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Chuppi and Teresa
Bhargavi
Jul 02
|22:37
Last Updated on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:29
Chuppi’s mother, that is my mother, was busy shuttling between the bedroom and the metal box placed at the porch. She would go with heaps of clothes in her hand and come back with empty palms. I thought it would never end at all, this vanishing clothes act, as I munched my huge apple. !
As she passed via the hall for the umpteenth time, I decided to show my piece of art.
“Mummy, look at my apple, it looks like Africa no?” I asked proudly.
“Yeah yeah, now, don’t disturb ma, we have…I have things to do” she mumbled in bits.
“What things?”
“Daddy told you na…you have already picked your unused clothes right, bring them all now, quick.”
“Oh that!! Are we really meeting Mother today Mummy? Say quickly no. Please.”
“Mmmmhmmm” she nodded her head sideways and smiled without adding much.
“Say no, I am done with Math homework, you know?” I pleaded.
“What about EVS?”
“I will do, why won’t you say Mummmmy…Ok, I am doing it after you say.”
“All right, yes Chuppi, today, after Daddy gets home” She beamed amidst the clothes flowing in her hands.
I opened my EVS book and flipped the “Plants and life” lesson, my mind vaguely focusing Mother Teresa’s kind smile.
“Plants are autotrophs, true or false” was the question I was attending to as Chuppi’s mother nudged her back, that is my back.
“I know this lesson ma, plants are autotrophs” I said and as she pointed to my book, I saw the “false” column ticked magically.
“No Mummy, I didn’t do it” I said irritated.
“Ok ok, go get ready now” She finally said it.
I jumped up and fished for the birthday-blue-frock.
Mummy entered and said, “cream frock, I am gonna give the blue dress to the children’s home, that dress is too small for you ma.”
“NO!” I protested. So, butterscotch-angel-frock, it will be, amidst tears. I didn’t bother talking to Mum after that. Daddy drove with a purpose, that of showing me the landmark spots and quizzing me about them, his attempt to cheer me up.
“Howrah Bridge!”
“Kalighat Kali”
“Victorial Memorial?”
“It is Victoria Memorial Hall ma” corrected Daddy.
“Yeah” I smiled guiltily.
And, we reached there. I am not so sure about others, but my heart threatened to pop out of my mouth, as I entered the place, Missionaries of Charity. Mummy and Daddy took two bundles each and gave a bundle to me. I tried to read the block quoted sentences written in ‘caps’ in the home’s walls.
I HAVE FOUND THE PARADOX THAT IF YOU LOVE UNTIL IT HURTS, THERE CAN BE NO MORE HURT, ONLY MORE LOVE ~ ST. TERESA.
I mentally jotted down the word ‘paradox’ and thought I would refer it in my Oxford Pocket-sized Dictionary.
“Mother will join you in moments” said a sister.
“Mummy, who is this sister? Whose sister is she? Like our Laku chithi?” I questioned confusedly.
Mum hushed me. Daddy took some money out of his cash bag and handed it over to another “sister.”
I suddenly thought, we all, I mean Indians, have an Indian father and a foreign mother, cool no?
Mother Teresa walked in and came straight to me, “what is your name, child?” she asked.
“Chitralekha” said I, wonder-eyed and remembered that her dress, that white and blue thingie, cost less than Rs.50.
“So, what have you brought for your sisters and brothers?” she sang to me.
“Hmmm, I have no sister or brother, Mother” I replied, addressing her the way the rest did.
“All of these are your siblings, Chitra” she pointed to the orphanage in the corner room, as I was thinking that she had pronounced my name as “Cheetrah.” “Say hi to Chitra, Deborah” she cooed to a little miss in blue frock. Yes, that is chuppi’s birthday-blue-frock. Tears welled up for the second time as I saw my favorite dress hanging loose on Deborah’s gangly frame.
Chuppi turned and looked at her Mummy and ran straight to Deborah and she, that is I, said,
“Nice dress, Debby.”
As she passed via the hall for the umpteenth time, I decided to show my piece of art.
“Mummy, look at my apple, it looks like Africa no?” I asked proudly.
“Yeah yeah, now, don’t disturb ma, we have…I have things to do” she mumbled in bits.
“What things?”
“Daddy told you na…you have already picked your unused clothes right, bring them all now, quick.”
“Oh that!! Are we really meeting Mother today Mummy? Say quickly no. Please.”
“Mmmmhmmm” she nodded her head sideways and smiled without adding much.
“Say no, I am done with Math homework, you know?” I pleaded.
“What about EVS?”
“I will do, why won’t you say Mummmmy…Ok, I am doing it after you say.”
“All right, yes Chuppi, today, after Daddy gets home” She beamed amidst the clothes flowing in her hands.
I opened my EVS book and flipped the “Plants and life” lesson, my mind vaguely focusing Mother Teresa’s kind smile.
“Plants are autotrophs, true or false” was the question I was attending to as Chuppi’s mother nudged her back, that is my back.
“I know this lesson ma, plants are autotrophs” I said and as she pointed to my book, I saw the “false” column ticked magically.
“No Mummy, I didn’t do it” I said irritated.
“Ok ok, go get ready now” She finally said it.
I jumped up and fished for the birthday-blue-frock.
Mummy entered and said, “cream frock, I am gonna give the blue dress to the children’s home, that dress is too small for you ma.”
“NO!” I protested. So, butterscotch-angel-frock, it will be, amidst tears. I didn’t bother talking to Mum after that. Daddy drove with a purpose, that of showing me the landmark spots and quizzing me about them, his attempt to cheer me up.
“Howrah Bridge!”
“Kalighat Kali”
“Victorial Memorial?”
“It is Victoria Memorial Hall ma” corrected Daddy.
“Yeah” I smiled guiltily.
And, we reached there. I am not so sure about others, but my heart threatened to pop out of my mouth, as I entered the place, Missionaries of Charity. Mummy and Daddy took two bundles each and gave a bundle to me. I tried to read the block quoted sentences written in ‘caps’ in the home’s walls.
I HAVE FOUND THE PARADOX THAT IF YOU LOVE UNTIL IT HURTS, THERE CAN BE NO MORE HURT, ONLY MORE LOVE ~ ST. TERESA.
I mentally jotted down the word ‘paradox’ and thought I would refer it in my Oxford Pocket-sized Dictionary.
“Mother will join you in moments” said a sister.
“Mummy, who is this sister? Whose sister is she? Like our Laku chithi?” I questioned confusedly.
Mum hushed me. Daddy took some money out of his cash bag and handed it over to another “sister.”
I suddenly thought, we all, I mean Indians, have an Indian father and a foreign mother, cool no?
Mother Teresa walked in and came straight to me, “what is your name, child?” she asked.
“Chitralekha” said I, wonder-eyed and remembered that her dress, that white and blue thingie, cost less than Rs.50.
“So, what have you brought for your sisters and brothers?” she sang to me.
“Hmmm, I have no sister or brother, Mother” I replied, addressing her the way the rest did.
“All of these are your siblings, Chitra” she pointed to the orphanage in the corner room, as I was thinking that she had pronounced my name as “Cheetrah.” “Say hi to Chitra, Deborah” she cooed to a little miss in blue frock. Yes, that is chuppi’s birthday-blue-frock. Tears welled up for the second time as I saw my favorite dress hanging loose on Deborah’s gangly frame.
Chuppi turned and looked at her Mummy and ran straight to Deborah and she, that is I, said,
“Nice dress, Debby.”
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