Nayagarh, August 11 (Odisha.in) Kapila Pradhan of Nagajhari village under Champapedi gram panchayat in Nayagarh district, Orissa is living on a tamrind tree inside the junggle for over past 15 years out of disgust towards his wife Tulasi and brother Babua.
Hardly a year after his marriage, Kapila could discover extra-marital relationship between his wife and younger brother. He raised voice of protest. But none cared it. Rather he was humiliated and tortured.
” They called me a ‘baya’ (mad) and ” maiya” ( effiminate ) and tortured me,” laments bearded Kapila. Even his father supported the realtionship between Babua and Tulasi, Kapila told Odisha.in
He likes to live alone atop a tamarind tree in his own small cottage without depending on anybody. His family lives in Nagajhari village under Nayagarh district. His family includes his wife, two sons , brother and old mother. But he has virtually disowned all of them exept his mother ,and has also no concern for them.
He has built a cottage with straw, palm leaf and ofcourse polythene to get rid of raoins on the top of a tree in Dhani forests which has become his home. His day begins with collecting fruits and roots which is his only food.
Since he has no source of income, he totally depends on the edible roots of the forest and have not taken square meals with rice, dal and curry , since he has left home.
According to villagers, Kapila’s wife Tulshi has started living with his younger brother Babua without any social sanction. But Kapila claims that they have been married long since. While his father was alive , he was instrumental in solemnising the marriage.
Kapila climbs the tree to reach his thatched cottage which contain a larnteen, and few utensils, clothings etc. He has stored some roots to use as food whenever he would feel hungry.
Earlier , Kapila was living on such a thatched cottage on a tree inside the dense foresr far way from the village. But some wild elephants uprooted a number of trees near his cottage. Apprehending that his cottage might become their target, Kapila shifted to a tamerind tree close to the village.
During his stay inside the forest, on many occassions but none have caused any harm to him. Even snakes had taken shelter in his cottage without causing any harm. Therefore Kapila feels that wild animals are more friendlt and dependable than the human beings for which he prefers to stay away from home and the village.
So long as the forest provides food to him and the four seasons flow beside his tree-top cottage, he cares little to others.
When odisha.in tried to contact Babua , who is living with Kapila’s wife Tulasi and have become proud father of two sons, Babua refused to talk and prevented others to speak . He alleged that coverage by media would bring bad name to his family and the village also.
However Ananta Sahoo, a local school teacher told odisha.com that instead of trying to feel and project the pain of Kapila who has been virtually betrayed by the members of his family whom he loved so dearly, most of the media have projected him in different manner.
While some portrayed him as a Tarzon, others said that he is mentally imbalanced. But really Kapila is a very nice human being and very hospitable. He offerred us some roots he is taking as his stapple food .
As the time passess by Kapila is becoming old . Now he feel that after few years he may not be able to climb the tree and collect fruits and roots from the forest as he is doing now .
What he would be contented with is a shelter little away from home where he can live peacefully. Since in pen and paper he wons landed property, he is not entitled to get an Indira Awas, nor he has any landed property in his possession where he can construct a mud house to live in for the rest of his life.
“He should be provided with an Indira Awas and old age pension or something of that sort so that he can lead a nice life, ” pleaded Ananta Sahu. But who will take the initiative under the present socio-political system ?
When we met Kapila’s old mother who was unbale to walk straight and asked her about Anants, she simply looked at us and did not utter a single word. She looked emptily towards the forest where Kapila is living on the tree and tears started
rolling from her eyes….an utterly helpless mother who could not come to the rescue of her most beloved son…
Odisha.in