Sepoha: The power of Gandhi-giri (Nonviolence)

There was a range  of mountains inside the Sea. It consists of  9 big mountains. Only one mountain out of 9 was habitable for human beings. That was called Sapsa. Other mountains were filled with Ice. People on the island call themselves Sapsons.

Men and animals were staying at the top of the mountains.  There was no King or Queen. People were Governed by a set of Rules created by their forefathers. Every grown-up person on the mountain has a very beautiful bird Called Sepoha who was an integral part of their life. They believed it's a Gift given by God. People ride on Sepoha to get to other Mountains for food. They use Sepoha to catch Fish from Sea. So without Sepoha it is almost impossible for them to survive on the Mountain.

There was a boy named Lima. He was the only son of Kreke and Nalisha. Lima was 3 years old. As Lima grew, he saw his father and Mother were flying on Sepoha. His father was calling his Sepoha Niliha and his mother was calling her Sepoha Simiha. He was very eager to fly but he noticed they were not taking him with them. He was not sure why? He had so many questions as a child. When he goes to sleep, he asks his Mother.

Mother, why can't you take me with you when you are leaving with Niliha....? His mother replied, Son, Only one person can fly on Sepoha. It is a God's wish. You will fly a Sepoha when you turn 15. But you have to be a good person. You need to be kind and helpful when you grow up. Then God will send a Sepoha for you. Otherwise God will get angry and will never send a Sepoha for you.

After listening to his Mother, he was determined to become a good person. But he can't wait to become Young. As he turned 6, he made friends with Sosa, a girl who is 8 years old and Kloha, a boy who is 5 years old.

These three became good friends. They played together. They laughed together. They dreamed together. They dreamed of riding on Sepoha one day. Life couldn't be happier for them.

One day, they were running madly and accidentally they got near the Sea. Then they saw two boys were getting drowned in the sea. They were crying for help. They were getting drowned deeper every passing moment.... 

Lima went blank. He and his friends shouted for help but there was no-one else around. They have no idea what to do. After a few moments they got completely drowned. It was a very horrific incident for them. They got back to their homes.

They told their parents everything. But they got scolded by their parents for going to the sea. They were not allowed to get to the Sea. When Lima goes to the bed, asks his Mother...

Why can't we go near the Sea? His Mother replied, There are Demons in the Sea. Demon drags the feet, who goes to the Sea. She heard a lot of stories, how people die in the Sea. So never get to the Sea again.

This incident nearly rattled the Boy's dream about the world. He had a different picture of the world. It was a tough day for Lima. But he wasn't very convinced by the answer. He thought of letting it go.

On every Full Moon, Sapsons worship Sepoha. This is to show gratitude and respect for Sepoha for all the work they are doing for them. And the fun part is on this day children are allowed to sit on Sepoha with parent guidance. So this was the most exciting day for all children. There was a cave where people gathered with their Sepohas on that day. One day the Full Moon has come. Lima went with Kreke and Nalisha to the stage. Celebrations were all around. People were playing drums, clarinets, flutes etc. Fire pots lightening the night. Kreke and Nalisha started worshipping their Sepohas. Lima was only thinking about sitting on Sepoha. He saw Sosa and Kloha have also come to the festival. They were all excited. After worship was over, Lima’s father picked Lima up to sit on Sepoha. He felt the vibration and was a bit nervous. But all went well. He can’t wait for the day to fly a Sepoha.

Time goes by, Lima turns 10. He was sitting on a tree alone and looking at the waves of the Sea. Thought of two boys getting drowned came to his mind. He was thinking about what his Mother told him about the Sea. So many hypotheses came to his Mind.

If there are Demons in the sea, why can't they come out? Or only they can live in the Sea? If they are dangerous then how come fish live in the sea? Or do they only attack Humans?

He finally decided to give it a try. He came closer to the sea. He was nervous. He finally touched the water. Nothing happened. He felt confident. Then advanced more. But soon he realized he was slipping like someone was pulling his leg. Suddenly he was being pulled by his shoulders. Once he got back his senses he realized that it was Neka who was working on a nearby Field pulled him out. He found that Sosa came to meet him. She saw that he was going to the Sea. So she alerted Neka. Somehow he managed to convince Neka to keep it a secret. Now he convinced himself that something is there in the sea that attacks Sapsons.

Two years passed by. Now Lima learned to work in a field. He found two new friends Hresa who works with him on the field and Seha who is a neighbour. He was returning from the field, he saw that everyone was rushing to the Cave and somebody was getting punished. He found that it was Neka and he hurt a Sepoha. People were saying Neka became a Demon. He needed to be punished. He couldn't believe it. How come a person hurt a Sepoha? What was going on in his mind? He must have been a terrible person! He couldn’t watch Neka getting hanged. So he came to his house.

Hresa is now 15 years old. He can get a Sepoha. Lima closely watches how Hresa gets a Sepoha. There was a cave called Sepoha Caves. It was full with Sepohas. An eligible Sapson gets into the Cave and rides a Sepoha that comes near to them. Now it is time for Hresa. But only one Sapson is allowed to enter the Cave. Nobody was allowed to see the process as well. Hresa asked Lima to accompany him at least to the cave as he was very nervous. Lima went with Hresa. He waited outside of the cave. Hresa enters and comes back with a Sepoha. He saw him flying and sailing above the sky. He dreamed of entering the cave one day.

One year passed by. Life was going great for Lima. Lima, Hresa and Sosa were still friends. Sosa was about to turn 15 the next day. Lima and Hresa were happy that their childhood friend will get a Sepoha very soon. Sosa and Lima were talking the day before Sosa was supposed to get a Sepoha. Sosa told Lima, When you turn 15 and get a Sepoha, we will go together for fishing, explore those beautiful Mountains, bring food and feed children. They were very much happy.

The next day when Lima was going to the field, he saw Sosa standing on the cliff of the mountain looking at the sea. He was terrified, he ran to Sosa. Before he reached her, she jumped into the Sea. He ran to Sosa's home and told her mother everything. He was terrified thinking about the action she had taken. Why did she jump? What could be the reason? She was very happy yesterday! He couldn't sleep for a few days thinking about her.

Two years passed by. Lima was about to turn 15. It was time for Lima to get a Sepoha. Kloha and Lima became close friends. Lima's father and mother were celebrating as their only son will get a Sepoha after one week. After that they will get him married. Lima was very excited. Lima thought he couldn't wait for a week. So he decided to go to the Sepoha Cave tomorrow.

The next day, early in the morning he left his home. He was really nervous as well as excited. He reached the Sepoha Cave. He took a deep breath. He thought this is it. He entered the Cave and kept walking, it was quite dark. Then he heard the sound of Sepohas. It was a big relief for him. As he approached the center of the Cave, he could see some Sepohas sleeping, some walking. Then there was an alert among Sepohas as they saw someone entering their Cave. But they soon recognized that it was not a threat. Then one Sepoha came to him and allowed him to sit on her. Lima couldn't believe it. He tried to sit on her. Then Sepoha flew straight to the Sky. Lima was scared as it was the first time he was flying. Then he directed Sepoha to go to his home. Then she suddenly came down to the Cave and threw him to the ground.

Lima couldn't believe what just happened. Everything was good until he directed it to go to his home. He was sad. He kept thinking what mistake he made. He spent his whole day on the field thinking about it. This had rattled his dreams. Then he realized he might have gone on the wrong day. So he kept his hope alive.

One week has passed. In the morning, he didn't tell his mother or father and went to the Sepoha Cave. So many thoughts came to his mind. Is he a bad person? Has he committed any crime?  He reached the Cave and reached the center of the cave. One Sepoha came to him. He recognized that it was a different one. He was relieved. He sitted on her. As last time, Sepoha flew straight to the Sky. Then she suddenly came down to the ground and threw him.

Lima was afraid. He was still lying on the ground and was looking at the Sky. Now he thinks of him as a bad person. He was thinking of not going back home. He gathered his strength and got up on his foot. He was sad. He walked randomly and decided to go to the beach. He sat on the beach thinking about it. He thought he didn't do anything bad in his life,  maybe there was something wrong with those two Sepohas. He was quite convinced by this idea. So he decided to return home and told his father that he will get a Sepoha next year as he wanted to learn more about working on the field. He reached home and it didn't go as per the plan. His mother tried to convince him to get a Sepoha today otherwise they will have to wait for another year. Lima knew that he could not tell her whatever happened to him. So he didn’t listen.

In the night he was sitting in the front yard and watching Niliha and Simiha (Sepohas of his Father and Mother). He found that Sepohas trying to say something in their bitter eyes. He went near to them. Before he does something Simiha touches him with his head. Soon he realizes that they are trying to say something. He tries hard to ignore it and went to bed.

Tomorrow morning, he tried to assemble his broken pieces thinking that he will never go to the Cave again and live a great life. He prepared himself to go to the field and as always this thing hovers in his head as he walks to his field. He was working then he saw one Sepoha was coming to his field and flapping its wings. It seemed like it was trying to say something. Now he is not able to understand what is happening. He was thinking, maybe this has been sent by God. He is in a dilemma. Should he try or not. Then something happened and nearby people were rushing into something. He decided to try this Sepoha for the last time. As he tried to touch the Sepoha, it tried to hurt him with his wings. Then he tried to hop over then it threw him. As he was hurt, he tried to hurt the Sepoha as well to some extent. Soon he realized what he was doing, so he stopped. Then Sepoha flew away.

In the evening, he was thinking while sitting in the front yard, why Sepoha came to me and what it was trying to say with its wings. It could have flown away when I approached then nothing would have happened. Then he saw Niliha and Simiha flapping their wings as well. As he went forward to see what was wrong, they seemed to attack him as well. Then he quickly retreated. He got very scared. He then went to bed trying to think what was happening to him. Serious depression crawling into his head.

Next morning, he prepared himself to go to the field. He was walking, then he saw one Sepoha trying to follow him. It seemed kind of teasing him. He got a bit angry and tried to ignore it. He was working on the field, he saw his old friend Hresa come with his Sepoha to work on his field. It was kind of a relief as he was going through a lot. As soon as he tried to start a friendly conversation with him, Sepoha fled away. It kind of created a bad impression on Hresa. Lima understands that something is happening. While returning from the field, he tried to keep his emotions away and think about what is happening to him. How come all Sepohas are behaving badly with him. Is it because of the small fight that happened yesterday? Maybe that is why all Sepohas are trying to hurt him. But how come they all know so fast? How they are communicating so fast. It seems amazing and mysterious to him. But what he did yesterday was just a reflection. He had no intention to hurt. Are they all bad? Which he himself could not believe. As he was walking, another Sepoha came from behind and tried to hurt it with its wings. He realizes that something is wrong. Now he decides to tell his mother about this. But will she believe him? Who will believe what is happening to him? They are known to be Sacred. He canceled his Idea and determined that he wanted to understand all this.

He thinks....

All Sepohas are trying to hurt me. They have the power to kill me. But they are not doing that. Then why are they trying to hurt me? Are they trying to make me Angry? It might be. But why are they trying to make me angry? Oh, when I get Angry, I would  attack them and then all people would think I am a bad person. When it is proved that I am bad and attacking Sepoha then they can execute me. Oh my god, it is a sinister plan. Wait, when Sepoha came to the field, people were around. People would have seen me attacking a Sepoha. But that didn't happen as for some reason People left. That was the plan. He can't believe it. But why do they want me to get angry in the first place? He couldn't find the answer.

Next day he was working on the field. He saw Hresa coming with his Sepoha. But it didn't let him land on the field. He was circling around and then flew away. Hresa also seemed confused. It is now clear that Sepoha is trying to tell Hresa that Lima is a bad boy. So one thing is clear, they are trying to present Lima to others as a Bad person.

He was sitting on the beach thinking all about this. Then he remembers one incident when Neka saved him from the Sea ghost. He was a good person. Then something sparked in his head. Why would he have tried to hurt a Sepoha? They must have made him do it. But why him? Case of Neka and him looks similar. They didn't let Neka ride a Sepoha like me. Maybe they need something from us. If they don't find that then they don't let us ride. Hmm, that seems reasonable. But why did they try to make us hurt them? Maybe we are known to be good people. There is a belief that only Good people can ride Sepohas. So if people find this is not true, then people will know the Truth and there is risk of their survival. This all makes sense now. So their survival depends on me being angry or violent. Now he understands why Sosa committed suicide. She couldn't bear the idea of people telling her a bad person. So what is the way forward? It is the Non-Violence! Yes it is. Through non-violence I might prove they are bad.

Tomorrow morning it was very late when he woke up. When he reached the field he saw Hresa working on the field. He tried to talk with him. But he kind of tried to avoid him. He couldn't understand, he was a good friend. How come he doesn't want to talk to me? Oh, it was Sepoha. It might have done something to him. Oh my god, do they have the power of Manipulation? It seems so. So they kind of have an advanced brain and they communicate fast. Oh my god, how can I change the minds of People? They are never going to believe it. He thought of trying his old friend Kloha. He has been a brother to me. He will believe me when I tell him.

Next day, he went to his house. Kloha was happy seeing him. They had dinner. So he started to tell all these things. He was patient and listened to all his stories. But soon Lima finds that he is not buying his theory. He started asking questions, why would they do it. Sepohas can catch fish. They can live all by themselves. Lima didn't have answers for this. This was not unexpected. So Lima left and decided that he is not going to tell all this theory.

Now he understands what Kloha thinks is right. People won't believe me if I don't find the reason. But how can I find unless I am in the air on a Sepoha. Maybe I didn't explain it properly to Kloha. He planned in a way to explain to Seha. She has a Sepoha. So he knows that it won't be easy. He normally sees Seha in the evening.  But he needs to make sure, no Sepoha sees him talking with her. So he chose to tell her tomorrow in the night.

Tomorrow night he quietly entered her house. Seha was surprised to see him at an unexpected time. She asked him what happened? He said nothing, I just wanted to talk. Seha said, okay. So he began like this. There is something on my mind that is bothering me. I thought to tell you. It will sound bizarre. It is very hard to understand. Probably you won't believe me. But please hear me out. Sepohas are trying to trick us. They need us to survive and they are actually getting that. If they are not getting what they want, then they are trying to trick us either to commit crime or commit suicide. When we commit crime, we are being executed. So either way they are eliminating us. I know what I am saying is beyond our imagination. But it is true. Please believe me. I don't know what they want from us. But there is something. I need you to understand this.

She was stunned. She could not believe this. She said, I have a Sepoha. It never tried to hurt me. I have never seen anything like this. Maybe there is some confusion. Lima understands that it didn't work. So he said, please keep it a secret until I understand it. So she promised to keep it a secret. Lima tried to understand why people are not even ready to listen to anything against Sepoha. Maybe they are beautiful. Talking negatively about them just doesn't work. Maybe that's how our brain works. Yes, this is true. Our brain is trained to not accept anything bad about beautiful Sepohas. Our brain thinks beautiful means Good! This has become even more difficult for him.

One day he saw Hresa working on the field. He thought of doing an experiment. Let's reverse manipulate him. If I can make him remember the old memories then I will be able to talk to him. Hey Hresa, you remember the last time when the flock of birds eating our grains and they were not leaving, we had run a lot to fly them out? Hresa said, yes brother I remember that. Good old memories. Lima said, hmm, we are not talking anymore. Hresa said, I have been very busy and I have a lot of work. So? Lima understands that he doesn't want to talk. So he left. He understands that this is manipulation. You can not tell people that you are under manipulation because what they are doing they think they are doing on their own. He saw one Sepoha eavesdropping on his conversation with Hresa. He observed that Sepohas are tracking his every move. So he needs to be cautious. While returning from the field, he saw that  few Sepohas had made a group. It looked like they were kind of planning something. Now he is a bit afraid. He asked himself these questions, what if they do something before I do? But if I do something they will make me a bad person. I need to be calm and non violent. 

Few days have passed. Sepohas have tried their best to provoke him. But he is determined to be non-violent. Now comes the Annual Sepoha day. Lima also went there. He noticed one thing. Sepohas are not provoking him in front of the crowd. They want to look good, kind, obedient etc. So he understands that they are afraid of being known as bad. Their survival would be at risk if people find that good people like me and Neka couldn't get a Sepoha. So they are trying to prove me bad. Now he realizes that his way of non violence is working. They are afraid of me. But they are not showing to me. Now confidence is pouring in him that he can defeat powerful manipulative Sepohas. Happiness has now returned to him.

He decides that he needs to do something for the people. He needs to take care of old people and poor people. He needs to create new ways of life. If he wants people to change then he needs to live in it. So he started thinking about what he can do. Few things came to his mind. He thought first he needed to build some houses, where poor and old people can live. So he started collecting wood.

After a few days, he had indeed built some houses. One day he saw that his houses were broken. He was furious. He had no idea who could have done such nasty things. He had no enemies. He began to ponder. He then realized that it could be done by Sepohas. But why would they do this? What would they get from this? Maybe, if he does good things then people would start to notice and start to believe him? And once they believe him, their life would be in danger. Yes, that is a possible explanation for this.

One day, when Lima was working on the field, Hresa came to him and started behaving well. He was surprised. Few days ago, he was not even talking to him. Non violence is totally turning the battle in his favor. Still he understands that this is not enough for the people to change their mind on Sepoha unless he finds the reason.

He decided that he needs to meet Seha for one last time. He entered her house like last time in the night. He requested her to elaborate how it feels to be in the air. Seha said, nothing. It feels no different than on the ground. He didn't get any valuable information. It felt like a waste of time so he returned.

He was sitting on the beach thinking how life has changed for him. He saw that wood was floating on the water. He became very curious. He then thinks of joining multiple tree trunks to see if that floats. But what about sea Ghosts? He remembers what happened last time. Are they real? Or is it some kind of hoax? So he decides to do an experiment. He throws a stone into the water. Nothing happened. He decides to touch the water. Nothing happened. He went a bit deeper. Nothing happened. He was happy. He understands that some people made some stories on this.

So the next day he chose not to go to the field. He went to the Jungle and brought a few trunks. He was working with the wood, and he saw his father and mother return with their Sepohas. They both seemed very tired, and went to bed quickly. He remembered that they were not very tired when they left from here and how they got so tired in a few moments. He ignored that and focused on the wood. He managed to join a few trunks. He was optimistic that this would float.

As per the plan, the next day he went with the trunks to the beach. He tried to place trunks on the water. It floated as soon as he placed it. He was flattered. It felt like he touched the sky. As soon as he tried to sit on it, it sank. He thought that maybe more wood is needed. He was working with the wood, he saw the same thing. His parents were very tired when they returned. It looks like a pattern. So he went straight to the Seha. He asked her. Are you feeling tired after your ride? After taking a moment, she said maybe. Now he understands, something is happening after the ride, not during the ride. But what is happening? It is still a mystery. He joined a few more woods. Now it is ready for testing tomorrow.

Next day he placed the bed of wood on the water. He was a bit skeptical about it. Not sure if it will stay afloat. He tried to sit on it slowly. Soon he finds that it floats. He now feels content. There is no limit to happiness. But the wave didn't let it last longer. Now he has a plan on how to tackle this problem. He went to the jungle for the wood. He observed something, one mosquito on his hand sucking his blood and he had no Idea. He had no Idea as he was so focused on cutting wood. Maybe that is what is happening with Sepoha. They are sucking blood and that's why people get tired. People are focused on flying, catching fish etc. They have no idea what is happening with them. Yes, this could be one possible reason.

He quickly returned from the jungle as he needed to meet Seha. He worriedly waited for her to return home. He quietly entered her room. She was surprised to see him again. Before he said something, Seha said, I didn't want to hear anything against Sepoha. Lima requested her to do at least one thing. He had nothing to say against Sepoha. So she said what. He said only look at your hand and leg while flying. See if anything is touching your leg or hand. They might be sucking blood out of us. She didn't believe it. She promised him that she would notice it.

Next day Seha was flying with Sepoha. She remembered what Lima told her. So she casually looked at her leg. She almost saw nothing. When she focused a bit, she found small hairs from Sepoha touching her both legs. She was not sure. Is Lima right? Are they sucking blood out of us? This could be possible. So she made up her mind that she would cover her leg and hand next time. Next time she covered her both legs and hand. When she returned, she didn't feel tired. Now she understands what Lima was saying. All those things turned out to be true. She couldn't believe it. She went straight to Lima and explained everything.  Both are in tears. Lima explained to her how non violence helped him understand the secret. He would have been executed if he had chosen the path of violence and attacked any Sepoha. He was crying..... Later he told his parents and this spreads across the village. All people rejected them and they all flew away.

He then later propagated nonviolence and explained how powerful it is. Sepohas had an advanced mind. They could manipulate any human mind. They were communicating faster than we can ever imagine. Still they got defeated against nonviolence. Yes this doesn't mean all birds are bad. This is just the case of this community of birds. We should never be blind to anything. We should always be conscious.

Now Lima is ready with his boat. With the boat, they can catch fish and go to other mountains.

NONVIOLENCE WINS!