Sipra's Diary> "NOW & THEN" [ True story of my Grand father ]

MY GRAND-FATHER.

 My mother was an engaging narrator and told me many incidents about our family so vividly that sometimes I feel I have witnessed it myself. This story is about my grandfather who lived in a village in India in the 1930s. My grandfather had a larger than life persona and as was the norm in those days the designated head of the joint family who all lived together which included grandma, seven children and their wives a battelion of grandchildren of all ages and many househelp.

 Within the household they followed a disciplined regimen and patriarchal social order - however my grandfather made sure there was no dearth of fun and laughter  in house environment. 

   Entertainment in a pre-silver screen world meant impromptu plays and music arranged by the men and boys from the neighborhood in his own backyard but the crown jewel of all entertainment was an annual winter day trip with the 40 or so family members. They would usually go near the local river on a bullock cart for the day but one year my grandfather decided to go a little far away using the newly inaugurated Public bus. This was met with much excitement particularly from the women and children. Women at that time wore long veils to hide their faces from men and stayed within the perimeter of the house taking care and cooking for the family. The furthest they would go out all year was to the local pond,; so a journey by public bus to a place far away from the village was the most adventurous thing that they would do that year.

 On the day of the trip my grandfather took the full family to the bus stop. He had counted the number of heads several times in the backyard before reaching the bus-stop - this was a challenge already. There were veiled heads of the women, the heads of children and other of different heights and no one would stand still in fixed place. 

 The bus came honking and chased by a billowing dust cloud as it made its way through the dirt roads of the village. The children clapped and shouted in joy and ran around in circles on seeing the bus - it was a first bus ride for most of them - it was with a lot of effort and counting and double-counting , recounting by my grandfather and his friend- cum-attendant man-. 

 At last  Once after accommodation in the bus, the veiled daughter-in-laws , who are my aunts, struggled with the toddlers unused to the commotion and movement and other screaming children. Some screamed their lungs out, some settled well on their mothers' laps while some babies just gave up and fell asleep. My youngest aunt, a new mom of two toddlers below the age of two was finding it difficult and embarrassing to manage her long veil that covered her face completely and her little boy and girl both crying for attention on her limited lap space. A kind elderly co-passenger, seeing her situation, offered to take the baby girl off my aunt's lap into hers'. The baby girl was called by the name Putul –[in Bengali meaning 'doll'. ] …. Soon Putul made herself comfortable in the new comforting lap and fell asleep. 

 When the bus reached the stop, my grandfather roared to the driver,

 ………"Stop, E-st--op!" and the bus screeched to a halt making passengers sway violently in their seats. Grandfather with his helper got down first; the children were impatient and nudging each other to get down first; all the aunts with their awkward long veil trying to find their own children. Some grown-up children thronged near the driver requesting to honk just for their entertainment and when the driver complied they all started imitating the noise in their voice ; and the crows from trees nearby also started caw-ing probably on hearing a foreign noise. 

 It was chaos and a logistical nightmare trying to get everyone off the bus in an orderly manner. But baby-girl Putul continued to sleep on the stranger's lap blisfully in spite of the commotion!! Once the family was off the bus and my grandfather had counted them he bellowed to the veiled daughter in laws and grandma - do you all have counted of your own children?...  everything good? ...

My young aunt murmured behind her veil ," "My Putul is left in the bus." Daughter-in-laws rarely spoketo their father-in-laws, let alone in a voice higher than a whisper or a nod. My Grandfather said, "Let it be! " My shy aunt repeated a little louder "My Putul is left in the bus". My grandfather dismissed it by saying "Let it be! I will purchase a new putul ( doll ) for you from the village fair ! Don't be so upset about a toy!. ….Let us proceed towards the spot for picnic .” 

NB:

[ Putul  means a doll in Bengalee language.]

 And proceeded to walk away from the bus in his usual majestic gait using his walking stick.    

Just  then my grandmother intervened with a loud shrilling voice probably heard for the first time in public, "Listen, this Putul is not a toy but our youngest granddaughter who is left in the bus"!

... Another chaos ensued with my grandfather and uncles shouting to stop the bus;  jumping into the bus to take their sleeping daughter like a movie hero and handed her over to my aunt,  leaving the rest of the bus bewildered at all the action. My aunt embraced her rescued baby and kissed her with tearful eyes and thankful glowing face and she was completely unaware that her veil had dropped from the head by the wind and lay around on the ground. 

 My grandfather with angry burning eyes  surveyed  at my grandma and   all the aunts    to  announce with a lot of gravity, "Henceforward",......

 striking his majestic stick “it is my order, that nobody should choose such a silly name in my family !.. hmm!

" N.B 'Putul' in Bengali means a ‘toy –doll’ for the little girls. ************************************************************************************

It is only  hundred yeas ago Indian social system or culture was  so different 

  ...!Family   !

that time  the  word family included not only extended family but also  friends  and neighbors , menials

together---------the 'bonding'  of  communal togetherness was amazing!

 This incident also reminds me that how small changes from regular life used to bring enormous joy to the children in those days! Now most families are composed of one child. And parents buy lots of toys for them one after another and the child becomes bored quickly with the old one. The goal of all parents is how to make own child the happiest one in the world. But my view is that the result of too much care is not always good for the child.; sometimes little negligence rather than indulgence is better fruitful for their future wellbeing.

Sipra'sDiary. :>. "Mystry of the Story That Remained Unrevealed"----June,2026

  

My American friends  in the library or in the Story Circle often used to ask   me  in post 9/11 mishap what was the behavior pattern of muslims in India.   Most of them have the  IDEA  that the relationship between us was very stressful which was not at all.   They were very surprised to hear this from me.

I said   most of Indian muslims were converted  from the  Hindu Indians for several reasons .   Indian Caste system was very rigid .

   The "Shudras" or lower caste  Hindu  adopt Islam religion due to partiality and torture from   the Hindu Brahmins as upper class. During the Mughal rule in India Aurangzeb imposed "jijiya tax " to only the Hindu farmers.  So lot of Lower caste Hindus converted to Muslims  to avoid the "tax" . 

Then East India Company ruled 200 years .  The British also offered many parks and facilities to the Muslims only to win their support who were  Christanized   later .  Native home of my in-laws  family    is in Plassey, situated   on the border of present Bangladesh .    99% farmers of our land are Muslims with good   relationship .  

It is the politicians of democratic country  who used them as "pawn"  for their own benefit .    Even now, India is the only safest place where the Muslims are celebrating their "ID" festival  peacefully  while the whole world is in turmoil!    

#(21)[Mystery of the Story that remained Unrevealed ]

 > picture

 

 [w1092/.  LORD SHIVA  AND  KABA

      

                  LORD SHIVA   AND  KABA

Long long ago.  there lived  a   Hindu king   in  Rajtarangini , near the valley  of  Kasmir,  as came to be known  at present time.  The geographical map of Hindusthan  or India was very much different from now  Pakistan /Afganitan all were included as part of  India or Hindustan. 

The concept of 'country' was too far to be conceived. The land consisted of multiple number of   kingdoms which were ruled by independent   tribal rulers known as kings .They  were often busy  in fighting  between themselves for power and land  ;  the powerful  king used to  conquest   the  weaker rulers and subjugated    their kingdoms  annexed to  his own territory . But there was   also great friendship  among some  of the  kings; they made their bond stronger by setting  matrimonial relationship.  

This   story  happened long  before  the origin of Islam or Christian religion . It happened  perhaps before four / five thousand  years ago,  may be more ancient .Thus strong friendship  and love grew up between two   powerful  kings :  one was  the ruler of the land near to  the  valley of present  Kashmir while the other was  near  Gandhar , now known as Kandahar. In those days Fair was very common  in all these kingdoms  to attract  not only  crowd    or customers   but  it was mainly  important  for  trading  business; Fairs supported the treasury of kingdom  solid , sound and secured.

Fair in Kashmir took place in autumn while in. Gandhar it was in  the month of November. 

 One year , it happened that while the workers of  Kashmir  were cleaning the  huge arena   to pitch tents for the fair. ,they found a black piece of   cylinder-shaped   stone  of rock ; they digged the soil deep. to reach the bottom of the rock; the bottom  was flat triangular shaped platter   upon which the cylinder-rock rested .  The news reached to the king; the king visioned  a  message  from lord "Shiva" in  his dream  declaring:

  " I am "KamaDeba';   I have come to bless the people  of this  kingdom.;   don't cut the adjacent    peepul tree   ;  I  want to  stay under the shadow  of this huge  peepul   tree. "

  But the people of the village demanded to make a temple, carving a peepul tree on it  under the shade of   original peepul tree .The temple was built and the opening ceremony of fair    commenced with the inauguration of the temple  of  KAMADEBA.  .The temple would remain  closed throughout the year but   be opened  only during the time of fair .

This news spread like prairie fire.  When the fair opened in   the land near  the valley of Kashmir ,   People from far and near    overcrowded unimaginably .  Naturally the trading flourished four times more which added   wealth and prosperity to the  royal treasury. All the future years  also went on gloriously .On the  other hand Fair lost its importance and glamour  in Kandaher//  Gandhar ; it began to  dwindle and  plummeted  which    made the king  sad   and unpopular to his   subjects..

It made both of the friends  unhappy . None of them want to loose their  unselfish love  and friendship for  material causes .. .

King of Kashmir  realized  that   the popularity   of fair  was due to the devotional attraction of " Kamadev".

Before it turned  into thorn to poison their  relationship,  he proposed to his friend of  Gandhar  that he intended to  send   "Kamadeva " to his kingdom of Kandahar during  the time of his festival  so that it could   attract crowd and traders  in the fair  .The proposal was accepted  cheerfully by  his  friend .

Now the problem was how to move the huge rock long way ?  The local people  and the king's subjects might become angry if god   "Kamadeva " is dislodged  from the temple  So the Hindu king planned to make a huge   ebony wheeled-chest -box with lock in which great Kamdeva would be placed under the cover  of velvet cloth to be  cautious from  easy sight .   

Thus the wheeled box was easily carried like charriot  in the dark of evening by  some hired outsiders to   the land near    Gandhar    before the opening of the Fair .  It was returned to the temple in the same manner.   In those days communication between people of remote land was too rare to  share . Thus the fact remained unknown to both sides of land except the two kings.

    Fair  of  Gandhar   also became  famous, not  merely for  trading but also  as a pilgrimage for " Kamadeva ".  Lots of  childless  women   became mothers after glancing that mystic Rocky  stone  in the chest box .The duration of Fair was for thirty days It used to end on the day just after new-moon.  

The women, both rich and poor ,   became so much biased in their belief that they spent  there  in tents   eating   only  one time some simple fruits and water .The cause of fasting  might be due to    scanty supply  of abundant  food for huge  crowd, or the belief that fasting (or controlling appetite, physical craving )  would shower blessings and better result! 

The two kings continued their   friendly  relationship throughout their life..   Even   the legacy ran uninterrupted through  several generations for  few hundred years .

 But time never stands still  on one place for longer period.   Following the  natural law  the land changed  its geographical features   within few hundred years  due to   natural calamities like earthquake , land -slide , ice-melting, storm , flood , forest-fire etc; Somewhere   mountain raised peak on the plain,  whereas   green pasture turned into desert ; ,  some river dried  and lost their identity  in  the unknown  region, whereas some new river originated. 

Society in ancient time  was   ruled   on   the basis of  "might was  right " principle.  Powerful   king   won over the weaker kingdom   and sometimes  used to become dictator .   The  new  victorious  king shifted   "Kamdeba'    in   wheeled charriot    near to his   own kingdom  which was   little far  from the previous one . 

Time rolled on changes; changes through merging and breaking; through formation and dissolution .   With  civilization ,  lands  were introduced with different names , races, religiosn and languages . Any  language connected to its  land   had reached to its present stage through evolutionary changes.

It is inferred that    "Kabaa"   of Islam Religion  is  like metamorphosis  form of   "Kamadeba ";    "KamDeba" is a Sanskrit word ;   which  was not easy  to pronounce   for   many. So   in course of time   only  " KABAA"  remained,  shedding the middle portion  of he word                  Kamde-ba.

The stone-god without image in chest-box, velvet cover of cloth , Kaba in Mecca ,the season , pilgrims  altogether  have  much relevance with  this  above story. 

                   CHEST_BOX

      :" KAMA"means Sex.  Deva  =. God.  

         KAMADEBA=. God of Sex

  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

Sipra's Diary: "MYSTIC REALM".... [.From my debut >"EYES ARE NOTORIOUS"]

 MYSTIC REALM

Memory, a crafty device of mind with mysticism

Captures the events of moment from flowing time

And treasure invisible pictures in the secret chamber of mind .

What a unique divine gift! nobody can steal or shift ;

Prince or pauper all can equally  treasure:[ invisible to others!].

Relishing the luxury of leisure,

Basking on those which inspires,

And ruminating on fond memories ,

Defying the irresistible time .

One can roam back and forth in memory-lane

 In spite  of being  powerful yet Time is prisoned,

To any mind , whether  strong  or fragile !  

Some memories surge with sensual appeal,

Some lark in the dark while some slip or flee.

Only episodic emotional moments

Spur flush-bulb memories!

But sweet or bitter, doesn't matter

As I glimpse like an onlooker:

Ecstasy of joy, scorching pain, or malignant malice

All softened through the passage of time, 

What remains is mostly  metamorphosis!

Blessed are the human with memory- as -portable paradise!

                                                  The End

 

Sipra's Diary: "SHOOTING STAR"> [True Story ]photo

                                                                                                                     

photo of shooting star [but not able to attach, sorry.

 

                                  SHOOTING  STAR ( True Story ) Sipra Roy

 

W: 735

Ever since I was a little girl, shooting star always remained in me,  still now, as awe and wonder, simultaneously  the automatic music  is played  in mind, following the star:

"Twinkle twinkle  little star/ How I wonder what you are / Up above so high/like a diamond in the sky."

 The moment we used to see a shooting star in childhood, we always impulsively pointed at it and screamed "look, look at the shooting star! "

 

Most of the kids of my age believed one must close eyes to wish which might be granted by god. Star was thought as symbol of magic, dream and fulfilling wish and hope. Shooting star gives a certain glow to the night sky. when a speck from its body come down to the earth.

 I could never close my eyes for "wish" as my friends ; instead I gazed and arduously wish to get  that particle, to own that particle,  which never happened. With much pain and wonder I asked my mother, "Ma, why that shooting star always lost in the midway of the sky and never reached the land?"

Mom answered," because it burns and become ashes which mixes with air .It looks like a star falling but actually a piece of rock and dust, metal known as meteor. When two heavenly bodies  collide their tracking, small part is separated, then like a spark it comes downward but through the airy layer the spark often burns out to ashes before touching the earth's ground. It is not a star at all , but an illusion. "

 

I was never happy with this answer.

 

"Ma had you ever seen it to touch the earth  in your childhood  ?'

 

'Yes not me, but my grandmother witnessed it.'

 

 'Really? Then tell me  ma ,   please! '

 

  It is a true story told by my mother.  She came to know from her grandma.

 

 Great Grandma had a habit of taking bath at night before going to bed in their family owned  pond, adjacent to their house .One night she saw some bright flashing particle  (a shooting star) dropped near by their pond at the time of taking her bath. 

 

She was terrified; the night was dark the pond was surrounded by tall palm trees and low mud wall. She was extraordinary courageous. She watched it for at least half an hour. She noticed some flickering light; at first golden yellow and  then bluish light was prominent .Within half an hour gradually it began to dim. 

 

Great -great grandmother dragged a huge clay bowl from her near-by cow-shed and dropped over  to cover that dimly flamed matter. She did not disclose it to anybody at night. 

 

Next day in early morning she told first to my grandfather who was a doctor. Great great grandma with my grandfather and his attendant, named Haru came to the spot; Haru lifted over that clay-bowl curiously, as he was asked  to do. They saw something look like a lump of meat, still flickering light( like fire-flies )  was  coming out from the pores of the lump. 

 

Haru  brought a long iron spear and shovel from the cow-shade. He tried to move it ; but it  was too heavy to move. he pierced it with the spear; it looked like oily glossy lump of dark brown colored  flesh and still flickering fade blue  flame from the scattered pores. Finally it was covered again with the same bowl. 

 

Grandpa sent an urgent message  to  the superintendent of Calcutta Museum.  Within 10 Am. a special team of British scientists  from Calcutta reached by a zeep and a car. 

By the time the news spread over; a huge crowd from the adjacent villages  gathered around the pond; many  children  and  villagers climbed on the trees to get  a better view. 

The scientists told that they thought it to be  a speck of meteor, made of metal but still not hard enough to be rock With the help of shovel their team laborers  put it on their zeep-car. They left                                                                                                                                                                                    after congratulating  my grandpa a lot for informing them   ..

 

Curious villagers were excited  more to see the team of white British people  which was a rare sight in the village, in addition to that ugly dung dropped from the sky The adults began to discuss   gravely about that odd piece  fromthe sky as inauspicious and went towards the temple to consult with the priest.

"There must be sin ;we should do some 'yagna' to save the village "

  

I learnt from my mother that it was kept in the Calcutta Museum with written history at the bottom. 

My great grand mother kept it secret  at night because the ignorant villagers might relate it to ghost spirit and might claim their own decision under the guidance of ignorant orthodox priest ,instead of calling scientist for research. I appreciate my  courageous great -grandma with such advanced scientific mentality, more than 140/45 years ago! 

Although most of the meteors burn up but some do survive and reach our ground ; they are all journey from space to earth.

As my childhood was over, the myth of wish or hope related to shooting star was lost from memory but it remained still as a piece of beauty, love and wonder. 

It is amazing to think how wonder is the life of shooting star to witness the majestic universe in its journey from space to earth.  !!

---I am really jealous;   I wish strongly  to be  a  shooting star next life.

*************************************************************************************

 

Sipra's Diary: " CHURNING OF THE OCEAN"- June,2026

 CHURNING OF THE OCEAN:  Sipra. Roy.              Words= 536//  

Many scientific thesis/ idea popped up in the kitchen and proliferated later  as   great mind-blowing  discovery. Such as:  the boiling water  making the lid  move on the kettle made James Watt curious in his early boyhood . It gave him the idea of power that steam can produce which inspired him later to discover steam engine .

   A falling apple from the tree led a kid to discover the   law of gravitation; while. most kids feels to rush and grab it quickly.

Many discoveries pop up from simple incidents due to curiosity of: "how" and "why"! 

Necessity and curiosity are the  keys or mother  of all inventions.

 .....While I cut vegetables or work  with  on the grinder  or fruit juicer ,many interesting ideas  related to this cosmos evolve in my mind. In my busy days most  ideas  came and faded away as there was no time to ruminate or culture . Now often they peep at and beckon  me from the tomb.

When I work on blender with  milk  for coffee   it reminds me the churning of the ocean    as.   the cream of the milk  floats as thick layer over the milk,  while the blade spin with milk in the container of blender. 

Similarly, due to the churning of the ocean the  best material of the earth came up  upper  layer  which is described in Hindu religion as "Amrita", which means ambrosia. It is only the Hindu scripture which mentions  and explains  elaborately  about the churning of the  ocean  in details.  It represents the latest scientific theory of DNA  in  the   most attractive and  interesting coverage  of mythological stories thousands and thousands years ago! I often feel  about the cosmologist to  dive deep into Hindu  Cosmological theory   thoroughly  first before   wasting  huge money globally, for scientific research ! 

 It is really amazing   to think. how the Hindu scriptures  treasure the  symbiosis of   cosmic vibrations and cosmology so vividly : nothing is lost  since the universe is born ;  only needs exploration with new lens of mind,  new version of consciousness!

Kitchen is a great laboratory to learn and practice .

 I purchased some Onions . They look very good and fresh from the outside . When I cut the big one   in two pieces then I noticed  that some  middle  portion of the onion was discolored. and  rotten .So I peeled the onion layer by layer to take out the rotten portion from  the middle .To my surprise. I noticed. that every layer of the onion was clothed with  a superfine thin silky  layer (like a jacket ,almost invisible) which separate each layer from the other. Nature gave them the power of 'social distance" from the infected one. So I cut the rotten portion of any fruit or vegetable ( local surgery! ),  to save the rest  for consuming.

When I cut vegetables or fruits, I am amazed to notice how do the crafty nature arranged the  seeds  inside  the fruit both with  sagacity and art! 

I took the photo of the onion I mentioned above, and  apple cut -in two halves  with seeds embedded  within,  like  flowery pattern in a Jewelry box.  I wish to attach the photos with this article, ( if I can! ). 

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Sipra's Diary :.......MEMORABLE MEAL>>>[..Feast of Fasting], 2026

 #(9)Memorable Meal> :( Feast of Fasting!)by Sipra Roy

Words=1065

 What a crazy prompt to some  septuageneration,

To write  about the' memorable  meal?  In this long 

Way of journey lots of meal have been taken  and forgotten!

Now for the sake of this prompt I need to walk in back gear,

And  successfully dig the memory of 'memorable meal';

It was on the eve of winter vacation when  I was in grade ten ,

Only Five  friends of us decided to arrange a picnic 

On the river bank which was not far from  the school.

We overcome the biggest issue to get permit from parents.

 "Picnic with only five friends?"moms commented:"so aberrant!" 

"What is your menu ,who knows cooking   among you?" 

Raka  answered "Simple menu of vegetables-KHICHURI

We will manage  ourselves, don't worry!"

We  collected  rice, lentil,  vegetables from our houses

Our  excitement knows no bound before the day of feast !

On the early morning we  set out with carry bags.

Renu's sister hailed "hey, wait!" came running to give us a match-box.

We joyfully kept the matchbox inside  the  bag, full of wood .

"Thank you. dear sister!"you are really cute .

 

 We reached the white sand-y beach of the rivulet.

 We began  to sing and dance, releasing the bags from hands 

Keya and Nina made a hearth with bricks collected nearby banks 

I and Raka went with bucket to fetch water from the river.

We five bent  to see our reflection on the bucket of crystal  water!

 Nina  as the eldest of the siblings had to help her mother.

She was little better than us to manage household affair

She called us to wash and fetch the rice and food staff to her.

First she put the rice and lentils in the boiling water of the pot

While we were busy in cutting cauliflower  peas and potato ;

We screamed  together to notice  the grains dancing in boiling water.

 Pushing the rest of log in the hearth Nina informed worriedly,

She needed some more logs for preparing the KHICHURI edible.

"O  not to worry! there are plenty of branches under  the trees " 

Keya, Raka and  me  started running to. bring the branches ;but those branches  were not dry. So they gave only  smoke to make us blind with running enough tears. The fire was about to extinguish; To re-ignite, all    sticks of the match box except three  were  finished .

  We went again in search of fuel . Finally Raka got a  big and heavy log; We three girls  brought  it  by dragging . 

Raka declared : "this log would be enough to  cook something   more ."

Nina:"watched the log mindfully and asked"wherefrom you bring it  ?"

Raka: "just near the bank of the river!"

Nina: "this log is from the 'burning Ghat'; it is used to push the dead body in the fire ;that's why one end of the log is burnt and black."

We all cried out ,"Phew, throw,  throw away.! We have to take shower in this winter  after   going back home!"

Nina: " let us take our meal ,we are all hungry" 

We washed our hands and feet well and sat surrounding the pot of khichuri.

Nina : 'Though. not fully cooked , but still edible ".

As  Nina opened the lid,  we exclaimed ,

"ah, the smell  is exactly like Khichuri.  Throwing hands upwards we sang "Khichuri, delicious Khichuri !....Three cheers for Nina the culinary goddess....  

[perhaps Hestia, the virgin  Greek goddess  smirked for these naive girls]

...Nina's face became bright with pride .  Keeping  a big spoon in the pot.  she declared,  "let  us start by  self-service .".

....hmm.. but we forgot to bring our spoons. Next time we must add spoons for everybody in the list .

We were so hungry that we forgot completely our contempt about  that  eerie log used  for dead body!

..Khichuri was steamy hot to eat by hand.  We tried  small gulp by picking little portion from the side of the plate ;small gulp . 

Nina threw cryptic eyes to survey everyone's face, (after her first gulp!)

I whispered  to Raka ,"it is tasty but salt is less,I need to add salt."

Raka replied  outrageously "not 'less'! It is utterly saltless!    

Hey Nina !you forget to add  any salt,   it is too  tasteless for me to eat; when Renu proposed to include her sister who has cooking experience, you opposed  her."

"Be cool"We searched all the bags  for the packet of salt but not found in any bags.

Looking at our helpless faces Keya  commented  "In my house my mom uses less salt in all preparations for the high pressure of my grandfather.  So I don't feel too bad to eat .  Looking at Nina directly 

she continued "after all we have  some new experience ,isn't ," nudged Nina with elbow  to bring back normal atmosphere,

Two stray dogs were loitering around us ;We ate very little ; as soon as we  emptied  left-over  from the pot they rushed and finished the stuff.

 They finished the food stuff in a way which gave me  satisfaction.  It was only 1:00pm. after pack up we started to return home.  The dogs waged their tails joyfully to say us 'goodbye" .

 Face of Raka was red in anger and hunger  while Nina's face  was red  out  of shame or guilt. All the way we tried to console  both........ 

Raka grumbled  : " I hate to confess at home that it was a feast of -fasting!"

  Me:  "Yes, that's the hardest part of the story for me too."

I slipped. into the house like a cat through backdoor; I heard the chat and lough of my mother and sister from  the kitchen;  I wished to hide myself in the drawing room .Before that   I  was. interrupted " who is it? Who is there? "

"me'.   

"You? so early?  did you eat or starved?  Come,.. come here to share little of your picnic  adventure!...  We have still enough left over which you  can  take  if you wish ."

I heard them to giggle .

"Nno I'm full,I tried to sound 'fake burp' and rushed into the bathroom,  avoiding to confront  them .

From bathroom I slipped under the quilt  of my bed and pretended to sleep so that nobody could interrupt me further ; but it was hard to sleep as hunger was  painfully  kicking my empty stomach,  and squeezing  my intestines .......  

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Sipra's Diary : Excerpt from the novel "MONOLOGOUE"

   

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

                                       Title:  Monologue     

Michelle: ( present age 73):

Sitting with a photo frame which bears the   group   photo of  High school   students  on the last day of graduation. when I  was 17 years old and most of the group were   almost  more or less  of same range.   It was late afternoon when the last rays of setting sun through the window illumines   miserly a small section of  the half-dark studio room ;

 She was sitting  on the  corner of  her  bed  near the window ; there are some more photos scattered  on  the bed beside her and a beautiful large album  which resembles a piece of art .She looked lost in  the photo frame  and roaming in her memory lane ;her  cheeks bears  dry stream of tears .She was looking at her friend ,Sylvia who left to the other world few hours ago.

 Michelle:(.  (Monologue):>>>>>>>>>>(in Flash-back...)

   .......Sylvia , you too left me alone  in  this vast  world , while I came back alive from nursing home   after  critical  heart surgery! You   were always runners up to me , not only in sport and game ,  but in study , drama , music or  art, but   in every field   in the  game  of life you beat me , kick me .....

Gazing at the photo of closely- knitted four   friends I was  roaming through my memory lane throughout the day ; we four were really soulmates ;we had never  any quarrel.

   ..Remember? The class mates nicknamed us with  a funny title "Misy-patpy"seaming  the   four names together  'Michelle, Sylvia, patty and poppy' like a  bouquet. 

Look , how bright we were,  eyes of each were full of dream& hope glittering   like glowing stars.You and I started our school life from   nursery  in Midtown Brooklyn High school;  Patti and poppy joined us in grade nine. 

  We were the prominent "so-called "Pop students in the class.  We get attention from teachers as well as from students . The first stage of  our  initial life spent well .  I was strong in literature; my aim of life was to be writer-cum -film director; Sylvia excelled in photography  : you took your passion as your  profession too.  you got job in some trade magazine as  assistant photographer. Patty became  a very successful entrepreneur   of event-management , and Poppy ?

 She   always wanted a handsome rich man to marry and to be a loving wife and mother ; she used to say that  she was raised by single mother and felt tired   and pity of hardship of mother's working-life  for herself ;She had no wish to get job  . She did not    even take admission to any college .

She met her future husband first in the Brooklyn Garden during Cherry Blossom festival. Poppy was 'black beauty' of our school.  she looked like a statue of black-stone ; some  boys had  crush on her and called her  as beautiful as Nefartiti. 

Poppy got married within six months of her High school  graduation  with  the man of her first love . Remember ?   how much we  the 'Misy-Patpy' enjoyed the ceremony  in Charleston as bride's maid ! Her husband was the owner of some four star luxurious hotel of  Charleston . We spent a whole week  at the insistence of the couple ! 

Yes,  She led a happy married//conjugal life  for 11 years with two children .Then she fell sick with slow fever and caugh.  She neglected it initially ;  her husband forced her  to visit a doctor .She was diagnosed lung cancer  and  in quite  advanced stage!  I  visited  her  last only five days before her death. ...I spent with her whole day in the nursing home .  As I got ready to leave her she  burst into tears  embracing  me and said whispering ,

"do you know(struggling  a long  breathe) that   not  the  disease but what  pinched me bitterly --is that  Mark  is dating    a woman  who is a Dr of this nursing home , as he came to know  my days are limited..." a second wave  of louder cry made her body shiver like seizure. 

"Please pray god to take me  quickly, and take care of my children.  She released me and looking straight to me in tearful eyes vomited  from poisonous voice ,

" never believe a man nor his love!" 

I took my flight with sad shrouded mind .All. these years I wished her children on their birthday . They were sent to boarding  school  after their  father's  second marriage. I used to wish them in their birthday and Christmas Day ;but I stopped it as Poppy's husband didn't like it .

Story of Poppy ends in tragedy.

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