Apperance
”Oh it feels so sad to look at her burning face, how ugly she becomes”. Rima said with a long sigh, cutting potatoes in two big cubes. ”ish! when she was beautiful! look at her thin body, no meat and juice, dry like bamboo sticks… says Bibi with bitterness, grinding ginger garlic paste with little drops of water on stone grinder. The other women laughs, they are sitting in the back porch of Tamuly’s house, in a circle on the wooden planks. Their buxom bodies fully covered with sweaters and shawls, the early January’s sweet yet chilling cold at its peak. Near them, an open fire of bamboo sticks and hays is burning, to make the muddy room warm. They are cutting tons of vegetables in different shapes, potatoes and pumpkin in big two cubes, cabbages in long shrads, red tomatoes cut into four pieces, cucumber, carrots and onions in thin slices for the salad. Rita and Ritu, daughters of Rima, their tiny hands only allowed to peel off potatoes skin. All the preparations for Bhogali, maagh bihu, a night banquet , that happens each year in the chilling month of the first week of January.
”Maa, maa, he is hitting on my face with his elbow”, Anup said in his childish tone. mixes with new cracking of adolescence, running over with tear stricken face. The two girls, Rita and Ritu giggle. Anup’s mother, Bibi, slightly embarrassed by her fourteen year old boy’s piteous voice, scowls at him. ”hey, you are a boy, don’t cry like a girl!, said Anju with little laugh. ” Who hits you, hits back, my son is so good to fight!” said Bibi, while pouring the juicy mixture of ginger and garlic into the steel bowl, the paste for the fish curry with tomatoes.
The boy stood there, his two legs were not on the same balance, one knee was bent, another knee was straight, as if the right foot taking the whole pressure of the body, was little unsure about staying here or ran back to his boys gang. For a fleeting moment, he felt urged to stay with the women, cutting the vegetables much tempting than Raghu’s bullies. But he left the place of women, running back to his male friends, cutting woods to make a meji for the night.
”Rita, Take the kharahi to the uncles and papa”, said Rima in her affirmative voice.
Maa, I will also take another one”, says Ritu in her pledging tone
ok, but you are so clumsy, be careful” , said with Rima smile.
Both sisters were excited, holding two kharahis , in their tiny hands. They almost running, from the back veranda to the front yard of the house, to the open space, above the starry sky and the wet grass, men were at the make shift kitchen for the night. As Rita and Ritu running with their high spirit and joy. Ritu’s nude toes slipped, and fell down on the mud floor, in her falling, the kharahi came out from her grip, the potatoes cubes onto the mud floor, Rita got startled, looking at fallen potato cubes with a fearful look. Rita put her sister up, ”Oh you are so clumsy,. As she saw her already nervous sister more scared,”Don’t worry we will not tell our mother or anyone!”
”But we need to wash the potatoes”
Rita picking up the potato cubes and put back them on the khrahi, ” It’s all clean, ” rubbing them with the edge of her frock, Ritu followed her sister, cleaning the falling potato cubes, by rubbing them with her frock’s free end. From the open space, one of the men, her neighbour Bora uncle shouted, ” The pan is so hot, when the sabji will come?”
The girls come with their heavy breathing, the smell of green mustard oil filled the nostril. ”Why are yo taking so much time?” Rita and Ritu smiled, not sure what to say in response. ”Women will be women, when they get the chance to gossip, they forget everything.” The head cook of the dinner Borah said in his amused voice. The men laughed heartily, as if he had cracked a master piece of joke. ”oh dear sweet girl, always remain girl. don’t become woman”, Borah touched the tip of Riu’s nose with his the tip of index finger. Ritu almost blushed, Rita holding her sister hand, ” Let’s go, we need to bring the masalas and ginger garlic paste”.
A few yards away from the men, the teenage boys were at the their fun activity; preparing for the meiji, bonfire, with the heaps of hays over the bamboo sticks, the bonfire will be let by the elders men of the village. The smells of fired onions, chillies filled the chill air, the young boys in their house wear, the t shirt and full trousers, their sweaters were tied around their waist, the hand sleeves tied with a tight knot over their flat stomach,
oh sweety, feeling cold, Ajit looked Anup with mischievous glance, the only guy who wore the sweater over his old green school uniform shirt.
when you guys will catch cold, then you will get the lesson”, he said meekly.
say it again, if you were a girl, my heart will go garden garden
The other boy laughed. He makes a face, ” smile dear smile , life is bhog, happy bhogali. Others joined in, ”Happy bhogali”. Their loud voice cheered up and their warm fog from mouth filled into the cold air.