I guess the most popular profession in Konkan would be lawyer. There are so many litigations going on around Konkan that it seems that Lawyers may never would be out of work.
Way back in the 80s, as far as I remember, when I visited my native place, my uncle (dad’s elder brother) gave me a mid-afternoon pep talk about the advantages of being a lawyer and how it could actually benefit the family.
I was not much into making a career back then. I did not even know what i wanted to become back then. So when my uncle asked me what would I become when I grow up expecting his pep talk to work, I replied
“A painter”
Not the painters who’s work are sold for a very high price but the one who paints houses. My dad was a painter all his life who painted tractor for a leading manufacturer in India
My uncle got angry. I don’t remember much about the meeting afterward but that was when I knew what not to become when I grow up.
It was around the same time that I at the age of 14-15 years, I told my uncle that I did not approve of his decisions. The relations turned sour and it took me 21 years to visit the village again and that too 1 year after my Uncle passed away.
Few weeks back I travelled again to the village with my mom. Its a custom to keep the Wedding invitation before the family deity before you start distributing it.
As always, I had the camera with me. The beautiful Konkan offers quite a vast opportunities for photography. After visiting all the temples, it was time to explore the village.
My Aunty (kaki) offered me to show around. Behind our village house is a small hills and many from the villagers own parts of the hills. Terraces are cut into the hills to help farming. The land ownership is not a single piece of land but distributed over the hills.
This is where the controversy or disputes comes into place. Fruit from one’s tree falling into another’s land, the borders of the fields moving during rains and farming and what not.
My aunty gave me all the details of the various disputes of the land. There were many and after some time I lost track of what she said. I was busy in clicking some great photos out there.
Some of these disputes are going on for years now and now they are being passed on to the new generation. Some of these disputes do not even have to do with any material wealth. But the disputes have passed from a generation to another generation. Its been so long that some of these disputes may have lost its relevance.
The truth depends on who tells you and whoever tells you will only tell his/her side of the story. So how do we know who’s wrong and who’s right?
As I walked with my aunt that day, I felt she was passing a generation’s to me. A Generation of issues and disputes to be carried on to the next generation. I don’t feel the same way she feels about them and I doubt If i can even think of them.
And hopefully it all ends with my generation
i dont think so buddy