Dhodiya

A donkey who strays as far away from work as possible coaxes a hardworking beauty to elope, upsetting the plans of a gang of thieves using her to haul priceless stones of antiquity.

Dhodiya was an exceptionally sweet and gentle donkey. His eyes radiated patience and a love for all things beautiful, especially tender, green makai stalks sneaked from piles stacked to feed cows. He was also fond of wandering into the market where vegetables fell and got trampled underfoot in the hustle and bustle of people around the stalls.

For the most part, Dhodiya spent many happy hours each day grazing peacefully in Bavan Deri when he should have been with his fellow donkeys hard at work transporting stones, rocks, bricks, and other heavy objects. On one such restful day, Dhodiya stopped nibbling at the delicious, tender grass sprouting between the stones on top of the temple ruins to look down idly at the goings on below.

Men were picking up carved stones, wrapping them carefully in soft cloth, and loading them on to donkeys. The donkeys were then being led down the hill to a white truck parked on the road a little distance away. The stones were being loaded carefully, between layers of straw.

Dhodiya’s eyes fell on a beautiful brown donkey standing below patiently waiting for her turn to shoulder the stones to be loaded on her back. Dhodiya’s pulse quickened and his ears perked up when he caught her furtive upward glance. He could not believe his eyes. There she stood, tall, radiant, and statuesque, glowing in the warmth of the winter sun. Before he knew it, he was scrabbling down from the top of the mandir ruins, drawn irresistibly to the goddess below.

The men were loading stones into the truck when Dhodiya reached her, still standing patiently at the foot of the ruins. She turned to look at him. Dhodiya’s knees turned to jelly when their eyes met.

With the men’s backs toward them, Dhodiya bit through the rope and dislodged the bags on her back. His skin tingled at her touch. Excitement roared through his veins. Her exquisite face danced before his eyes. They exchanged one silent, meaningful glance before trotting down the path, away from the men.

Just then the men finished loading the stones and turned to look back up. Dhodiya heard them shout and before he knew it, the truck roared to life.

At Dhodiya’s urging, their trot turned into a canter as the truck gathered speed, racing to cut off their escape route. Their shoulders touched for an instant, their pulse quickened. Their strides lengthened and their feet leapt into a swift gallop as luminous eyes exchanged adoring looks. Their heels began to skim the ground, effortless strides started swallowing up the path, tails danced playfully in the wind, sunlight glanced off their rippling backs.

“That Tata Sumo is in too much hurry,” PSI Jadeja muttered to the constable as his bleary eyes noticed a cloud of dust coming down the path from Chassiya talao. “Stop it.”

The constable brought the hapless Sumo to a grinding halt moments after the ecstatic duo thundered by in harmonious unison.

“Get out,” the constable said as he glanced into the back. “Where is your permit to remove stone carvings from the archeological park?”