The Iguana group is defeated !

In some remote rural areas of the country, the marriage procession of a bridegroom was going to the other village, the venue of marriage. The participants of the procession were traveling by bullock-carts. They all were young and had avoided old hand people to join with them just to enjoy marriage ceremony freely. The carts were passing through a narrow farm-way one after another.

The very first cart stopped and the riders of the rest carts jumped down to see what had happened. To their surprise, they saw that an iguana (a kind or species of lizard, large, strong and flat) was lying in the middle of the narrow-way. They already knew that it was an innocent and non-poisonous creature and by making slight noise of hitting sticks on ground, it might run away.

One of them was cruel and tried to rush in and kill it, but the rest stopped him to do so. Someone told that they should make a peaceful dialogue with it to leave the way and if it does not agree with them they might kill it.

A young man was just like an improvisator (a poet who can form spot poems) and he instantly made out a couplet in his native language addressing to the iguana. Its summarized translation was as “Iguana ‘O’ iguana of Timbatuda (imaginary village name), please move here or there; otherwise five-ten members from your side or five-ten members from our side will die or get injured if we mutually fight. What is to be gained with this bloody conflict for a very minor cause?”

The iguana did not move from its place and those youngsters decided to start a fight with it. But, one so called wise man took the side of the iguana and said, “There is no justice to fight with the weak. The iguana itself is alone on its side and we are many. Should we the half of us not be the part of its side?”

All agreed with the proposal and they divided themselves into two parts and a terrible fight with long and strong sticks began. All were stained with blood and some were seriously injured in heads, jaws, eyes, arms and legs. Meanwhile, the iguana was frightened with the noise of hitting of sticks and loud cries and ran away. As soon as the iguana cleared the way, the fight stopped and the winners shouted loudly, “The iguana group is defeated, the iguana group is defeated! Shame … Shame! Iguana, your Chief, left away the battle field.”

-Valibhai Musa