On a lazy afternoon, a
platter of Mixed Vegetable Pakora can
be a perfect companion to sit and retrospect. This evening, as I sat at the
little dingy teashop and munched on the hot crispy Pakoras, my mind wandered around my daylong subtle experience. There
are so many incidences that happen around us every day, that it becomes
impossible to arrive at a conclusion about them. Life is like a Kaleidoscope
whose individual colors might be monotonous, but a collective effect gives an
enthralling experience. Today I shall not note something that is a part of my
own identity. I shall note down a short experience which I consider is
important for me to know, when my amnesia completes its full-circle!
Today being a Sunday,
was usually supposed to be a lazy one. However, I had been invited to a
colleague’s house for attending a religious function followed by lunch. I got
dressed up early, finished my breakfast and weekend chores and bid farewell to
Aunt Padma. The rainclouds were hovering and thus I decided to take an umbrella
along with me.
I reached Mr. Saurav Pandit’s
house around noon. The intense aroma of burning incense sticks clogged the
nostrils, whereas the smoke-filled misty atmosphere welcomed my eyes with a
teary sensation. No doubt, a Puja was in progress. Saurav, my colleague, welcomed
me inside and I moved through a mini crowd of devotees to take a peep inside
the hall room, where the enormous Puja was being performed.
To my surprise I saw
Saurav’s little daughter, Melee, sitting in the middle dressed in a saree and
lots of flowers. She looked like the idol of some baby goddess! A priest was
chanting some mantras relentlessly, while another was performing the rituals. Everybody
chanted the mantras, following the first priest, and occasionally showered handful
of torn flower-petals at Melee. Somewhere within my heart I felt a pain for
Melee. She was a sweet innocent child whom I had seen so many times. Today she
sat with a blank expression, unable to understand what was going on.
Saurav came over to me
and said, “This is a Kumari Puja. The
traditional worship of the Girl Child.
We are running a bit behind schedule...”
Uma, Saurav’s wife came
and interrupted, “Saurav, tomorrow Melee has her class test and I have given
her a target to score at least eighty percent! Please wrap this up soon. She
has to be rushed to the tuition after lunch, so that she can get the
suggestions from her teacher!”
The couple got busy in
their squabble and I slyly slipped away. I don’t know the reason, but I felt
like laughing at whatever was happening. I finished a quick lunch and headed
back home. However, a heavy downpour started and I took shelter under a shade.
Quite a few other people crowded and crouched in that scanty place as we all
tried to protect ourselves from getting drenched. I don’t know how long, but I must
have waited there for at least two hours!
As the rains receded, I came
out to head back home. Presently, a man came up, holding the hands of a little
girl. At first I thought that he was a beggar. However, he didn’t do anything
that seemed like begging. He simply stood in front of the shade and looked here
and there. A food-vendor came out from his shop and handed over a parcel to the
man and he thanked him.
Looking at the confused
look on my face, the man smiled and said, “This is Usha. She is not my
daughter. She is my Mother! I found her here on the streets, about seven years
ago. It was the dreadful day when I had lost my mother. I had just lit her pyre
and was returning home when I heard her cry. I came running and picked up the
infant. She held my finger and stopped sobbing. The first word that came out of
my mouth was… Maa!”
I stood stunned without
any words while the man continued, “I am not a beggar. I work as a masonry’s
labor. There is nobody in my house to cook during the day. All the shop-owners
in this locality help us with food for my little Maa. We come here every day and get their blessings.”
The man went away and I began
to walk back. I didn’t take the bus, but walked instead. Something weird was
happening today. As evening fell, I arrived at the teashop, near my house.
Sitting on the small wooden stool, I ordered a cup of tea and a platter of Mixed Vegetable Pakora. This can be a
perfect companion to sit and retrospect. What is happening today? What is life
trying to tell me? I wondered.
As I munched the hot
crispy Pakoras, a girl arrived at the
shop. She was probably in her early twenties and from her attire it seemed like
returning she was returning from office.
She came up to the
teashop owner, Ramu, and said excitedly, “Ramu uncle, please give me a platter
of hot Pakoras! Today was my first
day at work! I am super happy today! I want to surprise Baba with some tasty Pakoras. You remember, when I was small,
every year after my school examination got over, Baba used to surprise me with Pakoras from your shop.”
Ramu handed over the
Pakoras and the girl went away while I observed the entire episode. An unknown melancholy
filled my heart. It was not sorrow; it was not happiness… It was something
unexplained.
As I sit and write my
journal today I wonder about the incidences that unfolded throughout today. All
the three incidents were connected to a father and his daughter. All of them
were episodes that related the intricate relationship of a father and his
little girl. Somebody was worshipping his daughter as a deity while forcing her
to perform in studies. Somebody was impersonating her as a mother and somebody
had groomed her into a confident and self-sufficient lady! Every incident was
unrelated, yet connected through an invisible string. Every point of view is so
unique yet had some similarity. Nobody was wrong, and nobody was right! Perhaps
everybody was right! I don’t know.
This is a sweet
confusion and I didn’t want to arrive at a conclusion. However, it taught me
something important… Life is a Kaleidoscope whose individual colors might be
monotonous, but a collective effect gives an enthralling experience. There are
so many things that happen around us. Some of them are happy, while some are
sad. Yet, their collective impact is the true essence of life. Just like today’s
episodes, we must cherish and honor womanhood and respect it. That is the
essence. It is something that all men and women must do.
My learning from today
is to cherish everything in life. I must do so when my amnesia erases my
memories. I must understand that not one single episode is important. The
collective effect is the true kaleidoscope of life.
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