Harini and Grandpa- continuation

Next day:

How could she sleep whole night? She was trying so hard to sleep, but her disturbed mind never left her alone. The moment she heard her aunt wake up, she woke up too. While her mom, dad and others are still fast asleep. It was 5 am in the morning and she was waiting for the sunrise.

Aunty: Oh sweety!! Why did you wake up so early?

Harini: Just like that aunty. Why did you wake up so early?

Aunty: (laughs)- I have so much to do… before your grandfather goes on his walk I must be done with teas and coffees prepared for everyone and before anything I have to look at the cows, feed them, clean the veranda and get prepared for the rest of the day.

She keeps walking and talking- as she collects hay enough for the cows in the shed..

Harini: (walking along with her aunty)- don’t you want o brush your teeth and wash yourself before all this?

Aunty: yes I will. Once I am done with the cows, I am going to start with my brushing and freshening and other regular activities.

They walk to the corner of the wall in the backyard where they generally freshen-up. Aunty is busy crushing the charcoal…

Harini: What are you doing aunty?

Aunty: Nothing…  why don’t you go and get your toothpaste and brush…?

Harini: I will get it, but what are you doing? (her aunty has the crushed coal powder in her left palm)

Aunty: Well, I am going brush my teeth in the meanwhile you too go get your necessities to freshen-up. We will then go to the garden and get some flowers and also decorate the entrance with some designs…

Harini jumped immediately and rushed to her bag, unable to find her things- she wakes- up her mom

Irritated with her rudeness- Lakshmi: Whats with you Harini, you don’t event let mama sleep well.

She gets back to the backyard and goes to her aunt… she screams of shock->

Aunty…. Your mouth is all black… throw that…

Aunty: stops it immediately and says, stop it.. don’t scream everyone will wake up.. This is what we use to brush our tooth..

Harini: really! Aunty show your teeth.. (she tried hard to peep in and see if her aunt’s tooth was still white as hers or not) and continues in amazement

Aunty, if brushing teeth was so simple, why should I use my toothpaste and brush? Give some of your black powder to me too…

Aunty: Oh no dear child, this is for older ones only. Kids don’t use this. Come lets do some work.

Jumping like a baby deer, she goes after her aunt… He aunt cleans the veranda, spreads the cow-dung to flatten the ground and starts with some dots and curves along the sides. Harini not knowing what it was tries her hand on it too… her aunt stops her as she felt that Harini would spoil her effort and engages her in some conversation… Tired with the talks so uninteresting, Harini run’s in…

She kept running from one room to another, from one corner of the hall to another; she kept waking one person after the other in search of her grand father. Finally she stopped after her failed attempt. Goes out again to her aunt and asks her where her grandpa was…

Aunty: Well, your grandpa just went out…

Harini: What? He went out did you say? But where? How can he go like that?

Aunty: Why are you so worried? He will come soon..

Harini: No… I am waiting to go out with him..

Harini did not know that people in villages wake early to go to a far distance to defecate. She thought it was all organised as it was in her city. Aunty did not know how to explain this, she says:

Generally elders go out in the morning to a far place to see the sunrise. To see the early morning sunrise is good for health and keeps one fit. This is meant for elders only as only they know the process to be followed to keep their health fit. Now don’t worry, go back and sleep or take shower, I am going to be busy… alright?

Harini: frowningly- with perfunctory lips protruding out says - No aunty.. grandpa cheated me… He said he will take me along with him on morning walk and show me kanchus…

Aunty: What? Kanchus… what do you do with kanchus? They are not meant for you… its  a boy thing baby… now stop crying.. I’ll show you something which is girly today.. okay?

Harini: no aunty… no no no…

Aunt stops her try to divert her mind.. and continues with her work… coming back slowly to home is her grandpa… walking home with his Lungi held in one hand and a plastic tumbler in the other… From a distance harini sees him and screams… Thatha… (Grandpa)…. And runs towards him… while he shoves her away.. Harini ignored it and held his wrist and continued… why do you leave me and go? Come lets go and find them…

Grandpa murmurs to his daughter-in-law- how to answer this girl? And laughs vaguely… while she answers, I told her you went to pray to sun god… you better keep it going, else she’s gonna eat your brains up to find the right answer… and laughs

Grandpa: baby, I’d been to do some regular work. I haven’t still gone on walk. Go get me some tea, aunty will give. Then we will get freshened and go on our walk.

Happy harini… laughs. She whisper’s in her grandpa’s ears… did you know a while ago aunty’s tooth was black… giggles… she was looking so ugly.. don’t tell her I told ok… grandpa nods his head… promise… she leads her hand out. He dint know what it meant… he just held her palm… she goes in to get him his tea cup.. grandpa murmurs all alone- crazy girl…

In no minute she rushes out with hot cup of tea… seeking help to get rid of the heat, she runs shouting… 

thatha…. He runs insides towards her and immediately takes the tea cup from her hand.. he says aloud, could not someone give it in a plate, how does the child know to hold a hot cup of tea and walks her out. He tells her to get ready to go on his regular morning walk. In an hour’s time both walk out ready to take a stroll into the village. As they start to walk, harini starts with her story about how she spent whole night, her fanciful dreams, her wishful thoughts about this morning and so on… grandpa continues to laugh and nod and humms and haahhhsss…

As they continue to walk into the village they are greeted by various people; people going to the field, ladies filling their pots of water carrying them to their homes… pots and pots everywhere, on their waist, on their head, in their hands, all very well balanced… most of the scenes from the village where very interesting, and shocking to Harini.. At times she wondered how people were so talented, how they learnt the way they were and how she was ignorant of so many things.  Sometimes she her grandpa about who was wishing him, sometimes who would ignore him, sometimes to which place they were headed and sometimes bang on agenda- where were the kanchus…  Grandpa was just loaded with questions and blank of answers… there go, on and on and on…. Like as if they were nomads going to no-where that they know.