The girl on a Guava tree

‘Hey get off the tree, and go home right away…..Pant…. Pant….they have come to see you’, they are from Kalikata (Kolkata) itseems….yelled Dutiya, as loudly as she could, looking up at Basonti.  Dutiya had come running to her own house where Basonti visited every afternoon, to climb her favourite branch on the ‘Pijuli’ (Guava) tree.

 

This was the best part of Basonti’s day, which typically began at 5 Am. Waking up that early was pretty normal to the girls in Orissa- they had a ton of chores to finish before the rest of the household woke up. Basonti, was all of 18 then, and she was the only sister to four other brothers. Not to mention the rest of the cousins who all lived under the same roof. She quite liked the hugeness of her joint family, but for the added responsibility that came along with it. She was however the pampered daughter to her dad, so she escaped most of the homely duties expected of an Oriya girl.  So once she was done with kneading  flour for 25 people,  and had finished feeding her youngest brother, Butu, she’d promptly run away to Dutiya- her best friend’s house.

 

‘Budi’, is what her Uncles, aunts and parents lovingly called her. Although its a mystery why someone as young as Basonti, should be called ‘Budi’, which meant – Old Woman. But love is strange, it makes you call your loved ones, the strangest of names- frog, rat, owl, witch- some more ‘lovingly’ given nick names of other youngsters in Cuttack’s Ranihat Gouda Sahi  (lane she lived in),

 

Basonti was a carefree girl. She didn’t want to study further, so she went to ‘Silei School’ (stitching school), kneaded flour, went to the ‘Bojaar’ (Market) with friends to pick up glass bangles and enjoyed every festival. There was something more she enjoyed doing with Dutiya- they loved entering ‘Bara jatris’ (Baraat in Hindi, or wedding processions), only to create chaos and confusion- by pinching women’s butts and running scot free, giggling . She also loved eating Gup-chups (Paani Puri), with a lot of Jhaal (chilli).

 

That day however, she was unprepared for this call. Dutiya literally shook her off the tree with her excitement. Basonti, trotted back home, which was four houses away, half irked, half excited at the prospect of meeting the family who had come all the way from the land of Rasogollas. She was in a ‘middie’ (below the knee skirt, in fashion those days), with a floral top. She was mad at the idea of wearing a sari just for the little show. And why hadn’t they warned her earlier? Grumbling, she entered her place, the gates of which had two stone Lions on  either side, and under those two animals ran a gutter on which floated many things besides paper boats, cigarette butts, previous day’s Puja flowers and shit.

 

When she entered, her Mother, Anima, a tall regal woman, asked her to quickly wash up. She was giving  Budi further instructions when her dad, Surendra, who was then, the state Hockey team’s referee, walked in. He told gently to his little girl- ‘don’t change Jhua (girl/daughter)- go in as you are’.

 

The ‘meeting’ went well- well enough for the wedding to be fixed in a few months time. The groom was an Engineer, who worked for Bata Shoe company, in Kalikata then. Word spread fast that the best looking girl in the sahi had the best possible alliance from Kalikata.  The to be groom’s name added to the hysteria- Gokul. They teased Basonti endlessly about finding her ‘Krusna’ (Lord Krishna).

 

Basonti however did not know what to make of it. She knew marriage

was inevitable, so she didn’t worry too much about it. But what she was excited about most was Kalikata.  On the night of her marriage she developed  high fever. The pundits on the marriage pandal said- it was due to the ‘bhari raasi’  (a relatively stronger horoscope, in comparison to that of the bride’s).

 

The fever left her and so did all other apprehensions, albiet, over the years, when they finally came to live in Shahabad with their Son, Dipu.  Basonti, had become a woman in those few years. At 21, she was a mother of 2, and she was full of patience and love.

 

She was the epitome of love- for the new family she went into. Her husband Gokul, had three more brothers, so they filled in for her brothers she left behind in Cuttack. Kalikata was hardly as she imagined it would be. For an 18 year old, taking up responsibility of a  family of 7, all by herself, was a nightmare. But Gokul found time for her, over weekends and took her to meet his friends.She missed home immensely but didn’t have much time to think about home. Gokul turned out quite like what the pundit had told- he had a temper…so much so that his brothers always vanished before he got back from work.

 

Things changed for her when they moved to Shahabad. She did all that she never dreamed of- she learnt all kids of cuisines, she learnt to make potato chips, bake breads and cake and keep a year long stock of Tomato ketchup. Moreover, Gokul changed too. His temper sobered. he turned into a popular, jovial man who lighted up social gatherings.

 

Basonti’s best deal  in Shahabad was the huge garden. It had two big lawns, seasonal flower beds by the lawns, 2 lemon trees, a rose bed, 7 mango trees and yes 2 Pijuli trees.  She felt like ‘Budi’ again. One day she stood in her kitchen, overlooking their backyard,  reminiscing her past, when,  she saw  her daughter. 10 year old Tina was on one of her favourite Pijuli tree branches, trying to reach a Guava.

 

She smiled, a happy, free smile.

 

(This ones for Ma. For all that she has done, and continues to, selflessly, and with so much love).