Raashi

It was early morning when Mrunalini was sweeping the courtyard which had no much dust particles other than some dried leaves fallen from a big mango tree, a few feet away. She then sprinkled some water and drew rangoli with colourful powders, she picked a rose from the plant grown in front of the courtyard and placed it at the centre of the rangoli, applied vermillion and turmeric powder. Later her mother-in-law, Sulochana came outside with two lamps, one to lit in front of Tulasi plant and the other to place in the pillars of the well, which is considered to be a good practice. Sulochana circumbulated 5 times around the Tulasi plant and prayed for a minute and followed Mrunalini who entered into the kitchen.

Raashi and family lives in a village called Viravi, located in the coastal Karnataka. Though Viravi is a small village it's not a unfamiliar place.Its known for its famous temple of Goddess Durga, who is both destructive and nurturing while needed, which is located at the banks of Sita river, flowing from the near by village.

Viravi, a village where the people are both religious and spiritual. The climate was warm and dry in the mornings and cold and humid at the night. The summers were the only tuff days to handle at Viravi.

Krishna Tulasi, their home was located in the interior part of the village, surrounded by many houses, a small pond and many fields. They owned two fields which were located opposite to their house but it was not used for harvesting as Sulochan’s both the sons were not interested in farming.

Mrunalini entered from the kitchen with four cups of coffee. Placed two cups in the table placed near the sofa where her father in law, Narayan and his youngest son, Sudhakar were seated with a newspaper in their hand. Handed a cup to Sulochana who just came inside with a plate of freshly picked flowers from their garden in the backyard for the Pooja.

Mrunalini then held her cup of coffee and went upstairs to one of the rooms where her daughter Raashi was sleeping for the last 8 hours. She pulled her comforter with a force sipping her coffee, "Will you get up now!? I have been calling you for 10 minutes.”

Raashi opened her sleepy eyes and grabbed the comforter from her hand and curled to sleep again, " Ammaa 5 minutes more.. I couldn't get sleep at night due to your mother in law’s habit of sleeping with the telivision on.” she tossed from one side to the other to halt at a correct position. She then rolled over to lie on her stomach as its the only postion in which she could sleep peacefully.

Mrunalini smacked her hand to her head ," Speak softly, will you? She may hear, her ears are sharp”

"I know she'll not do anything. She doesn't love me but she also doesn't scold me!”

Mrunalini agreed with her 15 yearold daughter and patted her head for the last time to get up as they have to attend the annual car festival of the temple. Raashi hummed as a response and again curled around to find a comfortable place.

Mrunalini went from her daughter’s room to her sons' room sipping the last sip of her coffee,"Rohit.. Nachiket get up brothers! Have a quick bath and go to temple..You guys can help them by giving Prasad to the devotees." She said while folding some clothes which were lying on the table near by. The temple was near to their house and all the people of Viravi gathered to celebrate the car festival. Sudhakar would sometimes offer his time to the temple by helping the priest in doing the Pooja of the Goddess. That has earned some respect to the family from the local people .

Nachiket, a 17 year old elder brother of Raashi and Rohit, rubbed his eye to open them , "Amma, let us sleep. We didn't sleep well last night. Grandma was watching the television with a loud sound on the background. " He pulled his comforter towards him which was earlier pulled by his little brother to his side. Rohit, their little brother of 8 year, slowly opened his to growl at his brother for his action said, " Yes mumma !! You guys ask me to sleep earlier as I am a child, including granny.. but she never allows me to with her actions!” he once again pulled the comforter towards his side completely leaving Nachiket to growl this time.

Mrunalini kept the folded clothes in the cupboard and rolled her eyes listening to the same reasons from her children.

She wondered whether this is just an excuse given by her children to sleep more as this is what she hears every morning. But she knows this is half true as her mother in law has the habit of sleeping with the telivision on. She and her children had tried to turn off the television but the sleeping woman would suddenly wake up and argue that she was watching her daily drama airing in the DD channel. "You guys just stop saying this now. I know this is just a reason which you are giving. Now get up and do as I said or you will not get your new bicycle.” she pointed her finger towards Rohit, who was already sitting as he just recieved a pat on his bum by his elder brother. She searched for some empty coffee cups in his room and spotted one under the table. Nachiket got up folding the comforter and hugged his mother who stood with her hands on the hip and glaring towards Rohit and walked towards the door.

Rohit unwillingly leapt out of his bed when his mother continued," How many times I have told you to bring your cups and plates down and put it in the sink. Don't know from when this is lying here!” she examined the cup thoroughly while leaving his room not before making sure that he has stepped out of his bed.

Rohit grumbled while standing before the family photo which was hanging on the wall ," I guess I have been adopted.. else why would my parents be scolding me for such silly reasons..” he slowly reached near the door and peeped outside only to know that she hadn't heard him and was relieved. Else he would have to hear some more scoldings.

Mrunalini was preparing some delicacies for the surely - not - arriving guests as a ritual of every year , instructed by her mother in law. As per Sulochana, her relatives and friends who visits the temple, have the lunch offered as Prasad, will come to her house uninvited and eat all the delicacies prepared for them. Mrunalini smacked her head when she found there was a shortage of green chillies to give tadka to the chutney. She gave a voice to Raashi and when she arrived to the kitchen, " Can you please go the hotel and ask you father to give some green chillies.” she closed the door of the fridge. This was the routine of the house, any one of the ingredients of the dish would be of shortage but they either borrow from their neighbour or buy from their general Store , both of which are closed. The house beside them is empty as the previous tenants left the house two years back and still is has not been occupied. From then Mrunalini usually sends her daughter to borrow the missing ingredients from their hotel located in the next curve of the street.

"Uff this is the usual routine Amma. Why can't you just check the ingredients before you start cooking itself. So that you can just skip that dish and prepare other dish which doesn't need that ingredient.” Raashi said munching the cashew nuts which she found in the fridge.

Mrunalini patted her arm, " Keep that packet there, will you !? I need those when I prepare kheer next time. And about what you said just now, green chillies are used in almost every dish, being the daughter of two excellent cooks you don't even know simple facts!” she nodded her head stirring the kheer with a steel ladle.

" I love cashews Amma!” she peeped into the vessel on the gas, and inhaled the kheer which was cooking completely ignoring the next sentence said by her mother, and turned to leave for the work assigned to her, while Sulochana was collecting the brass and copper utensils used for the Pooja , to wash them. Raashi turned towards her mother ,”See there, she is standing there simply to hear our conversations !” said dryly

Mrunalini turned towards Sulochana and quickly snapped at Raashi, " Just go now, will you!?” and once she left she again screamed," Take Rohit with you if you want” and once again glanced at Sulochana who just left with the utensils.

Rohit was watching his cartoon while eating biscuits dipping into his cup of coffee when Raashi called him.

"Ahh I am busy here, I cannot come anywhere!” he said without shifting his eyes from the television.

Raashi bought a small cloth bag with her and stood in front of the television blocking him from seeing, with her hands on her hip.

Rohit screamed, " Go away, please go away” he danced from one side to another to get a glimpse of his favourite cartoon .

"Can you please come with me.. I'll get you two medhu vadas from Appa. ”

"Will you !?” Rohit beamed and getting a nod as a response he quickly drank his remaining coffee and placed the cup on the table and ran towards his room to put a shirt, leaving behind a girl speaking loudly," keep your cup in the sink Rohit!”

Narayan was watering the plants in the backyard. He found a tender coconut lying on the ground besides the banana tree. He collected it and stored in the shed where there were plenty of coconuts and tender coconuts. There were many types of trees and vegetation in their backyard - coconut tree, banana tree, a big jackfruit tree, areca nut trees, mango trees and some other plants which bear fruits - guava, pineapple, papaya and some plenty of flowers - rose, different types of jasmine, hibiscus of different colours and many more. The family spends nearly one hour for watering these trees and plants.

Narayan gathered the widely spread pipe which was used to water the plants, folded it in a circular motion and placed it on the big empty drum which was placed in backyard and took the wide and fat pipe to water the trees. He unfolded the pipe and connected the one end of the pipe to a tap and kept the other end near the coconut trees. There were five coconut trees in a straight line and Narayan thought of watering all these now and the rest of the trees would be watered in the evening once they come from the temple.

He heard an autorickshaw passing him and go towards the gate of Krishna Tulasi . He grinned with a thought that finnally some relatives have arrived before visiting the temple, and now his dearest wife would serve them with the delicacies made and Mrunalini would be relieved that all her efforts didn't go in vein.

He quickly placed the pipe on the ground and went to check the guests, as one coconut tree requires minimum of fifteen minutes to absorb water.

Once he reached the front of his house, he saw that the rickshaw was returning from his neighbour’s house. He frowned thinking who it might be. Sulochana and Mrunalini came out after hearing the sound of the vehicle with the same expectations as the old man standing with a frown on his face.

"Ohh I guess they are the new tenants for Namana !” Mrunalini beamed with happiness as she remembered someone visiting that empty house two weeks back with a broker, Venkat. Narayan was still zooming on the group of 5 people - one couple, a boy and two men. Sulochana patted her stable husband’s shoulder, " Just go and see who they are! I don't think they are new tenants, if so Sindhuja might have informed us.” she said with a tensed face. Sindhuja was the owner of the house, a lady of Mrunalini's age. She has shifted to another city even before Mrunalini had shifted here. Narayan nodded his head and opened the gate and rushed towards the house which was opposite to theirs. He enquired about the matter, with his hands crossed, his back slightly leaning forward because of his old age. Sulochana and Mrunalini saw the old man nodding his head, smiling and then laughing. Both the women went inside to resume their work as they knew that Narayan won't be back for a few minutes.

Rohit ran towards his father's hotel, not a big one and also not a small one, and turned back to see his sister almost running to stop his brother from running around the streets. Once she reached him she gave a small pat on his arms," why do you run like that on the streets? Don't you know today is the temple's car festival, the streets will be busy with vehicles..” she stopped when she got to know that there was no listener at all.. Her little brother has already been seated in one of the tables. She sighed and went inside the kitchen where her father was instructing the helpers with their work. Once he was done he turned towards Raashi, " Why has she sent you now !? Is it for ginger,lemon, curry leaves or chillies!?”

Raashi grinned at her father, "Haha you know Amma very well Appa !! She wants green chillies.”

"I know , I know..” he turned towards the large fridge and took some amount of chillies and gave it to Raashi. She collected it and kept it inside the bag which she was carrying.

Both came outside and sat in the table where already the little boy was seated with impatience growing on his face. "Okay what does this little human want to eat !?” Subhash asked while going to bring what he exactly wanted. Within a minute he came back with a plate of two medhu vadas (south Indian snack ) and a cup of sambhar and placed it in front of him. Rohit’s face brightened and he started eating.

Subhash changed his direction to the girl sitting opposite to him, " what do you want !?” and he exactly knows the answer.

Both said unitedly, " I don't want anything, Amma has prepared the breakfast.. if I don't eat it then she'll scold you for feeding me here!” Raashi took a heavy breathe and giggled at her father.

" You are coming to the temple , aren't you!?” Raashi asked her father who was stepping near the cash counter for collecting money from his customers and Raashi followed him and stood near the counter, with a hopeful eyes.

Subhash without meeting her eyes said dryly," let's see.. if the customers are not there I'll just give a visit or else you are there on my behalf, my little princess, aren't you !?” he saw her face almost draining.

"This was expected!!” she said dryly and returned to the table where the little brother was eating his last bite of Vada.

Subhash smiled with a pain in his face. He'll always be so busy with his work that he doesn't spend enough time with his family. Though he feels guilty about that, he is not in a position to do anything. He then watched his children waving at him and leaving behind a sad and guilty father.