The name grandmother conjures up an image of a loving cuddly friend, silvery silk hair...soft wrinkled face...loving smile ...a bit of a mother a bit of a friend...and so much of a confidant..always ready to give in to our demands and always there to shelter us from mother's rebukes....a perfect soul mate to be in bed with and hear the best of bed time stories.
Such was my grandmother too--- an efficient tower of strength and responsibility for the whole household. She was married to my grandfather at the tender age of eleven, did not know anything of school or studies, only bedtime stories that she had been able to assimilate by the side of her own mother were the only wealth of knowledge that she had. On the other hand my grandfather, much older to her by years was an extremely bright scholar all through and his merits got him laurels and scholarships from the early years of his learning days. Being such an extremely meritorious scholar he naturally got into the teaching profession, as that was a most esteemed career in those times....and reached the highest pedestals in a span of a few years--from teacher to professor, the Dean of university, very renowned for his intellectual input in the educational field.
All through these years, his wife, my dear grandmother meticulously guarded his domestic world, attending to his demands, bringing up their children in accordance to the high academic environment created by her own husband...looking into everything from home, garden, servants and a dear pet dog,Baagha,...all this she did very well, lack of schooling or education did not hamper in any way. The environment made her learn the basics of literature and cultures. Her enthusiasm to keep up with her husband, to rear up her children worthy of such a father , was so strong and determined that she tried to grasp every bit of knowledge she could and her children too helped her to know many things of the academic world. So, though not well read, my grandmother knew most of the works of Tagore, Kalidas, Byron, Keats, Shakespeare. She often went to plays and movies with her children of Tagore, Kalidas, but English movies she did not dare as she knew she would not be able to follow the accented tongue...and that, for her was a big deprivation.
From her son she had often heard of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and had developed a romantic fancy for the play and would often ask her son to translate portions of the play to her. One winter the movie Romeo and Juliet came in the halls of her city. Her son wanted her to go and see the movie with him as he would then be able to translate it to her in the hall itself. This was her best chance to get to hear English in the true accent and follow it too and then she would be able to discuss it with grandfather on equal level at last. So on the request of her son she grew excited to go with him. her thrill knew no bounds--suppressed excitement rippled inside her as she finished her chores of the morning.
The show was after lunch, so she was stress free as she knew that the house will be taking its afternoon siesta, husband would be in the university, while she would be going off with her son to the show.Seeing Shakespeare's play, and that too, Romeo and Juliet and that in English was like an achievement for her,and achievement that she had never thought she would be able to add to her accomplishments, when she got married in a remote village of Bengal at the young age of just eleven. So lunch got over, she dressed herself in a starched cotton sari, maintaining a cool composure as a mother should adorn, yet a childish thrill fluttering in her heart, waited for the tonga to come..tongas pulled by horses were a common conveyance those days.
As the time drew near, her pet and beloved canine--Baagha-- sensed that his lady would be going out and he became restless...as is a common trait in this breed, they just do not like being left behind by their master or mistress at any time. and would just start all their acrobatics to cart along with them. Same was the emotional state of Baagha that afternoon when grandmother stood to leave for the esteemed movie--Romeo and Juliet. Seeing Baagha's activities my grand mother sensed the risk that was lurking, so she told my mother to take Baagha inside the house while she propped up in the tonga with her son.
My mother shooed Baagha indoors, and as the cinema goers left, she bolted the front door and went for her relaxed afternoon nap, content with the thought that all was in order. Now Mr Baagha, with his luck, found the back door open and just slipped out to catch up with those that left him behind victoriously. My grand mother sat in the back seat of the tonga with a content expression as the road at the rear seemed to lengthen making her destination nearer....feeling herself almost a near kin to the Juliet of Shakespeare. In that pensive mood, suddenly her eyes screwed up as she saw her Baagha almost galloping towards their tonga. She could not believe what she saw...in full leaps and bounds,tongue hanging out dribbling down saliva on the road ..there was a Baagha with a mighty victorious expression trying to catch up and leap in the tonga to take his seat by authority.
As if out of the blue, all the peace of mind and contentment on grand mother's face just flew off, and in came the expression of frenzy and panic and full hearted efforts at making Baagha go back home. But Baaga wanted to show his full loyalty on this trip only. No coaxing, no throwing papers, no scoldings, no shouting would make Baagha retreat his steps. It was a scene for passers-by as grandmother and my uncle, almost half hanging out of the tonga flinging their hands in wild frenzy, scolding shouting at their beloved pet. Roads, crossings and turns all went off in speed with people watching the show going on...many confused whether it was some street dog bothering them or was it a pet dog not wanted anymore. As the tonga neared the movie hall, the crowd on the road became denser, and tonga had to slow down to Baagha's great relief, he just jumped on to the foot board and straight at grand mother's feet, tongue hanging out its full length and he most satisfied by his successful accomplishment and perhaps dreaming of Romeo and Juliet soon in the hall. Next what followed can be summed up when mother heard the door bell ring at an odd hour of her afternoon siesta---opening the door, her jaws almost dropped at the sight in front of her---Baagha standing with a job-well-done expression, tail wagging in full glee and behind him stood grandmother,starched sari all dishevelled, salt and pepper hair all standing on edge like flame on cinders, a complete contrast of what Baagha had on his face, muttering away---" Never will I ever go to see Romeo and Juliet in a hall".
Uncle returned in the evening full of praises for the movie while grandmother lay in bed eyes tightly shut, not wanting to hear a word of Uncle's profuse praises on her Romeo and Juliet. Such was her tragedy to be at par with her learned husband....a tragedy which still makes me laugh even after so many years and grandmother no more !!
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