Our village, on the banks of the river Saryu, had a very calm and a serene atmosphere. Every summer vacation, we would go to my village to spend the holidays with our old grandparents. They would be very delighted to meet us, as we would be meeting each other after almost a year.
The two occupants of the house, my grandmother and my grandfather, lived in their semi pucca house in peace and tranquillity. They followed a routine quite different from that of our busy lives today. My grandmother was an early riser. After getting up at dawn, she freshened up and used Neem tree’s stem as her toothbrush. She would then pluck some flowers from the garden in her tiny bamboo basket for the morning worship. Next, she would prepare the earthen hearth to commence the cooking of the morning meal. Dry twigs from the crops of arhar dal and mustard, known as rahethi and sarsaunti served as an excellent fuel for the earthen hearth. She would grind some spices on the stone grinder for the curry. It was not a meagre breakfast, but a wholesome meal of rice, dal and fresh vegetable curry. Mostly, the vegetables were procured either from the creeper covering our terrace and shrubs in the backyard or some yearly produce like potato and onion lying in heaps at the corner of the verandah. After cooking, she would go for bath and thereafter her regular pooja. She was very particular about laying out and serving the meal in the thali for my grandfather. He also had his own routine. Upon getting up early in the morning, he would sweep and clean the front courtyard and also the cow shed. He would then take his bath on the well, wash his clothes and spread them out on the tattered rope tied around the trees. He would also offer some prayers before his meals. After their morning schedule, they would take some rest.
After the nap, my grandmother would be again on her job. She would sit down to stitch a few old tattered clothes to make gudri. Some other time she would be cleaning the grains heaped up in the store rooms. Or at other times she would make mango pickles. In the evening, she would clean the lanterns, fill them with kerosene oil and light them up to place them in the different rooms. The special pooja room was lighted up with diyas for the evening prayer. There was no tea in those days. So in the evening, my grandparents liked having a glass of milk. Dinner was prepared early as there were only two meals. She would sit beside the hearth and prepare dinner with much enthusiasm as she sang folk songs. There were songs for every season. The entire day’s monotonous routine had no dampening effect on her. By 7 ‘o’ clock everything was winded up. It was summer so we slept on the terrace as there were no mosquitoes in those days. Also, there was no pollution.
It was only once in six months that a fair would be held on the bank of Saryu river on Kartik Poornima. My grandmother would attend the fair with the womenfolk of the village with great fervor. Day in and day out, almost the same routine was carried out. There was no monotony. There was no boredom. My grandmother never complained to go out for excursions, there was no concept of ‘eating out’. She led a healthy, happy and nature friendly life, full of contentment. Should we call it a natural lockdown?
Resonance 