By Rishikesh Sinha
Do you remember when you last time had a bathe in the cold water of a pond? I am sure, 100 per cent sure; those reading this article haven’t even seen a pond, forget taking a dip, since their last visit to their village. Perhaps have forgotten the feeling of freshness that comes when one takes a bathe in a pond!
Taking a bathe in the cosy and private four-walled bathroom can’t be compared to a bathe taken in the lap of nature. It is so refreshing, invigorating and rejuvenating that those who haven’t ever been near to our verdant pond (pohorigo) can’t imagine it.
You play, you swim, and take a bathe in the pond without any slightest remorse that the whole of India is facing a severe water scarcity and people are fighting for it! You are in your own world. If there is something that is going with you into the pond it is your khuttai that you are wearing. Of course, soap is not a prerequisite in this daily ritual. But even you are allowed to take it. (It is better if you take permission from the owner of the pond.)
A swim in the pond relaxes you and it soothes your mind and body. You are ready to face the whole world. You become a different person after changing the wet khuttai with a new and dry one. However, you don’t care; you give a damn to the onlookers and do all your changing-activities under the sun.
An inseparable Part
A pond is a very common entity that can be seen in almost every home of Bishnupriya Manipuri. It is an inseparable part and parcel of the Brishnupriya Manipuri community’s culture and customs.
Having a mouth watering dish full of fish caught from the pond is a different affair altogether. The pond also provides an additional source of income that comes by selling fish.
From the first break of dawn the Bishnupriya Manipuri ladies are seen busy cleaning overnight used kitchen utensils, washing clothes in the bank of the pond. Taking bath and also fetching drinking water from there. Also, nowadays there are many houses who use water pumps to fill the water tanks with the water of the pond.
Utmost care is taken to keep the pond water clean. Regularly bleaching powder and limestone is used to clean the water. Those houses that use the pond water for drinking purpose do not allow anybody to take bath inside the pond.
Chances are more that to visit neighbours you have to amble around many rectangle-shaped ponds. But, it is fun to witness all the activities taking place in and around it.
Usually, a pond is situated at the farthest end of a house. But it is not necessary.
However, things are changing. The bug of modernity has smitten the role of a pond in one’s life.
Comment:
By Rebati Mohan Sinha
I liked your article very much because once I also been a village boy, played in various Pohoris(ponds). Even today, these (Pohoris) are the life line in our interior villages, where the supply water is a day dream. Really you have painted a very nice village scenario where there are plenty of pohoris,in which children are playing, women folk chit-chatting at the EETHOL, in the evening, keeping their ‘senapul’ at their crooked waists or buckets hanging in their hands and far away one can see some cattles grazing at the other banks,as there are no protective fencing.
While visiting various villages at Narsingpur, Meherpur and Bikrampur porgonas of Cachar, I could notice, the deserted looking pohoris all over and on query,what have been heard, is put in words.The bamboo fencing is no more a match to stray cattles and at same time the cost of bamboo is also rising sky high and further more these pohoris are vulnerable to theft, for which, cultivation of fish in villages are almost abandoned.
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Do you remember when you last time had a bathe in the cold water of a pond? I am sure, 100 per cent sure; those reading this article haven’t even seen a pond, forget taking a dip, since their last visit to their village. Perhaps have forgotten the feeling of freshness that comes when one takes a bathe in a pond!
Taking a bathe in the cosy and private four-walled bathroom can’t be compared to a bathe taken in the lap of nature. It is so refreshing, invigorating and rejuvenating that those who haven’t ever been near to our verdant pond (pohorigo) can’t imagine it.
You play, you swim, and take a bathe in the pond without any slightest remorse that the whole of India is facing a severe water scarcity and people are fighting for it! You are in your own world. If there is something that is going with you into the pond it is your khuttai that you are wearing. Of course, soap is not a prerequisite in this daily ritual. But even you are allowed to take it. (It is better if you take permission from the owner of the pond.)
A swim in the pond relaxes you and it soothes your mind and body. You are ready to face the whole world. You become a different person after changing the wet khuttai with a new and dry one. However, you don’t care; you give a damn to the onlookers and do all your changing-activities under the sun.
An inseparable Part
A pond is a very common entity that can be seen in almost every home of Bishnupriya Manipuri. It is an inseparable part and parcel of the Brishnupriya Manipuri community’s culture and customs.
Having a mouth watering dish full of fish caught from the pond is a different affair altogether. The pond also provides an additional source of income that comes by selling fish.
From the first break of dawn the Bishnupriya Manipuri ladies are seen busy cleaning overnight used kitchen utensils, washing clothes in the bank of the pond. Taking bath and also fetching drinking water from there. Also, nowadays there are many houses who use water pumps to fill the water tanks with the water of the pond.
Utmost care is taken to keep the pond water clean. Regularly bleaching powder and limestone is used to clean the water. Those houses that use the pond water for drinking purpose do not allow anybody to take bath inside the pond.
Chances are more that to visit neighbours you have to amble around many rectangle-shaped ponds. But, it is fun to witness all the activities taking place in and around it.
Usually, a pond is situated at the farthest end of a house. But it is not necessary.
However, things are changing. The bug of modernity has smitten the role of a pond in one’s life.
Comment:
By Rebati Mohan Sinha
I liked your article very much because once I also been a village boy, played in various Pohoris(ponds). Even today, these (Pohoris) are the life line in our interior villages, where the supply water is a day dream. Really you have painted a very nice village scenario where there are plenty of pohoris,in which children are playing, women folk chit-chatting at the EETHOL, in the evening, keeping their ‘senapul’ at their crooked waists or buckets hanging in their hands and far away one can see some cattles grazing at the other banks,as there are no protective fencing.
While visiting various villages at Narsingpur, Meherpur and Bikrampur porgonas of Cachar, I could notice, the deserted looking pohoris all over and on query,what have been heard, is put in words.The bamboo fencing is no more a match to stray cattles and at same time the cost of bamboo is also rising sky high and further more these pohoris are vulnerable to theft, for which, cultivation of fish in villages are almost abandoned.
Please SUBSCRIBE to the Bishnupriya Manipuri Blog.
i read this article ... dint really liked it....just because .... after reading this i got to stop all my work as my mind started recalling the days i left in my village especially those summer noons... i used to bath and swim in the " sorkari pohuri" along with friends after the muddy football match....
ReplyDeletethis is not done Rishi...u hampered my work...
Its absolutely nice to read.....
just awesome!!! cant pick any other word to describe this write up...
ReplyDelete