Journey to Home

Moharipur is my birth place and I lived here 17 years before going to Kanpur in 2001. After 2001, I visited this place for once or twice in a year but never noticed anything about it. For first 17 years I was part of it so there is no question of observing anything different. Later visits, I usually spent most of my time in home and don’t give any concern over this place. So what happened this time? The reason might be the terrible whether, long electricity cut and my laptop’s battery malfunction. All these forced me to move out of my home. I will just write what I noticed in my town though it’s all there since my childhood (These observation may not be different from other town)

1. Why jamun is sweet?

In the heat of 24^th June 09, no electricity after 1 PM, I came out of home and went into my uncles LIC office (people call it office). Then a person named P (I am not writing the names here though it hardly matter) came with jamun. Jamun were too sweet and I asked him “jamun to bahuta mith ba kaise”( Jamun is so sweet how?). He replied “Bakari ke kareja ke khoon chadhal rahal”(he offered blood from goat’s heart). I thought he is joking but came to know that Yes people do offer blood for sweet fruit. Next time when he met I just said that it is non-sense but he laughed and went.

2. A trip to naani ghar by uncle’s car

Naani ghar is nearly 40 km from my hometown towards Nepal. I have decided to visit the place along with my friend and cousins. We left our town around 11:30 AM. On the way, my cousins offered Prasad to a famous temple. They also asked me to do so but I said that I am not in the mood. For my naani ghar, I have to take right turn on brick-road. As soon as we took that turn each and every person was staring at us and I was embarrassed. After nearly 10-15 minutes of this we finally reached at our destination. We went in and started usual chit-chat, suddenly I heard my uncle’s car was shouting (My uncle’s car has very sensitive sensor and if anyone touch it with firm force it will start shouting). Some children were touching it and running away. I asked them not to do so but they didn’t stop. After sometime my Mama went outside and shouted on them. Ok everything was right now and 10-15 minutes passed. Again I heard the same shouting and this time I went outside in bad mood. I went outside and saw a hilarious scene. A hen was hitting the tyre with its nose and then flies away again come back and do the same. J I was laughing

3. Marriage of maali

This instance reminded me Raju Srivastava’s shadi jokes. As soon as I reached home I am constantly hearing that Maali’s son (Gardener) is getting married. Few people say that the girl is not good few say girl is good. One evening few of us were chatting, and then groom’s father came and said “are jitu kab aila hawa, betwa ke shadi ba ho. Janat bata 60 rupiya kilo paneer aur 25 rupiya kilo chaur mangaile batin. Aur haan canteen se mithai ba aur ladakin wale se chowmeen bhi kahele bateen rakheke. Awa aur panner shaneer chowmeen kha ke ja(Jitu! When did you come? My son is getting married. I asked girls father for paneer of 60/- rs per kg quality and rice of 25/-. And also there will be sweets from canteen and chowmeen. Come and eat paneer and chowmeen)” and he left with this invitation. After he is gone people started saying “dekhala kaise akad ke ba. Jaisan lagat ba ki tu kabbo paneer khailahi naahi bata aur chowmeen jaisan lagat ba ki bahut badi cheej ba(Look! How arrogant he is. He thinks that you never eat paneer. And chowmeen is very big thing. Huhhhh). Other said “who will go to the maali’s marriage and all caste related thing. My brother said that he is inviting for the first time so he is only excited nothing much. One person has rejected to go just because maali was a little bit late to offer lunch. All this made me think that how deeply caste and personal ego is imprinted in my town (previously I think that there is no caste related problem in my town atleast I have never seen it)

4. Fake 500/- rs note and wrong acquisition

This particular incident made me ashamed of my town. There were few hand-pipe repairmen in town. One of them got 1000/- note. He came to Mr. X‘s shop for change and got two 500/- note. Around 15 minutes passed; again same man came and said that one of the 500/- note is fake. Mr. X, first tried to convince him that it is not fake. But after few arguments, repairman said “take these two 500/- note and return my 1000/- note”. This time Mr. X just refused to give and said that I didn’t give you change. Repairman tried to argue but lost (as Mr. X is powerful). Poor repairman went after cursing Mr. X. After all this wrongdoing Mr. X came to one of my friend and said “One business man gave me this fake note and I was trying to remove it so finally I did”. My friend said “If you have guts then why didn’t you gave it someone who is rich and whose family would not be affected by this 500/- .” When Mr. X left my friend said that he would like to beat this man. I said he will be punished directly or indirectly.

5. The anguish and pain of parents whose girl is going to marry

This is more or less on the state of arrange-marriage in India. One person (Not me of course) is ready for marriage and my father knows him well. So my father tired to find out a good girl for him. My father sent many rishta to him but he rejects most of them (reason dowry, sometimes education). Before going further I must tell you that the boy is graduate and working in government service (He got the job with bribe). For one rishta my father went to him but the father of girl was not offering good dowry to him. So the boy rejected the rishta(it was just a question of small thing). My father said to him that girl is good looking, graduate and presently doing B-ed. Boy replied “main koi paan wala ya phir machhali ki dukan wala lag raha hoon jo ki itane kam paise me shadi kar loon( am I a shopkeeper or fisherman? Why should I marry for such a low dowry?)”. Father of girl was nearly in tears and said to my father why did you bring me here? My brother said to the boy “ye shabd tumhari shadi me bahut badha dalenge(your words will make your marriage difficult)”. The father of girl said to my father that he spent so much of money on girl’s education and now he is not getting a good boy for her daughter. This is the state of arrange marriage in town.