As Malli walked through the woods, she came across a Champak tree deep in the forest. Standing still with her eyes closed, she embraced the scent of Champak flowers and the music of the river stream. Suddenly, chaos ensued as she screamed, having been bitten by honeybees.

Hearing her scream, Maacha, who was busy getting rid of the bees, jumped down from the tree and ran to Malli. By the time Maacha managed to drive away all the bees, Malli had already been bitten by them. Her entire body was swollen. Malli fell unconscious, and Maacha stood still, unaware of what could be done.

Within no time, Maacha managed to get her to the folklore team, who could remove all the stings from her body and apply herbal medication to soothe her.

Malli rested for the next two days, showing signs of recovery. During her recovery, Maacha made sure to visit her every day, trying to alleviate the guilt he felt for causing her distress.

This is a routine for the Soligas, who climb up the trees every morning to bring down honeycombs, extract the honey, and sell it to people as a means of livelihood. But no one dared to venture so deep into the forest to find the beehive, except for Maacha, who had been a naughty and adventurous guy since childhood.

Malli, who enjoyed nature, often ventured deep into the forest to spend time near the Mastiyamma temple, singing for her and returning home before dawn. During one of her visits to the Mastiyamma temple, Malli met with an accident that led to a fateful encounter with Maacha, who would later become the love of her life.

Over the next six months, Malli consistently made efforts to meet him. Maacha also appreciated and cherished her consistent gestures. Though they did not engage in verbal conversations, every time their eyes met, they spoke volumes, conveying a multitude of unspoken sentiments.

On the day of Rotti Habba, early in the morning, all the villagers gathered at the Mastiyamma temple. Some were busy decorating the idol and performing pooja, while others were engaged in making rotis as an offering to the deity.

Malli's eyes desperately searched for Maacha. On this day, she was eagerly anticipating the opportunity to express her love for him. Even after continuous waiting, she could not find him. Determined not to miss this opportunity, she ventured away from the crowd and into the depths of the woods in search of him.

Maacha was confident that she would seek him out, so he waited near the Champak tree where they had first met. Malli could not find him anywhere. She searched in all the usual places where they typically met, but Maacha was nowhere to be found. It was at this very moment that she felt lost, on the verge of filling her eyes with tears, Macha appeared before her.

Malli, now amidst a whirlwind of emotions, found herself filled with both tears and a smile. Without conscious thought, she hugged him, expressing the emotions she had long been waiting to convey. Macha gave no time for a response. He hugged her back tightly, silently conveying that he had been waiting for her as well.

Malli and Maacha have now decided to run deep into the woods and be lost for the next 7 days. This is how the people of Soligas get married. On every Rotti habba, the festival where they make rotis for the whole tribe and eat them in the temple premises of Mastiyamma Devi, a young couple who like each other run away deep into the woods and convey to others that they have decided to stay with each other for the rest of their lives.

They return on the 7th day, offer prayers and offerings to Mastiyamma, and lead a life together. They perform the Gorukana dance as a means of celebration at night and sing Gorukana songs, glorifying the festivities.

Soligas mostly live in nuclear families after getting married. They build their own huts and create a small, happy family. Soligas, known as the Children of Bamboo, lead a basic life, although they are more civilized compared to other tribes worldwide, depending entirely on the forest.

Malli and Maacha started living together in a small hut made of bamboo and mud. As usual, they began venturing deep into the forest to fetch honey and sell it to make a living. In addition, Maacha would work at the nearby brick factory four days a week. Their lives were happily progressing.

One fine day, Maacha was offered the opportunity to go to Mysore town as part of his work at the brick factory. Soligas are nomads who usually don't leave the forest. This led Maacha to make a request to the tribal leader of their Podhu (Village) and, of course, to his beloved wife, Malli.

After praying to Mastiyamma Devi, Maacha leaves for Mysore, promising Malli to return soon with a lovely gift. Malli continued to fetch honey every day and looked forward to Maacha's return home.

After a week or so, the government forest officers make an announcement that a viral disease is affecting people in the town. Hence, no one will be permitted to move in and out of the forest to check the spread of this disease. Upon hearing this, Malli shatters down, crying in fear due to not knowing the whereabouts of Maacha.

Gaining confidence, she runs to the brick factory where Maacha was employed to check on him. The owner promises her not to worry, assuring her that more than 20 employees are safe in Mysore town; it's just that the movement of people is arrested. Malli remains strong upon hearing this. She returns home and continues to wait for him.

It was a Friday. Malli, feeling low and unable to read her own mind, leaves to meet her beloved deity Mastiyamma. Somehow, that day even Mastiyamma seemed to be sad to Malli. Though she wanted to sing for her, having a heavy throat due to sadness prevented her from singing.

A piece of news came in from the Forest Department that two people belonging to the Soligas, who had suffered from COVID-19, turned out to be fatal. Their bodies were buried under government vigilance, as anyone who dies of COVID-19 is not handed over to the family. Moreover, to check the spread of the disease in the tribal community, the bodies were not brought into the forest.

Malli remained still, unable to express any of her emotions. The love story that started in the premises of Mastiyamma temple ended abruptly. Maacha, who promised to bring a beautiful gift from the town, never returned.

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