Ranidi

শংকর  বাবাজি  Shankar babaji

দুটো  মুরগি  পুষেছি Two pet hens I've got,

মুরগি দুটোর  নাম রেখেছি Know what I call them?

গরম , পেয়াজি। Ha, ha , Babaji , they are Garam , Peyaji.

 

That was Ranidi.

 

Her creation for me , bestowed on me like a lullaby.

I was not her child , I was just a kid in the neighbourhood.

She was a spinster , in her late thirties when I as about 5-6.

 

She was not beautiful in a traditional way.

I found her working whenever I went to their house to play with other kids. I found her tending a goat , quite a few ducks and ducklings and a mynah. She never seemed unhappy to my kid's eye.

 

She used to like children. But I always thought she had special love and care for me. I could almost sense it as if I could see it in her eyes, in her tickling caress of my soft hair.

 

I never knew if she had any children of her own.

I wonder if she made such rhymes for them.

 

That rhyme was the fruit of her tender love for a kid that was me.

 

One fine morning, Ranidi's elder brother who had his own family, came and invited us in the marriage reception. There was discussion in our household. Everybody was happy that Ranidi is finally getting married.

 

I felt both happy and sad.

I knew ,after the marriage , she will go away to her husband's place. Will she remember me ? That question remained unanswered.

 

The groom was a "dozbar" - a widower. I learnt later.

On the day of marriage, it was a downpour of torrential rain and ...

 

 

 

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