A couple of days back, Deputy S asked me, “You want a story for the blog?”
“Sure.”
“Musician has bought a new tractor!”
But that’s not the story. The story is that Master and Musician have been on-site every day since Day One. They have been there sun-up to sun-down and beyond. They have cleared land and transported supplies all over the site. When not on their tractors, they have gone about on foot doing every odd and even job possible.
They are no less than any member on this team. They are friends.
I ride in Musician’s tractor every evening. It’s ritual by now. And every morning, Master comes by to share his cigarette with me. He found me at noon today, hiding behind the tent for shade while I write. He offered a cigarette and said, “I was looking for you all day. I have been saving this.”
Musician has bought himself a new tractor because he knows we’ll need a more powerful machine at the site. He has bought it because he knows we’ll be here again next year. Because he knows he will again be part of this team. Because he has faith in us.
This festival would not be possible without bucket-loads of such faith.
It’s not just Master and Musician. Gajju Banna was only supposed to put up a colony of 200 Swiss Tents for us. He has been with us every day on every small detail. He has let us use his own camp site wily-nily. He has helped us supervise and pull through more than his domain.
Grand Meister and his brother, Padam Ji, have been with us every step of the way. We are strangers in this land, helpless without them. They are the two able feet this festival is standing on.
But why? It’s not the money. It cannot be. I personally don’t think there’s enough to go around for the hours and the sweat that has gone into this festival already. What they do it for is worth much more than money.
They do it because they share our dream. They believe that even if not probable given the time and resources, it is still possible. They believe that, together, we will make it happen. They have faith.
Faith makes stronger men of us all.
The only problem with it is that acting on faith has stolen Musician’s mojo, his eponymous identity. The new tractor plays no music.
Can we please buy him a transistor for it?
“Sure.”
“Musician has bought a new tractor!”
But that’s not the story. The story is that Master and Musician have been on-site every day since Day One. They have been there sun-up to sun-down and beyond. They have cleared land and transported supplies all over the site. When not on their tractors, they have gone about on foot doing every odd and even job possible.
They are no less than any member on this team. They are friends.
I ride in Musician’s tractor every evening. It’s ritual by now. And every morning, Master comes by to share his cigarette with me. He found me at noon today, hiding behind the tent for shade while I write. He offered a cigarette and said, “I was looking for you all day. I have been saving this.”
Musician has bought himself a new tractor because he knows we’ll need a more powerful machine at the site. He has bought it because he knows we’ll be here again next year. Because he knows he will again be part of this team. Because he has faith in us.
This festival would not be possible without bucket-loads of such faith.
It’s not just Master and Musician. Gajju Banna was only supposed to put up a colony of 200 Swiss Tents for us. He has been with us every day on every small detail. He has let us use his own camp site wily-nily. He has helped us supervise and pull through more than his domain.
Grand Meister and his brother, Padam Ji, have been with us every step of the way. We are strangers in this land, helpless without them. They are the two able feet this festival is standing on.
But why? It’s not the money. It cannot be. I personally don’t think there’s enough to go around for the hours and the sweat that has gone into this festival already. What they do it for is worth much more than money.
They do it because they share our dream. They believe that even if not probable given the time and resources, it is still possible. They believe that, together, we will make it happen. They have faith.
Faith makes stronger men of us all.
The only problem with it is that acting on faith has stolen Musician’s mojo, his eponymous identity. The new tractor plays no music.
Can we please buy him a transistor for it?
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