Time
falls friable while thinking about her, Words are mere sand in desert while
inditing about her. With a beautiful strategic heart she was like a knot in our
voluminous family keeping everyone together. She use to draw kith and kin
towards her like iron fillings to a magnet. All her sons , daughters , grandchildrens call
her as ‘Maa’, she was to all.
My mom was a working
lady so I use to spend my whole day under the observation of Maa. She was the
one who had to tolerate me whole day along with my aunt(father’s sis). After I started realising the happenings of
this world, for few years found her spending time in kitchen making tasty food
for everyone and directing ‘bahus’ about the correct composition of oil and
spices in different dishes for perfect
fragrance and flavour. In Sunday and Wednesday, a special dish or non-veg dish
was a must in home , even if Maa never
use to eat non-veg but still all use to demand for her expert hand to cook the
dish which not just include taste but also stuffed with lots of love in it.
With aging and weakness she passed on the responsibilities of managing the
kitchen to her bahus but always helping them giving tips and advice relating to nutritious
cooking.
She goes on working and
talking with a beetle tucked in the corner of her mouth which she use to chew
in the mean while in an articulate way. In my childhood days I always assumed that beetle was her staple
food. Every day morning she would be brushing her teeth with Neem stick, then after
having her food the very next moment she will tuck a fresh rolled beetle (paan)
in her mouth. Whenever I ask her that
why she eat so much of ‘paan’, with a smiling face she use to give an
answer, ‘it makes me digest food and it keeps my teeth strong’. To my surety of
knowledge, all her teeth were well and intact in her 90th b’day and
month after that till she took her last breathe.
Earning respect with
love and humble attitude was an inbuilt character in her. Sometimes the shower
of her love and affection was like irritation for me when she run after asking
again and again whether I had my food or not!!. If I had it then what did I eat!!..
but now I can understand the value of it when the concern question bowl of her is empty.
She use to get very angry
if any family member or any guest goes
out of home without having food or
drinks, even I always use to find this same kind of trend in 4 of her
daughters, it’s obvious as its in blood.
Out of 12 months, if
one will calculate, she was fasting for around 5 months for which she use to
get scolding from family but still anyway she was finding a loophole to fast. ‘kartika masa’ is considered as pious
month in our home. Nonveg, onion and garlic are strictly restricted to enter
home. Maa use to be like ‘Fasting Queen’ in this month, after taking shower she
will perform her prayer whole day, then a Priest will come to read ‘Purana’ in evening ,she use
to listen very carefully and then she eats her ‘one time meal’ and making me eat
with her from her stone plate(she use to eat in stone plate and bowl in kartika
masa) and in the mean while she use to explain me in simple language what the priest read in
Sanskrit from ‘Purana’ . She used
to follow this schedule for whole ‘kartika masa’ every year.. Once I asked her, “how you know
all this short stories about God and human nature?”. In reply to that she
suggested me to buy some books(Bramha Bibrata Purana, Shiv Purana etc) and
read. The books will always make me remember about her while going through it.
Tracking an incident
from the memory lane, it was a family get together and a question was asked to
all, “what’s your fav. Destination?”. Some said foreign countries, some named
hill stations and fairy lands where they want to settle down . At last when the same question was been asked
to
Maa. She said, “what will I do going
here and there!! The only place I want to go everyday is Puri to have darshan of Lord Sri
Jagganath then come back and stay here in my home with my
children and grandchildren ” . She was the one who taught me how to pray and
use to tell me the stories of God and Godesses. In Lord Sri Jagganath temple, like a tourist guide she use to
tell stories relating to the main temple and the sub temples, rules regarding which route to take , which sub temple to
enter first , which way to enter , where to stand inside the temple for a better view of lord. I always felt like
she was having better familiar connection with God when she use to worship.
After the darshan, Prasad sevan, she use to take me to tiny shops and
buy me small fancy lockets.
She use to keep all her
treasure in a small tiny trunk which
always smelled of cloves and cardamom when she opens and calls me or anyone to get something from ration shop, even the
regular shopkeeper use to smile and intuit that Maa had sent the money from the
fragrance of the currency notes. All her jewellery was a Tulsi necklace which
she used to wear all the time with her simple white saree defining simplicity.
Standing to my perception,
October was to be her happiest and
joyful month when her grown up kids use to come down to native with their
family for Durga Puja, a glaze use to
stay in her eyes for 10 days of Durga puja seeing everyone together chatting
and playing .when the time comes when all have to go back to deal with their
work and responsibilities with the ending of vacation , seeing everyone leaving,
Maa use to make face like a small school kid who never wants to go school
leaving parents behind.
Being the owner of a
very sharp inscrutable brain till her last days she possessed a healthy memory,
difficult slokas and idioms use to be on her tongue tip which she uses at
needful time like a perfectionist. Once there was power cut , it was evening
time ,Maa and me were sitting in veranda, after a long chat I asked her to sing a song .At first she made
fun of modern songs and then with lot of request she made me listen a
meaningful song of her time, which I couldn’t remember after hearing once, so
made her sing again and again and at last she made me write the song which I found
in one my dairy, here it is to share, it is a famous song of ‘Shree Nimai Hari
Chandan’, -
“କି ହେବ
ସୁଆ ପୋସିଲେ, ହରି ନାମ ନ ଘୋସିଲେ, କୃଷ୍ଣା
ନାମ ନ ଘୋସିଲେ..
ଦେଉଳ କୁ ସୋଭା
ଦୁସେ ଧ୍ବଜା ବାନ୍ଧିଲେ ଧ୍ବଜା ବାନ୍ଧିଲେ ,
ଧ୍ବଜା ବାନ୍ଧିଲେ କି ହେବ ଦେଉଲେ ଦିୟ ନଥିଲେ , କି ହେବ ସୁଆ ପୋସିଲେ..
ବୃକ୍ଷ ଯେ ସୋଭା ଦୁସେ ଫଳ ଫଲିଲେ ଫଳ ଫଲିଲେ,
ଫଲ ଫଲିଲେ କି ହବା ଜନ ମୁଖେ ନ ପଡିଲେ, କି ହେବ ସୁଆ ପୋସିଲେ..
ପିଣ୍ଡ କୁ କାରଣ ଅଟେ ମାଳ ଜପିଲେ ମାଳ ଜପିଲେ,
ମାଳ ଜପିଲେ କି ହବା ପରମାତ୍ମା ନ ଦିସିଲେ, କି ହେବ ସୁଆ ପୋସିଲେ..
ଘରକୁ ସୁନ୍ଦର ଦୁଶେ ବାଲକ ଥିଲେ ବାଲକ ଥିଲେ ,
ବାଲକ ଥିଲେ କି ହେବ ବିଦ୍ୟା ପାଠ ନ କରିଲେ, କି
ହେବ ସୁଆ ପୋସିଲେ..
ସ୍ବାମୀ କୁ ସୁନ୍ଦର ଦୀସେ ଯୁବତୀ ଥିଲେ ଯୁବତୀ ଥିଲେ ,
ଯୁବତୀ ଥିଲେ କି ହେବ ସ୍ବାମୀ ସେବା ନ କରିଲେ, କି ହେବ ସୁଆ ପୋସିଲେ.
ଜେତେ କହେ ବନମାଲୀ ପଦ ଭଜିଲେ ପଦ ଭଜିଲେ ,
ପଦ ଭଜିଲେ କି ହେବ
ଗୁରୁ ସେବା ନ କରିଲେ , କି
ହେବ ସୁଆ ପୋସିଲେ , ହରି ନାମ
ନ ଘୋସିଲେ , କୃଷ୍ଣା ନାମ ନ ଘୋସିଲେ..” –Nimai Harichandan.
At
times, she also uses to add funny lyrics of her own to this song. Now while
writing this song over here I am getting to know the depth of the song and able
to recall her smiling face which had a serenity lying within.
With elderly people, she
used to be humble, conscious and serious maintaining all the etiquette. With
kids, she used to be fun loving, caring and protecting. She was my all time
friend, Someway or the other, all knew
her tenure with us was coming to an end due to her weakness. It’s
our attachment with her which never wanted her alienation but rationally, her
heavenly abode was less painful and easier on her part as compared to her
weakness and suffering she was undergoing on earth.
And then, she was
resting in peace wearing a blissful smile with a note, “I need to rest now”..
