My recently found maalish wallah Kishore, who is a quiet and gentle soul with strong hands, told me this morning that he is going for two weeks to his village near Mathura.
I asked him if there is any special event in his village. He said the purpose is to meet 3 different boys and their families to select one for his daughter to marry. One of the boys is an engineer who earns ₹30 K per month.
Kishore’s 19 year old daughter is “12th class pass” and wants to study further. However Kishore does not agree. When I asked for the reason he told me he will have to find a “ hi-fi” boy for her if she becomes a graduate, and then the “ demands” from the boy’s family will be too high . When he perceived no sign of approval he added that there is no college in his village so the girl would have had to commute. He went on to say that the thinking in villages is very different from the thinking in cities. I grunted inaudibly .
After some time I suggested to Kishore that he can ask each boy he meets – and the boy’s family- whether the idea of his daughter studying further and taking up a job is acceptable . I told him that the attitude of the boy and his family in this regard maybe more important for his daughter’s future than the boy’s salary. Kishore grinned and nodded vigorously. He went on to say that youngsters need to change themselves to keep up with a changing world ! I hope my grunt sounded like applause this time.
Since the man will be going away for two weeks I asked him to continue the massage a little longer. He had become somewhat talkative by then and told me about his village, which included a narration of the fable of Bahula, the cow whom Krishna Bhagwan had saved from a tiger. I had not heard this story earlier.
One of the things Kishore mentioned in the course of his narration is that Daal- Baati and Churma are a Mathura specialty . He scoffed when I said I thought it was an invention of Rajasthan. I remembered the Rasogola war and held my peace. As many of friends, including Marwaris ( may God bless them and their Maharajs )know, I often choose to be diplomatic in a potentially argumentative situation, especially if the pleasure of a meal – in this case a massage – is at stake.
Before he left Kishore showed me 3 photographs of his family which he carries in his wallet. The love was palpable.
PS : Talking about food during fasting ( intermittent ) may not have been wise though – but on second thoughts I think it is best to follow the wisdom of the gut .
Origins be damned ! Daal – Baati !! This could be an opportunity to verify if the Laws of Attraction really work ! 🤔
#educategirls #socialchange
#girl-child
#mathura
#maalish
#conversations
#family
#Krishna
#village
An ordinary life 