A chance to see our roots

I’m short of words to describe how that ONE-day was. So if anywhere you find “…” you know you have to excuse me.

It was an experience so unbelievable that in the morning you got up in that noisy polluted place and within hours you’ve reached a blissful serene meadow.

Jaded grass, kids so blameless, elders so affectionate, and the food…you can chew your fingers with it….

The journey started not so early but still early though for the people for whom Saturday means morning at 1:00 pm.

We started at 8.30 and by 9.30 every one was in the Scorpio to explore a place, which I thought never existed …(It was my first very visit to a VILLAGE). After reaching the first destination, a farmhouse, beautifully made by our Dev Sir, he took us for a round to his fields. The girls were a little late to reach, as every spot was so pretty that you could not resist clicking a shot or two… Moreover, where else would you get such an opportunity to click a portfolio like that;-)…what say girls???

Taking a round in the fields and trying our hands on a little farming ;-) soon after we were nowhere to be found in those sugarcane fields…. The feeling was just like “Honey I shrunk the kids”… voila…we had a blast there!!! We went into the fields to collect some (some?? Or lots??) Vegetables…we were actually working in the fields, waving at the train crossing by made waves inside me saying “mere desh ki dharti…”

And then devour started with sugarcane, fresh ooops farm fresh lemon juice, roasted groundnuts and what not.

After resting for a little while we started for the second destination…that was Dev Sir’s native. We had such a warm welcome there that every second strike a chord in me for “Athithi devo bhava…” Hurda party soon started. In that heavy smoke of cow dung we managed to put one or two hurda stems and they came out nicely roasted. The phrase “having you own dogs food” nicely fit here.

Soon we were on board in the preparation of dinner. All the kids and other people had a smile on that face that left me guessing all the while “Have we gone too complicated or we are trying to be too uncomplicated”. It was difficult to maintain that perfect balance. But whatever be they were more than happy to see all the over excited girls (yelling “so cute..” on almost every thing they see in the open air kitchen) ready to try their hands on food.
We got a little demo of how to make a bhakri on chulha, which seemed very interesting but believe me, once it comes to your hand you only know how you are able to manage in between those eyes ogling at you.

Huh!! Its not as easy a job as writing code with google next to you…Next to you there were kids shyly giggling and wondering “what the heck are they doing??”
But all of us managed to cook our own feast and then we heard some cow bells ringing.
Again excited we left everything and ran towards it. Yes no points for guessing it was a bullock cart. We had a nice ride on it with all the kids telling us stories…. Not horror ones!!
We sat down to have our dinner. The food was yummy. Everything so truly made and served with so much love gave us a feeling that we belong to them.

Finally, we got a chance to milk the cows and that was tricky part of all. Firstly, the panic that it would kick you, secondly again those staring eyes on you and third you don’t know how to do it. If I had to do it daily, poor cow would better opt to get automated instead. Really!!!

At last it was time to leave. Nobody wanted to but we had to as otherwise who would come back and tell you guys all the stories….;-)

The journey back was full of songs, gags, laughs and a proud feeling to have touch your roots and to feel you were the lucky one to have come here.


--- Neha Pandey
(25/02/06)