There once was an old lady who sold milk. The elderly woman had a daughter - a little one.
While the old lady diligently ventured out to peddle her milk, her daughter remained within the safety of their home. The milk-selling business was doing well and the mother-daughter duo had plenty. They ate good food and lived comfortably.
Surchu Bayu, as the girl was named, was a delicate young girl. Once the milk-selling old lady took her along on one of her journeys. As they travelled together, the heat prompted them to pause for a moment's respite.
In a sudden and chilling twist of fate, a majestic pair of eagles swooped down from the sky. Before anyone could react, they snatched Surchu Bayu and soared away into the horizon. The milk-selling old lady's heart shattered into a million pieces as she watched her beloved daughter being whisked away. She sobbed inconsolably. And day after day, she forgot to care for hunger or thirst, consumed by the search for her lost daughter.
The pair of eagles took Surchu Bayu far far away. Perched atop a Banyan tree, they had a beautiful home where they took her. She was taken care of very well. The two eagles made sure she had everything she needed. She could eat whatever she wanted and drink whatever she liked. Life was comfortable for her.
Meanwhile, the old woman was distraught. She cried and cried forgetting to eat for days and scratching her face in distress. The eagles had adopted the girl as their own, providing her with all the comforts of life. They told her, “Whatever you want, tell us.”
One day Surchu Bayu in an inscrutable desire asked for a Diamond ring. "I don’t lack anything but I want a diamond ring", said the girl.
So, the two eagles flew off, determined to find the diamond. To keep her company, a dog and a cat were arranged. The diamond must have been far away, and the eagles left to look for the precious gem.
For many days, Surchu Bayu stayed there, cooking and feeding the dog and the cat. Then, one day, something happened—the fire went out. She didn't know what to do. "Everything else is fine, but my dog and cat are hungry," she thought.
She set out to search for fire. She took a narrow path and reached a vicious old lady's house. Her son was a Raksas Ganula. (Raksas are non-human entities and Ganula refers to a man with abnormal protruding on the neck). The old lady must have been a Raksas too.
Surchu Bayu said to her, “I bow and touch your feet” “You have bowed to me, otherwise under my wisdom tooth I would’ve crushed you - Jekaab!!!”, said the vicious old lady.
“Please let me borrow some fire Grandmother”, said the girl.
"Before I give you fire, I want to know about you. Where is your family? Where do you live?", asked the lady. She kept engaging the girl for a while, hoping her son would return, but he didn't. So, she gave Surchu Bayu a sack of buckwheat flour. "As you journey home, scatter this flour along the path," she said.
Surchu Bayu was but an innocent child. She went spilling the buckwheat floor all the way to her home. After returning, she cooked for the dog and the cat. She fed them, bolted the door and they all slept.
As darkness fell, the Ganula son stealthily approached the house. He knocked on the door and proclaimed, "Your mother and father have come". His words were laced with deception.
Surchu Bayu had confided in the Raksas' mother earlier about the male and female eagles who had embarked on a quest to find a diamond ring. Armed with this knowledge, the Ganula son sought to exploit it.
Thankfully, Surchu Bayu remained oblivious to his schemes, lost in the embrace of sleep, and did not heed his call.
The next morning when she stepped outside something sharp pierced her heel. The Ganula had scratched the door excessively and lost a nail from his thumb there. The nail pierced the girl’s heel and she died.
With her passing, grief enveloped the household. The loyal companions, the dog and cat, mourned beside her and died too.
After many days, her parents, the male and female eagles returned. Heartbroken, they found their beloved Surchu Bayu was no more. Overwhelmed with sorrow, they gently placed the diamond ring on her finger as a final tribute before bidding farewell and leaving the land.
The country had their King and other royalties. The royal entourage, with their packed provisions and a retinue of attendants, set out for a stroll. Beneath the shade of a majestic Banyan tree, they paused to rest.
Curiosity sparked, and the king dispatched his attendants to explore the tree. What they discovered left them astonished—a beautiful girl lay lifeless and beside her were a dog and a cat.
The king ordered his attendants to examine her closely. Upon closer inspection, they found a nail embedded in her heel. With delicate care, they removed it, and miraculously, the girl stirred back to life. However, her faithful companions, the dog and cat were long gone.
Enchanted by the girl and her resilience, the king crowned the girl as his queen and took her by his side.
Surchu Bayu was an avid storyteller. She would narrate the incidents from her life in the most captivating manner. "My mother was an old lady who sold milk. At the time I was abducted by a male and female eagle. Despite the abduction, they treated me well...", and so on.
In the evenings people would gather to hear her stories.
One day the milk selling lady got a word of it. She travelled far and reached the kingdom to reunite with her daughter. The King extended his welcome to the milk-selling lady. Surchu Bayu also came a long way, queen to the King, together with her mother and they all lived together comfortably except the male and female eagle who had already left the country.
Story Narrated by Kamla Devi. Documented, translated and written by Pramiti Negi and Tanisha Negi.
Writer's Note: The pair of eagles lived on Bor Bothang which means Banyan tree in Hamskad (Kinnauri). However, there are no Banyan trees in Kinnaur. Readers must note that the two eagles snatched the girl and took her to a distant Kingdom.
Surchu Bayu's tale as Narrated by Kamla Devi with Hindi subtitles:
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