At the Old House
“Whose story do you want to hear tonight?” Lata asked her daughter as she lay in the crook of her arm.
“About the king and the beggar...” Sneha said sleepily.
Lata looked up at stars shining in the dark sky and began, “Once upon a time, long- long ago there lived a generous king. He was very brave and very rich. He had beautiful clothes and many jewels...”
“Amma, the stars are looking so big. They’re shining like jewels,” observed Jai.
“Yes dear. In the village the air is clean and fresh so the stars appear bigger and brighter,” Lata said lovingly. “Look at that group of seven stars… there…”
“Where, Amma? Do you mean that one, there…?” queried Jai, sitting up and pointing.
“Yes, dear. That’s a nakshatra. It’s called Saptarishi,” Lata said, indicating the group of stars. “It has three stars in a slant line and four stars in a square.”
“What’s a nakshatra, Amma?” asked Jai, turning to his mother.
“Hmm… It’s a pattern of stars which one can easily recognize. Often these patterns are named after a mythological figure, or an animal or some object,” Lata answered.
“Are there more nakshatras in the sky?”
“Oh yes! There are many-many more… Hmm… See… that one… there… That’s Mriga,” Lata pointed to another constellation.
“Mriga? What’s that?
“Mriga means a female deer. See… it looks somewhat like a deer’s head with antlers. Doesn’t it?”
“Hmm… it does, somewhat,” Jai said, staring at it intently.
“Mriga or Mrigashira Nakshatra with the deer’s head symbolizes a thirst for knowledge. It is believed that those who are born under this nakshatra are excellent storytellers. They are naturally curious and have a great desire for learning and understanding,” Lata shared.
“Ohh… and what about Saptarishi? What does it mean?”
“Saptarishi is a word from Sanskrit and means ‘seven sages’. It represents seven revered rishis of our ancient Indian culture,” Lata supplied. “Now don’t ask me all their names, I only know two names… Vasistha and Vishwamitra. We’ll have to ask Savita Kaki for the other names.”
“That’s alright, Amma. No problem. It’s the first time we’re sleeping in the open, on a terrace. It’s such a wonderful experience. In the city we couldn’t even see the sky properly. The houses were so close to each other. Today I feel free like a bird in the sky,” Jai said lying down once again. He folded his arms under his head and gazed at the brightly sparkling canopy above them.
“I can understand what you mean, Jai. I also feel happy to be back here. This is our home, this is where we belong,” Lata looked up at the sky as she spoke.
“Hoo-hoo-hoo” came a sound.
“What’s that?” asked Jai curiously, looking around.
“An owl. Its searching for its dinner,” Lata smiled at her son in the dark.
“Ohh... And, what’s that which flew above us just now? It didn’t make a sound at all. See, there it goes,” Jai pointed it out to his mother.
“That? It’s a bat.”
“Is it looking for its dinner also?” asked Jai eagerly.
“Yes, they both are hunters and come out only at night to eat,” Lata said.
“Then, what do they do during the day?” Jai queried.
“All day they sleep in the branches of dense trees or in crooks of old houses.”
“Do you think they must be living in our house too? It’s old and lonely,” Jai said practically.
“Hmm...” sighed Lata and then laughed. “So many questions! We’ll know once we start living there.
Now, go to sleep. We have to wake up early tomorrow morning. Sneha has already fallen off to sleep without hearing her story. We have a long day ahead of us. A lot has to be done. Come dear, close your eyes. You must be tired too.”
“Yes, Amma. Goodnight! Tomorrow we’ll have a new adventure,” Jai said closing his eyes.
“Goodnight, dear. Yes, we will!”
~~~
“Atish-oo! Atish-oo!” sneezed Savita Kaki. “Bhagwan Ji have mercy! Atish-oo! Too much of dust.”
“Yes Kaki. There’s too much of dust, the house has been closed for so long. Atish-oo!” Lata agreed.
“We better cover our nose or we’ll keep sneezing. Atish-oo! Lata, tie your saree pallu across your face. I’ll do the same. Let’s clean this kitchen first, then we’ll tackle your bedroom.” Savita Kaki folded the edge of her yellow odhni as she spoke.
“Kaki, shall I take these utensils out into the courtyard? I’ll wash them with the water from the well there,” Lata bent to pick up the copper thalis, bowls and spoons arranged beside the old chulla.
“Yes dear. And, send Deenu and Jeetu here. Let them dust and broom this place. Afterwards they can wash it with water, swabbing won’t help at all. Look Lata, some of these utensils have become black, they’ll need extra scrubbing. I’ll sort them out.”
“Ok Kaki.”
~~~
“Bhaiyya, this is the perfect place for us to play in. I like it here,” Sneha looked up at the canopy of trees above their head.
The mango tree and the tamarind tree waved their branches and nodded their heads in welcome. They seemed to recognize the youngest generation of the family they had lived with for years. They were elated; they wouldn’t be alone anymore. These children would climb their trunks, sit in the branches and enjoy their fruits.
“Yes Sneha, it’s lovely here. Come let’s build a mud castle in this corner,” Jai said eagerly.
“Yes Bhaiyya. And, we’ll decorate it with those flowers from the jasmine creeper,” Sneha agreed happily.
“Hmm... great idea,” Jai sat down in the small kaccha part of the outer courtyard.
“Bhaiyya, look there are parrots in the mango tree,” Sneha pointed to a branch high up.
“Oh yes! What a racket they’re making! They’re eating the raw mangoes. Do you want some, Sneha?” Jai asked his younger sister.
“Yes, oh yes, Bhaiyya!”
“Very well. I’ll get you a few,” Jai said looking around.
“But how will you break them? They’re so high,” Sneha looked at her brother doubtfully.
“Here! See, I have a stone. I’ll throw this at the mangoes and break one for you right now,” Jai picked up a stone and hurled it at a branch with a bunch of mangoes.
“Ohh... You missed!” giggled Sneha.
“No problem. I’ll try again,” Jai smiled at his sister and flung the stone as high as he could.
“You missed again, Bhaiyya!” Sneha sang aloud.
“It’s tricky but not impossible. Let me try again,” Jai took careful aim and threw the stone again.
“Uff! This is madness. I don’t want the mango anymore, Bhaiyya. Let’s make our sand castle,” Sneha said finally. “When it gets ripe it will fall down itself and then I’ll eat it.”
“Sneha, you really don’t want that mango?” Jai looked at his sister curiously.
“Of course I’m serious. I can’t bear to look at you jumping like a monkey and flinging the stone,” giggled Sneha. “Or shall I say like the fox.”
“Fox?”
“Yes Bhaiyya. Have you forgotten the story Amma told us about the fox and the grapes?” asked Sneha digging the ground with a stick to loosen the mud.
“Ahh... Yes, I remember that story,” Jai said joining her. “You’re right. I don’t want to look like a monkey nor a fox. Let’s make this sand castle.”
“We’ll make a nice big one with windows and also a boundary wall,” Sneha began giving shape to the castle.
“Sneha, it must have a path, a lake and a garden too. I’ll dig up a little more mud. We can fill water in this part to make a lake,” Jai began digging earnestly.
“Look Jai Bhaiyya, how does this dome look?” Sneha asked eagerly after a while.
“It looks beautiful, Sneha. Just pat it down a little on your left,” her elder brother said, still digging vigorously.
Thud! Thud!
“Bhaiyya!” wailed Sneha.
“Sneha...” her brother soothed her. “It’s ok.”
“Look Bhaiyya someone threw a mango on the dome of my castle and broke it,” Sneha wailed.
“It’s alright, Sneha. We’re playing under the tree. It must’ve fallen down with the breeze. Don’t worry, make it again.”
“But there’s no breeze. See, not even a leaf is moving,” Sneha pointed out.
“Maybe some birds or animals,” Jai suggested. “You make it again.”
“Hmm...” Sneha looked up again before getting back to work.
“Wow! That looks good. It’s better than the first one,” Jai said as his sister shaped a dome again.
Thud! Thud!
“Bhaiyya! Someone broke my castle again!” cried Sneha.
Jai looked up, into the branches of the mango tree. “There’s no one there. How’s it possible for the mangoes to fall? I can’t see any birds or animals.”
“Listen Bhaiyya... Can you hear someone giggling? It’s some naughty child from the village. Either he or she is hiding in the branches of the tree or aiming at my castle from somewhere else,” Sneha looked around angrily.
“Yes, I can hear a soft giggling sound. But from where is it coming?” he squinted against the sunlight into the branches of both the trees. “I can’t see anyone. How strange!”
“Stop being a coward and show yourself!” shouted Sneha. “Why did you break my castle?”
Thud! Thud! Two more mangoes fell at their feet. The two children looked at each other in bewilderment as they heard the giggling again, a little louder this time.
Who could it be?