Every New Year’s Day, the residents of Kuteru gather at the tomb of Rustam and Rozy to light a lamp in memory of their love. 76 years ago, on this very day, Rustam, a Mumbai-based jeweller, met a tragic end at the hands of a wild bison. His wife, Rozy, travelled to Kuteru for 24 consecutive years to pay her respects at her husband’s grave. Not only that, but for 48 years, she ensured that a lamp was lit at his tomb every day. The people of Kuteru fondly remember Rozy, a symbol of unwavering love for her husband. Approximately, 150 kilometres from the divisional headquarters, on the banks of a pond in Kuteru, lay the tomb of Rustamji Pestanji, a jeweller from Mumbai. For the past 76 years, the villagers of Kuteru have been its caretakers.

 

On December 31, 1947, Rustam, a wealthy jeweller from Mumbai, arrived in Bastar as a distinguished guest and stayed at the residence of the Kuteru Zamindar to celebrate the New Year. The next day, on January 1, 1948, Rustam went hunting in the Pata Kuteru forest with some villagers. He shot a wild bison that was grazing. Believing the bison to be dead, Rustam approached it and began to shake its horns. Suddenly, the wounded bison stood up and charged. Terrified, Rustam was knocked down and dragged to a sajja tree, where the bison gored him repeatedly until he was motionless. The bison then walked a short distance and collapsed, dead. News of the incident was telephoned to Rustam’s wife, Rozy, in Mumbai. She arrived in Jagdalpur by special plane on January 2 and travelled to Kuteru by jeep to perform her husband’s last rites. She built a tomb for Rustam in Kuteru and, for 24 consecutive years, visited Kuteru on January 1st to perform his shraddha ceremony. Furthermore, she ensured that a lamp was lit at her husband’s grave for 48 years. Until 1996, she sent a money order from Mumbai to a Dr. Banerjee in Kuteru for the lamp and wick.

 

The head of the wild bison that was killed by Rustamji Pestanji on January 1, 1948, is still preserved on the wall of the Jagdalpur Palace. Visitors to the palace are amazed by the size of the bison’s head, but they are unaware of the love story of Rustam and Rozy associated with it. The image of this bison’s head is the symbol of Bastar Bachao Samiti, the only nationally recognized environmental organization in Bastar. It is said that Rustam’s funeral in Kuteru was conducted according to Parsi customs. A tall scaffold was erected on the bank of the pond, and Rustam’s body was placed on it. Vultures and crows devoured the flesh, leaving only the bones. These bones were then collected and buried in a pit, creating Rustam’s tomb. For 48 years, Rozy lit a lamp at this tomb.