Long long
ago there was an ugly young man named Riengtepa. He was so ugly that no girl of
the village wanted to marry him. However he was a good hunter. Whenever he was
out hunting he returned successful.
One day
he was out hunting. He found fresh footprints of a stag. He started following
the foot-prints. One fairy also was following the same animal. As they met each
other all of a sudden face to face, Riengtepa caught hold of the beautiful
fairy. She was struggling hard but he gripped her hand so firmly that she could
not run away. “You are a beautiful lady and I am a bachelor; so I will take you
home to be my wife”, said Riengtepa excitedly. So, he took the fairy home to be
his wife. She was a shy lady and requested her husband not to tell anybody of
the village about her. He agreed to her request and named her Sakhilawngdar.
She was a
witch and could perform miracles. Through her ingenuity, the village was
transformed beyond recognition within a short time. The people also prospered
in all their works. In course of time the people made Riengtepa their honoured
chief.
The new
chief was held in high respect by his subjects and wherever he went he killed
pigs goats and cows. Within a short time he was completely spoilt and became a
habitual drinker. He used to stay away from home many a time quite impervious
of his duties as head of the village. Once he visited a house where local wine
was sold and stayed the whole night with his drunken friends. His wife got
annoyed and sent her little daughter to call him. The little girl went running
and from the door, “Pa pa, Mummy sends me to call you”, she said innocently. He
did not take any heed and kept on drinking. For the second time she sent the
girl. The girl said the same thing. “Yes, I’ll come”, said he, but kept on
drinking. For the thir time she sent the girl and Riengtepa shouted at the
girl, “That Sakhilawngdar, let her go back, I don’t mind”. The girl returned
home running and reported the father’s angry words. So they left home to the
forest on that very moment in anger and humiliation.
After two
days, Riengtepa came home and found the house deserted and empty, he felt
lonely and miserable. Thus he became his old self again. There was none to look
after the domestic affairs. Slowly he became poorer and poorer and soon became
a wandering vagabond. Sakhilawngdar and her daughter looked down from the sky
and saw him wandering in hunger and thirst. The little girl took pity on him
and said to her mother, “Mummy I pity my daddy, let us give him food.” “Drop
him your little pot”, said the mother. She dropped him the little pot filled
with cooked rice. The pot could not go empty. Riengtepa was very happy now
because whenever he felt hungry he easily poured enough rice from the pot. He
carried it wherever he went.
One day
he visited a big village and the headman was Vailal. He was cunning, proud and
overbearing. He saw Riengtepa’s never-go-empty pot and challenged its miracle.
So, he proposed a bet as to who had more of cooked rice. He commanded all his servants
to cook as much rice as they could. On the appointed day before the crowd, they
began pouring out the cooked rice. When all the pots were emptied from the
Vailal’s side, Riengtepa’s pot remained full. So they snatched the little pot
from him and beat him right and left, and bound him from head to foot.
On the
following day, Vailal would ask Riengtepa three puzzles. If he could not solve
them he would be put to death. A messenger was sent to him about the decision
and was given one hour time for deep meditation. After the lapse of an hour,
Vailal and his council members arrived at the scene and Riengtepa was mentally
prepared for any eventuality. Vailal taunted jeeringly, “you sloth Riengtepa, I
will ask you only three questions. If you can answer correctly, I’ll let you
free, if you don’t you are doomed.” “Yes” said Riengtepa with calm resignation.
All the
council members and the entire village people gathered together forming a ring
around Riengtepa with unsual excitement. They brought before him two women (One
was the mother and the other her daughter, but looked equal in age) and asked
him to point out the mother. He looked at them and they looked so equal that he
found it impossible to point out the mother. So he took a stick and inflicted a
hard blow to one of them. She cried, “Ma, Ma, how painful!” At once he
recognised the other on was the mother. He proved correct. They all appreciated
his presence of mind. Then they wrapped a cow with cloth in such a way that it
was impossible which side was the head and which side the hind. The put it
before him and was asked to point out the head portion. He at once thought out
a plan. He took the same stick and inflicted a heavy blow and the cow jumped
out. So, easily he pointed out the head portion. They all praised his presence
of mind.
They
again wrapped a cat in such a way that it was impossible to differentiate
between the back and the front. The chief said, “This is a cat, you have to
tell me which side is the back side. If you can’t, you will be put to death
outright,” Riengtepa took the wrapped cat and dropped it from overhead. The cat
stood on four legs. So easily he told the impatient chief the back side of the
cat. They all appreciated his presence of mind. So, they set him free with his
little pot.
It is
said that within an hour of his meditation, his fairy wife had told him the
solutions.
Source: Prof.(Dr.) Lal Dena,Hmar Folk Tales, Scholar Publishing House, New Delhi, 1995.