“Where are we going?” I ask.
“To the railway station, Appan is coming back from Calcutta by today’s train.”
The railway station is crowded and noisy. People are waiting for the train to come, some are waiting as passengers others waiting to receive their relatives while still others are seeing off relatives and friends. And everyone is talking loudly.
“Amma you are hurting my hand, you are holding my hands too tightly.” I pull trying to free my hand from her grasp.
“Stay still. If I let go some beggar will come and make off with you and turn you into a beggar.”
I move closer to amma, look around for any suspicious looking beggar who is plotting to take me away. A man in dirty taters come close holds out his hands and says, “Amma thaye, give something to a poor man.”
I look away move even closer to amma, then turn around to peek at the man again, he has moved closer to me and I can feel his smelly breath on me, I scream. Amma looks down and sees I am scared and picks me up. From the security of Amma’s arms I look down at the man but he is nowhere to be seen.
“Listen, Can you hear the train coming?”
Appappan takes me closer so that I can see the train coming from afar. Soon the train is in the station and people are rushing about, getting in getting out, vendor hawking food and porters carrying bags.
“There, There Appan is coming.” All of us turn around and Appan waves.
“You have lost so much weight.” Ammamma says.
“Well what did you expect, I was sick for nearly a month and a half.”
“So how are my darling daughters?” He picks me up and all of us move towards the entrance.
“What have you brought for me Appa?”
“Wait till we get home. I will show you.”
At home I am impatient for him to open the bags and show us everything. But the adults have other plans they want to talk talk and talk. So I put my head on Appan’s shoulders and close my eyes and listen to endless adult talk.
“The typhoid must have been form something I ate, that plus the cold made me very weak so I ended up with pneumonia as well.”
“Good thing they decided to take you to the hospital immediately.”
“You see I had planned a trip to Kajuraho temples as the train goes through Kajuraho on the way to Calcutta. I think that is where the typhoid came from.”
“How was it?”
The temples are beautiful, statues and statues of the perfect woman. There are sets of statues showing a usual routine day of a woman. She gets up, bathes, combs her hair, wears jewelry, gets dressed and the beauty of it is that in each statue she looks perfect almost as if she is in a dance pose. I have actually got a set of replicas of these statues.”
He goes off and gets them.
“Most of these replicas are made with stone but where I could not find the stone replicas I bought plaster of Paris ones.”
They are beautiful. They are naked. “See the perfection of the figurines, it is as if the breast were made using a compass to make a perfect circle.”
Everyone admires them.
“When we build a new house we will display them.”
Appan takes them back and carefully arranges them on the top shelf of the wall cupboard, out of my reach. Then looks down and says, “Don’t take them down, don’t touch them. They are very delicate and will break if you handle them carelessly.” Then gives me a kiss.
Then he shows me the things he has got for me, a beautiful block printed shirt.
“Look, Look the shirt Appan got me from Calcutta.” I run off and show it to the others. Every one comes over to watch appan take out things we had brought. There are gifts for all, Saris and shirts and dresses and frocks. Everyone has gifts but the shirt Appan got from Calcutta is the best.
“To the railway station, Appan is coming back from Calcutta by today’s train.”
The railway station is crowded and noisy. People are waiting for the train to come, some are waiting as passengers others waiting to receive their relatives while still others are seeing off relatives and friends. And everyone is talking loudly.
“Amma you are hurting my hand, you are holding my hands too tightly.” I pull trying to free my hand from her grasp.
“Stay still. If I let go some beggar will come and make off with you and turn you into a beggar.”
I move closer to amma, look around for any suspicious looking beggar who is plotting to take me away. A man in dirty taters come close holds out his hands and says, “Amma thaye, give something to a poor man.”
I look away move even closer to amma, then turn around to peek at the man again, he has moved closer to me and I can feel his smelly breath on me, I scream. Amma looks down and sees I am scared and picks me up. From the security of Amma’s arms I look down at the man but he is nowhere to be seen.
“Listen, Can you hear the train coming?”
Appappan takes me closer so that I can see the train coming from afar. Soon the train is in the station and people are rushing about, getting in getting out, vendor hawking food and porters carrying bags.
“There, There Appan is coming.” All of us turn around and Appan waves.
“You have lost so much weight.” Ammamma says.
“Well what did you expect, I was sick for nearly a month and a half.”
“So how are my darling daughters?” He picks me up and all of us move towards the entrance.
“What have you brought for me Appa?”
“Wait till we get home. I will show you.”
At home I am impatient for him to open the bags and show us everything. But the adults have other plans they want to talk talk and talk. So I put my head on Appan’s shoulders and close my eyes and listen to endless adult talk.
“The typhoid must have been form something I ate, that plus the cold made me very weak so I ended up with pneumonia as well.”
“Good thing they decided to take you to the hospital immediately.”
“You see I had planned a trip to Kajuraho temples as the train goes through Kajuraho on the way to Calcutta. I think that is where the typhoid came from.”
“How was it?”
The temples are beautiful, statues and statues of the perfect woman. There are sets of statues showing a usual routine day of a woman. She gets up, bathes, combs her hair, wears jewelry, gets dressed and the beauty of it is that in each statue she looks perfect almost as if she is in a dance pose. I have actually got a set of replicas of these statues.”
He goes off and gets them.
“Most of these replicas are made with stone but where I could not find the stone replicas I bought plaster of Paris ones.”
They are beautiful. They are naked. “See the perfection of the figurines, it is as if the breast were made using a compass to make a perfect circle.”
Everyone admires them.
“When we build a new house we will display them.”
Appan takes them back and carefully arranges them on the top shelf of the wall cupboard, out of my reach. Then looks down and says, “Don’t take them down, don’t touch them. They are very delicate and will break if you handle them carelessly.” Then gives me a kiss.
Then he shows me the things he has got for me, a beautiful block printed shirt.
“Look, Look the shirt Appan got me from Calcutta.” I run off and show it to the others. Every one comes over to watch appan take out things we had brought. There are gifts for all, Saris and shirts and dresses and frocks. Everyone has gifts but the shirt Appan got from Calcutta is the best.
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