Devi

It was one of those blissful mornings where one wakes up and wishes to snuggle back into their cosy blankets, just to enjoy the sound of the rain hitting their bedroom windows. The rhythmic pitter-patter sound would lull them to a sweet half-sleep and half-awake state of mind. Such are the trivial joys of life!

But for some people, such ‘joys’ don’t exist.

Devi felt a surge of disappointment when the alarm clock buzzed. It interrupted her dream. As soon as she was awake, the list of activities lined up for the day hit the inside of her head so hard that in a flash she forgot her dream. She only remembered a trail of sweet feelings that it left behind. She twitched her eyebrows and tried hard to concentrate and recall it but instead her memory kept dumping tasks from her ‘to-do-list’ one by one.

“Prepare Vidhaan for his exams next week”, 

“Get costume for Vidhi’s fancy dress in playschool”, 

“Order Papa’s medicines”, 

“Give Ma’s blouse for stitching”,

“Make Suraj’s favourite mango pickle”

“Give Kanta Bai the salary advance she requested”

These messages kept popping up in her brain in a roundabout fashion not giving her forgotten dream a chance to reappear. When all her efforts became futile, she threw aside her blanket and sat up in frustration.

“Why does every morning of mine have to be like this?” She muttered and patted her head trying to evade the feeling of heaviness creeping inside it.

Devi let out a big yawn and rubbed her eyes. Dim light played hide and seek around the wraps of the curtain and trails of raindrop kept sliding on the window glasses.

“Morning rain! Oh now where will I dry the clothes after laundry?…”

“No sun for the pickles today…”

“I hope all the windows are bolted”

“I wish there was milk in the fridge, the milkman will be late today…”

So now we know why certain ‘trivial joys’ of life don’t exist for certain people.

It was the weekend, a relaxing break for people who work all week. She could hear the soft snoring of her husband Suraj sleeping beside her. Devi also worked all week but her case was different. She belonged to a ‘tribe’ where the weekend was even busier since the whole family was present at home along with their endless demands and requests. But then she loved it that way. She liked taking care of her family. 

Now that she was wide awake, she thought it was a better idea to get up from the bed and begin her chores so that she could finish them early. Time was always ‘early’, ‘on-time’ or ‘late’ for her. It was never ‘free’.

As Devi walked towards the living room with lazy steps, yawning all the while, she got startled with the sudden noise and movement.

Her two kids, 8 year-old son Vidhaan and 3 year-old daughter Vidhi leaped at her from behind and caught hold of her from both the sides. They hugged her in a tight grip and kept screaming at the top of their voice.

“Happy Birthday Mummy! Happy Birthday Mummy!”

Devi almost toppled over them due to this sudden confusion. But she laughed aloud and hugged them in her arms, planting a kiss on their foreheads.

“Thank you, my babies! How come you are up so early? Today there is no school” Devi was curious since it takes half an hour and a good amount of struggle on her part daily to wake them up in the morning.

“Just like that, Mummy!” Vidhaan answered.

“Since it’s your birthday, that’s why Mummy!”  chuckled Vidhi, the smarter one.

“I know… you guys do the unexpected always” she rolled her eyes and laughed. Devi felt happy that her monotonous morning changed its tone after all.

Devi’s in-laws, Ramakant Trivedi and Janaki Trivedi woke up due to the noise made by the kids. Kanta Bai, their maid, also stormed into the house and looked too busy to notice anything.

“Is a peaceful sleep on a weekend too much to ask for?” Suraj too woke up with irritation in his voice.

“Happy birthday Devi…” He sat on the sofa and wished Devi while checking emails on his phone. Devi’s in-laws wished her too.

Devi thanked all of them. The children seemed too excited about their mother’s birthday.

“Mummy this is my gift to you… your most favourite thing… a cup of tea in the morning!” Vidhi handed a little pink plastic cup with a barbie doll printed on it.

“Aww my baby is so thoughtful!” She took the cup and imitated drinking it although it was empty. “ Wow, it’s perfect Vidhi! I loved it. Thank you so much!” She hugged her again and felt elated.

Then Vidhi did something which seemed like ‘a cute act by a smart little girl’ in the beginning but it had some strong repercussions later on. She stood up on the sofa, as she did while reciting rhymes or telling stories, expecting an undivided attention from her audience and said out loud.

“My tea was doll’s tea… but Mummy is not a doll… she loves normal tea… but I’m a kid so can’t make normal tea… so on her birthday we will give her ‘birthday tea’ as a gift… who will make it for her?” The adorable way she talked made everyone laugh. All clapped too! 

Then everyone got busy with whatever they were doing. But Vidhi was expecting an answer so she said again.

“So, who will make a ‘birthday tea’ for mummy? Raise your hand!” She asked the way her teacher at playschool did when she wanted more participation from the students.

Devi waited for somebody to ‘raise their hands’ so that she could stop them from doing so and make tea for the whole family like every other day. The words were almost on her lips.

“Oh no need to make tea… I will do it… please don’t bother… “

But somehow all had gone deaf at that moment. Nobody paid heed to Vidhi’s words. An awkward silence ensued. 

Kanta Bai’s rants broke the silence.

“Vidhi baby don’t look at me. This is my third house in the morning. I have vessels to wash. Moreover, I’m here for cleaning and washing only. I never signed up for doing useless work  like making tea for Madam.”  Kanta Bai said, waving the sponge in front of her own face, sprinkling tiny droplets of soap bubbles in the air.

The words hit Devi since whenever she made tea in the morning, she always reserved a cup for Kanta Bai without her asking for it. She thought Kanta Bai worked hard for a living, and a hot cup of tea would freshen her up. 

Ramakant Trivedi, Devi’s father-in-law, buried his nose further into the newspaper and his concentration level would put a wannabe IAS student to shame. In his mind, the question of his granddaughter was ‘not applicable’ to him. In the society that he belonged to, even the idea of a father-in-law making tea for his daughter-in-law was ridiculous. 

Janaki Trivedi, Devi’s mother-in-law, was deeply engrossed in making a sweater for her son Suraj. She kept making calculations on her knitting pattern, turning and tossing the incomplete sweater multiple times as if it ceased to make any sense to her. That was surprising since her expertise on this subject was unparalleled. She worked like a robot with knitting needles and yarn. But all of a sudden she was behaving like a novice.

Both were acting weird but their beloved son Suraj was just being ‘Suraj’. He was glued to his mobile screen and typing now and then. He heard what his daughter said but ignored. He liked to work based on importance and ‘making tea for his wife on her birthday’ could compete nowhere with his important office mails, financial updates and the stock market.

So, the next words that came out of his mouth sizzled like a red chilli tempering on boiling hot daal!

“Whoever is making tea, please add a cup for me too…” He said in a nonchalant manner without even looking up.

Silence ensued again except the occasional clunk-clunk sound made by Kanta Bai in the kitchen. This type of situation was not rare. It was quite common in Devi’s household when she was ignored. She never expected anyone to do her jobs but a few good words or a kind gesture could hurt nobody but that never happened. 

Only a few seconds might have passed but it felt like an eternity to Devi. The smile on her face had faded. Her feet remained plastered to the same spot and her fingers fumbled with the pink plastic tea cup in her hand. She felt out of place in her own house. A powerful wave of emotions swept through her.

“A minimum of 20 cups of tea daily… the snacks and the savouries … the lunches and the dinners… the juices and the pickles… the cakes and the sweets” Devi’s mind raced “ my soul and my mind… my love and my care… my life and my existence…” She felt a lump rising in her throat.

“Why is no one volunteering to make tea for me?”

“Why are they ignoring it, however silly it might sound?”

“Why is that expression of indifference on their faces?”

“Is making tea for me one time too bizarre a thing to ask for?” 

“Do they even acknowledge that I take care of them every day of my life?”

“Do they give importance to anything that I do for them?” 

Devi’s head felt like bursting and her eyes filled up with tears as all these questions kept on hitting her mind.

Deep within her heart Devi knew the answers to all of them. These questions and many like these had troubled her from time to time and each time she has suppressed them. But this time something snapped within her. Her patience, understanding and her tendency to ignore such tiny yet poignant incidents reached its limit. 

And then it exploded without warning.

Devi heaved a deep sigh. It was so intense that all turned to look at her. She was breathing fast and her eyebrows were knitted. The edges of her eyes were streaked with a bright shade of crimson. The usual calmness of her face was replaced by raw anger as if a silent sea was hit by a fierce storm. Her thick black hair which was tied in a loose bun came undone and flew like angry flames framing her face and torso adding menace to her look. She whimpered and an aura of bright light shone behind her whole body. All watched in horror as a pair of four hands emerged from that blinding light and attached themselves on the shoulders of Devi. It looked like Ma Durga herself had ascended in their living room and she was angry… very angry.

The jingling of temple bells and the reverberating sound of conch shells filled the air. The newspaper slipped from Ramakantji’s hands and he began shaking like a leaf in rhythm with the sounds. Janakiji covered her mouth in awe with the half-knitted sweater and the knitting needle dropped on the floor. A scream escaped Kanta Bai’s mouth as she stood like a statue with soap water dripping from the soaked sponge in her hand and forming a pool near her feet. These drastic events had succeeded in making Suraj look up from his screen. This new ‘avatar’ of Devi baffled him. He froze in his place.

When adults go clueless, the children with their simple yet logical thoughts come to rescue. Vidhi rushed to Kanta Bai in the kitchen and shook her to bring her back from her dazed state.

“Kanta aunty.. please wash mummy’s teacup and the saucepan” 

The pompous Kanta Bai, who in normal days hated taking orders from anyone, was relieved on being told what to do. 

Vidhaan called out to his father “ Daddy only you can save us from this ‘mommy apocalypse’!” Suraj was impressed at his son’s vocabulary but then he shifted his attention to the situation.

Suraj entered the unknown terrain of the kitchen. He managed to find water and poured it in the sauce pan. But it proved to be a herculean task for him to find the lighter, tea leaves and sugar. His nimble hands, which were experts in keyboards, failed miserably in this task. He dropped bottles and spilled stuff all over the kitchen.

“Ma! Can you sometimes help in the kitchen when needed?” The harsh words fired by him hurt Janakiji directly in the heart. At that rare and minutest moment she felt lucky to have Devi as her daughter-in-law who never talked to her in that manner. She opened the cupboards and handed him the jars marked ‘tea’ and ‘sugar’.

“Beta, can you sometimes open your eyes and see the world that revolves around your laptop?” Janakiji felt impressed with her sarcastic choice of words although they didn’t have much effect on her son. 

Her son didn’t have the time to react to such comments. He was struggling to avoid an apocalypse. He poured a spoonful of sugar and tea into the water.

Kanta Bai showcased her special skills by adding grated ginger and crushed cardamom into the water without being asked!

“Milk!” Suraj let out another cry of help. But this time his mother was spared from his yellings as the packet of milk landed on the kitchen counter at once. No, the packet didn’t attain any powers like Devi but was brought from the fridge by the blessed hands of Ramakantji. 

Ramakantji also wanted to play a part in calming the fury of the goddess in their living room. So he was proactive and brought the milk packet beforehand. Or it might have happened that he was scared to sit all alone in the living room under the direct gaze of the goddess and went to cool himself by opening the fridge and spotted the milk packet just in time. Whatever the reason, he was awarded with a heartfelt “Thank you” from his son much to the chagrin of Janakiji.

Devi was fuming by now. Janakiji spotted a W shaped trishul (a weapon of destruction) taking shape in her hands. She got an inkling of what’s coming next and shuddered at the thought. Devi needed to be calmed at once. 

“How long does it take to make a single cup of tea Suraj?” Janakiji said with irritation.

“Ma, what are you expecting? You never taught me anything remotely related to the kitchen!” 

Janakiji had no reply.

Suraj went on and on with tea related queries and looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Project ‘Birthday tea’ was not going well for him and Ramakantji’s words added to his woes.

“Devi gives me tea in less than five minutes… and the taste is unbeatable… and the colour is…!” .

“Enough Papa! This is not helping…” Suraj snapped and Ramakantji went silent.

“But you are right… her tea is the best… and whatever else she cooks… and does… for us… life is tough without her” Suraj admitted in a low tone.

The tea kept bubbling on the stove and Devi’s weapons kept emerging one after another on her fierce frame…a sword, a bow, a pack of arrows. 

Suraj poured whatever he managed to make in the name of ‘tea’ into Devi’s favourite cup which had “I love my family” printed on it.

They went back to the living room. Devi’s form had turned fiercer than before. Her feet were adorned with red hibiscus coloured alta now. She was about to take a leap forward when Suraj came in front of her.

“Please accept this tea Devi Ma… I mean Devi!!”  Suraj blabbered, intimidated by the woman in front of his eyes who looked nothing like his dear wife. His hands kept shaking and the hot tea spilled from the cup and burnt his fingers. He was so astounded that he didn’t even wince.

But Devi was not listening. She was in a powerful trance.

All wondered what went so wrong that a calm and composed woman like Devi had to transform to her fiercest and destructive form? Who was the ‘asura’ here? 

“Nobody takes care of me the way she does… I’m confident that if I had volunteered to make tea for her, she would have forbidden me even to enter the kitchen… but I should have just raised my hand to say ‘I care’… she is the daughter I never had… but did I ever behave like a father to her?… Please leave your anger my dear daughter” Ramakantji’s mind was clouded with thoughts he knew his ego would forbid him from saying out loud.

“Calm down Devi, calm down!” Janakiji murmured beneath her breath. “I can understand the inadequacy you feel each day when the work that you do goes unnoticed and unappreciated. I have faced the same in my younger days. But instead of doing things differently, I had taken it as the way of the world and imitated it. I will try to be the change women want to see Devi, please come back” Janaki promised herself.

“Women should uplift women. You have helped me with money and numerous kind gestures whenever I needed but I never felt thankful. I will admit that I was jealous of you, considered you to be the ‘privileged one’ who thrives on her husband’s money and help from you is my right and not your generosity. Today, I was mocking your miserable condition… Forgive my ignorance…” Kanta Bai joined both her hands.

“It’s all my fault… only mine… I love you Devi… but I have taken you for granted big time… I had labelled your work and love for us as your ‘duty’ which doesn’t need any kind of appreciation… only If I had just acknowledged it and not ignored you, this day would not have come. Forgive me Devi… please come back… please…” Suraj realised his mistake and repented.

All kept praying hard in their own ways. For a fleeting moment, Devi’s eyes rested on the teacup in Suraj’s hand and when it did, it remained glued to it. 

A hint of softness played in her smouldering eyes. The redness in them started to dissolve. She lowered her feet. Her arched eyebrows fell, waning the anger in her face. The intensity of the powerful energy around her started fading and her hair stopped flowing. All watched in awe as the aura around her began to diminish and the four pairs of arms that had developed on her shoulders began disappearing one by one. As her transformation progressed, the sound of temple bells and the conch shells reduced and Devi began looking more like her original self.

Devi’s eyes remained transfixed on the teacup for a while. She shuddered and looked around as if awakened from a deep sleep. Her family was staring at her as if they had seen a ghost.

“That tea is for me?” She asked Suraj in confusion.

“Yes, all of us helped Suraj make it!” Janakiji chirped in before Suraj could answer. 

Devi’s huge eyes popped out sending shivers to all present in the room dreading another transformation. 

“Oh my God really!” She chuckled and her face lit up with a bright smile. 

All breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mummy, we all made you a birthday tea!” Vidhi said in a singsong voice.

“Have the tea Devi before it gets cold” Janakiji insisted with concern.

“Why don’t you sit on the balcony and enjoy the rain while having tea…” Suraj added with all the charmness he could muster on his face.

“Take my reclining chair Devi… it’s very comfortable…” Ramakantji offered his chair and started to shift it towards the balcony.

“Uncle Ji, leave it… ” Kanta Bai came at the speed of lightning, snatched the chair from Ramakantji’s grip, picked it up with her strong hands and placed it on the balcony. She puffed up the cushions too in brisk motions.

Devi was rooted to the same place with a perplexed look on her face, her mouth slightly ajar. The weird and unusual behaviour of her family members didn’t make any sense to her. She jumped with a start when Suraj held her arm and pulled her to the balcony and pushed her into the chair and handed her the cup of tea.

“Enjoy your birthday tea Devi!” he looked into her eyes and smiled.

“You work so hard everyday. Relax as much as you want. We will go out for lunch today” Suraj said and went back to his work. Devi nodded.

Devi was speechless. She gaped at his expressions and gestures and failed to remember when she had last seen it.

Ramakantji began reading the remaining newspaper, Janakiji picked up her knitting from where she had left, Kanta Bai went back to complete her work in the kitchen and the children got busy playing with each other. 

Devi noticed that it was a beautiful morning indeed. The rain had soaked the potted plants hanging all along the railing of her balcony. The surroundings looked dewy fresh. Devi took a sip of tea and closed her eyes. She felt the warmth glide from her mouth through the inside of her throat. It seeped into her body and her head felt light like a feather. No ‘to-do-list’ interrupted her feelings this time. She began to enjoy the ‘trivial joys’ of life.

“Happy Birthday to me!” She smiled.

“ Jai Maa Durga! “ She added.

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