Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Kunnutaiya Part II: the Orphan


  • Kunnutaiya is now an orphan. He has been adopted by his father’s clansmen. Their first step is to ask Kunnutaiya to change into a loin cloth, a degrading gesture.

  • Next these men debate what to do with this unwanted orphan boy they have been told to look after by the king.

  • The men feed him poor quality food and tell him to sleep alone in an old shack.

  • Kunnutaiya now has to work at degrading jobs just to earn a bowl of gruel to eat.

  • Various clansmen’s wives are asked to take the boy in. But no one wants the extra expense of feeding him.

  • Now and then he is given a bowl of porridge, but Kunnutaiya remains perpetually hungry for a real meal.

  • Meanwhile, the clansmen tear down his old family palace, hoping Kunnutaiya will never be able to reclaim his father’s estate.

  • Kunnutaiya begins to wander long distances, always looking for someone kind to take him in.

  • He learns how to gather wood in the forest and sell it in a neighbouring village in exchange for something to eat.

  • Kunnutaiya is frequently beaten just because he is alone with no one to stand up for him.

  • Kunnutaiya also sees violence occurring in the homes of others.  

  • Seeing these things causes him to run farther still, fearing that the same fate could soon be his.

  • Eventually two kind men call Kunnutaiya back when they see him run past. They ask where he is going.

  • These men are from a prosperous farming family. They are kind and they decide to take Kunnutaiya in.

  • Finally Kunnutaiya finds a decent job. He will be this new family’s house boy and shepherd. His life has improved at last!

[<==Back to part 1]

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