A Story Of The Shepherd Sudhanshu Shekhar Patra

August 19, 2021

Do you not want to know something about me ? How did I become a shepherd ? Let me introduce myself first.

I'm Teknu, 15 year old Kalahandian young boy, living there in a small cottage. This is Macaguda, a tribal hilly village having population about 5 hundred people. I have never touched down to the ground of a school . Being an illiterate fellow also I'm living in my own way positively here .

There are two reasons for not getting education.

The first one that no any school is established in our village. The second point is related to my late father.He was a rigorous worker in his life.He was habituated to go even if Jhola, the nearest village of Macaguda, for works . There was only one school for our belt where very few children were reading. When I wanted to go there he didn't agree . He stated that only the sons of richs should read. The sons of poors should not be worried to get education.

He died in a serious fever .I was only 7year old at that time. Some of our neighbours told that his father met with death as a deity of a cornfield was rude upon him . Just right after one month of my father's demise mother got married another young man and stayed with him.

I became alone , an enigma to narrate details isn't at all possible now. Only one thing I know that my tough struggle started there after for survival in this dense range . My engagement was fixed up in a well to do person of the village . I became a shepherd for the sake of that family. The working schedule was morning to evening everyday . At present also that time table has not been changed and followed by me . I take stale wash mingled with salt, onion pieces and dried chilli in lunch with my friends in the grazing field and hot rice along with a little bit of veg curry in dinner at owner's except for the room where I sleep . It's very rare to get mutton curry in dinner , yearly twice or thrice .

The utensils used for me will be cleaned in my own hand after eating .

However , I have been living yet and hope also to continue this trend until my death . At last , not least may l say one most important thing that I am in search of a girl to make life partner . No more to express for the time being.