NEELAM

Many moons ago, when the forests were wide and the nights were clear people told the story of the Neelam Nilgai, a large antelope that shone blue with sapphire horns. It would graze on the grasslands in the light of a full moon and people would wait up in the night to catch a glimpse of this mysterious creature. It was said to be so beautiful that if you were to look into its eyes you would feel a tear run down your face.

On rare occasions when a Blue Moon occurred, the Neelam Nilgai would shed its horns spilling sapphires all across the fields. The next morning people would run out to their pastures to try to spot the sapphires sparkling blue brilliance among the soil. But the villagers did not plunder the land and sell these jewels for they knew if they left them for the earth, they would receive good fortune and a rich harvest.

Even now, many years after children still keep an eye open a blue sparkle to shine up from the earth and they know that the Neelam Nilgai had walked their land.