Samudi/1
Nobody would believe about the most notable change in Samudi as she constantly kept on cramming aibaro, aibaro! ‘Harshadbhai…. ‘As Harshad was contemplating to breakup his betrothal someone shouted ‘Oo…. Harshadbhaee…….’ ‘Call was fairly known to him, as Harshad looked up….. ‘Samudi!’ She was standing by the side of her husband! It was a matter of surprise, for a while, whether it was really Samudi! ‘Harshadbhaee how are you! …. We came to see a picture, she was feeling shy a little.’ ‘Oh! What! Is this Samudi speaking! Ofcourse, it was none else but Samudi! It was as a little drizzling singing song voice on Harshad’s ear…’ ‘Madi tara jamaine kagal aayose aaedan javoo se….’ (i.e.) Mother, there is a letter from your son-in-law now it is time to go…. Samudi used to sing frequently the same line while rinsing utensils. Therefore, once Harshad asked her ‘but what next!’ ‘Latter on mari boon Kalin avadeh….. (i.e. My sister Kali knows the other part of that song) Samudi was from the rural area of the North Gujarat, she used to address Harshad as Harsadbhaee, picture i.e. Pichar and worshipping Goddess of wealth (i.e. Lasmipooje) In a year’s time there is a remarkable change? Or is it a remaking of Samudi by God? Today Samudi is standing in a Sari generally she is in lousy petty coat and blouse, often seen trailing at the back of those carts returning from farms heavily loaded with crop ripen. What a decent order of her Sari! Its folding is quite decent. Its loose end is neither up nor a little low! Nayna couldn’t do it properly even if she were to try for at least twice or thrice. Even after wearing sari, she had told someone to adjust her sari properly. It is astounding that Samudi is changed in a year’s time. What sort of spirit is that resulted into a radical change in Samudi. This one does not bear any symptom of ‘Samudi’ of the bygone days. ‘Where is that Samudi? Where! She used to wander in the afternoon barefooted in the whole village and used to pick up podded pulse and fennel seed quietly but today she is standing on high heeled chapals. Shanta Aunty had given her used chapals to her yet she used to run errand bare footed and used to say ‘Champal bampal aapdene no fave’ (i.e. Chapal did not suit to me) ‘kon jane bey tontiya zali rakhiya hoy em lage) (i.e. She felt as if someone had held her feet). It was so soft to walk due gilded bits were scattered from those beams of dry grass. To move quite barefooted in those heavily watered farms would feel quite enjoyable cooling. It is ever possible for Samudi to forego such a pleasant touch and to put on chapals! Even in summer Samudi would hardly put on Chapals! but today she was standing on high heeled chapals. She had carefully combed hair fill up red lead in folded her slightly plaited loose hair. This is the same Samudi to remove entanglement of her hair even a comb used to be useless. She used to have countless lice and lousiness. But today she has her loose plaited upto the waist, having just ribbon instead of tassel! Today this is same Samudi, who used to have thick application of hairoil which would upto her both bright ear tips. But today, she has her dry hair. Even keeping her hairpins are little above ears, very much like girls of an urban area. Earlier her hair used to be so very filthy. One couldn’t see even the very colour of her hair. She used to have dust of the outskirts of the village. Sometime cyclone used to do her abulation of dust. Her hair used to quite steady and firmly fixed. Fie! Fie! Who knows that after how many days she used to wash up her hair! But today her hair seem to be quite clean. Perhaps she might have used Shampoo. Harshad felt like to go to her very close and to inhale her bright hair. She used to pick up raw mangoes from the outskirts of the village while pelting stones on a tamarind tree, she used to collect tamarind pods. She used to eat to its of sprouted delicate leaves of tamarind. Occasionally she would make a decent adjustment of her petticoat to climb up tamarind tree very much like a squirrel…. But today she is tidy and decent….look. Now Harshad could make out that he was a little slow in recognizing her. Formerly, Samudi’s eyebrows seemed to be one but now she seems to have readjusted as if some painter might have given a fresh touch! Perhaps eye-brow pencil is skillfully tried. Nayna had called her up soon after Harshad’s betrothal…. Just on ‘Diwali’. She was always very eager to work at Harshad’s house, ever since he was betrothed… ‘Chhayan Harshadbhai’s vaoo ooy nn Chhyaah mu inne dekhu.’ (i.e. When Harshadbhai’s wife would come and I might see her.) But as Nayna came Samudi had taxed her. She used to touch Nayna and would look up. Poor one, she was totally fed up but she would feel shy and tried to be aside. But Samudi would lift up her face a little and touch her cheeks with a forefinger. She would touch her ornaments, necklace nose-ring and fresh eye-brows. Samudi would stare on for a while. She raised her eyebrows for quite sometime. What a beautiful curve to those eyebrows! Samudi even touched to her eye-brows. (with a view to check up that it might not be artificially fixed up.) There are bald people from the urban are who owe have their Wig …. She had heard it so.) She couldn’t make out what to say! yet she asked ‘Chyyam Nainabhabhi, tamari bhammar aavi ha?’ (i.e. What Nayanabhabhi do you have such eyebrows!’ Then she raised her eyebrows and asked: (bhammar aavi asal she ti bani aa) (i.e. How is it that you owe such type of eyebrows and remedy for it!) Nayna said: ‘Ofcourse, I managed to have proper eyebrows!’ And then when Samudi knew that there might be a shop to have reshaping of eyebrows. She was just stunned to know that ladies (i.e. baidio ) do such thing. As she knew that ‘Bhammars’ in English in called ‘Eyebrow then she kept on cramming – ‘aibaro, aibaro, aibaro, aibaro…..’