THE STATUE

It was November but the skies were still bright and clear. Not a single grey cloud had wandered off over the beautiful Island of Bali.

The Ocean, the paddy field and its beautiful people were all waiting for the drops of nectar to bless the earth. But rain was not one of the things in Ni Meih's mind.She was busy carving her first wooden idol. It was an idol of Devishree the god of rice and fertility.

Her father had told her if her work was good, he will take it to the shop and sell it. The idea of her work getting displayed and bought in the shop for the first time made her very happy.

She immersed herself completely in carving the idol. It was a meditation for her. For three straight days she forgot her meals, the games she played and her chores, which her mother had to constantly remind her to complete.Her father however was very happy to see the dedication of her daughter. He prayed to Devishree to bless her.

Ni Mein had completed her scale drawing. She picked up a beautiful piece of dark teak wood and started roughing it out. By the end of the third day she had completed the detailing on the crown and the body of the idol. Even though the statue was simple its elegance and detailing were immaculate.

Every minute design was so clear. There was beautiful leaf like motifs on the idol’s shoulders and her dress. The dress covered her legs and only a little part of her left feet was visible showing her perfectly manicured toes. There were floral carvings on her waist and from there a layer of dress fell till the idol’s knees.

The end of the layer that fell on the knee had delicate leaf like design that enhanced the Idol's feminine features.

There were 4 pleats that started from the centre of this layer till the feet of the idol. The pleats were in fact little longer and fell beautifully on the pedestal on which the Idol was standing.

The pedestal on which the Idol stood had small diamond shaped design all over. The Idol stood with her hands folded holding a coconut which was a fairly common posture for Goddess Devishree in Bali.

Ne Mei had left the Idol's face for the last. She had carved the face in a beautiful Oval shape. She started chiselling her eyebrows, then nose, lips very carefully.

Now the only thing that was left for her to carve were the goddesses’ eyes, the window to her soul. She started carving them .The right turned out perfect.

She started with the left eye and finished it quickly eager to see how her complete creation looks like. As she held the statue in her hand and jutted out, her triumphant face fell. Tears rolled down her eyes. All these days of sheer hard work and assiduity bore a beautiful but imperfect statue. Her left eye was carved a little below the right. For most it may not matter, but for those who persevere perfection it was a major flaw.

With a sullen face she handed the statue to her father. Her father assessed the statue with his masterful eyes. He appreciated his daughter’s handiwork and talked greatly about the goddess’s crown. The goddess's face radiated a serene simplicity and exuded as much humility as a god can have.

He told his daughter not to worry about the eyes as the mistake was not very prominent although he knew in his heart that it might make it difficult for him to sell the statue.In spite of his doubts he took the statue to his shop and placed it where it was prominently visible. After all, he was genuinely proud of his daughter's work.

Ni Meih kept herself busy with the house hold chores and continued assisting her father. Every day when her father returned from work, she would ask him if her statue was sold. His father would shake his head but add that some or the other customer wanted to buy but he could not agree on the price. This went on for 3 weeks.Many customers came in. Some did not look at it at all, some looked and appreciated it but kept it back. By the end of the fourth week Ni meih stopped asking her father.

The next day a woman and her husband came into the shop. They started looking at the various woodwork. They were discussing what they can gift to their friends and relatives. The wife picked out 2 larger works of Balinese dancers one of dark wood and the other of lighter wood both spectacularly beautiful.

As she was moving from one art work to other, her eyes fell on the statue of goddess devishree. She picked it up and told her husband. This is perfect for gifting a friend. It is not that big and must be cheaper. The crown is beautiful. Her eyes do have a little problem but that can be ignored.

They managed to make a deal with Nimeih's father but since they did not have much cash with them, they asked her father to keep aside the woodworks for them.

They will come in the evening and collect them.

Kavita and her husband walked towards their hotel. They had taken the option of a private villa with a pool. Even though Kavita had taken the vacation after a long time she was not able to find her peace yet. The place, the people everything was beautiful around her yet a deep sense of dissatisfaction had seeped into her soul.

It may have been the dissatisfaction from her job, her constant urge to break out and do something else. Her frustration at not being able to figure out what else. It may also have been her yearning for a child. The alarm bells from both of their parents and relatives were growing louder but that did not bother her.

She was pained by her own desire. She could already feel the embrace of a little one against her chest. She was never very fond of babies or children but she knew she wanted one of her own.

While her husband went out to meet his friend they had travelled with, she changed and went into the pool. It was a small pool with water gently running down from a waterfall like structure in one of the corners. She did not know swimming but the pool was just deep enough for her to stand comfortably in most parts except for the middle which was slightly deeper.

She went there and looked up. Three Plumeria trees planted on 3 corners of the pool merged in the middle. A number of flowers had fallen from the trees onto the pool.

The flowers were mostly white and a beautiful river of pale yellow emerged from the centre of each petal and ran down to its centre. She picked one of them felt its thick but smooth petals and inhaled the exquisite fragrance, a single flower enriching her senses sight, touch and smell. She looked up again. The sun was almost in the middle now. Its rays travelling through space and time reaching through the branches falling on to her and the pool. An image came to her of doors of heaven all

heavy and gorgeous. Beside it a Plumeria tree laden with White and yellow flowers. She smiled and closed her eyes.

 After her husband returned, they both had lunch and chatted for some time. Her husband remembered about the statues and went back to get them.

She thought of taking a nap but her thoughts wandered. The pain returned to her and tears started flowing from her eyes. As time passed, she drifted off to sleep.

She dreamt of the ocean, huge colourful fields, vast rice and paddy fields. She was both amazed and scared at the same time. As she woke up, she found herself engulfed

in the infiniteness of the dream yet she felt protected and loved. She found peace again. Just then the door opened and her husband walked in.

She told her husband about her pleasant dream. Her husband impulsively replied "Oh that is because you bought the statue of Devishree . She is a goddess and is widely revered here."

This touched her and she immediately decided to keep the statue for herself and gift the larger statues for others.

Ni Meih was elated on hearing the news from her father that the statue has been sold. She thanked and blessed the couple who felt for her art work.