Hi everyone! Thank you for following the story of Surangi :)
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Surangi had acquired the sobriquet of Madhav's tail ever since she began to trail him meticulously wherever he went. Arundhati and her gang of friends had managed to brainwash Surangi into keeping Madhav away from Rohini's amorous advances. On one hand Madhav found it mildly amusing to see the possessive streak in his wife but at other times he found her habit annoying.
"Do you mind? I need to pee! Are you going to tag along there too!" He once told her and she turned beetroot red with embarrassment. Of course the girls always went together when they needed to relieve themselves, it was time honoured unwritten rule among the village girls to ensure their personal safety. A couple of them always acted as lookouts to ensure that there were no perverted peeping Toms watching them or trying to bother them in any way.
One Sunday morning Madhav was given the errand of going over to Chandri's house to replenish the stock of soapnuts for the Oak household. Chandri's humble abode had a fascinating location, it was almost on the water's edge and the backyard opened into the wilderness. They had some soapnut trees in the backyard and besides the large heap spread out to dry in the sun Surangi espied clusters of fully ripe dark brown berries hanging from the branches.
After being soaked in water the thick soapy extract could be used as body wash or as laundry detergent. It also helped to bring a sparkle to jewellery and silver articles used for worship. Madhav gave Chandri's mother the money Yashoda had sent with him. Yashoda knew that Chandri's family was often cash-strapped and would buy their produce every now to help them along financially.
Chandri filled a basket with a generous load of the soapnuts for Madhav. Surangi never missed an opportunity to visit the place, it was a naturalist's delight. Surangi and Madhav stayed there as long as they could, each for their own reason. Surangi kept her eyes peeled for all that she could observe. She saw a wading bird dip the insect in its beak into the brackish water before feasting on it, as if it were seasoning it with the salinity of the backwater. Elsewhere a hummingbird hovered before a bunch of flowers, sipping their nectar with its long bill. Somehow the bird seemed to know the precise moment when the flowers were full of the sweet treat, and rushed in to get his dose before competition got ahead of him.
A chattering of rose-ringed parakeets squawked noisily as they socialized before taking off to their feeding grounds. Since most of this avian life was unapproachable Surangi tried to play with the fluffy little chicks who marched in formation along with the mother hen. Their cheep cheep sound was music to Surangi's ears and Chandri would put a chick or two into her palm so that she could observe them more closely. The baby birds would protest indignantly, their little breasts beating rapidly due to the stress.
Surangi often wondered how those fluffy cotton balls-on-legs ended up as some people's dinner. Madhav tried to explain to her that Chandri's family had to sell the chickens and their eggs in the weekly market to help make ends meet because they were not lucky enough to own their own plot of land to farm. However they did grow some fruit and vegetables for their consumption on a small patch behind their home.
Surangi's interest in the humble surroundings made Chandri feel immensely proud and she showed her every little thing that managed to hold the girl's attention. It was Chandri's responsibility to make sure each evening that the coop were adequately secured from the marauders of the night. She showed Surangi how she lined the coop with wood ash to prevent it from being messed up with bird droppings.
She also told her that no matter how far the free range chickens went to peck at grain and worms, they always returned to the security of the coop before sundown. Khandu, Chandri's pet pariah, was an excellent guard dog. He promptly sounded the alert if a jackal or wild cat came prowling trying to get to the birds. Chandri led Surangi into the bush where a grey mongoose had cleverly hidden her young pups to keep them safe from predators. The mongoose would sometimes raid the chicken coop but was quite useful in keeping rodents and snakes at bay.
"When snake and mongoose meet it is usually a fight unto death. The agile mongoose is invariably the winner as it knows from experience just when to dart away before the snake can strike. It plays with the snake till the reptile is tired and then with a swift snapping bite the game is over for the poor reptile." Chandri's brother explained.
"But what if the snake manages to strike first?" Surangi asked him. Instinct told her that an inexperienced mongoose would be vulnerable to attack from the adversary.
"Oh, the mongoose is resistant to small amounts of venom. But if the snake gets lucky the mongoose will die, often killing the snake before it's own life fades away." Madhav the genius had to volunteer the information he had gathered from his library book on natural history.
"Come on Surangi, we have to get home now!" Madhav decided that they had lingered long enough. It was his uncle's birthday and Yashoda and Sharayu were sure to make something special for the main meal. Since the news of Sharayu's pregnancy broke her caring husband had stocked up the larder with dried fruit and nuts. He made sure his wife nibbled on the apricots and figs every few hours.
Waman would whisper to Surangi about how his father would secretly massage Sharayu's feet at night even when she tried to protest unsuccessfully. Madhav scolded Waman for spying and telling on his parent's private lives but Surangi loved to hear the little details. She wondered if Madhav too would deftly peel dried melon and pumpkin seeds for her to snack on during her own pregnancy. Aaji had explained to Surangi that the kernels were packed with nutrients which were good for the baby's growth.
"Surangi, come here and practice tempering the dish!" Aaji called out. She knew that Surangi loved handling the collection of spices in the traditional masala container. She had been told that each ingredient had a specific place in the set. The mustard and cumin had to be placed together before the ground turmeric and chilli. Coriander seeds and peppercorns were used less frequently. As the spices and fresh curry leaves fell into the heated oil they spluttered and popped noisily and Surangi ducked on impulse.
The dish of the day was olya kajuchi usal- curried tender cashewnuts- to be scooped with a rice flatbread called pangi. The pangi was first wrapped in a plantain leaf before being cooked on a hot griddle. Sharayu had insisted on making vermicelli kheer because it was the birthday boy's favourite. Yashoda and Raghav smiled as Sharayu made an ornate rangoli pattern before Vinayak's seat and also lit the traditional samai lamp before he sat down for his meal. Surangi made a mental note as she observed every little nuance of affection between the pregnant wife and her loving husband.
Their romance was subtle yet obvious enough for the pre-teen girl to get excited about her own future conjugal life. She wondered if she'd ever dare cook taboo foods for Madhav on his birthday. She had seen him pop a boiled egg sprinkled with salt and ground chilli at Chandri's place in the morning. When she looked at him wide-eyed he had merely winked at her and offered her a taste. She had declined politely. Madhav did not have to remind her to keep quiet about what she had seen. By now Surangi had enough exposure to her husband's non-Brahmin culinary adventures. It only made his bad boy image in her mind's eye more apparent. She hoped his curiosity remained limited to the plate. In any case she had made it her mission to protect her turf from competitors like Rohini.
"Won't you have another bowl of the pudding?" Sharayu fussed over Vinayak.
"Aai, don't forget that I love vermicelli kheer too!" Waman, who was quite the attention seeker, got dark looks from Surangi and Madhav while the others just laughed heartily. Sharayu blushed and topped up her son's bowl of kheer.
"Waman, if you are so hot and bothered now, what's to happen when the baby arrives? You will make an amusing jealous sibling!" Madhav grinned as his cousin turned his attention to his kheer.
"Don't you think Kaku and Kaka love each other more ever since they found out about her second pregnancy?" Surangi whispered to Madhav, finding him alone after lunch.
"It is natural for a couple to bond under the circumstances. After all they made it happen together!" Madhav replied. "Now don't ask me for the details. You are bound to find out after a few years!" He quickly changed the topic. Knowing her thirst for knowledge she would probably insist on probing more and he knew she was rather young to learn about the facts of married life. Someday it will happen to us too, he thought to himself and swiftly turned his face before she could ask him what he was grinning about!