- 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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