Every morning for the last two months, people in the vicinity of a village have been making a beeline to a well to witness an interesting spectacle: the 'meeting' between a farmer and a fish.
The farmer is 60 year-old Pakash Patil, a resident of the Yedemachchindra village of Sangli district in western Maharashtra. He calls his marine 'friend' Narayana.
"Narayana, my Narayana, please come," the farmer says, squatting at the edge of an open well in his farm. Moments later, 'Narayana' swims to the edge of the well, to be petted by the farmer.
Patil then gingerly lifts the fish, which is over two feet long, and proceeds to peck him near the mouth, before releasing him back into the water.
"We have seen such a scene in films with special effects but this is unbelievable. In today's world, where man doesn't listen to another human being, this bonding is surreal," a resident of Sangli district said.
Even more surreal is the story of how 'Narayana' got in the well.
"Narayana would have ended up in my lunch plate had I not taken a liking for him," Patil says when asked about the relationship between him and the fish which has become the topic of discussion in the nearby villages.
"On July 3, I was going to my farm, along with my son Balkrishna. Some villagers had caught this fish and asked me to fry it and have a nice lunch, which I refused," Patil said.
"Instead I left the fish in the well. One day, when I was drawing water from the well in a bucket, he gave it a powerful tug. Since then, our 'interaction' has become a daily ritual," Patil said.
"Every morning, I have been calling out to my 'friend' and he responds by coming to the edge and allows me to hold him for some time," says Patil.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)