Panchali

And I thought I was born lucky.....but then who wouldnt....
Am a princess by birth, daughter of a great and powerful king, I have been told I am beautiful, charming and accomplished- I am not arrogant but do possess a self esteem and pride born out of my self worth. Many a times when I would sit at the lotus garden at the feet of my father-he would stroke my head and tell me" My krishnaa, you r my strength-I dream of a future as bright as the dazzle of your eyes for you"

On those occassions I have always managed to hide my tears- for I had always been told that the future of a princess is a palace far far away in some distant realm. And yet when I grew older those dreams began to have a attraction -along with the distant palace I began to dream of a handsome , charming, sensitive , brave prince......he would wed me, and take me away and we would weave a world of love.....

And today I thought my dreams were going to be true.....Although the prince had lost his kingdom, but he retained his strength, his charm and magnetism.....For a split second just before he proved his valour at the court hall-he had looked up at me- bedecked in bridal finery I was waiting in sweet anticipation with my maids- and our eyes met-it was a split second.....but it seemed like a million years to me....My life, my fate,destiny , desires, aspirations were to be decided in the next few minutes that followed- but I was almost mesmerised by his burning eyes and the hint of a smile on his face......the next few hours passed in a blur-I was in a euphoric state of mind.......My prince had won me...and the time had come to go away to the distant realm , to my land of dreams....

I heard whispers, excited murmurs all around me..."Kunti's son...Arjun...Pandava..she is lucky......" Yes i thought so too....The brave prince, the handsome warrior who had captured the imagination of every young girl in the country had won me..."Oh krishna u r so lucky" .....everyone said.....And I thought I was....I had already fallen in love....He too looked captivated....And then I saw them....The four brothers....They were there- standing showering flowers on us as we were getting married...I looked at them and a passing thought came..something ..some recognition of a emotion on their face...but it wentas soon as it had come-I couldnt be bothered to analyse their feelings...I was building my own world......And that was the beginning of the End....

They knocked....I was waiting ...my face covered with a veil as expected of a bride...My Arjun beside me...the old lady- my mother-in-law must be performing her evening prayers I was told..They knocked again-this time a reply came from inside-a sweet but tired voice- "oh u have returned my sons.....What have you brought today..." And someone spoke -I am not sure who-
" something special for you"....she replied...from within..."Whatever it is -share it amongst yourself equally-As Always"
Was it the sound of my heart that beat loudly protesting against the mistake or was it a gasp from my newly wedded husband.....??
Was it my strength or my weakness that I did not swoon, that I stood there like a rock-witnessing my humiliation-scene by scene.....Actually on hindsight-I think it was my optimism that refused to die out even in the last few minutes- till the die was finally cast......I still foolishly expected some laughter, some humour, some banter and then a clarification about the mistake made by mother...And I waited...still not daring to look at my husband...now I admit somewhere in my deepest of thoughts I always knew the truth - but was scared to admit it.......And I waited foolishly-And then came the verdict...." As you say mother-your wish is our command"......
Even as I listened stunned-I was hit by an instant sense of realisation and recognition -the look on their faces- during the wedding-when they were showering flowers-something that I had missed earlier- It wasnt happiness or joy, it wasnt pride, it was Lust- Pure naked undisguised Lust.......

For the second time in the evening I looked at my husband again- And I was not too surprised to see him looking-not angry, not humilated, not guilty....But there was a sense of Extreme Relief..............

And thus I became Panchali.......

History of Nursery Rhymes

I dont remember my history lessons, neither my geography, biology, physics, chemistry lessons etc-atleast not word by word...But I remember my Nursery Rhymes in toto- So I dug out the history of each one of them- Quite Interesting:)

Pease pudding hot, pease pudding cold,Pease pudding in the pot - nine days old.Some like it hot, some like it cold,Some like it in the pot - nine days old


What is pease pudding?Pease pudding hot - the origins of the lyrics based on a traditional British dishThe pease pudding referred to in the lyrics of this nursery rhyme is a dish which is still enjoyed in Britain today. It is a smooth, thick sauce, (referred to as a pudding in the rhyme for the sake of alliteration) which has a dark yellow color and is made from dried peas. Pease pudding is traditionally served hot with boiled bacon or a form of sausage called a saveloy.

Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of waterJack fell down and broke his crownAnd Jill came tumbling after.Up got Jack, and home did trot As fast as he could caperHe went to bed and bound his headWith vinegar and brown paper.

French (history) connection!The roots of this child's nursery rhyme is in France and the Jack and Jill referred to are Louis XVI who was beheaded (lost his crown) followed by his Queen Marie Antoinette (who came tumbling after). The words and lyrics were made more palatable for the nursery by giving it a happy ending and has further been altered by the passage of time - the actual beheadings occurred in 1793. The first publication date for the lyrics of this nursery rhyme is 1795 which tie-in with the history and origins

Mary Mary quite contrary,How does your garden grow?With silver bells and cockle shells And pretty maids all in a row.

The origins are steeped in history...The Mary alluded to in this traditional English nursery rhyme is Mary Tudor, or Bloody Mary, who was the daughter of King Henry VIII. Queen Mary was a staunch Catholic and the garden referred to is an allusion to graveyards which were increasing in size with those who dared to continue to adhere to the Protestant faith. The silver bells and cockle shells were colloquialisms for instruments of torture. The 'maids' were a device to behead people similar to the guillotine.

Georgie Porgie pudding and pie,Kissed the girls and made them cry When the boys came out to play,Georgie Porgie ran away.

The Early Battle of the Sexes?A Nursery Rhyme demonstrating the different attitudes between the sexes! Even at a very early age children in Britain would play a game called 'Kiss Chase' - in fact the girls would actually chase the boys and then kiss them! their were no tears from the girls but the boys fought like mad to get away! The origins and history of the lyrics to this nursery rhyme are English and refer to George (Georgie Porgie), the Duke of Buckingham, from 17th century English history. His dubious moral character was much in question! This, however, was overlooked due to his friendship with King Charles II until the parliament stopped the Kind intervening on his behalf - at this point all of the jealous husbands vowed to wreak their revenge causing Georgie Porgie to 'run away'!

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.All the King's horses, And all the King's menCouldn't put Humpty together again!

Who was Humpty Dumpty?Humpty Dumpty was a colloquial term used in 15th century England to describe someone who was fat or obese - giving rise to lots of theories pertaining to the identity of Humpty Dumpty. However, in this case the question should be not Who was Humpty Dumpty but What was Humpty Dumpty? Humpty Dumpty was in fact an unusually large canon which was mounted on the protective wall of "St. Mary's Wall Church" in Colchester, England. It was intended to protect the Parliamentarian stronghold of Colchester which was in the temporarily in control of the Royalists during the period of English history, described as the English Civil War ( 1642 - 1649). A shot from a Parliamentary canon succeeded in damaging the wall underneath Humpty Dumpty causing the canon to fall to the ground. The Royalists 'all the King's men' attempted to raise Humpty Dumpty on to another part of the wall but even with the help of ' all the King's horses' failed in their task and Colchester fell to the Parliamentarians after a siege lasting eleven weeks.


Old Mother HubbardWent to the cupboardTo get her poor doggie a bone,When she got thereThe cupboard was bareSo the poor little doggie had none

Origins of lyrics in British historyThe Old Mother Hubbard referred to in these nursery rhyme words and lyrics allude to the famous Cardinal Wolsey. Cardinal Wolsey was the most important politician and churchman of the Tudor history period in 16th century England. Cardinal Wolsey proved to be a faithful servant but displeased the King, Henry VIII, by failing to arrange the King's divorce from Queen Katherine of Aragon which would enable him to marry Anne Boleyn. The King was the "doggie" and the "bone" alludes to the divorce (and not money as many believe) The cupboard relates to the Catholic Church

Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?""I've been up to London to visit the Queen.""Pussycat, pussycat, what did you dare?""I frightened a little mouse under her chair""MEOWW!"

The origins of the nursery rhyme!The origins of this rhyme goes back to the history of 16th century Tudor England. One of the staff of Queen Elizabeth I had an old cat which tended to roam throughout one of her castles. On one occasion the cat went underneath the throne and the cat's tail brushed against the Queen's foot, startling her. But 'Good Queen Bess' had a sense of humour and declared that the cat may wander through the throne room on condition it kept it free of mice!

Tom Tom the pipers sonStole a pig and away he ran,The pig was eat and Tom was beatAnd Tom went roaring down the street.

Origins of a Scottish nursery rhyme?The words and lyrics of this nursery rhyme were not based on a person in Scottish history (pipers son). The term 'piper's son' could allude to any piper in the British army and the origins of this tale probably date back to the 18th century It is a children's nonsense rhyme which has an obvious moral. The imagery used in the phrase 'went roaring down the street' is very strong and would indicate to a child that Tom's punishment was severe!

The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts all on a summer's day;The Knave of Hearts he stole the tarts and took them clean away.The King of Hearts called for the tarts and beat the Knave full soreThe Knave of Hearts brought back the tarts and vowed he'd steal no more.

The Queen of Hearts lyricsThe origins of the title the 'Queen of Hearts' can be found in the work of Lewis G. Carroll in his book entitled 'Alice in Wonderland' first published in 1805. In more recent history the term was used by Princess Diana during a famous interview as her preference to the title the Queen of Hearts to that of Queen of England.

Cat Stole the milk

It was the cat.....she drank the milk from the bowl. Aunty had kept the milk in the bowl on the Kitchen counter-she wanted to make some custard pudding for the kids. The cat ran away-aunty had to think of alternatives-she sent the car cleaner out to buy some packaged sweets and cakes. The car cleaner took the money and joined the card playing gang in their neighbourhood-he could always cook up a story for the old lady. The kids came home-Aunty made some tea and offered cookies-the promised pudding was no where to be seen. They decided to make virtue out of necessity and had their fill. The cookies had been lying at home for quite some time and had mild fungal growth on them as well. Aunty hadnt noticed that, hungry kids anyway dont notice such things. They took ill within a hour of the consumption-not all- just 3 of them.Aunty took them to the clinic. Dr Sharma was not there- in fact at this time everyday he was never there in his clinic-but then on other days the neighbourhood kids dont come for treatment either-so nobody knew this fact. Aunty got scared-she called Mrs Sharma for information-the wife did not know-afterall hubby is supposed to be in his clinic at this time. She called him at his cell to check out where he is- Pat comes the reply-"Am at the clinic-Attending patients, don't disturb me -call u later". Half an hour later-Mrs Sharma discovers him with the airhostess who stayed in the flat next door- it hadnt been difficult for Mrs Sharma-she had heard the flight announcements in the background when she had made that call.
The kids got well-they were attended to by the nurse in the absence of the doctor .
The latest I hear is Mrs Sharma got a very hefty alimony, the airhostess changed jobs and city, Dr Sharma's clinic is thriving as usual, thought he is rarely seen in social gatherings any more, the kids's vacations being over-they are back to school and Aunty has a new vocation these days- she is learning music.
The Cat loiters around as usual-unaware that her stealing milk resulted in a divorce!!!
Hasn't someone said ignorance is bliss!!!

one evening....

I was about to cross the road, suddenly someone tugged my dupatta. The 1st thing that came to my mind, must be some eveteaser- turned angrily to face a woman with a little baby in her hand. She was dressed extremely shabbily-saree was tattered-weather beaten face, the baby was sleeping -must have been of about 6 months or so.She asked me if i can understand hindi- I nodded . She began speaking- could barely control her tears while she spoke. She had come to the city with her husband, who apparently had got a job in a glass factory. Her husband made her wait in a park bench and went to buy some milk for the child- he did not return-it had been 2 hours since then-he had all their luggage as well. She had been wandering about trying to look for him since then.By the time she finished her story she was sobbing loudly. Clearly situation demanded that I help her-I could not leave a young village woman with no money and a small baby to fend for herself in a big city full of strangers . The first thought that came to my mind was that the baby and the mother would be hungry-I opened my purse - meagre 50 Rs lying unassumingly in a corner- Damn this ATM and card dependence- I have stopped carrying cash in large quantities -and this was too less- never-the-less i gave it to her-she took it gratefully with lots of murmurings of blessings, though the expectant look remained on her face- means a little more money would me most welcome and I couldnt agree with her more.But the nearest ATM was easily 2 kms away. And it was important to look for her husband- so I suggested Police Station- immediately she started sobbing again -saying that she hasnt done anything wrong to deserve being taken to a police station. Some people walking by began to give me strange looks-so loud were her tears. I had to explain her in my english mixed hindi that we need police's help to look for her husband, also they would be able to provide her with shelter for the night. Her sobbing would not stop-she said she would wait in the park for her husband else would go back to their village by the next bus. Her resistance was so high that I thought it better not to trouble her. Took a piece of paper and gave her my address and telephone number and asked her to contact me(though I was not sure how she would do this being illiterate) .Also advised her to go to the nearest police station for help. She thanked me and walked away. I crossed the road and walked back home. Spent a sleepless night wondering what should have been the correct thing for me to do. I kept reproaching myself for having turned away and walked back home, I was feeling extremly guilty. I kept worrying about the same thing even @ work. On my way back, while doing some window shopping-a familiar voice caught my attention-Imagine my surprise when I saw the same woman with the same saree with a different baby in her arms -she was talking to a elderly couple about 30 mts away from me-I wnt closer to them to evesdrop on their conversation. She was repeating the same story again to them- and from the sympathetic noises they were making-it seemed very likely that this time she would get more than Rs 50. I walked away feeling very sad-it seemed such a desperate move for an individual to play such a trick in the same locality every day-hunger makes a person so desperate!!! The last thought that came to my mind before sleeping that night was- does she even know the gender of the baby(s) that she carries with her to work everyday??