Surangi, The Child Bride

Part 38

Narhari found them a comfortable spot and they sat down waiting for their journey to begin. Soon the ship cast off and began the northward passage propelled by a favourable wind. Surangi stole glances around her. Most travellers were natives of the Konkan who were either dock or port workers or were employed in the numerous textile mills of Bombay. They were accompanied by their families, large or small. Some had their brood of half a dozen kids in tow while there were also teenage couples, the brides on the way to set up their new homes in concrete buildings called chawls. Chawls were standard middle class accommodation in Bombay and each housed a cluster of closely packed tenements.

The passengers as well as the ship's crew came from varied backgrounds. The crew were represented by traditional Konkan seafaring castes such as fisherfolk like the Kolis and Gaabits, the Bhandaris who were either toddy tappers or cultivators by occupation but had made their foray at sea since the days of the Maratha Navy under Chhatrapati Shivaji in the 17th century. Others included the Kharvis, Bhois and the Konkani Musalmaans- the last of whom were popularly employed on ocean going vessels as they were not bound by the Hindu taboo connected to crossing the ocean to visit other countries.

The passengers were mostly from among the Kunbi, Maratha, Bhandari castes and were employed in the city as labourers. They would scrape and save from their meagre incomes in order to remit money to their dependents in the countryside. Nearly all of them came from families that owned farm land but which was cultivated by their siblings or cousins who had opted against urban migration. Their luggage included a motley assortment of homegrown grains or pulses, the tangy cocum, salt fish, spices and condiments, pickles, cashewnuts, baskets of choice alphonso mangoes, jackfruits, coconut fibre brooms, winnowing fans and what not.  

 The forward castes like the Prabhus, the Saraswats and the Brahmins were more literate and had white collared government or private jobs. They appeared more prosperous and rather class-conscious, preferring to stick to people of their own backgrounds.

While Madhav took stock of their possessions Chandri stared wide-eyed at the teen brides on board, These were typically clad in new sarees and their wrists were weighed down with gold speckled sparkling emerald green glass bangles. The little gold they wore on their persons glittered brightly unlike that of the older married women whose jewellery looked dull due to prolonged use. The brides looked a little nervous as they had  never stepped out of their native villages and were unsure of how they were going to cope with life in the large city. 

"Why are you staring at people?" Surangi noticed Chandri's curiosity. 

"'Vahini! I wish I was in those brides' shoes. My Aye is in no hurry to marry me off but I am very keen to start married life!" Chandri remarked with a dreamy look.

"Why? What is so special about being married?" Surangi had found nothing remarkable about her been a bride during the year that went by. Yes, she was grateful that her in-laws were a caring and compassionate lot and she no longer missed her deceased parents or her natal home. But she could not figure why Chandri seemed so eager to start her married life.

"You are saying that because you are too young to enjoy your life as a wife. I want a husband who fusses over me, brings me bright coloured sarees, bangles and fragrant flowers for my hair. I too shall cook all his favourite dishes and keep house, saving all our spare money in places where he cannot find. That way he will have none to buy him any palm wine. And when my children come I shall scrub them till they have no trace of dirt on them and dress them in clean clothes and send them to school every day. I cannot wait to be lady of the house." Chandri looked like she was in love with the idea of being married.

Surangi smiled. Unlike Chandri she was already married but she had not thought so deeply about her adult life with Madhav. Then again, Chandi had already crossed the threshold of puberty and Surangi guessed correctly that those intense emotions were driven by the various changes in Chandri's body. Surangi looked at Madhav sitting a few feet away chatting animatedly with Narhari and wondered what kind of a couple they would make. Chandri was worried about her hitherto unknown husband spending money on strong drink. Madhav, with his family upbringing was unlikely to fall prey to such a vice.  Would Madhav also bring her nice things such as trinkets and flowers? She grinned to herself at the thought.

"How are you sure of what you want out of your married life?" She asked Chandri.

"Do you know Girjakka who lives along the way to the river? The one who makes the best baskets and mats in our village? Her son, Shivu, works in Vidya Tai's neighbourhood as a doctor's assistant in a hospital. I hope he notices me when I move into the city. Actually I planted the idea of going there in Aye's head so that I could meet Shivu." Chandri blushed, her infatuation for that boy made her heart flutter.

"Oh God, Chandri, you are in love with him, aren't you?" It dawned on Surangi that Chandri's purpose of going to Bombay was not as innocuous as it had looked like. 

"Vahini bai, do you know what a newlywed husband does to his bride? Firstly he tastes her lips with his own-as if they are made of the finest honey." Chandri suddenly dived her face into her skirt, blushing furiously.

"Eeeww, kahitarich kaay? As if!! Won't his mouth become ustha if he does that?" Surangi was mildly alarmed at the possibility of Madhav tasting her lips.

"Ago vahini, some day when you grow up you will want Madhav Bhau to make his mouth ushta on more than just your lips, trust me!" Chandri declared, proud of her authority over a subject that Surangi had not even basic knowledge of.

"Open up the lunch bundle. I am hungry, we should eat!" Madhav declared, appearing out of nowhere. Chandri was relieved he had not caught the drift of the conversation between Surangi and her. The girls were so busy gossiping that they had not realised that the ship had covered a good couple of hours into the journey and nearly everyone around them was either eating or was already done, except for those unfortunate ones who appeared to be suffering from seasickness.

Surangi and Chandri opened up their respective meal parcels. While Yashoda had sent some rice bhakri and cowpea usal, Chandri's mother had packed some ragi bread and a dried shrimp, garlic and red chilli chutney. Surangi's nose twitched at the unfamiliar odour of the salt fish but Madhav insisted on tasting the shrimp relish, giving Chandri a couple of bananas in return so that she would have enough to eat. Surangi stuck to the foods she was more familiar with. She was grateful that her mother-in-law had barely slept the previous night just so that she could wake up before dawn to prepare a meal for Madhav, Surangi and Chandri to carry aboard.