CLASS 8: ENGLISH : THE SUBMERGED VALLEY BY MANOJ DAS

Our village was the home to many people who led a simple agrarian life and had strong faith in their Gods and Goddesses. I left our village when I was five years of age as my father, an engineer got posted in the town and we moved bag and baggage, leaving our village for good. After that I had never really thought of my village till I became a third grader and our head teacher asked us to write an essay on Village Life.

I still fondly remember our village, the hillock at a distance with the temple of Lord Shiva atop it, the innumerable big trees, the stretch of paddy fields, the pools, the bull of Shiva walking across the village and the rows of houses. I even recollected the superstitious beliefs of the villagers associated with a lame crow sitting perched on the big tree who was considered ominous, the member of the Harijan community who declared himself to be a Saheb as he had white skin due to vitiligo and the way he swaggered in the market place wearing a cork topee. I even recalled the shady big tree in our school that seemed to sympathise with me whenever my teacher used to scold or thrash me. I often chatted with it at times of woe and gained solace..

A sense of nostalgia overwhelmed me when I remembered people of my village, including Abolkara, the weird son of the quirky lady who had a mad dog and a cat as pet and lived on the hillock behind the temple. Her son Abolkara seemed to be half headed and with his coherent talks claimed to have the power to communicate with the ravens and the jackals Some people believed him and fed him food to his heart's content, for Abolkara would not leave a house till he had eaten to his satisfaction. Villagers tried to harness him to constructive activity by making him spin clothes in the wheel but Abolkara as he was enjoyed spinning the wheel for fun rather than for work. Even an attempt to make him watch a heap of paddy failed as he neglected everything and was found singing by the side of Shiva's bull that seemed to replace the paddy.

A couple of years passed by and the village just became a memory to me. One day we heard father saying that a proposed dam would submerge the village and my eyes swelled up with tears. Mother too cried on hearing the news. Soon we had visitors from the village who had come to ask father's favour in stopping the government from constructing a dam in the village as the government had asked the villagers to vacate their lands, promising to give them rehabilitation in a nearby area and also pay in cash. They were reluctant to leave their ancestral home and their deities" "Babu, how can we leave our ancestors' ashes embedded in the soil of the village and just leave?" they questioned father. Father listened to them in silence which felt like as if he understood their feelings but silenced them saying, "Hmmm. I understand your sentiments but change is needed for development. Change should be welcomed for progress." He further said that they should not fret over the construction of the dam as the government had assured to help them resettle. The villagers tried their level best to oppose the government's decision and stop the construction of the dam but to no avail. Ultimately they had to give in Son give in. Some villagers settled in the new area which was a valley about eighteen miles away while some took the cash and went elsewhere or invested in some petty business.

Five years passed by since the construction of the dam with beneficial results. But one monsoon went dry and a problem surfaced. The level of the water had gone down considerably and as a result the hillock and the top of the Shiva temple had become visible. This news spread like wildfire. One evening father came home and asked mother if she would like to accompany him to our village where he was going the next day to attend a committee meeting at the dam. Mother was simply overjoyed and immediately agreed She could not hide her excitement.

We started early and reached the dam by noon the next day. The sky was overcast with clouds The locality had undergone quite a change. Mother expressed shock and was in awe to see the changes in the village. The old houses were no longer there. There were two bungalows and a cluster of small buildings for the dam officials. Father had news of a heavy shower at the end of the river which might rise the water level dangerously flooding the entire area. Father thought it apt to move the villagers to safer areas. So he summoned a launch and arranged for a meeting at sundown with the other officials while the villagers came in small boats to have a glimpse of the hillock and visit the temple. The old villagers who knew mother came up to her and talked with her.

Soon there was heavy rain and all the boats were instructed to take the people back. We too boarded the launch to go to the bungalow which was allotted to us. But a scene was created by Abolkara who had grown old and wore a beard as he sat on a rock and refused to board any of the boats. Instead he told the villagers that he had been there in the water since the last five years. Father found it to be utter nonsense and asked him to go to safety in one of the boats but Abolkara refused. So all the others left in their boats, including us in our launch leaving Abolkara behind. As we deboarded the launch at the portico of the bungalow and went upstairs father went to attend his meeting It rained heavily the entire evening till night. Putu, my little sister and I had dinner and went to bed while mother sat by the window watching the rain pouring and waited for father. Around midnight, father came home with Abolkara. He was drenched from head to toe.

"Is there anything to eat?" he asked mother and told her to give Abolkara some change of clothes from the bungalow's wardrobe. He then went to his room to retire for the night leaving mother to take care of Abolkara, who was shivering being immersed in the water for long. Father also told mother that they had narrowly escaped an accident as he had taken the launch again to the dam to save Abolkara. Mother was so full of emotions on knowing that father had risked his life to save Abolkara that she was in loss of words and could just say "Hope you're okay. Please go and rest. It's been a very very long day for you."

Both Putu and I were awakened by the noise and heard how father had rescued Abolkara. So we went in to see father who hardly ever showed any emotions. But he was fast asleep and we stared at him thinking that after all, inside his stern look there was a heart which cared for the people of the village he grew up in and that he was not a heartless man as we had thought him to be because of his serious nature. 

Module 1: Nostalgic Beginnings

(Para 1–2)

• Introduction of the village and its simple agrarian lifestyle.

• The narrator’s early childhood in the village.

• The move to town due to father’s job.

• First recollection of the village during an essay activity.

• Vivid and fond memories of the temple, bull, people, and superstitions.

Module 2: Village Characters and Whimsical Beliefs

(Para 3)

• Introduction of unique village figures like Abolkara and his mother.

• Abolkara’s quirky personality and mystical claims.

• Villagers’ mixed reactions to his oddities.

• Attempted reforms and how Abolkara remained the same.

Module 3: News of Doom – The Coming Submergence

(Para 4)

• The narrator hears of the proposed dam that will submerge the village.

• Emotional reactions of the family.

• Visit from the villagers seeking help.

• Father’s pragmatic view: change is necessary for development.

• Villagers’ emotional attachment to land, ancestors, and deities.

Module 4: Displacement and Resettlement

(Para 5)

• Villagers are compelled to leave.

• Some accept rehabilitation, others take money.

• The narrator witnesses the finality of the relocation.

Module 5: The Temple Emerges Again

(Para 6)

• Drought causes water level to fall.

• Top of Shiva temple reappears—stirs curiosity and nostalgia.

• Father plans a visit to attend a dam committee meeting.

• Mother is excited to return.

Module 6: Return to the Submerged Valley

(Para 7–8)

• Arrival at the changed locality—modern buildings replace the village.

• Emotional shock for the mother.

• Reappearance of Abolkara—now aged and stubborn.

• Heavy rain threatens the area.

• Abolkara refuses to leave—evoking tension and sadness.

Module 7: Redemption and Realisation

(Para 9–10)

• Father risks his life to save Abolkara.

• Abolkara is brought home, cared for by mother.

• Children realize the compassion hidden beneath father’s stoic exterior.

• Story ends on a note of transformation and emotional depth.