Wishing you all a happy spring season! This is a video on the end of chapter 2.
Rani’s mother bears the burden of another baby girl, Uma. Mother takes care of Revathi and Uma. She does not allow Rani to lift or carry them because Rani is sick and frail. Both the toddler’s are adamant and are not ready to get down from their mother’s hips. If mother keeps them down on the floor, even for a minute, they cry in unison. Brother Hari runs out of the house to play with children from the shanties or Zopadpatties which are nearby. He has friends like Kaliya, Jaliya, Bantu, Sheru and so on. Parents do not like his friendship with children from the shanties. They keep Hari locked in the house but a postman’s knock is enough to make Hari fly outside.
Hari does not like to wear his underwear. Dad persuades him to put on his underwear but he refuses to wear. Dad is angry and is about to thrash him and Hari retorts saying, ‘ If Sashikumar uncle can remain without underwear, why shouldn’t I? ‘ Dad is stunned and cannot control his laughter. Hari is liked by his neighbours and relatives for his cute looks and innocence. Rani cannot play with her toys because brother Hari lifts her toys one by one and runs away with it to give it to his friends. Rani cries and complains and tells about Hari to her mother. Rani plays imaginary games confined to monologues. Her characters are imaginary.
Dad is unaware of the functions of family life since he grew up as a hostel boy. Mother is worried because she knows more children means more expenses and more daughters means more dowries. Mother is traditional. She lights lamps in the mornings and evenings and sings songs in praise of God. She sings songs in Carnatic classical music. Rani listens to it and likes it. Four year old toddler Hari is sent to kindergarten class just opposite the house. He is not interested in the class. He looks at his house from the class. The teacher presumes that he is hungry and instructs mother to give him a lunchbox to school. Hari has snacks from his box, waits for a while and runs away from the class. He is the pet of the house. He is called as baby by members of the house and children from the shanties call him as bunny. Father likes to draw sketches. He draws sketches of Hari standing on an empty vanaspati ghee tin to witness the world outside through the window.
( Eighth video of my fiction can be viewed on You tube by typing, ‘Ripples Roping Memories’)
