Book Excerpt From How The World Was Born
This is a myth concerning rainfall of the Duruwa community of Bastar region. According to the story, once upon a time, long, long ago, when the world was still forming, there was water all around. This water was full of fishes. They were of various shapes, sizes, and colours, and everytime it rained, these fishes would come out to play, laugh, and enjoy. They would swim up and down, to and fro, and regale in the rhythm of the rain. In time, this play of the fishes became the lightning. During the same time, when everytime the fishes danced and it rained heavily, the dead souls who resided in the sky, who despised the loud laughter and play of the fishes, would gather together and pull a chariot across the sky, making an even louder noise than the fishes. This chariot was full of sharp metal objects which had no use in water, and so they resided in the sky. These were arrowheads, ploughshares, knives, sickles, and harrows. The dead would pull this chariot all over and across the vast horizon. Thus, the sound of the metal echoed throughout. This became the thunder. It is also believed that when gradually the earth was formed, sometimes, these metals fell down to the earth from the chariot, and thus, the earth started to get impregnated and began to bear rich fruit in the form of agriculture.
Read more such intriguing tales in How The World Was Born: Wondrous Indian Myths and Legends by Lopamudra Maitra.