The river Kamali ran silently along the banks of Nalagiri, a village separated from the main land by the river. One could either travel by the bus which would take no less than two hours or cross the river on the boat.

Jagat was very proud of his boat Jalapriya, as he was the only boatman in the village. He ferried people to the mainland that connects to the city. The village, the river and his boat were his sole reason for existence. That also meant he had utmost respect and reverence for the Mother Nature which provided him with everything he needed.

One lazy afternoon, he was lying in his boat which was moored on the opposite bank of Nalagiri. He decided to doze off as there were no passengers to be ferried. After a short repose, he realized someone was watching him. Indeed there was a boy of around of nine or ten years old looking vacantly towards the river. Yet he seemed not of a curious disposition.

“Are you searching for something or waiting for someone?” enquired Jagat.
“No” the boy replied.
“Do you want to cross the river?” asked Jagat.
“May be, I don’t know yet” the boy replied with a smile.

Jagat was not of curious disposition. Still he decided to communicate with the child to know whether the boy has run away from his home.
“What is your name?” asked Jagat.
“Aniket” replied the boy.

Now he carefully looked at the boy and was sure he didn’t look like someone who has left his home or lost his way. Anyway Jagat was won over by his blue penetrating eyes. For some time they were engaged in a conversation as if reunited after many years. The sun was slowly departing so Jagat decided to return to his village. He bid farewell to Aniket and was preparing to leave.
Aniket asked Jagat, “I’ve nowhere to go, so can I come with you?” As it was growing dark, Jagat didn’t want to leave the boy alone on the river bank so he decided to take him along.

Both of them climbed in and sat on the opposite end of boat. Heavy silence reigned between the two for a while. Aniket was admiring the water as if it was alive and talking to him. Then he looked above at the sky which was turning dark and often glittering

Finally Aniket broke the silence and asked Jagat, “Why does the river look blue?”
Jagat understood the curious mind of the children and answered “The blue sky reflects in the water and causes the water to turn blue but in fact the water is colourless”

Jagat beamed with joy but Aniket was unsatisfied. So he asked another question “Who painted the sky blue in colour?” Jagat replied “God painted the sky, earth heaven and the entire universe with his imagination to personify everything that was good and bad and yet perfect to the core.”
At this time, another question was posed which was either mysterious or irrational.
Aniket asked, “Why did God choose to paint the sky with blue and forget the water?”
Jagat sat speechless, rowing the oar and unable to think for a reply.

Jagat was perplexed as no one had asked this question before and he himself never thought about it. He looked bemused and stared back at Aniket without any reply.

The boat was sailing through the maze of beautiful lotuses. It looked like lamps that shone on a festival night. This stretch of the river was known for its famed lotuses. But no human dared to pluck it from the nature but everyone admired it. Among all the lotuses stood out the ruby eyed blue lotus. No eyes could escape it nor pass without its presence felt.

The folklore has its belief that the Blue Lotus descended from the heaven. In the past, due to nature’s wrath the village of Naligiri faced severe hardship on the account of the river. It was on the brink of destruction and was to render hundreds of people homeless. The villager’s petition to God was answered on the condition that no human were to disrespect, defile or desecrate the nature.
The village was saved due to divine mercy and soon after blue lotus made its appearance among the other lotuses. Therefore it was considered as a deity. The villagers believed it could take any form and appear before anyone who deeply desires. Some people thought it’s a make-believe story to frighten the people and confirm their superstition. Baring a few no one cared about the blue lotus. They thought it was an exotic flower worthy for exhibition.


Jagat who has been rowing his boat for more than three decades firmly believed in the folklore and decided to narrate the story of blue lotus to Aniket. Suddenly, Aniket raised his hand and pointed it towards the blue lotus. It had grown dark and the silver beams of the moon floated in the river making it look very celestial. He saw the blue lotus everyday while he returned home. Yet today it was different. The Blue Lotus shone unusually bright alike the rays of the thousand sun. It sparkled like an overgrown amethyst, radiating bluish flame in the sky. The river was frozen under its spell and every living and inanimate object was in rapturous delight. What a sight to behold!

Jagat was confounded at this very sight and stood still in awe. He forgot everything as if reeling under the bout of delirious fever. His ecstasy knew no bounds and he cried in joy. He yelled out to call Aniket to view this marvelous spectacle. When he turned back, he realized that he was alone in his boat.

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