Narbachi Wadi

In 1946, a quiet Konkan village is defined by Naroba’s careful cultivation of his coconut grove. He works alongside his young grandson, teaching him the rhythms of the land. Their peaceful routine establishes the grove as the heart of their small world, just as the looming threat from the landlord begins to stir.

Rangarao Khot, the powerful landlord, stops his palanquin near Naroba’s grove and glimpses a passing woman who is actually a trans person. Shock turns to a disturbing fascination as he decides to stage a grand tamasha on the grove that very night. His plan marks the first overt challenge to Naroba’s stewardship of the land.

Naroba refuses to surrender the grove to the landlord, insisting the land was saved through his father’s gift and is now his by rightful inheritance. The landlord threatens to kill him to seal the transfer, heightening the danger around the grove. The tension sets the stage for a confrontation that could escalate into violence.

That night, the landlord’s crooks invade Naroba’s home, but a band of armed dacoits bursts in to defend him. Their leader—whom Naroba once nursed back to health—recognizes the danger and vows to shield him from the landlord’s machinations. The intruders warn Rangarao that humiliation in public will follow if he persists.

Crushed by humiliation and fear, Rangarao staggers to his bedroom and dies the next morning from an alcohol overdose. The immediate threat to Naroba’s ownership recedes, but the grove’s fate remains uncertain. The death marks the end of one era and the quiet beginning of another.

The story jumps forward about twenty years. Malhar, Rangarao’s son, steps into the throne of the landlord’s affairs and hatches a plan to sweep Naroba’s grove into his control. He begins to maneuver behind the scenes, seeking a legal route to ownership through a favorable contract.

Malhar offers a contract promising to pass the grove to him after Naroba’s death, in exchange for a monthly stipend of ₹150 for Naroba’s lifetime. Naroba, though frail by appearance, remains stubborn and robust enough to sign the deal that binds his fate. The contract places the terms of ownership into the hands of Malhar while preserving a financial lifeline for Naroba.

As years pass, Malhar’s finances strain and his own health declines. Naroba notes with a mix of irony and resignation that Yama won’t come for him, implying a wary confidence in outlasting the pressure. The grove remains a focal point of contested wealth and power.

In a moment of desperation, Malhar offers Naroba a bottle of rat poison, hoping to end the struggle in one final stroke. Naroba drinks it in the faint hope of dying, seeking release from the mounting pressure. The act foreshadows the fragile line between life and leverage that governs their agreement.

When Malhar returns the next day to take Naroba to a funeral, he is stunned to find Naroba alive. The shock proves too much, and the landlord dies on the spot. The immediate threat to Naroba eases, but the power dynamics in the grove remain unsettled.

The contract stipulates that Naroba will retain ownership of the grove upon his death, ensuring the land remains in his line even as time passes. This outcome shifts the locus of power away from Malhar and toward the idea of rightful inheritance. The grove survives the attempts to seize it through force and strategy alike.

Eight years later, Naroba shares a frame with his great-grandson Krishna and delivers a hard-won moral: greed is dangerous and can turn a person into an ogre. He recalls the fates of the two men who died while trying to seize his land—one by force, one by strategy. He concludes that true dignity lies in resisting the temptations of wealth.