A Beautiful Woman

I was feeling the cold of her frail fingers in my hand.
She was there with her eyes, closed lying on the carpet on the floor.
A dim yellow flame in an earthen lamp was visible through the wetness in my eyes. The flame was not strong enough to put the heat again in her. She was a beauty whom I loved since my childhood. We both loved each other. But during all those years, I never got any tangible gift from her, which can remind me of her, but yes, she did all those showering of affection in all different ways.Through her unique indigenous delicacies in pickles, her special dishes for me whenever I visited her, through her hugs, stories, lessons of morality. She used to enjoy when I carried her light body my arms. She was half of my height, so was easy to carry as a child. She used to shout, “Gir jayenge beta!”[i would fall ], And then papa had to interfere, “ Don’t trouble my dokari[ old lady]”.
Last night, when I got call from Munna chacha, he told about critical situation of Amma ( my GrandMa).I decided to catch her glimpse last time, when I heard her saying, ”Bittu…………”, and then her cries in pain. I wished if I could take off all her pains. In my whole journey in Rajasthan roadways bus throughout night, I kept praying Govinda( my dear lord) to lend her some more hours, so that I could manage to see her but probably he was in deep sleep and could not get my message. I reached late by 2 hours.
My Amma was one of the beautiful woman whom I know. She has the purity in her soul and which often had reflected in her eyes. A mystique smile and her simplicity used to make her different and attractive. When I saw her black and white picture in my father’s album, I simply fell in love with this Cinderella girl.She in her "seeda pallu style saaree" without any shade of makeup could be compared with Madhubala[ old bollywood actress].
My Baba(GrandPa) were five brothers and this little soul in her just married life used to busy with doing all the household work and feeding all five giants and one father in law( my great Grandfather, who were another legend) and her own children.
Both my baba(Bade Baba(great grandfather) and Chhote Baba) needed a battalion to handle them. I sometimes compare myself with Babur( Akbar’s Grandfather) who used to belong with the family of Ghenzais khan and Temur. In childhood there was deep terror of Bade Baba and Chhote baba, in all the people. Chhote baba( my grandfather) were extremely crazy about neatness. One can imagine about his fanaticism through following incidents.
Once I was tired after getting some eatables from market of Karauli ( where my grandparents lived, now chacha and his family with other cousins. Oh yeah, we have a haunted haveli over there still ), so I sat down on the floor of aangan( which is quite large).At the same moment, I was reminded by baba that I was a school going guy and don’t know anything about neatness. I had to go for bath with chilled water instantaneously.
Similarly when in morning water was discharged through municipal connections in the domestic supply lines, whole 50 meter pipe was washed, utensils were cleaned up 3 times, buckets, tanks were washed, mugs , etc were washed and then only were filled with fresh water.Sometimes all this cleaning used to take so much time time that water supply time got over and we were without fresh water.
Amma was so busy since early mornings till late nights. Preparing food for all, washing dishes, cleaning of aangan, washing clothes and then preparing the ayurvedic powdered medicines for baba on his “nirogdham”[ a very old ayurvedic magazine, still famous]
formulas, involved her all.
Few years later, her spine bent, serving the joint family. It bent forever but she continued to listen every individual.This all was witnessed by all the neem trees and banayan trees in our aangan, when she used to roam so fast from kitchen to bathroom, from bathroom to pooja ghar[small worhip place] , from pooja ghar to kitchen again and then to haveli. Every one was taken care of, in her custody. From a simple Bahu She got the status of Amma[ a synonym to mother in hindi ] from all, even from Bade Baba and Chhote Baba.
I loved to see her laughing. Whenever she used to laugh with her canine teeth missing, a whistling sound was created. That made her real sweet.Once during mid ninties, we all were watching a beauty pageant competition late night, Amma predicted the victory of a Venezuelan participant which was not so attractive and had least clothes, which really happened. When we asked how come she managed to predict so correct. She simply replied,” Nango ka hi zamana hai.” [ It is an era of nudes].
Then one fine day, when our TV set was not working.Baba asked me if I could repair it. When I told him that I wouldn’t be able to make it, then he said simply that my Engineering in Electronics is simply a waste. He rated Chunnu mechanic in Karauli better than me. It was Amma who came for the rescue and argued with Baba, “Tumne kya kar liya to ?”[what great thing have you achieved?] Baba simply subjected to her.
Then once on the occasion of holi[an indian festival of colors], she conspired with me to color baba who used to hate such hooliganism. And when we colored him with dry colors, first he saw Amma with anger and disapproval but later on he joined us and the we all colored mumma, papa and sonu. It was fun, real fun.
But Now ………….
Now they are no more, I will miss both of them surely.
I know as soon as she will reach there, in that unknown world, Baba will say her in his typical style in brij[a dialect used in Mathura side] , “aei re tu aa gayi.”[So you have come ] And Amma will reply, “ Hau, tumhe sabar nahi hai to kaa karein ?” [What can i do when you don't have any patience?]
When I said last good bye under a banyan tree in front of her incineration at funeral, the holy smoke was blessing us all in her typical motherhood form.
I love u Amma.
May you get the eternal peace wherever you are!!

I will just say you all to spend some time with your old beautiful women.Otherwise you will miss them later like me.