The holy dip took his breath Away

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Note: This is a work of my imagination and any reference to any person (living or dead) or to a place is purely co-incidental.

Dasappana Kunte (Dassapa’s pond) is a small village that came into existence 15 years ago and has been gaining popularity as a tourist point ever since. Like every tourist point, this village has a story behind it, a divine story.

Fifteen years back this was no village but a small establishment of around 20 families. The only distinguishing feature was the 3-4 feet deep small pool formed by rain water logging and rest all was wild. Since no one bothered to venture on these grounds, the poor families found it a safe haven to settle down.

Dasappa was a small, shrivelled fellow with deep set eyes. He carried a mystic aura and that made people revere him. He had quite a following and his USP: teach people to love!. No, Not the mankind or brotherly love, but tips and tricks to improve your romantic love life. Tips, that will help people keep their romantic life going and in turn spread happiness around.

How he managed to come up with these tips and tricks was a clandestine affair. Not many people knew that he would tour the bigger cities and towns, observe the trends, watch movies and come up with his own tips and tricks based on these learnings.

In a particular incident , he visited his nephew’s hostel in the capital city. He watched many movies and was inspired by two things – the Titanic signature of Ship-tip-scarecrow-act and the song “Take my breath away” from Top Gun and that’s all he needed to come up with his best blessing for his followers.

History was going to be made at the 4 feet deep water logged pool on this fateful sunny day. Word had spread that the divine Dasappa was giving out his most blessed learning and that the water pool was chosen to be the auspicious location to perform this act. Huge crowds from surrounding villages gathered. There were people from all generations – Married, to be married, will be married, wannabe married and divorced. All wanted to see the divine perform this act himself.

Dasappa tailored his observations and came up with the best-romantic-thing-to-do ever. He stood at the tip of a boat trying to balance himself in the Titanic signature style and addressed no one in specific and said ‘Oh my people, if you want to perform this act, you and your spouse/lover must stand the same way I am standing now with your partner in front of you and chant the mantra I will chant now’.

All observed with great curiosity and interest , everyone concentrating on the lips of the divine. He raised his head and screamed ‘Tyaak miy bireth awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay’ (vernacular version of take my breath away) and at that very moment he lost the balance and fell in water. He was totally embarrassed.

He tried again and history repeated, he fell in water again. He was totally furious and was cursing his own for not having practiced it beforehand. He started again, changed the location and direction of the boat within the pond and he realized that people were memorizing the process of the position, the mantra and how to take the dip after the mantra. An idea struck him and he smirked at his own genius. He addressed everyone that he will demonstrate one final time how to recite the mantra and take the dip and also that, this process will help them achieve Nirvana.

He screamed the mantra and took a deliberate plunge with all his energy, and indeed, this effort took his breath away. Unfortunately, the water was only 1 foot deep and his head hit a huge boulder and the force was enough to cause a brain hemorrhage and eventually his death.

People were mesmerized. The divine had sacrificed himself for the people, to improve their romantic life or their love life. The water pool was dedicated to his mission and renamed as Prema Sagara (The ocean of love) and the area was named as Dasappana Kunte (Dasappa’s pond).

If he was a hero while living, he was definitely a superstar after death. More and more people revered him as the word spread. People performed all kind of Pujas at this place and started settling here. His death brought more love and happiness to people than his life. The place became a major tourist point and business thrived, people residing in that area became rich and were naturally happy and loved their spouses more.

Even to this day, newlywed couples as well as the love birds who take oaths of being bound for seven lives come here, stand at the tip of the boat in the Scarecrow positions, scream ‘Tyakkmy-birethaw-aaaaaay’ (it is quite expected for the enchantment to be distorted as time passed by) and jump into the pool.

This post is written for BLOGESHWAR  and Anubhooti