Fiction: Manifestation

Apurba Bhuyan

Apurba Bhuyan

            As the news spread in the air, a hullabaloo stirred the small town. People started gathering around Banamali Gwala's ancestral property in the peripheral area of the town. The God Hanuman has manifested through a human here. Hanuman, in Indian mythology, the great disciple of lord Rama, the Supreme God. Hanuman is also worshipped with great devotion. So, the promotion of supernatural exhibitions of the incarnated Hanuman created immense curiosity even in the minds of far-flung people. Not only out of curiosity, many people became frantic with devotion to have a sight of the incarnated God. They took refuge in him to get rid of diseases and evil spirits. Incarnated Hanuman did not disappoint anyone. With a mace-like wooden stick, he used to touch the head of the persons who surrendered to him. To some, he tossed auspicious leaves of stone apple and to others flowers. It created hustle and bustle among the devotees to take his offerings. Persons like Gajen Dutta and Haranath Das attained importance because of the claim that they were aware of the secrets and the rituals of incarnated Hanuman. They took advantage in introducing the devotees to the supernatural, explaining the rules and collected the offerings of the devotees, who were convinced that, upon getting the grace of the incarnated Hanuman, their distresses and sufferings would be vanished. He did not ask anything from anyone. But the devotees offered money and grains as per the wishes of Gajen Dutta, Haranath Das and their team.

            The real name of the incarnated Hanuman was Kiranprasad. Many years ago, Kiranprasad's grandfather Ramprasad had come from a northern state in search of a job for his bread. Roaming here and there Ramprasad met Banmali Gwala's grandfather Hari Gwala. Hari favored and helped him to build a small hut in a corner of his land lying abandoned. Ramprasad started a cobbler's profession after his temporary settlement. Gradually Ramprasad became an indispensable part of the small town, bringing his wife and son from his place. After his death Ramprasad's son Laxmanprasad also adopted the same profession. Laxmanprasad married a native girl and strengthened his grasp in the society. His daughter also eloped with a boy of an established local family. Laxmanprasad thought of making his only son Kiranprasad capable of doing something by educating him to high school level. But suddenly Laxmanprasad died in a brief illness. Kiran had to leave school. 

In the meantime, Banmali Gwala thought of doing some business by himself evicting Laxmanprasad’s family who were living on his ancestral land without any endowment. They also stopped paying the nominal rent fixed by his father twenty years ago. Banamali's father Bholanath was a soft-hearted person. He never bothered with Laxmanprasad who started gradually grabbing their land. When Laxmanprasad was alive, Banamali Gwala had made a lot of hue and cry about this matter. Then Laxmanprasad requested him to allow them to stay there till any arrangements were made. But when Laxmanprasad suddenly died, Kiranprasad felt bolted out of the blue. Where would he go with his old mother?  Kiranprasad's business was also not the same as before as other two cobbler shops were opened nearby. Kiranprasad also raised his view that his family is occupying the property more than thirty years and no written agreement was made. So, he has the right to live in this place as per his wish. Fed up with Kiranprasad’s attitude, one day Banamali Gwala gathered some nearby people to make them witnesses and gave a final warning to Kiranprasad to vacate the house and land occupied by his family. He even threatened that if Kiranprasad himself would not vacate, he would forcefully drive him away.

            Three or four days after this incident, suddenly Kiranprasad’s mother started making noise that Kiranprasad had gone missing. Kiranprasad disappeared from his house without telling anything to his mother and there was no trace of him till noon the next day. Kiranprasad’s mother searched for him here and there, but when she could not find him, she started crying, smelling a foul play. She started saying that the people of Banamali Gwala might do something bad to Kiranprasad. The people of the neighborhood also searched for him. Next morning Banamali Gwala's wife Bindeshwari got a glimpse of Kiranprasad when she went out for a walk in the morning. Kiranprasad was found sitting on a twenty feet high branch of a huge banyan tree located behind Kiranprasad's house. His costume was also unique. He had wrapped only a red cloth around the waist. It was cold winter and it had rained in the last night. How had Kiranprasad climbed the tree and how had he stayed more than two days there in shivering cold? His eyes were closed in a meditative mode and there was no external movement of his body. The neighbors came to know about it. People started gathering. His mother pleaded with him in a bitter voice to come down from the tree. No, no response was seen from his side.

            Banamali Gwala uttered loudly, “Get down, stop the drama, do not blackmail emotionally. You will have to leave my land. I am giving you three more days. Leave my property soon.”

            Hearing Banamali’s voice, for the first time Kiranprasad opened his eyes in front of the people gathered there. Staring at Banamali steadily, he said in a serious tone, “I am giving you three days’ time. Your dynasty will be destroyed.” 

            Can feeble Kiranprasad's speech be so heavy? It was as if there had been a thunder from the sky. Whispers started in the crowd gathered there. They started staring at each other's face; what was happening after all. Banamali again abused Kiranprasad but he remained engrossed. Incidentally, from that day itself the only son of Banamali got high fever. Banamali's son's fever did not go down even after taking the medicine of the local priest, who cures people by giving traditional medicines. Banamali’s son started muttering feverishly, “God, God… take me to the God… oh…”

            Here Kiranprasad's companions Haranath, Gajan, Billu and others started propagating that God had incarnated in the body of Kiranprasad. He used to visit a distant Hanuman Mandir since three years. Now pleased with his devotion, the Lord has entered the body of Kiranprasad and staying on the banyan tree for three days. On the next Ekadashi, the auspicious eleventh day of the lunar fortnight, the God will come down to the earth. A place has to be arranged for the establishment of the deity. On the other hand, the health of Banamali's son was getting worse. Next day he hired a taxi and took his son to a doctor in the city. The doctor examined him and prescribed some costly medicines, but these did not show good results. Banamali’s son kept muttering “God...God” with folded hands and fell unconscious. People explained to Banmali that this was the result of his sin. He would be in distress unless he did not bow down to Kiranprasad as God entered in his body. Banamali's mother and wife also started saying this. 

Ultimately Banamali had to accept defeat. Banamali's son was taken before the “God.” By then an altar had been built under the majestic banyan tree. Lamps and incense sticks had been lit. Other materials for worship had been gathered. The filthy back yard of Banamali’s house was thoroughly cleaned and sanctified. That day was the Ekadashi. The day of the Lord's descent from the tree was pre-announced. Banamali's yard became vibrant with the sounds of drums, blowing of conch and hymns of the devotees. Someone from the crowd shouted, - “Look, look, how the leaves of the banyan tree have started flapping.” Everyone's eyes were fixed on the branch and leaves of the Banyan tree. Then another shouted, - “Brothers, God has given the signal, he will come down now.” People bowed down and sat down with devotion. 

Kiranprasad in a godly posture stood up on the branch of the banyan tree and from about twenty feet height he jumped to rest on the ground. Stretching both  legs, bending the upper part of his waist slightly forward, clenching both fists, puffing up his mouth, he remained standstill for a few moments making huss-huss sound from the nostrils and started circumambulating the banyan tree with majestic steps. After circumambulating the tree seven times, he sat on the decorated altar under the banyan tree and again closed his eyes in a mode of meditation. Haranath Das, who has been engaged in the work of propagating God, since the time of God's appearance, folded hands and said to the people soaked with devotion- “Devotees, he is Hanuman Baba appearing in front of you. Hanumanji is immortal as we know from our sacred books of religion. He is roaming around the world and the universe. Now he has appeared before you in this form. If you make Hanuman Baba satisfied then all your wishes will be fulfilled, all your troubles will be over. Baba will give you darshan openly for ten days from today. After ten days Baba will enter the temple that will be built soon. Everything is possible if the public wants. I hope that you devotees will gather as much donation as possible to establish the temple for the God within ten days.”

            “Yes…  yes.” – the devotees nodded in agreement and shouted, - “Jay Hanuman Baba” repeatedly.

            Only then Hanuman Baba opened his eyes again and looking at the devotees he said in a serious voice, “Jay Shree Ram, Jay Shree Ram, Jay Shree Ram.” Devotees also recited it thrice. Some special devotees sitting close to Baba offered floral tributes on Baba's body. At that time the name of Kiranprasad did not come to anyone's mind. Kiranprasad became Hanuman Baba. Here, wife and mother of Banamali Gwala fell at the feet of Hanuman Baba crying and hugging Banamali's sick son. Banamali also sat kneeling down before Baba with folded hands. Hanuman Baba put his hand over the boy's head. Sprinkling a few drops of water on his body from the brass pot with a stone apple leaf, Baba said to the boy’s grandmother, - “Go mother, give the child some warm milk to drink. With the grace of Shri Ram, he will be fine." This was the first treatment of Hanuman Baba. Anyway, the boy got well after two days.

            Banmali donated a piece of land, which was occupied by Kiranprasad’s family, to build a temple in writing in front of the public. Businessman Premchand Agarwala offered one truck of bricks. Oil trader Paritosh Mandal gave two bundles of tin for roofing. Similarly, some donated sacks of cement, while others donated sand. Jiten Bhumij, the mason of the area, took up the responsibility of making the temple without any remuneration. People started queuing up to work as laborers. Within ten days, the temple house and a room with brick walls and a tin roof were ready for Baba to live. The space was taken out by demolishing the small hut that had stood pathetically since the days of Kiranprasad's grandfather. After all, the grubby backyard of Banamali Gwala’s ancestral property was transformed into a shrine. Hanuman Baba started giving religious sermons to the devotees sitting under the banyan tree. Day by day the gathering of the people seeking his blessings increased. Hanuman Baba’s repute unfurled as his predictions and decretal captivated wealthy businessmen, legislators, political leaders, students, critical patients, doctors, lawyers, professors, and lovers too. How he predicted past and future, omens and remedies of the diversified people so convincingly has remained as mysterious as the fever of Banamali Gwala’s son.

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Bio: Apurba Bhuyan is professionally an engineer and presently serving as a General Manager in a prominent oil and gas exploration and production company of India. Building his roots as an Assamese poet and writer he has written in various literary magazines, collections and e-magazines like Muse India, Setu magazine, Pratilipi etc. Besides Assamese he writes in Hindi and English and translates his works. His four poetry and two storybooks has been published in Assamese and one book of elegy in English has been published so far. Few of his representative works in Hindi can be accessed in Indian online editions “Kavita kosh Hindi” and “Gadya kosh Hindi”.

e-mail ID: bhuyana7@gmail.com

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Setu, July 2025