A sethu that divides

10

Mukundan sat on a small rock, along a stream, surrounded by huge, green mountains, under a cloudy sky. Water flowed in a rhythm, each note easily distinguishable from the other, producing a soft whisper. Sun peeped in through the clouds once in a while, its rays coming in concentric circles, like on sunrise, though it was afternoon. Mukundan was somewhere in Himachal Pradesh, in the lap of nature, that is how the tourism brochures described the location. Every now and then he moved his fingers through his overflowing greying beard. His crumpled kurta, and fading jeans gave away his identity. He is what we call a Buji -- a Buddhijeevi, an intellectual. He was there to protest when the Tehri dam was being built. He and his friends threw their lot with Bahuguna, that of the famous Chipko movement. He was again seen with the....