Episode 1

PROLOGUE

AADHAR (Support)

I will now take you way back to the year 1925…..

Sound Of water pouring on the ears, waves of water rushing to the shore pouring there buckets of sand on the shore and then rushing backwards again to fill there buckets… The Sun just emerging from the middle of the sea like a hot blob of liquid metal from the furnace is taken out. The color of the water turning red near the Sun and then fading as it went farther, after a few minutes the whole sun came out spreading its light as far as possible. The light is spread across every part of land and waking every small insect on the land… The coconut trees tall and handsome waving there branches as if Welcoming the New Day and making a Music for the day along with the flowing Wind and the chirping birds all around.


Most of the land is under cultivation, and by this time of year the crops are grown to there full height. Farmers waking up early and rushing to there farms for keeping them safe from the birds and other animals from eating away there crops.
All this is seen in the Nagaon district near Alibaug. Watching this beautiful sight through a small window is a 9 year old Girl named Laxmi. Thinking of running out to the beach side and enjoy the cool climate of the morning, the chirping birds and the music she has to sit in the room. She is dejected by the thought that she is not able to do this as her other friends are doing. Then she thinks again, Friends? She just has seen them through this window and met them once.

*** Laxmi is a good looking cute little girl from a middle class Maharashtrian family. She lives with her parents, including mom dad and her 2 sisters and 1 brother. One of her sister Kiran is elder than a year, and other Malu younger than 1 year. Brother Shankar (Bapu) is the youngest of all. Now it is understandable that with 6 people in middle class family is not what is expected. Those were hard days for them. ***


Sitting there near the window she saw water tinkling down her eyes, she rubbed them as it was her everyday’s routine. But there wasn’t even a day when she didn’t rush to the window early in the morning. She just loved it, and was as if she visits the beach through her mind. Thinking about the friends and beach, a sound comes through the door “Children, come out quickly, he is taking bath! Come quickly and take the breakfast to your room.” There mother Jija made them food secretly for the children as there father was a bit strict on the children. They should eat a limited quantity and only 2 times Lunch and Dinner. All the kids rush to the kitchen without making noise of there foot steps and take there part and rush back again to the room.
Even a half bowl of Pohe (what they called it in Marathi) were very much enough to fill there stomachs up to noon. Waking up at 5:00 am they needed something before the lunch. This was only understood by there mother and not by there father. She also gave her part of food to the kids whenever it was not possible for her to make food for kids separately and secretly.

There father Madhav Joshi., intelligent from birth always excelled in his studies from childhood. Sanskrit was his favorite and he was able to recite all the well known Granthas. It was as Sanskrit was his mother tongue and was a God gift as thought by others. At the age of 12 he started giving Preaching to the people from the knowledge he had gained from the Holy books referred by the Maharashtrians. All the Ved’s were studied by him thoroughly. It was this which made him very much famous among his village. At the age of 15 when he was too much elder (as thought by his parents) he was married with Jija who was of 9 years by that time. She gave birth to the first kid at the age of 15. And then as per there tradition to have a boy, they took chance till Bapu was born. By this time Bapu is of 5 years.
Jija was a well known singer in her family. She lived in the nearby village, and during Kirtan’s and Bhajan’s she always travelled with her father to sing the bhajan’s along with him. Her father was a broad minded person which was very rare in the early 19th century. He never discriminated in Girl and a Boy and always took her with her brother. This was the reason why Jija always supported her own children but always tried not to disobey the rules set by her Husband Madhav.


They lived in a huge house, WADA which is what it is called. Having 4 children and a wife to be supported, Madhav wanted some financial support other than the income from his Preaching. Wherever he went for a Kirtan or Bhajan, he used to get Rice, Wheat sometimes Sugar, Jaggery, Fruits and in very rare cases money. But as seen, He was a Scholar but in his own way. He only brought a very little part of all this to his home. Other all he distributed to the fellow villagers. Jija in that case didn’t agree to this. She said, our kids are also waiting that some day dad will bring the fruits for them. It was just impossible for him to purchase anything. The huge house needed maintenance, cattle needed people to take them to bath, clean them and all this required money… many of these work Jija tried to do by herself, but looking after kids, house, cattle was not much possible for the girl of 25 years.
Still all this was very well managed by Jija and Madhav. Even though they hardly spoke to each other, they very well shared there emotions, stress with each other. Jija never showed how she managed all her work at home. Always with a smile on her face to welcome Madhav back home after his whole day work. They lived with whatever they had. But there 4 kids, they never stopped growing, there needs Atleast food had to be fulfilled. With the Independence drive in the Indians, Atleast a child was demanded in the Drive against the English men.


*** That’s the background of the whole story. Main focus is on Laxmi (Bright Girl), along with her her family, surrounding Independence Drive and the nature of the beautiful place of Nagaon which Laxmi loved a lot. ***




***Next week on Monday the story will continue… ***