Kairi

The raw mango in Marathi is ..Kairi. The green fruit is abundant in the summer & has to be eaten raw with a pinch of salt & chilli powder (optional). Our summers abounded in playing, climbing on the trees & plucking out the fruit. There were many trees in the entire colony & we did not need anybody’s permission as such. A gang of children raided the fruits ,ate & then returned back to their respective houses to come together again in the evenings.

Camps or going to shibir was not known then. The colony was the playground & the inner bylanes were safe. Very few vehicles & all the parents knew each other. I remember Aai saying children would fall & visit the clinic, have the wound attended. The formal admission & fees were not required. The fruits of such selfless service has reaped bountiful dividends.

Gole colony today is the medicine street. It has medicine wholesalers & very few people stay there. The picture was very different then. I hardly remember buying the fruit. Patients would give a free sample.. Vanola & a basket full of mango later on in the season. Kairi is used to make the pickle. There would be heaps & heaps on the banks of the river for sale. Some even offered to cut & then sale. special knifes were used by them.

In Amol Palekar’s “Kairi” the small girl who comes to stay with her maushi is dealt with. Against the wishes of her husband the lady makes the decision. The turmoil that ensues is very well depicted. To bring up a lone child that to not your own & again against the wishes of the husband. All odds are piled up & yet a way has to be found. Fought for the sake of the child.

As the fruit matures it’s taste changes, This transformation brings in change. ‘Amba’ then is much loved & labelled the ‘King of the fruits. But to reach this stage is not easy atall. The fruit needs to be plucked at a proper time. It should not fall down. It shouldn’t have any bruises. Then stored in wooden or cardboard enclosures with lot of straw or dried grass…Adhi. They need to be checked periodically & the damaged ones if any to be separated. A delicate fruit that gives immense joy demands patience & care. Don’t we all? If the upbringing is not proper or if there is some childhood trauma the entire life is scared. “Karna” came to know of his roots so late in life by then his insecurities had taken a toll. So many examples can be sited here.

In the life of Vivekananda if we delete the entry of his guru, Paramhansa & what ensued a talent would have been wasted. More the intellect more care is needed as there are more chances of them going stray. The parents have their work cut out in these cases. Blaming is very easy. But giving time,recognising the signals, proper guidance, scolding if any all amounts to lot of investment. See the results!

Looking at more stories to follow. Happy guiding the young then!