SAMUDI/5

(5)

By evening time, Shanta Aunty used to sit with a snuffbox. Samudi would sit before her looking at her with curiosity. Shanta Aunty used to inhale snuff making same noise sonee soooo and then she would rub her lower part of nostrils with the end of her sari at that time Samudi would stare for a while. Her infatuated eyes’ used to puff up mere curiosity. ‘Manay Shontafaiba, Chaptal Chhakri tonava aalok’ (i.e. Shantaaunty please give me a bit of snuff to inhale) Then she would try. She would sneeze there and then only. There used to be beautiful windy smell prior to the very first rain of the season or incase unseasonal rain also. Samudi would try to breathe keeping her eyes wide open. She would raise her eyebrows and say: ‘chyonk verhad pad he’ (i.e. It rains somewhere.) It is quite difficult to describe her facial pleasure. It will be quite windy, it may rain. Mangoes will drop from those low branches. She would go to pick it up on a rainy day. She was lost in the velocity of thoughts and continue to look through windy direction. It seemed as if tree leaves had lost its glint. The atmosphere was quite dim. Soon after the spring, sunlight is too acute. One would easily take note of blossoming leaves of tree in the bright sunlight. All tree leaves differ in its dazzling. All leaves become dull and dim due to dusty wind. Generally each one of the trees owe different colour, dark green, dull green slightly yellowish, red, brownish, violet etc. But windy rain easily wipe out different colour shades. Desolate land turns out to be bounteous. In a short span of time only cactus fence, fields and all trees owe to have the same colour. That colour means dusty desolate land. Then down pouring rain would clearup the outskirts of the whole village. Samudi would inhale windy rain at the back of her mind. Due to extreme velocity of wind resulted into high bumping of doors and windows, terrible dusty whirlwind in the villagers’ houses. Samudi did not think at all to close windows and doors. It would be too much if one fails to applaud whirl windy rain to shut down windows and doors. Sudden collision of a door may hurt on someone’s forehead. As Shantaaunty asked Samudi to close all windows, she bolted ‘istapri’ (i.e. Stopper) She would stand by the slit of the window and to have outskirts dusty windblowing which would be just tickling in her ear. As Shantaaunty noticed Samudi standing there it was a matter of curiosity too. Why did she stand there? ‘li Samudi too puchhe cyuam kyarni om ooobhis’ (i.e. Samudi, why are you standing there aunty inquired.) ‘aa pavan konk bel h meenku a lay houbhaloo. Pan balyu konya j nah Samudi javab aape.’ (i.e. Samudi said; This wind conveys something, so I thought to hear but couldn’t makeout. She was habituated to speak ‘meenkoo, meenkoo.’ (i.e. I say) ‘pela vahan mojee kadhu, pase kapdo’ ‘i.e. I shall rinse up utensils firsty then wash clothes.)