Shine of heart turned into a Star.

For Maa..

To shower love and care she came on the earth

Simple and sober was she to all

Makes none hurt keeping pain in self

Mere expectation she had to see all happy

Strong was her heart which kept the family stout

She took me in hand the day I was born

Taught me how to pray and know God

Time with her kept tension and tiredness at bay

She made complicated things solved in a very simple way

How to mend scatter families was known to her

Couldn’t bear anyone shedding tear

Was a teacher who taught us how to earn respect and love

Made us learn how to stop regretting and move

Never saw her shout or frown  

Just her few words were making others anger drown

Playing numerous role

She lived her life caring for all

Spreading love and affection she went afar
Shine of our heart turned into a star..

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 90^th 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”..