MY CHILDHOOD'S BARBIE DOLL !!!

Pinky: - Mom, someone is ringing our door-bell. Please see who is there?

Savita Bhabhi: - Arrey, devarji, aap? Bahut dino ke baad apne Savita Bhabhi ko yaad kiya! Come inside. Suraj and Pinky, look, who has come?

Pinky: - Arrey, Arindam uncle, how are you? Were you on diet in Hyderabad? You are looking like a skeleton. What have you brought for us? Oh! No, those 5 packets of Dairy Milk chocolates! I am still not a baby.

Arindam: - Ha ha ha…you will always remain as a baby to me, dear, because I am your uncle. Hey, bhabhi, why is Suraj crying there? Again you have spared the rod on Suraj. Ei, Suraj, what’s the problem? Look here, I have brought a packet of 24 shades Camel pastel colors and a painting book. Now, you can draw anything you wish.

Suraj: - Thank you Arindam uncle. Actually, just a while ago, my mom and my elder sister scolded me. My mom is very bad. She was hitting me with that 12 inch wooden scale because I broke that beautiful flower vase out of anger.

Arindam: - Aaha, Suraj! Show me a mom in this world who don’t beat their kids, he he he…Even, I used to get some hard beatings from my mom, when I was a little kid like you. Accha, what have you done that they are scolding and beating you?

Suraj: - Yesterday only, our primary school authority declared a summer vacation for 25 days. I want to spend my vacation in my grandpa’s house, which is in a remote village. I have so many friends there. I love that village. But, my mom doesn’t want me to go there because my mom dislikes my grandma and grandpa.

Savita Bhabhi: - Suraj betey, you go and play in the park now. Nitish is calling you. They are all going to play cricket in that park.

Suraj: - No, I will not go. They don’t give me first batting. I will not go. Every day I am playing cricket with them. What’s the big deal in it? I am feeling bored inside this complex area now. I want to go for a tour somewhere. I want to go to my grandpa’s village. Arindam uncle, please make my mom understand. By the way, uncle, have you ever visited any village in your childhood?

Arindam: - Ha ha ha…I spent my childhood in our village only. My grandpa was the head of the farmers’ association in our village. My dad got a job in the city and then I came to the city with my mom and dad, otherwise, all our family members are farmers only. I still remember my childhood days, when I used to wear a white colored hat, which was gifted by my grandpa. There was a special stick, which my grandpa bought from ‘Gangasagar Mela’. That stick is popularly known as ‘Beter lathi’. I used to roam around the village with that stick in my hand and that hat on my head. Everyone used to laugh at me and used to comment, ‘Oi dekho, laat saheb aschey…khajna adaye kartey’ (The British is coming to collect tax from poor farmers). Every morning, my grandpa used to go to the field to plough it with the help of cows and oxen. At that time, there were no tractors. Everyone used to plough the 2 bighas field for around 10 days. My grandpa also used to wear that white colored hat. Basically, at that time, Vivian Richards and Sunil Gavaskar were as famous as their typical hats. There was no television at that time. Only there was a radio transistor of ‘Santosh’ company and that radio transistor used to run with the help of two white colored batteries of ‘Eveready’ company. There was no FM center at that time. Only, there were two radio centers that can be tuned into. One was ‘Kolkata Kau’ and another one was ‘Vividh Bharti’. Sometimes, it was possible to tune into the Bangladeshi radio channel as Bangaldesh is our neighboring country. Also in the village, the villagers never used to speak in Bengali. They had a typical local language which is half-Midnapuri and half –Oriya.

Pinky: - What? Your grandpa was not a Bengali?

Arindam: - Yeah, they were all Bengalis. But, there was a difference between the languages of Midnapore and 24-Parganas. At that time, 24-Parganas was not divided as per northern and southern province. Even Midnapore was also a big district. The entire south Bengal at that time comprised of two districts: - 24 Parganas and Midnapore. In the later stage, the CPI (M) ministers intentionally divided Midnapore into West Midnapore and East Midnapore and also 24 Parganas got divided into South 24-Parganas and North 24-Parganas. Basically, the word, ‘Pargana’ means the sub-zones of a district under British rule. Our ancestors were basically from Midnapore. During 1904 or so, a famine broke out in Midnapore district. At that time, South 24-Parganas was totally a jungle known as Sunderbans. The poor Midnapore people crossed the Hooghly River from Kukrahati and came to Diamond Harbour which was a jungle at that time. The areas were known as ‘Laats’ under the British rule. Nobody dared to enter those areas as it was the territory of royal bengal tigers. The Midnapore people just started cutting the trees and established their own villages. Slowly and gradually, all the Midnapore people started migrating in South 24- Parganas, Howrah and Bardhaman. Now, there was a clash in language. As Midnapore is situated near Orissa, the language of Midnapore is a fusion of Bengali and Oriya language. If you go to Kanthi, you will find people are saying Bengali with an Oriya touch in it. That language is popularly known as ‘Dakhneya’ language. Our surname ‘Sain’ evolved from ‘Swain’ surname of Orissa. ‘Swain’ community is a Brahmin community of Orissa. When our predecessors were living in Orissa, at that time Orissa was a district under Bengal province. Many people don’t know that Bengal was the largest province of ancient India. Bengal province was from Ghaziabad in the west to Shillong in the east and from Kathmandu in the north to Vishakapatnam in the south. Now, that Bengal has been divided into 7 small parts. That’s why; all the people of Eastern India can speak and understand Bengali. My grandpa learned to speak proper Bengali slowly and gradually. At present, our ‘Sain’ community became ‘Kayasthas’ as per their profession of farming. They are now known as ‘Karans’ people.

Pinky:-Uff, history is such a boring subject. That’s why, I don’t like history.

Arindam: - But, this subject helps you to have an idea about your past which is good for your future decisions.

Pinky: - Hmm…ok, ok. Uff ho…Now, it is already 5.30 PM. Why my dad is not calling me at my mobile phone?

Arindam: - Why? Is there anything special tonight? Why are you waiting for your dad’s call?

Savita Bhabhi: - Nothing like that! Actually, Pinky has been requesting for a Barbie doll to her dad for past 2 weeks. After lots of drama, finally, her dad has promised her that he will buy a Barbie doll for her.

Arindam: - Ha ha ha…so, this is the matter? You girls are always fond of Barbie dolls, he he he…

Pinky: - You will not understand why we girls always like the Barbie dolls? Have you ever played with any Barbie doll that you will understand?

Arindam: - Ha ha ha…no, I have never played with any Barbie doll, but, I have observed girls playing with Barbie dolls. In my childhood, we used to live in a rented house in an apartment in the city. In that apartment, there was not a single boy of my age. All were girls. All my neighboring girls were more or less 2- 3 years elder than me. So, I was their sweet younger brother. During late afternoons, they used to take me on the terrace. There they used to play with their Barbie dolls and my job was to see their foolish game and ask the question in my mind, ‘Is this Barbie doll a living thing or a non-living thing?’ They had all those funny toys. A little stove, a little pot, a little spoon, a little bowl and other small utensils. All the toys were made of plastics only. They used to collect dust from somewhere and put it on the pot. Then they used to play as if they are cooking some food for their Barbie doll. After cooking, they used to make that Barbie doll eat that food. Then they also used to comb those white colored plastic hairs of that Barbie doll. Once I laughed at their foolish acts. Baash, as I commented, all my elder sisters started boasting me. Someone even commented, ‘You don’t have your own Barbie doll, that’s why; you are jealous on us’. As a little kid, I found myself depressed that I don’t have any Barbie doll. I requested my dad to buy a Barbie doll for me, he he he…My dad laughed at me and said, ‘Boys don’t play with Barbie dolls. Boys play outdoor games like cricket and football.’ But, I was a little child at that time. My brain was not ready to accept all those things. I kept on demanding a Barbie doll.

Suraj: - Ha ha ha…What a shame, Arindam uncle! As a little boy, you wanted to play with a Barbie doll. You have not played cricket or football in your childhood.

Arindam: - I started playing cricket after watching the World Cup Cricket of 1987. In that locality, there was no television in anyone’s house. In that year, my dad got promotion from clerical post to officer post in that PSU Bank. To celebrate that promotion, my dad bought a 14 inch Black & White Television of ‘Telegold – ET&T’ company with an expense of just 1410 INR. After watching Ravi Shastri, Srikanth, Siddhu, Kapil Dev, Gavaskar in TV, I started playing cricket with the locality boys, though I used to often quarrel and fight with those boys rather than playing disciplined cricket.

Savita Bhabhi: - aah, you played cricket much later? What about the Barbie doll issue? Your father bought you a Barbie doll at last?

Arindam: - No, no. My father was not in a mood to buy any Barbie doll for me because in those days only, a Barbie doll used to cost around 125 INR. My dad just bought a cricket bat and a plastic ball from ‘Dutta Toys’ shop for me to practice cricket in my house. I was not so happy about that. I observed that a small statue of goddess Saraswati was kept inside a showcase. My mom used to worship the statues of Goddess Kali, Goddess Laxmi and God Ganesh every day, but that small statue of Goddess Saraswati was not worshipped. I decided to make that statue as my Barbie doll. Next day, I went to play with my neighboring elder sisters with that statue. I told them that this statue is my friend. She is my Barbie doll. All my elder sisters laughed at me. I was least bothered about that. I kept that statue in my study table. I used to talk with that statue, though it was a one-sided talk. I saw all my elder sisters talking with their Barbie dolls, so, I also copied that action. One day, I was playing cricket on my own inside my room with that plastic ball and bat. The day before that day, India won a match in that World Cup. All the locality people came to watch that match in our house. Everyone was always discussing about cricket and cricket only. I also got addicted towards their game. I was throwing the plastic ball on the wall of the room and when it was rebounding I was hitting the ball with my bat. Unfortunately, one of my shots was enough to crush the entire statue which was kept on my study table. When my mom saw that I have broken the small statue of goddess Saraswati that was made of clay, she just started screaming at me, ‘This room is not a playground. If you want to play cricket, go and play either on the terrace or in a park.’ My mom just screwed my ears in such a fashion as if she was tuning the knob of a radio transistor. As usual, I started crying. That tears was not only for my mom’s beating but also for that statue also.

Savita Bhabhi: - Ha ha ha…Devarji…I can have a rough idea about your naughtiness when you were a little boy. Though, you have not changed yet. You are still a naughty boy like a nursery school student, he he he…Accha, it is quite evident that when you grew up, you started realizing the concept of ‘Goddess’. Now, in this matured age do you worship the Goddess ‘Saraswati’ during ‘Saraswati Puja’?

Arindam: - Yeah, yeah, of course, I worship her. How can I ignore her? In my childhood, I used to wait for ‘Saraswati Puja’ day because on that day, no one tells you to study any book. Rather, everyone says, ‘Don’t study any book today.’ Still today, when I worship the Goddess Saraswati, I just give a cheeky smile at her while uttering in my mind, ‘Hey Devi, once upon a time, unknowingly, I regarded your small statue as “MY CHILDHOOD’S BARBIE DOLL”.’