Uhamiri
Introduction to the Author:
Ms. Nilima Meher is a junior lecturer in Panchayat College Bargarh, Dept. of English. She is pursuing her PhD from Sambalpur University, Odisha. She has one English poem collection Songs of Life to her credit. She has published many articles and short stories in various international journal. She is a critic, a poetess, a story writer and translator as well.
She was born to distribute happiness to all. Soon after her birth her mother died. Earlier her mother gave birth three girl child. It was not liked particularly by her father and grandfather. They always wanted a son from her. She was doing all the effort available in her locality like worshipping and tacking medicine from the quacks to give her husband a son. But all her attempt failed. She became too weak due to her pregnancy thrice with a less gap. Moreover, she became mentally weak for the things her father-in-law and her husband used to tell her. They threatened her they warned to leave her if this time she would not give them a son. Almost all the time she drowned in the thought, in a fear of her future. What she will do when her husband will leave her in her parents’ house because they are poor and old enough to rear her. She floated up from her depressed thought sometimes when she thought about the child in her womb. She never aspired whether the child is a girl or a boy. She is the mother who has theoretically became mother that in practical she never attained motherhood. She has lost her three children without getting their sense of existence. She only hoped for the child who is now in her womb to bring happiness to all, to her, to her husband and fathers in law. This became true. The child was born to create laughter in everybody’s lip and brought good fortune to people related to her.
Her first blessing was on her mother. She redeemed her with death. She gave her eternal peace. Now she was no more to be tortured by her husband as well as by her father-in-law. She was taken under the care of her two most loving aunties and old grandmother. The three women took great care of her. Her childhood days were very delicate like her own body. She enjoyed the best days in her life without her consciousness.
Now her father is liberated to marry. He married a lady who was much younger than him. He lead a life of his own where he enjoyed the youth ness of his new wife. He was basking in the sweetness of his life. Which seemed to him the flowing nectar of heaven. He used to ask his second wife a son. She made just a beautiful promise to her husband. The little child was unaware of all these things which were happening around her. She was the apple of her grand parents’ eyes. She was an angel with the heart of gold. All the blessings of happiness showered from the basket of God lasted few years. When she attended the age of eight her grandparents died.
II
Tension became palpable after her eight birthday because her step mother had been blessed with a son and she was navigating the life of her husband. Now the little girl of eight became lonely as a lamb who had been missed in the jungle from its other fellow lambs. Her father did not pay any heed to her only due to the reason that he wanted a son. So, she went to work as a housemaid to do the work of babysitting to rich and wealthy houses.
She was a girl of enthusiasm. She was full of life and additionally full of interest. Her ways to people attracted the attention to everyone. Outside her home everyone aspired a girl child like her. She was patronized under a rich man’s family who treated her kindly. First they appointed her a babysitter and after two to four years the wife of the rich man helped her to learn how to cook. Within few months she became excellent and perfect in cooking. At an early age she knew the art of cooking along with her new inventions. The quality of her was received in an appreciative way by the people but her parent’s reception was cold. Marriage proposal came to her. Her father wanted to remove her from his life. So, he agreed for the marriage. She was fourteen then. The master of the house where the girl was serving opposed and threatened her father not to give the girl in marriage so earlier. The master wanted to send her to school to make her self-sufficient. Her eagerness to learn and know anything was very strong. So, in a holiday tour they took her to Rajasthan. She was accompanied by the master, mistress and their children. They lived in the sister’s house of the master. His sister was so affectionate. Her life was like a rolling stone. The girl along with the children used to call her aunty. She was liked very much by aunty. She never treated her like a servant. One of aunty’s daughter became the follower of Jainism. Aunty never forbid anyone to lead their life with other’s choice. She always want nobody should interfere in another’s life. When everybody in the house were against the girl to adopt Jainism only aunty was in support of her daughter. To her life is one’s own and we get it once. So, it should be lead positively by the owner of the body.
The Jaina saints came to the house to take aunty’s daughter with them. They only served boiled food to them before sunset. Though aunty cried for her daughter still happy to liberate her daughter from the imposed wills of others. She witnessed all the incidents. She realized the harshness of the religion. But her definition of religion was different. She believed God exists in love and fellow feeling. Love was the key thing what she was getting and at the same time lacking. She was like the honey bee who takes its part of sweetness from flowers and let them develop as fruits. She gave everybody happiness and filled their lives with sweetness.
III
Life changed after she returned from Rajasthan. A man from her maternal uncle’s village selected a man for her. The man who was arranged was an orphan at a very young age. He already lost faith on God and cut off relation from society and was leading a life of alienation. Her aunties were not in support of the marriage because they always expected their sweet heart to be a butterfly in a flower orchard. They never wanted her to become a fish out of water. But her father decided to give her daughter in marriage to the man brought by his brother-in-law. Many arguments started at home. Nobody’s opinion matched member convinced her father but he remained stubborn as a child. She did not want any kind of disturbance at home. When no way left she get ready to marry. She accepted everything as luck. Her aunties were so much depressed with her decision. They could not think off the future of their sweet heart. Her grandparents were cursing the day he was born and expressed sorrow for the girl, why she came to the world and had such misfortune. After all these controversies the marriage date was fixed after the wine carrying ceremony. Bride price was also fixed. The bridegroom gave two grown up goats, five bags of rice and two sarees. In a wintry evening the marriage was materialized. All her beloved presented her many things. Her aunties gave her some golden ornaments as per their capacity as blessings. The master came and presented her the best and costly saree. It was of golden white colour having very small branches and tiny flowers with pink and green colour. It was so light and transparent. While she wore it the flowers moved and it seemed like twinkling stars on her. All remained happy to see her marriage and wished for her happy married life. Then in the next morning she came to her husband’s home.
IV
In her husband ‘s home she received a very warm welcome by the local people. All the ladies of the colony joined in the reception and blessed her. She gave gift to all the visiting ladies. All were impressed by the charm, beauty and behavior of the girl. She lived in a single room mud and thatched house. The room had many holes and little space to keep things, cook and sleep. She hardly took two to three days to mix with people and know the local area. Immediately she collected clay from the nearest farm with the local ladies. She made shelves, filled the holes, made the floor smooth and the varandah a smooth & shiny one. She kept all those things in the shelves, covered it with clothes, made beautiful heart, made separate shelves to worship God. Now space in the room increased. Everyday visitors started coming to her home after her husband went to work. The house which was earlier deserted now carried much space to live in with lively and chatty people at home. She respected the senior people so much, danced with young girls, played with small kids and kept all new born at her home with the absence of their mother. So, people from all age group became favorite to her. She was cooking all kind of food. On every occasion she used to distribute food to the colony people. She started keeping the money of her husband and manage the home smoothly. Many years passed. She wanted to have a home of her own and at the same time to have a baby. She started saving money for it. She thought of giving a good future to their baby. So, thought of some preparation. For it she kept two things in mind. First one was house of her own and education. She wanted to be educated first. So, that she can give good education to her baby. In this process she begged the help of a girl living in her area. She was studying in class seven. She was very good in learning and helpful to others. From her she learnt to read and write. Apart from this she learnt politics, environmental science, general science, history, general mathematics, health hygein, maps and many more. She developed a loving relationship with that girl. Most of the time she aspired to have a girl child like her. She used to have a joke with the girl’s mother to give her the girl.
In this way five years passed. She started to think of extending her family. Her preparation was almost done. She tried a lot. But for two months no result came out. She saved enough money to buy a plot. But no land was available by then. She became worried and started worshipping various gods and goddess on various days. Finally on the eighth year of her marriage she became pregnant. She saved more money. By this time a piece of good land was available to them. They brought it. Earlier where no money was there. Now with her luck land, gold and money came to her.
V
All the people rejoiced in her happiness. All the colony members started taking care of her. She asked for everybody’s blessing to have a healthy baby. Everybody prayed for her and wished for her fine future. Her aunties visited many times. They wanted her to have her delivery there at her father’s house. But she refused. She did not want so. She wanted not to create any disturbance in her father’s life. Because six months ago only her father got his second child from her second wife. She had made her husabnd’s home a heaven one and people nearby her biggest family. So, she refused them and sent them back.
On the eight month of her pregnancy she gave birth a son operation was needed for it. All her savings gone. Her husband with lot of difficulties arranged money. Both of them forgot the pain when they saw the face of the baby boy. On the seventh day the doctor discharged her. She came happy to home. Everybody welcomed her blessed the child. On that night and till next day the house was over crowded with visitors. On the afternoon of the eighth day she felt something in her stomach and for relief she went to farm. On her return her body became cool. She suffered from hypothermia. People on their level best tried to keep her warm. Then she was taken to hospital. On the way she prayed every God and Goddess to give her life to live with her family. Before she could reach the hospital she died.
Her husband became too much distressed and disturbed. With a stone in his heart he managed to give a funeral to her. He thought of living for her son. But this was also not in his luck. Eight days after the death of her wife her son also died. This time he becomes too much outrageous and breaks the idols and photos of Gods & Goddess worshipped by her wife. He started cursing and blaming them. In the beginning also when he lost her parents in childhood he started to hate God. Due to her wife’s effort he regained the faith and became sociable.
After her death she becomes the Uhamiri for the people who came in her life. She was rich like the rives Goddess Uhamiri, blessed with beauty and graceful and rich. But she is without husband and son. She remained rich in everybody’s mind. She gifted everyone something in life. She never took anything from anyone.
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