Chapter 1
Badi is shown, two ladies are fighting with each other. This is a daily ritual of the place for the last twenty years. This fight between Bengalis and Marwaris has slowly attained the status of tradition, being passed on from one generation to another.
“Aye, Bangalan, bahar nikal.”
“Subha subha kyun chila rahi hair Marwaran.”
“Thari natin ko koi aur kam nahin hai ke? Subha subha mahre darwaze ke samne machi rakh di. Kuch tameez sikha do usse. Pehle se ek ghar se bhag gayi.”
“Meri natin jo kia sahi kia aur jo baat pata nahin hai uss bareme baat mat karo,” Dida replied getting agitated at the mention of her other granddaughter.
“Dida chodo yes saab, ghar chalo mujhe college keliye bhi nikalna hai.” Sobha Bose’s granddaughter Kavya intervened to stop the fight. From the other side, Ragini also intervened.
“Dadimaa, aap bhi ghar chaliye. Log dekh rahe hai.”
Both the grandmothers went with their respective granddaughters, still glaring at each other.
In Gododia house...
“Subha subha un bangalion ke mu lagna pada, ab pata nahin sara din kesa jaiga.” Parvati Gododia entered her house while cursing her neighbor Sobha Bose and her granddaughters. Her granddaughter Ragini, was following her around obediently.
“Dadimaa, hum bol rahe the ki aesa kay hua tha jo aapki aur Kavya ki nani ke bich itni kadwahat hai? Humara matlab hai ki baadi ke baaki log bhi toh bangali hai.” Ragini asked, meekly.
“Je sab thare ko jaane ki aabashakta na hai. Aaj thare college main jo pratiyogita hai, tum usske bareme socho. Ek baat mahari yaad rakh chori. Agar tum aaj ke pratijogita main haar gayi toh, main thare se baat nahi karungi.” Parvati emphasized.
“Ji dadi maa,” Ragini replied as she hung her head down in fear of her grandmother. Ragini stayed glued to the middle of the living room of their 3BHK flat while her grandmother went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for everyone.
In Bose house...
Meanwhile, in the Bose house, Kavya was scolding her grandmother. “Kya dida, aap dono kahi bhi suru hojate ho. Main di ko bataun?”
“Agar mere bareme batayegi, toh tere karnama bhi toh batana hoga.” Sobha teased her granddaughter.
“Aap na, pehle darwaza band kariye.” Kavya countered.
“Thik hai. Tum ready ho jao, aaj competition hain, uss marwaran ki poti ko harana hai.” Sobha said while going to close the door and Kavya moved to get ready for the day.
When Sobha went to the kitchen, she did not find the fishes. Then, she realized that in the heat of the moment, they forgot to bring back the fishes which Kavya had placed in front of the Gadodiya’s.
“Kavya” She shouted her grand daughter’s name.
Kavya for her part came out of her in a hurry. “Kya hua, dida?”
“Are hum toh machi bapas lana bhul gaye. Jaldi lana, isse pehle ki woh Marwaran phirse koi tamasha kare. Essa hua toh, iss baar baat Shomi tak jaegi aur ye phir Shoru ko pata chal jayega. Phir toh tujhe pata hai ki kya hoga.”
Kavya was laughing at her dida’s antics. “Aap di se itna darti kyun ho?”
“Are khadi kya hai ja.” and she ran out of the house to get back the fishes. After some time, she came back like a scared cat, with the fishes.
“Kya hua?”
“Dekh liya.”
“Marwaran?”
Kavya just nodded her head to this question. Sobha moved her head right to left in a dejected manner.
“Tayar ho jao, college or dant dono keliye.”
“Dida!!!” Kavya exclaimed and went into her room to get ready.
Music competition...
Ragini was practicing on her sitar. Some girls were taunting her for being a behenji. Ragini did not pay any mind to them as she was accustomed to these taunts daily, since childhood. Her grandmother’s domineering nature has turned her into a meek kitten. Since she could not fight back, she started playing her instrument louder. Ignoring everything was her defense mechanism, but not her dadi’s.
Parvati got angry hearing those three girls talking about her laado in such a way. She started scolding those students. On hearing the commotion, Ragini came to stop her dadi.
“Dadi rukiye,” Ragini said while trying to stop her dadi. “Dadi chodiye ye sab. Competition ka time ho raha hai.”
“Kya!”
“Humara matlab hai ki pratiyogita shuru hone wali hai, ye sab chodke chalte hai.”
“Thik hai, chalo.” As they were about to go, she stopped them.
“Are nazar toh utarne de.” Dadi started with the nazar utarna. As she was halfway, the security guard sent them away as lighting fire inside the building.
On the other side...
Kavya found a seat for her grandmother a seat and left her with specific instructions not to fight with Parvati Gadodia. Of course, it was less likely but one can always hope.
After some time, Ragini and Parvati also came into the auditorium to find a seat. Since the only seat empty was that in front of Shobha, Parvati sat there. Just when they were alone, they again started bickering with each other. Their bickering stopped when the competition started.
In the competition, Ragini’s sitar’s string broke and she lost the competition. She was mortified due to this. Her dadi is very strict about not losing to Kavya and her family in anything. It was like a cardinal sin. While Kavya was in her zone playing her guitar, she was just looking at her dadi. Parvati was glaring at Ragini. Here, Ragini lost the competition while on the other hand, Sobha continued with her taunts.
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Hindi Translations:
“Aye, Bangalan, bahar nikal.” ----> “Oh Bangali woman, come out”
“Subha subha kyun chila rahi hair Marwaran.” ----> “Why are you shouting in the morning.”
“Thari natin ko koi aur kam nahin hai ke? Subha subha mahre darwaze ke samne machi rakh di. Kuch tameez sikha do usse. Pehle se ek ghar se bhag gayi.” ----> “Does your granddaughter not have any other work to do? She put fish in front of my house, in the morning. Teach her some manners. One has already eloped.”
“Meri natin jo kia sahi kia aur jo baat pata nahin hai uss bareme baat mat karo,” ----> “Whatever my granddaughter did was right and don’t talk about things which you don’t know about”
“Dida chodo yes saab, ghar chalo mujhe college keliye bhi nikalna hai.” ----> “Dida leave all this, come home I have to get ready for college”
“Dadimaa, aap bhi ghar chaliye. Log dekh rahe hai.” ----> “Grandmother, please come inside the house. People are watching.”
“Subha subha un bangalion ke mu lagna pada, ab pata nahin sara din kesa jaiga.” ----> “Had to fight with those Bengalis in the morning, now don’t know how the whole day will go.”
“Dadimaa, hum bol rahe the ki aesa kay hua tha jo aapki aur Kavya ki nani ke bich itni kadwahat hai? Humara matlab hai ki baadi ke baaki log bhi toh bangali hai.” ----> “Grandmother, I was wondering what had happened between you and Kavya’s grandmother? I mean, other people in the badi are also bengali so.”
“Je sab thare ko jaane ki aabashakta na hai. Aaj thare college main jo pratiyogita hai, tum usske bareme socho. Ek baat mahari yaad rakh chori. Agar tum aaj ke pratijogita main haar gayi toh, main thare se baat nahi karungi.” ----> “You don’t need to know all this. Today, there is a competition in your college, think about that. Remember one thing, if don’t win today, then I won’t talk to you.”
“Ji dadi maa,” ----> “Yes grandmother”
“Kya dida, aap dono kahi bhi suru hojate ho. Main di ko bataun?” ----> “What dida, both of you start anywhere. Should I complain to di?”
“Agar mere bareme batayegi, toh tere karnama bhi toh batana hoga.” ----> “If you will tell her about me, then I’ll also her your deeds.”
“Aap na, pehle darwaza band kariye.” ----> “You, first close the door.”
“Thik hai. Tum ready ho jao, aaj competition hain, uss marwaran ki poti ko harana hai.” ----> “Okay. You get dressed, there is a competition today, you have to beat that Marwari lady’s granddaughter.”
“Kya hua, dida?” ----> “What happened, dida?”
“Are hum toh machi bapas lana bhul gaye. Jaldi lana, isse pehle ki woh Marwaran phirse koi tamasha kare. Essa hua toh, iss baar baat Shomi tak jaegi aur ye phir Shoru ko pata chal jayega. Phir toh tujhe pata hai ki kya hoga.” ----> “Arre, we forgot to bring the fish back. Bring fast before that Marwari lady creates another drama. If this happens, then Shomi will get to know about it and then Shoru. Then you know what will happen.”
“Aap di se itna darti kyun ho?” ----> “Why are you so afraid of di?”
“Kya hua?” ----> “What happened?”
“Dekh liya.” ----> “Saw”
“Marwaran?” ----> “Marwari lady?”
“Tayar ho jao, college or dant dono keliye.” ----> “Get ready, for college and scolding both.”
“Dadi rukiye,” ----> “Grandmother stop”
“Dadi chodiye ye sab. Competition ka time ho raha hai.” ----> “Grandmother, leave all this. It’s already time for the competition to start.”
“Kya!” ----> “What!”
“Humara matlab hai ki pratiyogita shuru hone wali hai, ye sab chodke chalte hai.” ----> “I mean, it’s already time for the competition to start, let go, leave all this.”
“Thik hai, chalo.” ----> “Okay, let’s go.”
“Are nazar toh utarne de.” ----> “Arre, let me take out the evil eye.”
