KINDRED SOUL THROUGH WINDOW

While watching wedding websites Sumit insisted me to attend his marriage which was going to be held after six days, 28th February. I did not want to deny him but moreover I was eager to go to his village and feel how the village’s marriages happen. I heard more about the village life, village food, and the village’s people and their unity, about their kindness, respect towards guest and the natural beauty of ponds, sugarcane field and many more things. So I personally want to explore those things and know village quotes.

I was excited to go to the village Shivpuri, a village in Raebareli district. Our semester exam was about to end. I started dreaming some days ago. Sumit left me for his home after ending of semester exam. But before leaving he directed me the way and train etc. to his village.

I was going alone and two days before his marriage. I was travelling in a train, and was thinking about how I would be welcomed in his village and how should I have to behave with the people.
I reached the railway station approximately at 8:00AM. Sumit sent someone to pick me up from the railway station. I reached his home. Sumit welcomed me with so much warmness and in a friendly way. We were sitting for tea and snacks.

Sumit introduced me with his family, “He is my friend and my junior in college. He lives in Delhi.”
I wished namaste to all the family members. It was a single family home. but the locality had five to six homes. The locality was very good as I experienced the kindness of people. In this locality they were like a whole family.

After finishing our breakfast, Sumit asked me for going out and meeting to the locality members. Sumit told me that he met each and every person of the locality whenever he came to village. He took me to a home. The house was very old and also very small but well cleaned, traditional village home.

Sumit told me about the lady. It was Chidiya bhabhi.

Sumit said to Chidiya bhabhi, “Bhabhi meet my friend, Akash.”

I said, “Namaste bhabhi, how are you?” I was touched with her kindness and hospitality. She served us Sarbat and Pedda.

Sitting in front of me, she asked, “Do you live in a city?”

I said, “Yes, I live in Delhi, the capital.”

In very soft voice, she said with exaggeration, “City’s life is very good, uninterrupted power supply, good education, higher thinking of people.”

Though I did not agree with all but I said, “Yes, some of them are good.”

We all talk for few minutes, and I realised that Chidiya bhabhi was eager to know so many things about city life. While leaving her home, I silently asked Sumit about her husband and why she was talking in a distressed voice. He told me that her husband was no more. Her husband was died in an accident, from that time see was living alone in her home. I understood some of the thing but many more was remained to know.

We again moved to next home. Sumit shouted “Balle, where is aunty?”

I with exclamatory sign on my face said, “Balle, what kind of a name is it!”

Sumit explained, “She dances very well, so I named her Balle.”

We were served with tea and namkeen. I surprisingly said, “It was kind of different tea, I did not taste and feel the smell of such kind of tea ever.”

In a refreshing tone, I asked, “How did you make it?”

Balle said, “It is made without ginger but with Tulsi leaves and lemon grass. You can have this tea in only village’s kitchen. We have a big Tulsi plant and lemon grass plant.”

I said, “It is good to have Tulsi plant in home.”

There was also another girl who was watching us from window from a very dark room. I could see only her face as little light was passing through the window. She was more beautiful than Balle. She might be Balle’s younger sister.

I thought to take some rest before Sumit took me to next house. I said, “I am tired, and I am going back home to take rest.”

I was the special guest of Sumit’s family as I feel in the first day. It was evening Chidiya bhabhi was searching me, it was very crowded home of Sumit but she found me in a group and asked me to go with her. I was sitting in with a group of boys so I did not argue much but decided go with her. I went with her.

She was almost forty years old, a chubby women, she was very free kind of woman by her thoughts. She wanted to enjoy her own freedom, as I guess while talking to her. She had so many complaints. She did not like the people surrounding her. She was very interested in city life and the thinking of people. She offered me two glass of milk while talking. She told me that she had two buffaloes; it is how she kept herself busy. After talking to her it passed almost one hour.

Suddenly someone knock the door, Chidiya bhabhi advised me to leave as it was growing night.

She said, “You go to Sumit’s home, it is too late for you.”

I obeying her came out of the house but did not move anywhere; I secretly wanted to see who the man was! Why he came to her in night? I tried to see inside her bed room through the window.

I saw her, I thought, I should not see her, my heart was pumping with full speed. I silently put my foot down on ground and came back to Sumit’s home. In night it was very tough to get asleep; my curiosity to know about the man was on top. I wanted to know more about her.

It was the wedding day. Sumit was busy in ceremonies, wedding dresses and photography. I was enjoying the wedding without him. While taking breakfast I saw the girl, younger sister of Balle. Her name was Milan.

I asked her, “Why are you watching us from window that day?”

“Did you notice me?” she asked.

“You are very beautiful, even deep dark cannot fade your beauty, as the room was filled with darkness but you are blinking like a star in that dark room.” I said.

I eulogised just for friendship with her, so that I could dig more information about Chidiya bhabhi.
She said, “Really, you think so.” and with blushing she pretend to go. I was sure after observing her facial expression and crossed eyes that she got impressed with me and ready for friendship.

At lunch time, after taking lunch; I was helping others to get lunch. Firstly Milan was stalking me from some distance later on she came to me and said, “Sumit needs your help and calling you, come with me.” While everyone was watching us with steering eyes as we were not moving towards Sumit’s home but towards the road side opposite to home, as directed by Milan. I was following her.
I asked, “Is Sumit not in his home?”

Milan replied, “Keep quiet, I am taking you some where more beautiful than Sumit’s home.” She pointed towards crops, though we were walking through the wonderful crop of mustard, very beautiful to see the yellow colour covering the field. We stopped near a pond, full of water. We sat in the shadow of a tree, while throwing the stone in the pond Milan said, “Did you see such a beauty with such an ambience?”

I said, “It is wonderful ambience and the beauty, especially the lotus flowers inside pond very mesmerising, while quietness is additional.”

She said angrily, “I am not talking about the pond and all this but I am talking about the beautiful girl sitting beside you.”

I said with a smile, “Ohh, I already admired you, now I do not need to impress you more.

She said, “I did not take you here to impress me but I take you here to prove this. This is the place where no one comes especially in noon time.”

I said, “Thank you for taking me here, it is wonderful place to sit in, it is very green and quiet.”

After returning from Baraat, I did not sleep last night but enjoyed wedding band so I was searching a place where I can sleep calmly, it was very crowded home so did not get any appropriate place to sleep. I lie down on the sofa came from bride’s side. It was put at the side of the entrance gate of Sumit’s home. Before I get into deep sleep I was disturbed with a lovely voice, “Why are you sleeping here?” It was Chidiya bhabhi.

I said, “I did not sleep last night, I want to sleep now.”

She insisted me and said, “Let’s go to my home where you can sleep in a proper bed.” I thought it’s a good idea to go with her and sleep in a calm environment.

While getting comfortable in bed, I said, “You are a very decent lady and I impressed with your behaviour and cordial nature.” She said, “I do good things with everyone as much as i can but only some of the people understand it. Some of my neighbours do not behave well and are very annoying.”

I said to her while consoling her, “It is not new, almost all the neighbours are annoying but the good thing is with you that you are economically independent. There are little people who get company of good neighbours.”

She said, “They always think immoral about me. They always criticise me by saying I have someone in my life.”

She said, “Most of the people have someone in his or her life but only some people admit it publically and some people try to hide it.”

She said, “I ask you why society did not accept widows? Why a window cannot live a free life of her thoughts? People did not watch decently if a widow ask or try to remarry in this patriarchal society.

I said while sitting beside her, “You are very bold lady; every person has his or her own human rights and can live a life as he or she thinks, but society is not made up of a single person. It has its own limitation. It is necessary for man or women to comply with the social customs of his or her society because her fiscal stature depends on it.”

She said, “I do not care about the society where people make rules for others while they break rules for own benefit.”

I said, “You are right but I saw you last evening.”

She said, “What do you mean?”

I said, “I saw you with a man, the man was lying in your bed.”

She said, “I like the man, he also like me. He helped me in the hard times. He helped me in shopping, in market in farm and tries to full fill my demands. He helped me in agriculture; he helped me in the time when my neighbours were opposite to me.”

I said, “You can go for court marriage under Hindu widows' remarriage act 1856, if you both feel same for each other.”

She said, “I tried to marry him when the man’s wife died with cancer but his one daughter and one son did not agree with the marriage.”

I said, “Yes, I have watched so many films about widowhood in India and I knew what people feel about widow.”

I said, “May be you are right. No one talks about widow empowerment.”

She said, “ohh, Akash you have a decent mind, it’s not about right or wrong. It is just a mind-set of how people think of others. Are rapes right or wrong? Are having affairs after marriage right or wrong?” For a while we both were silent for a moment.

While wearing my t-shirt I said, “I have to leave for my train.”

I was ready to leave this place where I danced, watched village beauty, experienced very nice people and their hospitality and many more things that I could not tell what I felt. Sumit ‘s cousin brother, Sonu along with his bike was ready to drop me to railway station. I with so much emotions and memories had to leave.

We travelled almost thirty kilometres and moving slowly, we were talking. Suddenly a SUV car hit us from back side. We both got rugged on road for some distance. When I got sense, I found myself laying almost three metres away from Sonu. So many people gathered and someone took us to hospital. Sonu talked to Sumit on phone and told about the accident. Sumit along with his family came at the hospital and asked about accident. I asked Sumit, “Can I have a notebook and a pen?”

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