SAMUDI/6
Generally houses in the North-Gujarat seem to be quite spacious a room follows a room. Generally there used to be four rooms, walled open space, open space in square shape, front room of the house and a big room in which vertical cylindrical huge containers white washed up with chalkpowder – decorated with small coloured glass pieces! Containers used to be full of grain. There used to be brass or copper pots on these huge containers. Such an orderly decorated pots is known as ‘log’. It was properly covered. There used to be wooden shelves on which brass-copper big brass plates and utensils were arranged. All these utensils were to be carefully rinsed. There by, during Diwali the room would seem to be glittering! Whenever these utensils were polished soaked tamrind powder was used. Samudi used to be very happy to see tamrind. She would put some black seed of tarmind in her mouth. She would take away its seeds also. She would eat these seeds instead of betal nut and hurry up her routine work. Samudi would run outside immediately if it begins to rain, inspite of work load, just to have bath in raining! While taking bathe in rain, she would sing like small children as : “aavre varsad Dhepalijo parsad Ooonee ooonee rotali Ne karelanee shak” (i.e. Come come rain Have Prasad Fresh roti and pot-herb Full of squirting cucumber.) Harshad too would love to take bath during rain. It was only through evening rain, Harshad knew about sprouting of Samudi’s breasts! Samudi would pick up moisted soil and would eat as if it were pieces of some sweet. She would try to inhale its smell having wide open her nostrils. Lee Samudi, mer mooee… aa joi Shantafaiba tadoohe, rond aavdee moti bhafla jevadi thai toy mati khaya s? gondi? (i.e. Eh Samudi, hell with you, Shanta Aunty would scold her, aren’t you crazy to eat such thing!’) ‘Na, na, Shontafaiba, Khandnee jem chavta chava Samudi boli, khati nathi, Chhakhoo su’ (i.e. Shanta Aunty, I just taste it as if it were sugar cubies.) Samudi had to give up one of the services due to heavy rain. Samudi was very much like queen at Shanta Aunty’s place but elsewhere she was treated as a maid servant! It was a richman’s house but Samudi was very happy. As she had to work very quietly. There was a very decent zula in the enterance. A very fat young rich lady who used to put on lots of ornaments used to take out her pet dog in the evening, after her return she used to sit on the zula. Once it so happened that Samudi though to sit on a zula, and she sat there by she had to bear too much of scolding, as if it were a big crime. For a while Samu thought of giving a retort to that rich lady ‘eeni boon ne be chopdavi de’ (i.e. Just to retort harshly). But Shanta Aunty used to reprimand her frequently. Samudi’s general impression in the village was of a very ‘assertive girl’. But then she never sat on the zula. Whenever she felt like taking a swing, she knew that there were countless descending shootings of banyantrees on the outskirts of the village. And there used to be Harshad to give her swing…. If so what else she would think! She had to give up that rich lady’s household work – alas it was Samu’s affection for that richlady’s one and half year kid. There was downpouring outside. Papu weas looking penuriously (i.e. helplessly) through window bars at those kids who were enjoying rainybath, for a while Samu thought of taking Papu in rain but if she were to do so, she might be retrenched from the job. Therefore she stood quiet at the corner under the roof wherein there was downpouring from the pipe watching that Papu. Some of those kids were enjoying drizzling, splashing rain water among themselves, a few were in puddles. Poor one… Papu was watching those kids splashing water on each other. As if some baby of a poorone would look at the biscuit pocket in someone’s hand. Slight drizzling did not reach up to Pappu due to small weather- shade. Pappu would be happy if he could touch slight drizzling, he would frequently try to look through two bars or keep his hands outside or a leg too. Then suddenly there was high velocity of rain. Children began to have splashing violently. Even Pappu began to thump with both the legs one after another. Pappu’s legs were dashing on the window tiles similarly those kids were splashing rhythmatic ally and Pappu used to say – ‘Chhab Chhabba Chhab Chhab…..’ Whosoever was to see such a scene would think that Pappu’s way of dashing his legs would experience cool joyous touch. This ignorant kid might be quite crazy to have experience of water splashing on the window tiles! One would think for a while that how is it that there is no change in window tiles due to splashing of rainy water! How is that these ironbars do not make way out for a kid! It is well said that constant longing results positively. Thus as Samudi saw it, she couldn’t refrain from it. ‘mooee nokari jay te jay. Ooyan chiya nn! Joda bhainn? Shethanee nokarini ek be nn tain.’ (i.e. If I lose my job, I hardly bother Hell with it. Who cares for that rich lady’s jobwork.) Samudi embraced that Pappu with all affection in that heavy rain. One could easily notice Pappu’s abundant joy on facial expression! Just astounding. Then Samudi look him to powerful waterflow and he had a roaring laughter, probably even her mom might have never seen him in such a jovial mood. Samu thought of calling Pappu’s mother but then…. ‘Oh no! On seeing Pappu from a little distance she shouted ‘mari ekna ek chokarane mara nakhvoos’ (i.e. Do you want to kill my only son!) ‘Sali, dakan jevi shee malyam chyonthi aais aai rand shikotree’ (i.e. You grumpy witchlike, where did you come from! What a hellish outcome!) The Samudi lost her jobwork. She failed to understand that how was it that Pappu’s mother couldn’t be happy, seeing Pappu’s facial expression.