Panchhi banoo udti phiroon mast gagan mein
Aaj main azad hoon duniya ke chaman mein
The morning was bright, the sun warm and the breeze fresh and crisp as Meerab opened her little window. The rusty hinges creaked as the window opened and allowed the cool air to enter her room and refresh her senses. The smell of damp grass from the morning dew and the scent of fresh flowers filled her nostrils as she deeply inhaled.
Hurriedly, she completed her simple morning routine which consisted of washing her face and brushing her teeth before tying her long raven hair in a half up half down style and grabbing her dupatta before running out into the seemingly endless fields that surrounded her little cottage.
Running among the wild grass, she let her hands skim throw the sunflowers and grabbed whatever she could. A familiar shriek and the sound of wings flapping filed her ears before a pair of dainty black claws rested on her shoulder.
"Good morning Mirchi Khan" Meerab chimed as the parrot gracefully folded its blue and yellow wings and sat on her shoulder.
"Good morning" Mirchi Khan, the talking parrot squeaked out in his extremely high pitched voice.
"Aaj kya khabar laye hou?" Meerab asked, casually running her fingers through the sunflower petals as she made her way back home.
"Gaon mei tayariyaan horahi hai, Nawab ne koi jashan rakha hai agle hafte apne bete ki saal girah ke liye" he informed, nipping at a strand of her silky hair as Meerab pushed open the door to the little cottage she called him and made her way to the small wooden dining table in the center of the room. Taking out the dead roses from the vase, she discarded them before filling it up with fresh water and placing the fresh sunflowers in it.
"Apne bete ke liye?" She asked.
Mirchi Khan only cooed, finding Meerab's hair very interesting until she opened the squeaky door to her very old fridge and pulled out a small red chilli from the vegetable drawer. She held it infront of Mirchi Khan's mouth and he instantly devoured it, squeaking in delight as he savoured the spicy fruit.
"Eik aur dou na" he squeaked just as Meerab turned towards the stove to prepare tea for her father who would be down soon. She looked at the bird on her shoulder with a judgmental look before rolling her eyes and sighing as she got another red chilli out of the fridge and fed it to him.
"Kisi din itni mirchein khaa khaa ke marjaoge" she mumbled as Mirchi Khan held the chilli from its stem with one of his feet while he balanced himself on her shoulder with the other.
"Mai tou tota houn, mai toh mirchein hi khaata houn" he shot back, "isiliye tou tum ne mera naam Mirchi Khan rakha tha" he reminded her as Meerab filled a pot with water, setting it on the stove to boil.
"Acha acha, ziada hoshiyaar na banou. Totei hou, totei hi rahou" Meerab smiled sarcastically, taking out the flour and other necessary ingredients to prepare a paratha for her father to enjoy with his morning tea.
"Tota houn, hoshiyaar tou mai paidaishi houn" Mirchi Khan quipped just as Meerab rolled some of the prepared dough between her hands into a perfect ball shape.
"Acha ye batao, Nawabzaada tou apne mahal se kabhi nikalta hi nahi, tou jashan mei aayega?" Meerab asked, ignoring her parrot's quips as she rolled the dough into a flat paratha before placing it on the hot tawwa she had put in the stove earlier. As the paratha cooked, she hurriedly grabbed some milk and poured it into the boiling water before allowing it to boil and adding the tea leaves to it.
"Sunna tou hai. Zaahir hai jashan uss ke liye hai. Aur sunna hai ke iss saal woh Nawab ka takht bhi sambhalega" Mirchi Khan replied just as the the wooden stairs squeaked, the sound echoing in the background and Meerab's father emerged from behind the pillar.
"Asalam o alaikum baba" Meerab greeted, hugging him from the side so as to not ruin his freshly ironed clothes with the flour that stuck to her fingers.
"Wa alaikum as Salaam bete, naashta tayaar hai? Aaj mujhe jaldi jaana hai" her father asked, already knowing the answer as the smell of fresh paratha and chai wafted through the air and entered his nose.
"Jee bilkul tayar hai..." she answered, taking the hot paratha off the tawa and putting it on a clean plate before taking the chai off the stove and pouring it into a teacup and serving it to him just as he sat down at the small table.
Her reward was as usual, an affectionate kiss on the cheek and a pat on the back.
"Kaddi saanu vi..." Mirchi Khan suddenly shrieked from Meerab's shoulder, surprising both Meerab and her father as they stared at the bird in astonishment.
"Ye tum ne kahan se seekha hai?" Meerab asked, shocked at the use of a new language by her avian friend.
"Gaon mei Resham aunty apne ghar mei tv par eik drama dekh rahi thi. Ussi ki khirki mei betha tha mai" he replied, sounding very proud of himself as he stretched his multicoloured neck and raised his beak in the air boastfully.
"Tum dusron ke gharon mei jaa jaa ke tv dekhte hou? Sharam karou" Meerab scolded playfully as she poured herself a cup of tea and sat next to her father.
"Tumhe poore gaon ki khabrein bhi tou laa ke deta houn. Mai na houn toh tumhe iss veeraane mei kya pata lagey ke baahir dunya mei kya horaha hai" Mirchi Khan quipped, flapping his blue wings to go and sit on the rim of the sunflower vase. Meerab scolded him again just as he nipped at a petal,
"Oye! Phoolon se dur" she snapped, setting her tea cup down.
"Tota mai houn, kaatti ye hai" he squeaked, making her father snort just as he took a sip of his chai. Meerab offered him a napkin to wipe the small drops of tea that had spread around his mouth as a result and he wiped it away as he laughed at her parrot's quips.
"Mirchi Khan, aaj ki khabar de di hai na tum ne? Ab jao yahan se" Meerab ordered, pointing at the open window in the living room that gave a beautiful view of the fields outside.
"Jaa raha houn. Wese bhi tum boht kanjoos hou, sirf dou hi mirchein dein aaj. Gaon wali Sharmila aunty tou chhatt pe poori dukaan saja ke rakhti hai" Mirchi Khan shot back.
"Tabhi woh hamesha shor kar rahi hoti hai, ke koi meri mirchein chura ke le gaya" Meerab's father laughed, causing Mirchi Khan to shriek before he flapped his wings with a whole lot of attitude and flew away.
"Aaj kya khabar laya tha tumhara chamcha?" Her father asked once the bird had flown out of the window.
"Keh raha tha ke Nawab Shahnawaz ne apne bete ke liye jashan rakha hai, sach hai?" Meerab asked, taking a sip of her tea.
Her father nodded,
"Yes, it's his 25th birthday. Uss din ke baad se woh Nawab ka audha bhi sambhaleinge. Isiliye mujhe jaldi mahal pohnchna hai, boht kaam hai iss hafte" he informed, taking bigger bites of his paratha and larger sips of his tea.
Meerab smiled behind the rim of her tea cup as she took another large gulp and asked, "Lekin usko tou aaj tak kisi ne nahi dekha, aise bhi kya raaz gain uss ke jou kisi ke saamne hi nahi aata?" Meerab feigned irritation as she shrugged nonchalantly and toyed with her saucer.
"Raaz nahi hain bete. Chotei Khan ko bas apni duniya mei rehne ki aadat hai aur woh nahi chahte ke har insaan ki nazar unn par hou. He doesn't like attention" her father said, "wese Nawab Shanawaz ab kaafi kamzor hogaye hain. Aksar beemar bhi rehte hain toh acha hai, ab Murtasim Khan ko takht sambhal hi leni chahiye" he said, finishing the last of his breakfast, gathering his crockery and placing it in the sink for Meerab to wash later.
"Hmm" she hummed, pursing her lips as she traced the inner circle of the saucer.
Washing his hands and wiping them dry with a napkin, he placed his hands in his pocket and pulled out a small wad of cash.
"Iss se pehle ke mai bhool jaun, ye lou kuch paise" he said, placing the cash in her palm.
"Ye kis liye?" She asked, eyeing the crisp blue notes with curiosity and astonishment. Thousand rupee notes were a rare sight in this household.
"Bazaar jao, apne liye ache se kapre waghaira khareedo. Jashan-e-aam hai aur Nawab sahab ka hukum hai ke Roshan Nagar ki sab larkiyan boht ache se tayar houn"
"Lekin mai kya karungi wahan aake? Mai yahin khush houn, in kheton mei, apne phoolon, parindon aur jaanwaron ke saath" Meerab sighed.
As if on cue, two sparrows landed on the window sill and Meerab smiled, getting up and filling a small bowl with some sunflower seeds she had. She placed the bowl on the window sill along with another bowl of water and the birds instantly began to indulge.
She stood staring as the birds poked their tiny beaks into the water and their little tongues peaked out to lick.
"Tumhari woh saheli hai na Hira, usko le lou aur jao dono. Mela lagega kal, apne liye koi churiyan aur naye kapre le lou" her father encouraged, but Meerab only sighed again.
"Kya zaroorat hai itne fazool kharche ki? Abhi peeche tou aap ne naya jora dilaya tha" she said, reminding him of the embroidered pastel suit he had gifted her eleven months ago on her birthday.
"Woh tumhari saal gira ka tohfa tha aur woh gyaara mahine pehle thi. Kitne mahine se tum ne kuch nahi khareeda aur mai tumhe kitni baar samjha chuka houn ke hum ghareeb zaroor hain lekin itne bhi nahi ke meri beti apne liye koi achi cheez na khareed sake" he said, pressing the money in her hand and forcing her to accept it.
Meerab hesitated as she eyed the money,
"Ye paise lou aur apne liye jou dil chahei woh khareedna" he said softly, but Meerab knew it was more of an order, and if she returned home empty handed, he would frown. So she decided to contact her friend later that day and make plans for tomorrow, promising her father that she would do whatever he wanted, in response to which he placed a loving hand on her head followed by a kiss before he bid good bye and headed out for work.
Locking the door after his departure, Meerab sighed as she sat on the window, watching the sparrows fly away before a familiar pigeon took their place and drank the water from the bowl. The grey bird cooed at her, staring at her with its emerald eyes as she gently held it and put it on her lap, caressing its feathers as she rested her head on the wall behind her.
"Sheru yaar" Meerab sighed, creating small circles in the pigeon's head as she stared at the open fields outside,
"baba ne itne saare paise de diye. Ab mai ne kharch na kiye tou naraaz hojayeinge" she complained to the bird, frowning as she eyed the money she had left on the table. The pigeon only cooed in response, unable to speak unlike Mirchi Khan. Meerab sighed again, suddenly missing the talking parrot; he would probably have something sarcastic to say in response and she felt like she could really use some of his sarcasm in that moment.
As though her thoughts had been heard, a familiar shriek filled her ears,
"kabootar ka naam Sheru kon rakhta hai?" Mirchi Khan's shrill voice entered her ears as he glided through the air and came to sit in front of her.
"Tum phir wapis agaye?" Meerab asked, trying to act mad as she questioned him in a blunt manner. But the bird remained unfazed by her blank stare as it flapped its wings,
"Tu mere ko yaad kar rahi thi mujhe pata hai" he quipped.
Meerab rolled her eyes, but soon her lips curved into a little smile and then she laughed. The pigeon cooed again and suddenly Mirchi Khan shrieked, flapping its wings as it darted in Sheru's direction.
"Hatt oye!" He ordered, pointing his feet and flapping his wings in an offensive manner in the pigeon's direction, causing Meerab's mouth to open in shock as Sheru jumped in her lap and flew away, as though attacked by a wild animal.
Mirchi Khan then gracefully flew and took his rightful place in Meerab's lap, and she couldn't help but laugh loudly as he settled in her lap.
"Khabardar hai jou tu ne meri jagah kisi aire ghaire ko di" Mirchi Khan said, acting offended as he dug his claws in her simple cotton shirt.
"Kabhi aaj tak aisa hua hai?" Meerab laughed, caressing his blue feathers as he nuzzled her lower abdomen with his tiny head.
"Hona bhi nahi chahiye. Tere honei wale shauhar ke ilawa, sirf Mirchi Khan ka haq hai tujh pe" he said, settling down further in her lap.
Meerab and Mirchi Khan found each other one random afternoon, almost a decade ago as she lay alone in the wild grass. The macaw had randomly decided to sit beside her and nip at her head. She had been scared at first until he started repeating every thing she said and somehow during that, the talking parrot became her closest companion and secret keeper.
He would bring her all the hot gossip from the village in exchange for chillies, hence she decided to name him Mirchi. But the bird seemed to think just Mirchi was too feminine, so he decided to add Khan to his name. And Meerab accepted it after a laughter fit that almost caused her to choke on her own spit.
"Oye, Mirchi?" Meerab asked, caressing the avian's blue head and trailing the tip of her finger over his black beak.
"Khan!" He shrieked, correcting his name and reminding her of his initial thoughts about his first name.
"Jee, Mirchi Khan" Meerab laughed, rolling her eyes in amusement as the bird flapped its wings again and flew to sit on her shoulder. Meerab readjusted herself on the window and stared out at the bright fields, the dense forest in the distance creating a protective wall around her little cottage, away from the hustle bustle of the main village.
"Tum ne kabhi Khan ko dekha hai?" She asked, tilting her head to rest against the wooden wall behind her as she gazed up at the blue sky, which was littered with soft clouds that floated with a delicate ease, helped along their path by the gentle summer breeze that blew.
"Nah!" He replied, nipping at a strand of her hair, a habit he had developed over the years, one that he weirdly enjoyed.
"Magar tum tou kehte hou tum har waqt mahal ke baagh mei jaate hou. Tou tum ne kese kabhi nahi dekha?" She asked, caressing the underside of his beak.
"Itne log hotei hain wahan, aur mai konsa andar jaata houn. Mai tou bahir lawn mei maali chacha ka dimagh khaata houn" he answered, letting out a high pitched shriek, indicating that he found it very funny.
"Tou Khan kabhi bahir nahi aata kya?"
"Eik boht hi chikna launda rehta hai mahal mei, kabhi kabhi bahir aata hai, mujhe tou uss pe shaq hai" he said, causing Meerab to look at him with wide and amused eyes.
"Ab ye alfaaz kahan se seekhe hain tum ne?" She laughed.
Mirchi Khan's vocabulary always consisted of some very unusual words, words that he picked up from the most random places and people. Sometimes it was two or more people conversing with each other, completely oblivious to the macaw's presence, or through a random drama or movie that he would watch through the window as it would play on someone's television.
"Gaon mei eik din Shabo aunty tv pe film dekh rahi thi. Wahin se" the bird revealed, earning himself another amused eye roll from her. Ofcourse, that's where he learned it from. With a loud exhale, she then jumped off the window and walked over to the small wooden cabinet under the dingy old tv resting in one corner of the living room. After a little struggle as usual, she managed to open the drawer and retrieve a small notebook and pen.
Sitting down on the arm of the sofa, she quickly penned down a short note to her friend, Hira, informing her that they would be going to the mela the next day, knowing there was no point in asking if she wanted to go since the answer, as always, would be an over enthusiastic yes followed by a long list of things they could get.
"Mirchi Khan, jao jaa ke ye Saba ko de ke aao" she ordered playfully, neatly rolling the paper into a small cylindrical shape before taking a thread and tying around it to secure it. She then formed a makeshift necklace with the same thread, which she wrapped around Mirchi Khan's neck.
"Eik shart pe jaunga" the bird said, jumping to sit on Meerab's head after the note was securely tied around his neck. Meerab rolled her eyes as she looked up, playfully rolling her eyes again when she couldn't see anything.
"Kya?" She asked, mentally prepared for another one of Mirchi Khan's unique demands.
"Kal mele mei mujhe kachi kerry le ke dou gi" he demanded, moving around on her small head like there was a lot of space to do so, screaming when he nearly slipped off her scalp.
"Bahir darakhton mei itni lagi hui hai, jaa ke khelou" she said laughingly when he assumed his original position in her lap, after the near death experience on her head.
"Nah! Mele mei woh Saleem chacha masala laga ke deta hai. Mere ko woh khana hai" he said, nipping at the thin chiffon fabric of her dupatta. Another laugh escaped her lips and she nodded,
"Acha acha le dungi, abhi jao and give this to Hira, foran!" She laughed, shooing the parrot away, who obliged instantly as he flapped its colourful wings and flew out the window again, leaving Meerab in the peaceful isolation of her home and the fields surrounding it once more.
With another deep inhale, she breathed in the fresh morning air before breathing out, "Okayyyy, let's get to work" she told herself, making a mental list of all the daily chores she had to do, rubbing her hands in preparation and tying her dupatta across her front so that it wouldn't be a problem when she was working. With the thought in mind, she headed to the kitchen to wash the dirty dishes while humming a random tune.
****
Hey everyone!! So what do we think of the first chapter?
This ff is a very random one so the length of the chapters will vary. Some could be short, some could be longer, depending on whatever I'm feeling like writing.
But do let me know your thoughts on this one!
Happy Reading!