Her Childhood
Description
Winter was gradually passing. It was the month of Magh, and then the month of Falgun. The wind changed as soon as Falgun arrived. People started saying, wind of Falgun is flowing. Leaves had started falling, branches were becoming bare. Their nakedness is also the basis for new creation. Hence, romanticism started appearing in them also. A golden glow had spread across the wheat fields. Where is all this visible in the city? Chetna was getting emotional seeing all this.
On holidays, she used to go to the banks of a river flowing at a short distance from the village. She used to sit on the banks for a while. Different types of people kept travelling by boat. The boatman was from the village, so sometimes he would take Chetna on the boat and bring her to-and-fro. Chetna used to feel happy listening to the gurgling sound of river water and used to toss its water in anjuri, her hand. Whenever the sailor sang, she became engrossed in it. She felt that the poet Badal was right. There seemed to be magic in the sailor's voice, listening to which the heart became drenched in pain.
She used to come from there and roam in the garden. Whenever the cuckoo spoke, she would tease him. Kuu-kuu---. A kutcha road passed through that garden, through which many travellers used to pass. She used to wonder where they come from and where they go. These days they were drenched in colours. Sometimes a passerby would start playing a tune. Some were accompanied by well-dressed decorated brides.
How good it is to be a bride, and how bad it is at the same time. Seeing the plight of some brides in the village, she sometimes decides not to marry. But old mother has said that I will get a good husband. A woman is beaten every day in the house next door. she shouts. I feel like going to her house and hitting her husband or father-in-law or mother-in-law (whoever is hitting) with a brick on his head. Sometimes she would say to her mother, “Mother, what is this?” Mother would remain silent. After all, what would she say about someone else? Once the parents throw the girl out of the house, they do not remember her again.
Mother says, if you have a brother like your maternal uncle then things will be fine. She tells that once under your grandfather’s influence, your father threw a shoe at me. Coincidentally your uncle had come. He got furious and told me, “Sister, let’s go from here.” How dare they beat you. What do they think of you?” He was absolutely adamant. Your father also felt embarrassed and when I explained the situation to my brother, he agreed.
The indifference of parents who are poor is understandable, but people from affluent families also do the same. So, one feels sad and also angry. Mother sometimes explains that daughters should do household work. Many women are beaten because they are unmannered and do not know how to do household work. Even if some know household work, they don’t know properly. That's why I tell you to leave the boys' skills and manners and learn the girls' skills and manners. Chetna says angrily, “Mother, what are you saying? If I get married and someone misbehaves with me, I will punish.”
“Okay-okay, keep quiet my grandmother! It is a crime to say anything to you.”
Sumitraji wonders what will happen to this girl in future? Even at this young age, she gets nervous after seeing everyone's sorrow. Hey, is there less sorrow in this world? There are so many unhappy people, whose suffering should we feel sad about? If she is sad because of everyone's sorrow, she will remain sad throughout her life. That day the boys were telling that Chetna remained hungry the whole day. When she was going to school with her tiffin box, she gave it to someone on the way and remained hungry the whole day. She didn't even tell anything, the boys came and told. I asked Chetna, “Why did you give your food to someone else?” She said, “Let it go mother, what if I remained hungry for some time, that old man looked as if he had been hungry for many days. His eyes were filled with terrible helplessness. I couldn't see it." Sumitraji felt good inside how kind her daughter was, but did not express her happiness.
That day Pankaj was telling that he was roaming in the garden with the sister. He saw that a traveller was suffering from heat and fell under the shade of a tree. When we went near him, we saw that he was softly saying ‘water-water’. Sister became worried as to where and how to give him water. There were no utensils, nor was there water. Didi (Sister) said, “Brother, you stay here, I will come right away.” She ran to the pond, drenched her scarf in water and started dripping water into the traveller's mouth. After drinking the water, that traveller opened his eyes and started showering blessings on Didi.”
Sumitraji started thinking ---- “I keep scolding my daughter for putting herself in trouble by doing such charity, but in my heart, I think that after all she is my daughter. If I live in Gorakhpur, I don't know how many hungry people come during my dinner time and I don't feel bad. I keep feeding everyone with ease. I help all the poor and distressed who come to my door.”
That incident could be remembered. A woman came with her child and was sitting under the tree in front. She was thrown out of her house. Chetna had come and said---- “Mother, a woman is sitting with her child under the tree in front. She looks very sad.” I went there, brought her to my home. I fed both of them. But the problem was what would happen to them? I assigned household chores to a couple of houses. She was a Brahmin. Some people asked her – “Being a Brahmin, do you work as a cook?” She said – “The caste will not let us eat. If you give me food, I will leave all this work.”
While thinking all this, Sumitra remembered her father. After all, whose daughter is she and whose niece, is she? What to say about the kindness of my father and her uncle! Familiar passers-by are afraid to pass through the road in front of my father's house. They know that if it is evening time at Ramsumagji's door, he will not let them go further and will bring all the food and drink items and say, cook and eat. If someone is lazy then he will scold and say - 'Will you sleep hungry at my door? No, that won't happen.”
What can we say about the greatness of uncle's heart? He dug a pond and even though there was a garden, he kept getting trees planted. Someone said to him – “You keep planting so many trees, will you get time to eat their fruits?”
Uncle said – “Hey fool, does a man do all the work in life for himself? The coming generations will eat the fruits of these trees, people will eat the fruits.”
Sumitra was thinking all this when Chetna came. She said – “Mother, give me something to eat, I am very hungry.”
“Well, you feel hungry too. A holiday does not mean that you keep roaming in the fields and gardens the whole day. Look, the afternoon is approaching.”
“Okay-okay, don't preach now, give me food.” Chetna said laughing.
Pankaj came from behind. “Well, you also keep roaming with him.”
“No mother, we were not wandering, we were playing. We were playing Kabaddi. Didi plays very well, she catches the boys and gets everyone out.”
Sumitra shook her head. “Oh my God, this girl has all the moves of boys! What will happen to this?”
“Nothing will happen to me. First feed me bread and then think about something else.”
Falgun month's joy was spread all around. People were singing Holi songs together, sometimes here and sometimes there. The women were humming in their hearts. The sisters-in-law were throwing water on the brothers-in-law passing through the street. There was a mirthful wave among the old people also.
And the song, “Falgun Bhar Baba Devar Laagi (In month of Falgun, grandpas seem brothers-in-law)”, used to be played here and there. The day of Shivratri festival has also arrived. People, especially virgins, observed a fast. Unmarried women also want to get a husband like Lord Shankar. That's why they keep fast and worship Lord Shiva. Sumitra said to Chetna – “You also keep the fast.”
“Mother, what will happen if I keep a fast?”
“Hey girls keep fast on Shivratri to get a good husband.”
“I will definitely get a good husband,” old mother had predicted after looking at my hand. And even if I keep a fast, I will feel hungry, so I will eat food in between.”
“Okay Baba, don't keep a fast, but at least worship Lord Shankar.”
“No, I will not do the puja.”
“Okay, do whatever you want.”
Chetna saw around ten o'clock, elder girls wearing new sarees carrying water in pots were going towards Shankar's place and singing –
poojahoon shiv ko bahu bhaanti
aaju shivaraati
(I will worship Shiva in many ways.
Today Shivrati)
Chetna felt good and she too filled the pot with water and headed towards Lord Shiva's place. Sumitraji smiled and started thinking – This girl is strange. When Chetna came after worship, mother said – “Finally Lord Shiva has called you.”
“No mother, I found the group of girls singing lovely. I felt like joining it. Mother, I like fairs very much, I like the beauty of festivals. I don't feel like worshiping."
“It will feel, Dear! Let that time come.”
“Then it will be seen. Now look, Holi is about to come, the Sammati (a sacrifice practice performed during Holi festival’s yesternight through the bonfire) has been set, the boys are putting dung cakes, wood etc. in it. They want that the Sammati’s flame of their village should be higher than the flame of all the villages. Sometimes I also join the group of boys.”
“So, you gather dung cakes, wood etc. too?”
“Yes, what's the harm in that?”
“Hey, that's a boy's job.”
“What is this mother, everywhere there is difference between boys and girls.”
“My dear, this difference has been made by God.”
“No mother, God is great, He will not do such a wrong thing.”
Holi has passed. Chait month has arrived. In place of Holi song, chaita (monthly festive song) prevailed. The bare branches of the trees were laden with red buds. The crops were ripe and ready to be harvested. The mixed smell of mahua, jackfruit, mango and mango-blossoms became prevalent. Chetna's poetic mind was filled with new beauty and sense of smell. She wanted to roam around in this environment and soak up this season within herself, but the exams were approaching, so she concentrated on studying. An incident happened in those days. There was a murder in the village due to a land dispute. The fight started. At that time, if there was any bloodshed, panic would spread all around. Only the red turbans of the policemen were visible all around.
There were stalks of wheat, barley, etc. lying in the barn. People were trying hard to get the food grains home. No one knows when who will be caught. Everyone was afraid of this. People would hide during the day and separate grains from straw at night. In such a situation, one day in the evening the sound of a horse's hoof was heard. All the people ran and hid. Chetna was playing there. The police officer arrived with the policemen and started asking Chetna – “Whose barn, is it?” Without panic, Chetna said casually – “It is mine.” He asked – “Where is your rustic father?” Chetna said – “You don't know how to talk. My father is in Gorakhpur. He works in railways.” He started laughing, and asked – “Okay, okay, but who is picking up this grain?”
Chetna said – “The servant is picking up. He has gone home, and will come tomorrow.”
“Who will guard at night?” He asked.
“We people will guard. We will play here, and sleep here.” Chetna said. The police station officer said to the soldiers, “Come, pick up the grains.”
Hearing this, Chetna picked up the stick lying nearby and said, “If anyone touches the wheat, I will break his hand.”
Hearing this, the police officer said, “Oh wow, she is a very brave girl.”
Chetna said – “You don’t know that I am the daughter of Vireshwar Mishra. He is a big man; he will send you to jail.”
He started laughing, and said to the soldiers – “Come on, this girl will send us to jail.”