Mom's thrashing or scolding did not hurt me much but her comparing me with others would always hurt me and this act of her's would always crop an urge inside me to grow up early, so that I would not have to hear all the craps again and again.
By Ranita Sinha, Kolkata
By Ranita Sinha, Kolkata
Today morning after completing my household chores, once my daughter and my husband had left for their school and office, I opted to treat and pamper myself with a cup of strong tea, which I usually do not do(I am not a tea person).
Taking the cup of tea in my hand, I walked into the living room and the bedroom, finding everything slick and span and with the calmness around, which was a rare phenomenon at the presence of my daughter, I felt a sense of contentment and satisfaction in me. I put the cup of tea aside and laid on the bed looking at the ceiling fan, with both my legs in the air, touching the ground.
Lying on the bed and looking at the rotating blades of the fan, it made me ponder how fast my life had undergone change and what I had left behind. I wondered how few years back my day would start in the morning with a thrashing from my mother, an everyday routine, for sleeping till late hours and getting late for school.
Once awaken, how I would make everyone busy, right from my father ironing my clothes, my brother putting my breakfast into my mouth, while I myself was struggling to tie my long hair and my mother packing my lunch box and screaming at me of not being ashamed of my younger sister who used to reach school on time, doing everything by herself.
Paying little heed to my mother's words as it seemed a part of my daily routine, I sat out for school where again as most of the day I had to stand on the late line, where our headmistress would come and caned me to make sure it does not happen again, but, alas! poor me, always late and think after the canning if there was any place on earth where one could escape the thrashings and canning.
Back from school again I would find my mother, with both her hands in her waist and with scornful eyes, waiting at the gate for me. For me, it was the most scariest moment in the world, reaching home late. Seeing her, my mind would always keep on calculating which way to run to escape her hitting. Sometimes she would be successful and sometimes not. Once inside home, I would always scold my younger sister, who was in the same school for reaching home early and for whom I used to get regular scoldings and and beatings.
While taking lunch after coming from school my mother would warn me not to go out like a 'munilaba',(a Bishnupriya Manipuri term whose meaning I am not clear about) rather I should remain inside the home, either doing my homework or taking a nap. But it seemed I always enjoyed, going against her wishes and when she would take rest I crept out of the house with a little 'hidol' (to feed fish) and a fishing rod and used to fish till it is dark or at the most till my mother canned me home, making a mock of myself in front of the neighbors.
The worst of all was when she used to make me take my bath regularly in the evening as she complained that I stink just like a fisherman and than make me sit with my books till dinner gets ready. When she would find me taking nap as was natural after the whole day's tiring activities, she would start comparing me with my two elder brothers, my younger sister and with each and every single boy or girl of my age in the neighborhood. According to her, every child in the locality was good in studies and behavior, except me.
Mom's constant bickering and scolding did not hurt me much but her comparing me with others would always hurt me and this act of her, would always crop an urge inside me to grow up early, so that I would not have to hear all the craps again and again.
But now, when my urge of growing up is fulfilled, I regret and wish if I would have been in that period for a few more years of my life. Looking back, it seems those days were the golden days of my life, which I will always miss, mainly my mother's scoldings and her all typical Bishnupriya Manipuri terms that she used while scolding me, of which some I understood and the rest would go above my knowledge of Bishnupriya Manipuri glossary.
Taking the cup of tea in my hand, I walked into the living room and the bedroom, finding everything slick and span and with the calmness around, which was a rare phenomenon at the presence of my daughter, I felt a sense of contentment and satisfaction in me. I put the cup of tea aside and laid on the bed looking at the ceiling fan, with both my legs in the air, touching the ground.
Lying on the bed and looking at the rotating blades of the fan, it made me ponder how fast my life had undergone change and what I had left behind. I wondered how few years back my day would start in the morning with a thrashing from my mother, an everyday routine, for sleeping till late hours and getting late for school.
Once awaken, how I would make everyone busy, right from my father ironing my clothes, my brother putting my breakfast into my mouth, while I myself was struggling to tie my long hair and my mother packing my lunch box and screaming at me of not being ashamed of my younger sister who used to reach school on time, doing everything by herself.
Paying little heed to my mother's words as it seemed a part of my daily routine, I sat out for school where again as most of the day I had to stand on the late line, where our headmistress would come and caned me to make sure it does not happen again, but, alas! poor me, always late and think after the canning if there was any place on earth where one could escape the thrashings and canning.
Back from school again I would find my mother, with both her hands in her waist and with scornful eyes, waiting at the gate for me. For me, it was the most scariest moment in the world, reaching home late. Seeing her, my mind would always keep on calculating which way to run to escape her hitting. Sometimes she would be successful and sometimes not. Once inside home, I would always scold my younger sister, who was in the same school for reaching home early and for whom I used to get regular scoldings and and beatings.While taking lunch after coming from school my mother would warn me not to go out like a 'munilaba',(a Bishnupriya Manipuri term whose meaning I am not clear about) rather I should remain inside the home, either doing my homework or taking a nap. But it seemed I always enjoyed, going against her wishes and when she would take rest I crept out of the house with a little 'hidol' (to feed fish) and a fishing rod and used to fish till it is dark or at the most till my mother canned me home, making a mock of myself in front of the neighbors.
The worst of all was when she used to make me take my bath regularly in the evening as she complained that I stink just like a fisherman and than make me sit with my books till dinner gets ready. When she would find me taking nap as was natural after the whole day's tiring activities, she would start comparing me with my two elder brothers, my younger sister and with each and every single boy or girl of my age in the neighborhood. According to her, every child in the locality was good in studies and behavior, except me.Mom's constant bickering and scolding did not hurt me much but her comparing me with others would always hurt me and this act of her, would always crop an urge inside me to grow up early, so that I would not have to hear all the craps again and again.
But now, when my urge of growing up is fulfilled, I regret and wish if I would have been in that period for a few more years of my life. Looking back, it seems those days were the golden days of my life, which I will always miss, mainly my mother's scoldings and her all typical Bishnupriya Manipuri terms that she used while scolding me, of which some I understood and the rest would go above my knowledge of Bishnupriya Manipuri glossary.
heh heh... what about beating? miss those days i used to beaten up by elders for being too Yaukaal :)
ReplyDeleteRanita! really u r a very good story teller.At that time ur generation was a privilaged one,having gone to school with a tiffin box,in a school bus,where as,in our time we never heard of tiffin or tiffin box and in those days mother never had any time for scolding her children,leaving apart,helping them, as she might be busy with house hold chores,say,might be pounding rise elsewhere,quite away from home or working in the field. Those golden days u had passed is really a worth narrating.
ReplyDeleteIn my case it was my dad and his joint venture with the ceiling fan used to wake me up. in winter he switch on the fan and pull the quilt away.......now slip and during the summer he is very generous to ever revolving ceiling fan to give some rest so that i could not sleep.
ReplyDeleteI am lucky to have not canned or thrash by my dad but i promise you his words can make you cry like anything.
I am really proud to see different types of article posted in this site by the young generation people. It is the best idea of sharing knowledge with one another. So, I would reaquest all my young generation people, what ever they learn and feel to be shared with others they should invariably post the same without any hasitation. Although I am fifty plus even then I feel that we have got lot of things to learn from this new generation people. I suggest not to adopt the easiest thing in the world i.e finding others fault, istead, they should learn toughest thing i,e to find out one's own fault and get it rectified for bright future.
ReplyDeleteWith best wishes to all young genration people of the community.
B P SINHA
In this web site you are making polling about political conciousness about the people of our community. Actually, very little percentage of people is intereseted to have Political Leader in the community, due to this reason the only MLA constituency in the state, where no voters are more, even in that constituency after more than 3 attempts vy one Shr Manu Rajkumar only in the last election Mr Kartik Sena Singha was eleccted, unfortunately again in the recent election he lost, as lot of Community Leaders worked against him. Any way in the history one new name has been included with Late Nanda Kishore Sinha and Late Pulakeshi Sinha, we should remain happy with that, as our nature does not permit to have any Political Leader in the community as we prefer to lay our heads before Political Leader of the other community instead of our own. Until and unless we change ouut attitude and gent united we should not dream to have any political stands in the country.
ReplyDeleteB P Sinha