Unsullied affection of the young

by KParthasarathi 07 Jan 2009

Mami as she was called must be in her early forties. Frail and slim, she had a care-worn look with hairs gone grey in patches. There was melancholy and forlorn look in her face that expressed no emotion. She worked as a cook in that big bungalow of a large well to do family. She came at 6am daily and left only at 6pm taking care of the kitchen whole time. It was a tiresome job with members of the family coming at varied times for breakfast or lunch with their own preferences for the food. She had to make many dishes not knowing who will eat what. The quantity cooked would therefore be liberal. There were servants also to eat the leftovers.
Mami was not this poor when she married. Her husband was working in railways workshop. He was loving and considerate to her. Life was peaceful though not comfortable.Mami managed to live within her income. They had a son whom they affectionately called Ambi.Tragedy struck their family when a truck collided from behind with the young man’s cycle when he was returning home one evening. She had none to look to, after her husband’s death with her parents having passed away much earlier. She had no siblings. She had not studied beyond class nine and cooking was the only skill that she knew.
The family she worked for was decent and allowed her son also to eat in their house in the day time. The ten year old boy came to her employer’s house at 8am daily on his way to school to take cold rice that she saved the previous night. He would be back from school by 1pm but would wait outside the kitchen for his mother to call him when she can serve him. There was clear instruction that that till everyone in the household ate the food was not to be given to the many servants in the house like gardener, maid, driver and an errand boy. They ate only around 2-30 or 3pm.Mami made her son also to wait despite his pleadings that he was hungry. The boy would drink water and lie folded with hunger in the rear veranda. Her maternal instincts would torment her at the boy’s plight but the obligations of duty steeled her determination to wait. Some days the members ate on time and on many days there would be delay.Mami could not summon enough courage to mention about her boy’s predicament to the lady of the house whose shadow never darkened the kitchen doors.
The only daughter of the family along with Anil, her son of Ambi’s age, came to live in the palatial house when her husband was transferred. The boy took a liking for Ambi and played with him in the evenings. They became friendly. One day when all the members were at the dining table at 1pm ready to eat, Anil was not there. He had returned from school. They called his name several times. There was no response. The servants searched all over and found him lying in the first floor in the bed. He refused to come telling that he was not hungry. His mother shouted at him telling that it was already late for his lunch and that he should come down immediately. When the boy did not budge, the grand mother said that she would fetch him. The boy was close to her.
“Anil, what is the problem? You are a nice boy. Why are you adamant today?” she asked lovingly.
“Grand ma, I am not hungry.”
“How could it be? You ate your breakfast of dosa in the morning and a cup of horlicks.It is nearing 1-30pm.It is not good for your health to take food after this long gap.”
“Is it so? Are you sure?” Anil asked
“I am very sure about it. Be a good boy and hurry along with me.” She said
“ Grandma , if I can be hungry after eating dosa and horlicks and a long gap would do no good to me, how come Ambi can eat the left over around 2-30pm after the morning cold rice he eats daily?”
The truth behind the question hit her like a hammer and the plight of the boy tormented her guilt conscience. She called mami and as she came running asked her, “Mami, how heartless can you be keeping your boy hungry so long? Did it not strike you to bring the matter to my notice? I want you from tomorrow to give your boy the food immediately after he returns from the school irrespective of who had eaten and who had not. Is it clear?”
Anil jumped with joy running down the staircase to wake up his buddy.Children are very perceptive.They keenly observe,listen and absorb the messages of the actions around.But the hearts of young are pure and innocent. They see no difference amongst them. It is pure affection for each other unsullied by the wiles of the elders.Kpartha12@hotmail.com
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