Earthen pots lay inside the
kitchen and a bullock cart outside
A local guide appeared to tell us
the story, walking alongside
Almost 200 years since that fateful
night, near the Kakni river
No soul has inhabited any of
these 84 villages in Kuldhara ever
She must have been 16, the pretty
daughter of the village chief
when she was noticed by the Diwan,
ill-famed for his mischief
Hell-bent on taking her away with
him, he threatened the village
'If anyone comes in my way, he will be at fault for
the carnage’
As if the taxes he collected deceitfully
were not torturous enough
that they, the Paliwals, were thrown
in this quandary off the cuff
Dreading the rage of the Salim Singh,
but unwilling to bow down
the villagers had to make a plan to
avoid any kind of showdown
By sunset, the word had spread
among the thousand-odd residents
to flee in the dead of the night,
sans any hint to even the rodents
‘The men of the minister are keeping a watch on us in disguise
and wouldn’t spare anyone if our plan is exposed’ said the wise
They waited until the others had slept,
then left for the unknown
leaving behind everything they
had painstakingly built and grown
Bowing quietly before the deity
at the village temple, they turned
condemning that anyone who tried to live there would be spurned
condemning that anyone who tried to live there would be spurned
Walking through the dusty lanes
of this abandoned village today
The ruins appeared to me as if it
were only a matter of yesterday
Climbing up the steps, I could feel
those soft footsteps in a hurry
The man signaling his wife to
leave behind even her jewelry
Whatever may be the reason, taxes,
famine, assault or oppression
The story of this ghost town will
tug my heart at its mere mention
P.S. The story has been written on the basis of various folklores for this post only.
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