Of House and heart.

Of  House and heart.

 ‘Ma, you know what in future when i will grow big like vibha didi then ...do make me marry to a boy who has a big car ,a big balcony and a biggg....House.’ said a Janvi ,who was studying in std. 8^th.

‘Pagli, A big balcony, a big car or a big house...don’t actually matter ,it’s only a big heart that does.’ Replied mom, smiling on my ignorance.

                                     

I exactly remember those days when we used to live in a 1 bhk house (till 2005). A  place where only one room was our drawing room, our dining room, our guest room, our dressing room and our everything. The kitchen was such that if two people stand in it-it would successfully feel crowded. Our bathroom tapes were in the habit of leaking and the small courtyard of our house was a dwelling place of mosquitoes and other fly’s (I even remember that i never used to visit washroom at night, even if i want to as at night we often found frog in our it).  Here, how can i forget rats! Well, once i was alone in the house and  i saw a rat running from a lane near me while i was standing in the kitchen and suddenly with a pumping heart i jumped on the platform like a boomerang and took a pair of tongs  in my hand as my only weapon for defense against that rat ! 

You may feel it hard to digest but once when mom opened one of the cupboards she found blood there. It was only after a couple of minutes that my mom knew that a cat had given birth to 3 cat babies there! (I took care of those babies, they slept on my bed, i gave them milk but Alas! They died within 2 weeks and I cried like hell for few days missing them.)

So such was our house a true animal kingdom while on the other hand I had a best friend Vishwa whose house was a true mansion. That pink interior, 5 rooms, a big designer kitchen, royal imperial brown sofas, rich red carpet, a wide airy balcony, 2 chic cars, smartly hanged paintings of upper grade on colored walls, mind boggling antiques and so on and so forth ...i  just loved that place.

My friend belonged to a family of doctors -her father, grandfather, her aunt ...all were doctors. Whenever i went there i felt like a duck or an eagle in the family of white peaceful doves! We were best buddies but still i always grabbed the chance to visit her house and always prepared a delicious, digestible excuse when the matter came of her coming at my house. 

Whenever i sat on those comfy sofas of her drawing room their LED tv placed exactly before me reflected my face in its luminary screen and i felt as though it is declaring that ‘Janvi ,you don’t belong to a family of doctors...you don’t belong to a  rich family.’ (And that feeling was like a dragger to my heart! So from that time i always dreamt to marry a doctor {I was least interested in being one})

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 Eons passed and i was placed in Dholakiya (My heaven. I am surly gonna tell the story of our ‘pagalpanti at dholakiya’ to my grandchildren). I lived as a paying guest near the school so i often used to visit school library after the school hours for extra reading. My school was like a busy chawl of Mumbai wherein everyone was going somewhere but no one knew –‘Where’.

‘Kem cho,Masi?’ I humbly asked broadening my lips.

“Masi”-this was how I called her, i never even tried to know her name.(Afterall, ‘name me kya rakkha hai?!). She was an aged lady working as a maid in our school. She had that ‘something’ in her which made me feel like ‘Home’ .that motherly affection was a part of her nature. ‘Caring’ was the word which i will have to mention if i am trying to define her.

‘Beta, do come to my home especially for food, after all I know how it feels to be in hostel.’ She said with those glitters in her eyes, as an omen to saying that I-am-not-faking.

I would always sanguinely reply her thinking that dad always told me that the world is a bad place to live in. But, but,...but ...there are still people like Masi who prove that adage wrong.

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There came a time when I got shifted to ‘Jainam’-Dholakiya’s girls’ hostel. And I was overjoyed to find that Masi was the cook there. Alas! Thos golden moments with masi ...she used to allow only ‘us’ to prepare Maggie in the kitchen, at the end of the day she used to preserve ‘Shrikand’ for me because she knew i liked it(Oops! I loved it.) , I even remember eating those extra gulab jamuns which she gave me...but most importantly I remember her saying ‘When are you coming at my home huh?! I will prepare your favourite –Bharela ringda nu shak ane rotlo.’ Not only me, every girl of the hostel was her favourite....It was only years later that i knew why.

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‘Mangiiii...here is the actual treasure. Earrings, Rs. 2 per pair.’ I shouted.

You know what, i was in the Saturday sales (Shanivari bazaar).That crowd, those women’s bargaining with the vendor, that howling of the vendors –‘Sasta, sabse sasta’, that narrow road, women’s attacking on the lot of clothes, that filthy language used by men standing ‘simply’ on the road, those half naked kids sitting with their moms to sell goods...all in all i felt that the term –‘Bellow poverty line’ was now clear to me. Exactly clear.

‘Masi, tame!? kem cho?!’ I asked with my eyes filled with surprise.

And in her reply as usual she invited me at her house to eat. I hesitated a bit. (Because I know, because I have lived – in a house all messy and small). I gave a look to premangi as if, asking her suggestion. Our eyes met and I understood her approval.

We three started moving in a direction which was too directionless. I was as always lost in my thoughts and was brought back to reality when i heard the voice saying ‘come in.. .’ and something something...

My eyes like the Google search engine started to search for the ‘House’ to which she called as ‘House’. 

As soon as my head approved something as ‘House’ my eyes stunk on the smile and happiness with which she was welcoming us. We went into the house just to witness her big heart inside her small house.

A room was all she had. I curiously tried to find washroom inside her hut like dwelling but failed. Soon she started serving us with snakes and then what happened I don’t exactly remember as i was mentally not witnessing that incident anymore.

I was lost in thanking God that my house was atleast better than her.

And then i was lost in cursing myself as my heart wasn’t big like her.

It was on that day that i understood that i the only size that matters is of your heart.

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‘So when are you visiting me ...at my home, Huh?!’ Yeah! I am talking to you dear!!