"Vidya tai, I need to ask you something about, you know, pregnancy cravings!" The following weekend, seizing the opportunity of being alone with Madhav's sister, Surangi decided to have the mystery unraveled. "What do you want to know about them?" Vidya smiled at her indulgently. "Last week during your baby shower when I mentioned that I get food cravings too all the ladies laughed at me, so I wanted to know how is it different when a pregnant woman gets cravings!" She let it out in almost a single breath. "Well, the cravings may not be that different, but unlike in your case a pregnant woman feels the urge because her moods are governed by the changes in her during pregnancy. Not only would you crave certain foods, even the way you feel changes. When I was in Pune I used to miss mother and our home where I grew up, now that I am here I miss my husband and marital home. Sometime I feel sad and weepy and at other times I feel euphoric!"
"In the beginning I was always throwing up and could barely eat due to morning sickness. Even cooking smells would repulse me, that's when my mother-in-law told me I was pregnant. Later I would get ravenously hungry because the baby needs extra nutrition. I was afraid I would grow fat if I ate too much. Surangi, when you are carrying a baby it is important to eat right, one should not eat more than necessary. Excess weight gained is difficult to lose later." Vidya explained. "But if the baby grows inside the mother why is a father needed?" Little Surangi was perturbed when the women had mentioned Madhav in that context. "Surangi, you are very small, it will be years before you learn more about these facts. All I can tell you now is that the mother's womb is like a patch of fertile soil, unless a seed is planted by the father how will she sprout a baby on her own?" Vidya answered cryptically.
So making babies is similar to growing a plant from a seed, does Madhav roam around with seeds in his pocket, and what if he plants one quietly when I am sleeping? Surangi wondered, but kept mum when she saw Madhav and Waman enter excitedly. "Vidya tai, there is a new weaver bird nest high up in a large tree in the garden, do you want to take a look at it? There is a whole cluster of them on the palmyra tree hanging over the pond, but this weaver has chosen to nest privately in our garden." Madhav declared, proud of the discovery. Both grandmother and Madhav's mother gave permission for Vidya to see the nest as it was a good sign, also it was not raining and the gravel path leading to the garden was kept meticulously free of algae by sprinkling lime on it to prevent people slipping. The children were told to act as sentinels and watch over Vidya.
"But other birds built their nests and laid eggs in the summer, why is the weaver so late?" Waman asked. "The birds feed on grain, by the time the babies are ready to leave the nest the paddy will be ripe, so the weavers breed during the monsoon when the rice saplings are being transplanted." Madhav informed. "And only the male has building skills, he finishes the nest if his mate like it. She may help add globs of clay inside to make the nest tougher before laying her eggs and raising the chicks!" Vidya added. They examined the nest, it was still quite green, made of woven grass, leaves and palm fronds, intricately woven by the male using his beak. "Do you know Surangi, this bird is so clever he can be trained to string beads on a thread and to carry small coins offered to him in his beak back to his master!" Vidya said, pointing at the yellow feathered cousin of the house sparrow.
After having admired the nest they turned their attention to the drumstick tree. Besides the coconut palm, the drumstick or moringa tree is very important to the people of the Konkan, with its leaves, flowers and pods being used regularly in cooking. Yashoda had asked Madhav to gather some tender leaves sprouted by the rain so that they could be cooked for lunch. Madhav used a long bamboo stick with a peg tied to its end to bend the branches and Waman and Surangi stripped off the stalks with the most tender leaves. Once they had gathered enough for a meal they returned to house and plucked the leaves off the stalks into a basket to be washed and rinsed before being chopped for cooking in an iron wok.
"Come here Surangi, see how the leaves are being cooked!" Saraswati kaku asked Surangi to watch the recipe being put together. Surangi was not allowed to use knives yet, she watched Sharayu chop them expertly on the willi, a curved blade which had a serrated end used for grating fresh coconuts. Surangi was allowed to scrape coconuts but she was quite slow, unlike the women of the house who could finish the job in minutes. Actually all grown-ups, including the men could rustle up a meal as the men were called upon to manage the cooking in case the women were on their period. Surangi was surprised to see Madhav roll out a ball of dough in a perfect sphere using barely any flour for dusting, even she was not yet skilled enough to do so.
Meanwhile Yashoda placed an iron kadhai or wok on the flame, added a little oil and threw in some mustard seeds until they popped, followed by some asafoetida and turmeric. As soon as she added chopped green chillies there was a mighty spluttering noise. She added some split moong lentils previously soaked in water, some water and seasoning, letting the lentils cook partially under a lid with some water poured on top for moist heat. The chopped moringa leaves went in next for cooking with the lentil. A final touch included a generous sprinkling of fresh coconut gratings once the dish was done. The lunch also included rice and dal containing boiled jackfruit seeds which tasted a bit like chestnuts. The children made a simple dessert called shikran made by slicing ripe bananas into sweetened cardamom flavoured milk.
After a pleasant lunch the elders in the family took a short nap before waking up to get on with their work. Meanwhile the children used up the time to finish school work. After a few days at school Surangi had settled into her routine, no longer hesitating to ask Madhav for his help when she was stuck. Madhav too had mellowed a bit and would patiently explain how to derive a solution to problems though he would expect perfection from both Surangi and Waman. After her homework Surangi joined the women who were sewing godhadis or patchwork quilts from worn out sarees. Smaller quilts or dupptey were being readied for the baby who was on its way, and the mother happily added colourful borders to give a finishing touch. The quilt making activity was recreation for the women who spent many afternoons putting them together if there were no other chores to indulge in. "Tai, the baby is going to love sleeping on these quilts. I cannot wait to play with him or her!" Surangi declared happily.