Tribal myths of India hold quaint explanations on why floods and drought occur on the earth periodically. Hill Miri tribals of the north east region explain the phenomena of floods and drought as a domestic quarrel between the divine couple.

Dugum and his wife Dorak are a divine couple living in their abode in the sky. They have a great tank which is always kept filled with water. At times Dorak forgets to fill up the tank and very little water is left in the tank. But other times he over fills the tank and it starts overflowing, and water comes falling down on the earth below.When this water falls on earth, people on the earth think that gods have sent them rains and they rejoice. But when there is very little water left in the tank Dugum and his wife Dorak start quarreling.

Dugum starts complaining that she is always wasteful . “ You waste so much water that there is none left” Dugum shouts at his wife. Dorak too accuses her husband by saying “ It is not my fault, you use all the water to prepare your beer”. “ Dorak, you don’t accuse me! You too drink beer with me” rebuts Dugum. Dorak feels Dugum is always blaming her for no fault of hers and she gets upset. As Dorak lifts her cane belt her body starts to shine and dazzle. Dugum becomes furious as he feels Dorak is putting on an act. He immediately dons his armour and taking hold of a spear in his hand, adopts a war dance stance threatening to kill his wife. Dorak swiftly flies up and away fearing for her life, and her dazzling body flashes across the sky in the form of a lightening. Meanwhile Dugum beats his arm shield and dances making the loud noise of thunder.

As Dugum’s dance becomes vigorous, a river that flows across the earth quietly curves up into sky and fills Dugum’s tank with water. As the tank gets filled up Dugum quiets down and Dorak returns quietly back home, and everything settles down and becomes peaceful till the next quarrel breaks out.
Hill Miri tribals explain that lightning and thunder is caused by the divine couple in the sky who quarrel over water.

Story Collected by : Vidya Kamat
Text Source: Myths of the North East frontier of India by Verrier Elvin.
Location : North East, Manipur

Traditionally in Indian homes, women use grinding stones to mill flour. This laborious chore requires strength and long hours of back-breaking work and so they sing while milling the grain to overcome the tedium. These songs are known as ovi-s ( grinding stories) in Maharashtra and Goa.

The traditional mill consists of two heavy circular stones placed one on top of each other and turned by a wooden handle. While one woman pours the grain through the central slot the other turns the stone rotating it on its axis crushing the grain. Thus they take turns milling the grain and singing traditional tales. The following song narrates an unusual tale of two arch rivals and their uncanny camaraderie.

“Oh sister listen to my tale” sings the woman as she starts grinding the rice… ‘grrr’… ‘grrr’…’grrr’.. on the stone mill. “Once upon a time there lived a Cobra King by the name Bhujang on the mountain covered in the thick foliage of a rain forest. He lived up on the hill with his wife.” grr… grr.. grrr…” His wife was pregnant with his babies. But she was in the habit of travelling long distances. She would travel to various villages.” Women sang and the grinding mill would pick up the pace. “She would trudge along mountains and rivers and deep forests. The little babies in her belly would memorize the route she would traverse and Oh Lord! let me tell you! These babies would remember the old route. And when they are born they would take the same route that goes via Marcel to Old Goa, from Keri to Panjim”*. They would remember the route so that they could go back and forth as they please. But King Bhujang would never leave his abode. It was believed that the King would come down the mountain only when he got weak and feeble and is about die. So the King stayed put in his hole up in the mountains.”

“ Oh, sister! on the same mountain lived a Garuda( eagle) with his family.” The second woman would join the song adding to the tale. Garuda’s wife too was pregnant with a young baby. The enmity between Garuda clan and Cobras clan is an old one. Till today when they crossed each others path, they would exchange angry glances as if they were waiting to avenge the betrayal Garuda’s had meted out to the Cobras.** King Bhujang’s eyes would redden with anger and he would start hissing in resentment, with his forked tongue out ready to spew deadly poison on the Garuda. The Garuda in return would show him his razor-sharp talons ready to swoop over the Cobra King and tear him to pieces with his hooked beak. They couldn’t see each other eye to eye. Thus lived these two arch rivals on the mountain, waiting for the day to kill each other and avenge the betrayal.”

There once lived an old couple in the mountains. The old lady most of the time refused to cook for the old man, complaining her knees hurt and finding it hard to walk. One day the old man got really frustrated having to labour in the jungle as well work in the kitchen and in a fit of rage hit the old lady’s knees with a pestle. Plop! popped out a frog from the old lady’s knee. As the frog hopped around, he asked the old man to arrange a bride for him. With his wrinkled face and toothless mouth, old man looked carefully at the frog and said, “ I am too old and I can’t help you much in this matter. Why don’t you approach the chieftain of this hamlet. He has a beautiful daughter. Try your luck and see if he is willing to give his daughter to you in marriage”.

So went the frog hopping door to door asking for chieftain’s home. When he found the house he sat on the fence and with his hoarse voice croaked loudly, “Father -in- law, come out , please come out”. Chieftain came out but saw no one and went back inside. Again the frog croaked, “Father -in- law, Father-in -law, please come out.” chieftain would come out and and find no one . This went on for a while till chieftain found out it was a frog, sitting on the fence calling out to him. When chieftain asked him why he is calling him ‘father in law’, frog said, “Sir, I would like to marry your daughter”. Hearing this chieftain laughed out loudly and humiliated the frog for making such a ludicrous proposition. “Go away you stupid ugly frog, you are an insignificant creature. Don’t ever dream of having my daughter’s hand in marriage”.