ADVENTURE WITH GRANDMA
My grandmother, like all
grandmothers, is old. Very old. She has white hair and wrinkles. When she
laughs, her eyes disappear into the wrinkles. One minute here and the next
gone!! Her lap is the softest and I can just curl up and sleep there for ages,
soothed with her worn, callused yet soft hands at my brow. She is always
dressed in shades of white with a huge dot of red on her forehead. I have never
seen her idle. Her hands are always busy. Busy with making the perfect pitha,
grinding rice and dal in that terribly heavy stone and mortar. I swear that
thing weighs a ton. She says that she got it on her back from her village to
Grandpa’s village. Really!!! I am not sure if she is serious or just joking
with me. When I was small, I loved sleeping cuddled up with her. She has a
lovely fragrance, a fragrance that holds me safe and loved. Who would have
thought this gentle old lady was a firebrand during the freedom struggle. This
is her story.
Yashoda Devi, the eldest daughter of the
Zamindar of Baligaon. Yashoda Devi was just 10 years old when her marriage was
fixed with a demure, young, teacher from Cuttuck. He was Baidyanath, who had
come to Baligaon as a teacher at the village school. Zamindar Babu was charmed
by the young man's wit and intelligence. “He will be perfect for my eldest
daughter,” he thought and called him to the main house. “Baidyanath, I would
like to meet your parents. Write to them and tell them I will come to Cuttuck
in a week. I am thinking of marrying my daughter to you. Do you have any problem
with that?”
“Your great grandfather could be very
decisive. It was all decided before anyone could even blink. I was married but
nothing really changed. I was still in my parents house and your grandfather
was now working in Cuttuck. My father wanted me to finish my schooling so we
came to Bhubaneshwar. My father had set up the house there and the school was
nearby. My second sister and I were to be schooled.”
“Did you go then, Aai?” I asked. I could
not imagine her going to school with a school bag, “ and did you wear a
uniform, like I do?” I was very curious. My grandmother shook with silent
laughter. “Ah no no. No uniform. We used to wear half sarees but I did not go
to school. It was a missionary school and they were very strict. I felt very
patriotic at refusing to study angrezi but now I wish I had at least studied
the language.”
“Anyways, our house in Bhubaneshwar was a
big rambling one. It had so many rooms and passages. Half of the house was
quite abandoned. My father was always busy but our mother stayed with us. We
had servants to help us in the house. Our tutor used to come home to teach us.”
She paused to make a pan from her pandan. There was a process in preparing the
pan and her fingers moved elegantly as she wiped the pan and cut slivers of
areca nut. “It was a time of great chaos and upheaval. Everywhere was a cry for
freedom and everyone was affected by it. We had no sense of the urgency but one
day it was brought to us quite suddenly and with clarity. That day, Masterji
had gone back early. My mother and I were looking over some patterns for
embroidery, when we heard knocking. The servants were in the kitchen and in the
back rooms so I went to see who it was”.
My grandfather had come in at that time
and was listening to her, with a smile on his lips. She looked at him and said,
“I had never thought that I would see your grandfather in such conditions.
Though we were married, we still had to start living together so it was a shock
to see him standing there with another person who was shot in the shoulder. He
just nodded at me and asked me to quickly close the door and help him with his
friend. I was standing there with my jaw hanging open. My mother shut the door
with a snap. She quickly brought medical supplies.There in the closed room my
mother and I treated the wounded man.”
She picked up a hand held fan and waved it
about. “After first aid, we took him to a room at the very back of the house.
It was rarely visited by anyone. There, we fashioned a bed for him. I went to
the kitchen and feigned hunger. Maharaj ji grumbled but I was his favourite so
he quickly made me some food. I ran back to the room with food and water. Your
grandfather’s friend was unconscious but he was very hungry. I have not seen
any person wolf down food so fast.”
“Arrey, I had been hungry for the two
days. We were travelling at night and had to stay hidden at night. The police
were on the look-out for us. There was only one place I knew where we would be
safe.”
My Grandma continued with the story,“My
mother was always careful. She sent for her trusted servant and asked him to
contact my father. Meanwhile, we were not aware of what was happening outside.
I just couldn’t concentrate on my studies. Then a few days after the incident,
my sister and I were coming back from the market and we were stopped at the
checkpost. The police asked our driver all sorts of questions. I kept my ears
open and thus I learned that there was a notice against your grandfather and a
reward for his capture.”
“What happened then?Was Grandpa captured?”
I asked with my heart in my mouth. “No”, said Grandma, “All thanks to me. I
came back and told your Grandpa how the police were searching for him. He was
troubled as he had been planning to go out that night with important letters to
his compatriots.” “Then, what happened?” I asked. The story was at its most
suspenseful best. My grandma said, “Nothing happened. I told grandpa that I
would help him with the letters but I had no idea how.”
“Then how did you help?”I asked. Grandma
looked at me and said, “I will tell you later. Now it is dinner time and I
still have to cook. Tell me, what will you eat? Rice, dal and fish fry or
Chakuli pitha with dal.”
“Aai, that’s not fair. I want
to know what happened”. I said and I am sure even you are interested but Aai…
she will not say anything now. Hopefully, after dinner, I can ask her to
continue the story. Till then, hold on to patience as I am holding on.
So, where were we? Ah, I remember now. Nani had stopped the
story right at the moment it reached a fascinating twist—and for what? For
dinner! Well, after dinner, we were all sitting out on the terrace. Nana and
Nani owned a lovely little house in Puri, where all of us—siblings, uncles, and
aunts—would gather during every vacation. That night, just as always, soft
mattresses were laid out across the terrace in a neat, geometric pattern. Nana
had lit lanterns and candles all around, casting a gentle glow over everything.
My siblings and I were already tucked into our beds, snuggling deep within the
warm, soft sheets. “Nani, Nani! You simply *must* finish telling us the story.
None of us will get a wink of sleep without it. Come on, Nani—come sit right
here in the very center, and we’ll all listen to you. Everyone, quiet down—if
you want to find out what happens next!”
“Aha! Someone seems very impatient. Alright then. So, where
was I? Hmm... Yes—I had told your Nana that I would help him, but I couldn't
for the life of me figure out *how* to go about it. I was feeling quite
anxious, too. If the police were conducting checks on every single road, how
could anyone possibly venture outside—and with such crucial letters in hand, no
less?”
Nani gently stroked my head and continued, “The very next
morning, I was sitting by the kitchen window, peeling potatoes. My mother was
quite strict about us learning every aspect of running a household; it was
considered our duty to assist the cook and the other staff with the meal
preparations. Anyway, I happened to spot Tikuni—our local fisherwoman—who had
come by to sell her catch. She lived in the Nuari Sahi neighborhood and helped
her father with the fishing and selling. She was dressed in her traditional
fisherwoman’s sari, and a pungent, fishy odor was wafting strongly from her
basket. But that very smell—that gave me an idea.” “I ran to meet her and asked
if she would help me play a prank on someone.” “Play a prank on someone?” I
asked. “But weren't you supposed to be helping Nana? You wanted to tease
*him*.” I just couldn't make sense of it. Our parents were listening in as
well, and they burst out laughing. Nana said, “Have patience, child. The story
isn't over yet.” “Oh, obviously, I couldn't tell her the *real* plan. Anyway,
she agreed. I asked her to bring an extra basket of fish, my old sari, and some
soot the following night. I promised that once the job was done, I would give
her a new sari and a silver nose ring; then, I quickly went off to tell your
Nana to be ready with all the letters. He was a whole other headache. ‘What
will you do? How will you manage? Who else is going with you?’ Pfft! So many
questions, and not a single useful one among them.”
Nana interjected, “Oh, I was worried about you! I know you
all too well. You’d jump off a cliff without a second thought.” “Ha! As if
*you* know everything,” Nani retorted. “That night, after everyone had finished
eating and gone to sleep, I slipped out of bed and tiptoed into the back room.
There, your Grandpa was already waiting, ready with his papers. Then, we
quietly made our way to the back door, where I had arranged to meet Tikuni. She
was there, looking utterly bewildered and anxious. She had with her some
baskets of fish and an old, tattered sari. I took the sari, stepped behind the
door, and quickly put it on. Tikuni helped me; then, I took some soot from the
lantern and smeared it over my face, hands, and feet. I stepped out from behind
the door, and…” Nani burst into loud laughter. “Your Grandpa looked at me, and
his jaw dropped. I looked completely different. Your Grandpa insisted that he
would come along, too. Oh! That man. He was always so stubborn. So, I told him
that he had better disguise himself as well.”
“No, you actually said, ‘If the police catch you, I’ll claim
I don’t know you at all!’” Grandpa interjected. “Yes, I did say that. I didn’t
want him to take the risk—but does he ever listen to a word I say? Anyway, the
three of us slipped out of the house. I can’t even tell you—my heart was
pounding so hard! I felt as though the police would be able to hear it from a
hundred kilometers away.” Grandpa now took up the thread of the story: “We
reached the main square. The house we were heading to was located in a lane
just off the square, but right across from the square itself, there was a heavy
police presence. We paused in the shadows of the Rajmahal Hotel. I told your *Ai*
to go back with Tikuni, but your *Ai* never listens to anyone. She simply shook
off my hand and calmly walked straight toward the barricade. Tikuni and I
hurried after her. A burly policeman was stationed at the barricade. He asked
who she was and what she was doing there.” Nana looked at Nani affectionately
and said, “I have never seen such a brave girl. Your mother told the
policeman—in the authentic dialect of the fishermen—that she was on her way to
sell fish to Bankim Babu, who lives just past the main square, near the water
tank. The policeman insisted that he had to inspect her basket. I swear, I was
trembling. The letters were tucked beneath the fish, inside an oilskin
envelope. If they had overturned the basket, it would have been the end of us.
Your mother calmly handed over the basket, and that brute tipped it out. All
the fish—along with the foul-smelling nets—came tumbling down onto the
policeman’s gleaming shoes. Then, your mother began to scream at the top of her
lungs, cursing the man and wailing that he had ruined her fish; she demanded to
know what she was supposed to sell now, where she would get the money, and how
she would afford medicines for her father. Tikuni and I were left completely
stunned, but then Tikuni, too, burst into tears and began to scream. The
policeman was left utterly shell-shocked. He quickly told your mother to gather
up her fish.”
“And the barricade was opened. We all stepped out through
the gate. Your *Ai* was still screaming, weeping, and cursing. We ran down the
lane alongside her, and there, she collapsed in a fit of laughter. It had all
been an act—and the policeman had fallen right into the trap. That was when I
realized that your *Ai* was the bravest and cleverest person of all.”
Nani simply crinkled her nose and remarked, “As if you would
have succeeded without me!” “But *Ai*, where were the letters? He had
overturned your basket, so where were they?” I asked. Everyone else was
laughing, but I felt compelled to ask all the crucial questions.
Nani replied, “They were right there. The basket I was
carrying was actually two baskets woven together as one. I had tucked the
letters away inside the attached basket. That way, the letters were safe—hidden
from prying eyes and protected even from the fishbones. We reached our
destination, and the letters were handed over safely. Then, we headed back.
Thankfully, the policeman had moved on, and the path was clear. We ran all the
way back home and arrived before anyone could suspect a thing. The very next
day, pamphlets and posters were plastered all across the city, and the police
had absolutely no clue how it had happened.”
“Wow! You’re a total rockstar, *Ai*. Did you ever do
something like that again? Did Tikuni help you out a second time?” I asked. I
could hardly believe that my Nani had been so incredibly brave.
Nani smiled and said, “Yes, but that is a story for another
day. Come along now; go to sleep. We have a very busy day ahead of us
tomorrow.” Yes, tomorrow was going to be a magnificent day. Tomorrow—on the eve
of our Republic Day—my maternal grandparents are to be honored at a special
ceremony in Puri for their acts of bravery. Can you even imagine the hardships
we endured to secure our freedom? Think of how many people, in so many
different ways and with such immense courage, fought that battle for our
independence. Now, it is our responsibility to safeguard this nation and lead
it forward.
