Quirky Indians 26-30
Quirky Indians 26-30
Mr. Venket Nadar was the only one on the road who sold tea at his Madras Coffee Shop while Suchit knew the way to his wife’s heart was through a Gajra.
Day 26
Tina Masi had matched twenty one marriages before she helped the Mehra couple.
If a family ever saw her arrive at their home with her register in hand on a Sunday morning, they knew one of their children were going to get married soon. Every prospective groom and bride were listed in it and she spent hours agonizing over the perfect match before suggesting it to their parents.
In her seven years of doing this, she had never had a match rejected.
She would graciously accept the offered tea, and go straight to the matter by taking showing them the photographs and laying out the details before going to the next set of family at lunch time. It usually took a month to finalize the details and arrange the wedding.
Tina Masi didn’t even like the process when she made her first match unknowingly. She had casually suggested her niece for a friend’s son, knowing they both wanted the same thing.
After that, it went on and on and she began enjoying it, especially talking to children first and finding out what they were looking for in their partners.
Her calm demeanour and jokes about her own love marriage made them comfortable while her straight way of speaking and no-nonsense attitude earned her the respect of their parents.
Known as the perfect woman to go for prospective life mates for their children, the elders flocked to her with demands and gifts. She rejected both.
Her loud laughter ceased at even a slight joke about dowry. Those people saw her door before they saw her hospitality. She was cautious but helpful to ones who wanted to get their love match arranged, after she made her due diligence, of course. It made her happy.
“Found another one?” Her husband asked as he adjusted the duvet around them.
“Yes.” She beamed as she sat her dear register and eyeglasses aside.
Day 27
Binu’s mother did her champi every Sunday in sun. They sat in front of their house with their pet Sheru.
Jyoti made the oil herself on the night before. She boiled coconut oil with Kalonji to keep them thick and black. It made the whole house smell a bit sweeter as they went to sleep.
Binu loved the feeling of her mother’s fingers on her head, massaging it gently. She told her stories from school while gesturing wildly with her hands.
Earlier she used to run away and Jyoti would have to chase her down and hold her between the legs to stop her from squirming. When that didn’t work, a little bribery of Kheer worked wonders.
But as Binu grew older, she started liking it. She used to giggle when her mother shook her head from side to side while asking if she was a good girl.
Sheru would perk up at the question and lick the lady’s feet, demanding oiling for himself as his tongue rolled out in pleasure.
Jyoti would have to wrestle for the comb from him to run through Binu’s hair. She would comb it back and tie it in plaits to wash in the evening.
“Who is a good boy?” Jyoti would ask as Sheru took Binu’s place in front of her. He licked her face, wagging his tail, as she ran her oily hands through his thick coat.
Day 28
Aashu had amassed a net worth of 1521 rupees in a year since he got his gullak. It was his 6th Birthday gift. And everyone helped him fill it up.
An earthen one to be broken when full. It was kept at the wooden door table that also held the wallets of everyone. They knew to deposit the change after coming home in Aashu’s bank before putting their purses in the drawer.
Dadi and Dadu were the first. They bought milk while coming back from temple. And made the second donation of the day to their grandson.
Next was by his mother in the noon when she came back from the street after haggling with the Subjiwalas.
His father was the last at night. He would take out all the coins from his wallet and pockets, and push it into the narrow slot, liking the sound they made as they clinked with the rest, and the excited squeal from his son as he rushed over to hug him and take away the bag.
Aashu’s mother smiled and shook her head at him trying to hide his frown whenever the guests would give him a lifafas with significantly more money. He would take it to be polite but the relatives would look at her in question. After getting an explanation, they would burst out laughing and made their offerings to his growing collection before stepping out of the house.
When it got full and Dadu couldn’t push the coin in, they knew it was time to break it. Whole house gathered around. Excitement running through them as they guessed how much it would hold and what he would do with it.
Aashu picked it up in his tiny hands and gently dropped it over a cloth his mother laid out, a smile breaking over the family’s face.
“So, what will you buy, beta?” Dadu placed his hand on his shoulder as they put his earnings in a plastic box after counting. Dadu would take it to the temple and give him the same amount in bigger notes.
“A new gullak.” He beamed.
Day 29
Mr. Venket Nadar was the only one on the road who sold tea at his Madras Coffee Shop. And if anyone asked for a coffee, he pointed them to another shop on the road a few steps ahead.
Some laughed, some shouted to change the name and stop making a fool out of people while some even asked him to lock it down if he didn’t serve the beverage. He had been running it since he was twenty-three years old. And even after forty-five years, he had no plans to shut it down.
No matter how much his son asked him to stay at home and rest since he was earning well from his truck business. Venkat just shook his head with a smile and went to open the shop every morning they had this argument. Just like he did when he was told not to open it.
He was advised by all his family and friends that it would be better to open a filter coffee and idli shop on the highway. But he was adamant. There were a lot of shops that sold this on the same path. He had no plans to copy them. The only thing he agreed on was naming his shop as they said.
However, he only kept tea, bananas and packets of chips and water bottles, things that no one else kept in their shops. And a dog to keep him company when no one was around.
Though it seldom happened since people flocked to his shop. Regulars from the village in evenings and truck drivers that were passing by at other times. He liked serving the people himself and guiding the lost travellers in the right direction. He had met people from all over India and some from the world. Why would he sit at home and get bored looking at the four walls, then?
“Appa, why don’t you just at home?”
“Then how will I see you first when you come back from your trips?”
Day 30
Suchit knew the way to his wife’s heart was through Gajra. The string of flowers in a bunch adorned her hair beautifully if they had a fight the night before.
The children were used to their mother coming out of her room with the accessory on random days. Only she did that. The other ladies only wore it on special occasions. Not Heera.
Before she would wake up in the morning, Suchit ran to the local market to buy a fresh one. He would come back by the time she would have showered and enter the room with a steaming cup of tea and Gajra in hand.
Heera would sigh and shake her head from side to side, not even bothering to hide her smile. She would then turn around to look in the mirror after picking up the cup. It was a sign. He would pick up the accessory and carefully tie it in her head.
She never confessed to him but sometimes she picked up a random fight just so he would get a Gajra for her. But she loved the process of him tying it carefully in her head more. He even fluffed up the flowers for a better look before kissing her on the throat with those eyes looking up at her, “Forgive me.”
She would place a peck on his cheek. All was forgiven.
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