Hansa is in labour,
Don’t you think it is taking too long?
The sun is about to rise
and a child born during sunrise is said to be very lucky,
It was a girl,
She was stillborn, Could not survive,
Look at her, walking as if nothing has happened,
How many more lives do you wish to take?
An innocent child died because of our sin,
I told you from the beginning that this is not your city, it’s a village,
Even if nobody else does, the Goddess sees everything,
So, are you saying that Goddess of the village and the city are different?
What do you consider her to be?
Would she consider such a small joy as a sin and punish us for it? This is what you assume her to be?
We don’t have the permission to feel joyous,
You have broken a rule,
Okay, let’s assume we have
Let’s assume we have,
We did, So, why did someone else get punished for it?
Eyy, We are not even supposed to talk with you,
She’s right,
Why did an unborn child get the punishment for our sins?
Hansa never did Garba,
We did,
We didn't,
You did,
Your daughter died because of someone else’s sins,
You weren’t coming to the lake during the final days of your pregnancy,
so you wouldn't know,
What?
I'll tell you,
We found a dholi on our way to the lake,
He was dying of thirst and we saved his life,
Since that day, he turns around and plays the dhol,
and we dance to his music,
Radha thinks that because of that sin of ours, your daughter died,
If you think so too,
I’m standing right in front of you,
I’ll take whatever punishment you give me,
The person whose sins have caused my daughter to die,
is sitting on the cot outside, smoking his pipe,
I pleaded him a hundred times,
not to beat me for these nine months,
Yesterday, he pushed me and,,
I was writhing in pain here and he sat outside, smoking his pipe
You have committed no sin,
And not all sinners get punished,
If it was like that then the world wouldn’t have so many men in it,
Once my body recovers,
I’ll also come,
with you all,
to do Garba, to dance,
This hollow womb might feel better listening to the sounds of the hollow dhol,
Sita!
Sita
Wake up,
Come,
Where?
To fetch water,
We won’t die of thirst anymore,
Maa,
now we’ll come here to dance everyday, no?
Yes,
Yes, we will come to dance,
But do you know what to tell them? Why are we here?
That we’re going to fetch water!
What?
What is your name?
You can turn around,
She is like your daughter,
Reva
Sita
Reva, my daughter’s name,
She’s about your age,
Where is she?
Here,
somewhere around here,,,
You take this,
This too,
This will give you some shade,
Can you play the dhol again for me,
just for a bit
He won’t tell anyone
If he wanted to, the horse would have turned around straight towards the village,
They’ll cut off our heads,
This won’t go unpunished, if the men come to know,
Where are you going?
Now, I can’t stay here,
These people will really kill us,
Those few moments that we play Garba to your rhythm, we feel alive,
Other than that, what’s life for us anyway?
Only the sound of the winds and the silence of the houses,
There are no loving hands or kind eyes anywhere,
We’re humans,
We’re getting to live a little because of your music
Now, we won’t stop living for the fear of dying,
We’re not as courageous as you, Manjhri,
Look,
what had to happen, has already happened,
He has already seen us,
And if he wants to tell them, he will tell the village folk anyway,
But till then- - Till then what?
I haven’t seen her so full of life since a long time,
Till then,,, we’ll laugh a little,
What else?
Girls can't - - I know, We can’t play Garba here,
Who wants to dance here anyway?
Come quickly the music has started,
Arrey, where is Jivaji?
These clothes are beautiful, dear sisters, I'll forever be grateful to you all,
It is us who have to thank you,
Whoever has to thank whomsoever, please do it later,
First please play the dhol, We’re craving to dance just like the men crave for opium,
Why are you limping?
During yesterday’s Garba (stutters)-
Yesterday, while the men were playing Garba outside, I slipped in the house,
How old is your daughter?
A little younger than Sita, I think
She knows how to dance?
Tell me one thing,
When we dance, why do you stand away from us with your eyes shut?
You notice everything, no?
Yes, Tell me now,
I pray to the Goddess that if there’s any sin in this act of dancing,
then punish me, and no one else,
Is there any more place for a new punishment in your life, Kesar?
This full moon’s prayer dance is devoted to you,
Answer our prayers or we will have to leave this village,
Forgive us for our sins and please bless us with rains,
Bless us with rain, Goddess,
Bless us with rain,
I daydream about Garba even at home,
Don’t get caught in your dreams,
She won’t get caught, She prays even in her dreams,
This bread,,,
Where are you taking this bread?
It’s for me,
I feel very hungry these days,
Amba baa was saying,,
What?
What was she saying?
That you tend to feel very hungry when you’re pregnant,
Really?
Stop now,,,
I’m feeling shy!
Seems like he has finally hit his aim,
Better late than never,
Will it rain?
It didn’t rain all monsoon, Why will it rain now?
Where could he possibly be gone?
He’ll be somewhere around here, He’ll come back,
But his stuff isn’t here,
Has he gone or what?
What was his name?
I don’t remember,
Yes, But I remember his daughter's name,
Reva
Reva!
Reva
Reva,,,
Reva!
Reva
Reva,,
Where is she?
Where were you going with your stuff?
We can’t stay here now,
Yesterday, a lot of dust blew because of the storm,
Mangla and Reva won’t be comfortable here,
How long can we stay in the middle of this lonely desert?
It’s only when you come, we have some company
Other than that, as you said,
there are only the sounds of the winds
I’ll have to find shelter in a village
There is a village
Samarpura
She’s right
The festival will start in 2 days,
and the village will need a Dholi,
You’ll get a shelter if you ask for it
You won’t even have to ask for it
Your drum stick will ask for the shelter
Just play the dhol for them once, They won’t be able to refuse,
But if he plays in the village,
then the Garba will again become men’s privilege
And we’ll go back to as we were before,
But how many days can he spend in this desert?
And it doesn’t matter
If not our bodies, atleast our hearts will dance,
There is an empty house in the village, They will give that one to you,
Your Reva will also dance inside the house?
Does she know how to dance?
Yes,,
she danced once,
If you see her, you won't be able to take your eyes off,
Just like lightning,
But that's the thing about lightning
It flashes,
and lights everything up in a moment,
and then there’s darkness
(chanting prayers)
Take this, It’s some grains
Don’t we give him enough already? He will anyway take the coconut from the pyre,
It’s a tradition, Because they light the fire, we have to give them something,
Has it not cooled down yet?
No,
Baapu, why do they put coconuts in the 'Holi' fire?
Because it’s considered holy,
Why?
That we wouldn’t know,
We just have to eat the coconuts when they cool down,
But I like bread, Why can’t we get bread out of it?
No, We get what we put inside,
Then why can't we put bread in it?
It’s because we worship coconuts,, Bread isn’t a thing of worship,
You only put in what you worship,
You worship your dhol before playing it, right? Then why don’t you put the dhol in it?
You mad, mad girl,
The Dhol is the means of our livelihood,
When we play it, we get bread as well as coconut,
And look at this, we get such a reward as well,
So, do you mean that you get rewards when you play the dhol?
Yes, So what?
What?
This is your reward,
Play the dhol now, I want do Garba,
We can’t do Garba here,
Why is that?
Because we’re not considered pure,
But I’m giving you a reward,
If you don't like this doll, I’ll sew another one for you,
Okay, Why don’t you go a little to the other side?
And be careful, Look out if someone is coming this side,
So are you going to…,? - Yes, I will play,
You don’t get such precious rewards everyday,
(indistinct conversation)
Where are you off to? - To the field,
These days wild cows are uprooting the crops
Be careful, Don’t get uprooted yourself,
Come out everyone!
Arrey, come out!
Come out!
Mukhi Baapa!
Mukhi baapa, come out!
What happened?
Here, we’re all sleeping peacefully and there, those lowborns are dancing and having fun around our holy fire,
What fun? What are you talking about?
That lowborn Mulji is playing the dhol and his wife and daughter are dancing!
There’s nobody here, - They must have gone home!
Then let’s go to his house,
He needs to be taught a lesson!
Call him outside,
Why? Do we want to call him outside and worship that low-life?
He has disrespected our holy fire,
Let’s burn his house, then he’ll come to know,
Reva!
Mangla!
Stay there!
Father!
Mangla
Reva,,
Alright, enough!
What’s your name?
Mulji
Caste?
Lower caste
Where have you come from?
From the other side of the desert,
Name of the village?
Baleliya,
Give him some butter, as a reward,
I don’t need any reward or gifts,
I need shelter,
What’s the ruckus about?
He’s a dholi, asking for shelter,
He needs shelter, is it?
You need shelter?
So what have you thought, Sir?
Yes, you’ve thought of the right thing!
The festival is in two days and the dholis are acting very pricey anyway,
If there is already a dholi in the village, we’ll be sorted,
But where will he stay--
There’s a broken house on the outer side of the village,
And then he can get food twice a day from Mukhi’s house,
He is the head of the village for a reason, right?
(crowd cheering)
The house is that way,
Manjhri, Bhaglo had come,
He left this letter for you,
Arjan has been granted a leave for 3 months,
He'll be back on the last day of the festival,
Here, Have a look,
What’s with the 'daaklas' playing?
The men and cattle came back in the evening, The news isn’t good,
There’s not a speck of grass till the other side of Raapar,
We’ve called the priest to know what the Goddess wants from us,
Because the festival starts tomorrow and then there won’t be any scope of rain,
Let's see,
Come, Please come mother, Please come,
Has she come?
She will, She will,
I can see her coming, Play the drum harder,
Play it harder!
Play!
You see her?
Yes! I can see,
The person whose cattle is diseased, and who is unable to sell it off
the Goddess will possess him,
You fool! They’re talking about you,
Hail the Goddess,
Yes yes! Play it harder,
Come, Let’s go and sit on that side,
But he’s been possessed by the Goddess,
The Goddess will come in Savji? He can’t even sell a sick ox!
Come, let's go,
The priest is here,
What if the Goddess possesses somebody
and reveals our secret?
The Goddess doesn’t appear suddenly,
She’s always around,
And if she wanted to punish us, she would have done it directly,
Why would she need to say it through these men?
She’s our mother,
You know the joy that Gomti feels when she sees her daughter Sita dance?
The Goddess must be feeling the same joy while watching us play Garba,
Hail the Goddess
Tell me mother!
No, no,
Has anyone has committed a sin?
No!
Have the women done anything wrong?
No!
Aaahhh, Hema Malini,,
'Jab tak hai Jaang' (thighs)!
Aeh idiot! It’s not 'jaang', it’s 'jaan', You know what 'Jaan' means?
'Jaan' means?
'Jaan' means life, - Life!
I got so tensed,
Basanti was dancing on pieces of glass,
And that imbecile Gabbar kept breaking glass bottles,
And Basanti kept dancing,
'Main naachungi, Main naachungi',
Hey Bhagla, sing softly, The Goddess is here,
And then Gabbar!
Forget about Gabbar
Let’s talk about Bobby first
You just said the Goddess is here,
and now again you want to talk about Bobby
Alright, Alright! Continue about Jabbar
Hey, it’s not Jabbar, it’s Gabbar, Isn’t it?
Show us the way, mother, Give us a solution
Can’t you think of a solution on your own, you fool
Think, Use your head a little
Have they made you the head of the village for nothing?
(crowd cheering)
Three bullets and three people and then-
These fools have already collapsed,
Hail the Goddess!
I told you right? Bhaglo won’t tell anyone,
The Goddess blesses certain men with compassionate souls,
That’s how the world sustains itself,
What did the priest say yesterday?
Why? Were you sleeping then?
Yes, I put some earbuds on,
I slept peacefully thinking that our dholi is staying in the village,
I’m irritated by that thought,
We were joyously dancing till now,
Now again the men will dance and we’ll just fetch water,
The priest said that the men will have to leave the village,
It’ll be just us and the kids then,
Have you lost your mind?
All the oldies are going to sit and watch us closely,
You’re thinking that we’ll all dance around the village?
No garba anymore,
I’ll be here every morning,
You women come first, then the village,
The one whose playfulness tantalizes my mind
The one whose drum beats make me strike like a flash in the sky
The one whose playfulness tantalizes my mind
The one whose drum beats make me strike like a flash in the sky
Oh here comes the one who rides the stallion of life
I become the sand to his dunes
I sway and dance to his tunes
He shattered the silences in my life
He planted a tree of hope in the desert of my loneliness
He shattered the silences in my life
He planted a tree of hope in the desert of my loneliness
He dished out the dreams that I devoured
Oh here comes the one who rides the stallion of life
I become the sand to his dunes
I sway and dance to his tunes
I become the sand to his dunes
I sway and dance to his tunes
He broke my unmoving stride
He tricked me as per my desire
He broke my unmoving stride
He tricked me as per my desire
I become the trail that he treads
Oh here comes the one who rides the stallion of life
I become the sand to his dunes
I sway and dance to his tunes
Where is Ganga?
Someone has come to visit her,
I saw a cart coming,
Ganga, Your cousin is here,
Brother! How are you here so early in the morning?
Sister, your father and brother were working in the field,
and suddenly the lightning struck, Both of them are dead,
Come sister, Come quickly,
We need to perform the last rites!
Don't cry,
Go with your brother,
Please forgive me! Don't punish us, mother,,
What happened?
Please take care of everyone,
You don't worry about all that,
I feel worried,
Worried for my kids and my husband,
What if something happens to them? - Why are you saying all this?
The Goddess is upset, She is punishing us for our sins,
What sins?
I’d asked you to cut your wings and horns yourself
Now it will hurt more when I cut them,
Cut his hands first!
He has made our women dance to his beats with these hands,
Wait! - There is nothing to wait in this,
Cut his head and finish the matter,
The punishment for his sin is death and that, he will get,
But not now,
It’s the last day of the festival, We’ll offer him as sacrifice tonight,
What do we do with this low-life till then?
Tie him here in the centre,
Let him rot in the heat all day,
We’ll kill him after the prayer tonight,
Call another dholi for the night,
What are you looking at?
He will be sacrificed tonight,
Hail the Goddess!
Wait!
We have got to ask him his last wish,
Otherwise, his spirit will wander in the village,
We don’t need to ask for his last wish,
Speak, What is your last wish?
Burn me alive,
And,,, - Only one wish,
Let him speak,
Speak,
Let me play the dhol for one last time,
I will play until the leather tears off,
Once it tears, burn me,
Okay then,
We would have had to burn him anyway, after killing him,
Go inside!
I said, go inside!
I have crossed the boundaries and overcome the obstacles
I have traversed the mountain of hardships given by you
I have let go of your insults and abuse
And done away with my deepest fears
Nobody will move,
The Goddess has made her presence felt today,
Everybody bow down to her,
I have left all of this behind to reach far
To the shade of my heart’s desire
I have crossed the boundaries
and overcome the obstacles
I have traversed the mountain of hardships given by you
And done away with my deepest fears
I have left all of this behind to reach far
To the shade of my heart’s desire
I have crossed all thresholds
And broken through the traps that you laid
I have grown beyond the worldly bounds of names and belongings
I have left all of it to reach far
To the shade of my heart’s desire
Dance, my dear Reva,
Dance,
It’s your turn now,
I refuse to accept your tyranny anymore
My anklets have now broken their silence
As my dreams have been freed from shackles
My desert now aspires for the rains
I have crossed the desert to reach the far end
To the shade of my heart’s desire