SAMUDI/14

(14)

Harshad was sitting beside the window, he had token bath. Some maid was scrubbing the floor of the house nearby turn of the street. She had raised up her petticoat above her knees. She looked very much alike Samudi. She used put weight with her right hand, making a semi circle, supporting herself with the left hand. Due to somelight from the door soaked semicircle used to be dry. ‘Chaki, Chaki pani pee jaje em bolta var jem matimanee pani sukai jay ne em.’ i.e. Call for a sparrow, to have water, in the same way water in flat plate would dry up. Then she came out with dirty water bucket then she tried to scrub with that soaked cloth on the very raised frontside of the house, then she left that bucket in the square where clothes being washed. She went away inside. A skeleton cow was on the very turning side of the street. It had only one horn. That cow ran towards the very square and began to chew that soaked cloth. It was something unusual sight for Harshad. He did see a cow ruminating paper. But what is this! Even such a dirty soaked piece of cloth! Perhaps that piece of cloth might have been used to scrub the floor of the kitchen too, arriving smell of some dal! But after sometime that cow got rid off that piece of cloth. It was quite dry! On seeing this, that cow might be quite thirsty! It could quench her thirst a little. Then only it threw away….that dirty piece of cloth. There is quite water scarcity in this village from the very beginning. As the motor has burntout, there is no water supply for the last four days. There is water problem in every house. It was good when there was no tap water supply. Ofcourse people used to get water from the well for their routine need even though the village lake was all dry. There are hardly two or three wells since the tapwater supply is provided. Currently these two or three wells seem to be the only source of potable water. It could be slightly dip water yet quite sweet. The lake water is generally muddy. One can see small insects and lot of contamination. If the tapwater supply remains closed for a very long time then one gets quite muddy water. Shanta Aunty used to say to Harshad that there is terrible scarcity of water in your father-in-law’s village that one has to use water so carefully as if it is pure ghee. Truly, the whole village used to use water very carefully. Generally water supply used to be very poor that high level areas used to face a lot of difficulties, therefore generally people used to make small pits in front of their houses, they would open the lock to fill up their buckets in pits only. However, there used to be quite good supply force in Nayna’s area. That cow was yet trying to lick where there is a very thin water flow. Its brown tongue seemed to be quite dry and swollen. Probably that cow didn’t get water from any source. Didn’t these women could be kind to this cow who keep washing clothes in those squares! Is it that people drive away if any cow tries to drink water from their buckets? I may call Nayna and ask her to provide water for this cow. As Harshad was going to call for Nayna, the very moment she came out from the house. She left small plastic bucket just below the tap and she went inside. As the cow saw flow of water from the tap, it just ran hurriedly. It tried its swollen tongue as that plastic bucket was full of water. Harshad didn’t call Nayna on seeing such a scene. The cow will drink water as these would be water in the bucket. Meanwhile there was banging of opening the door. Nayna came out. She snatched that bucket and drove away that cow. The poor cow might have sighed, it didn’t seem to be in anguish at all, it didn’t wave vigorously its broken horn in air and moved away… Harshad told Nayna gently, men should have allowed to drink water! Do you know that even potable water in a big pot is just four five brass bowls only. I don’t ask you to give water from the potable pot. But I refer that hazy water bucket which is to be for toilet purpose only. You there are lots of clothes to wash up! There are bed sheets and pillow covers also to be washed. The way you have snatched away bucket from that thirsty cow, it shows your hardheartedness, I can imagine as you didn’t provide imagine as you didn’t water for that cow. ‘Yes, I know you to be too kind, never mind, if we are a bit hardhearted!’ Harshad raised his tone and said in anguish, ‘Don’t you know that people make arrangements for waterpubs. ‘I don’t intend to earn goodness at all.’ Don’t you treat a cow worship and its calf as a deity on the auspicious day. ‘Balchoth’. Harshad tried to explain. Ofcourse, I do! All do it! It is to be done! And you won’t provide water even if it dies. ‘No, not at all! Why do you bother about such thing. You may mind your business! Parents seem to have not inculcated moral duty. Please, allow me to say bluntly, don’t refer to my parents at all! Yes, is it fair to watch sharply that maid who was scrubbing the floor in the opposite house! Harshad realized that there is no point in wrangling with her. It is better to clean that mirror the wall.