28th Sept ,1984

"Sunlight shines under the door like a ghoul's grin, yet gives the shutters a halo of golden rays. That's the new morning,sinner and saint like me. Sleep drags me backward until a new thought can penetrate- I have a chance to achieve more than yesterday if I move now."

The words roll out of her tongue effortlessly as she peers through the curtains at the morning sun.
Momo, as her brother loved to call her,short for Momota she was tall, slim girl with large round eyes, eyes that withheld purity and mettle. Momo a book worm never knew a world existed outside books.

"Momo," calls out her brother breathless.

She looks up from her pile of books she has been busy mastering for the past few hours.

"Momo your double promotion has been granted."

A brilliant smile lights up her face as she looks at her brother who's equally proud of her.

28 November 1964

The evening sky marred by purple and orange colour and the last rays of light before the sunset somehow was akin to her state of mind.

'Marriage' that one word was enough to shatter her beautifully woven walls. It was nothing new for a girl of her age. But she had dreamed of a better life than being shackled by an unknown man. Her brothers were married and their wives didnot want a 15 year old girl to remain unmarried. She knew her brothers wouldn't go against their wives. If only her father was alive.
Her eyes close as the last rays of sun depart promising to come back again for a new day. She won't give up before an unknown whose hands her fate lies now.

1st January 1965

The sound of wedding flute(shehnai) had never appealed to her before.And now it seemed as if each of its tune came directly from her sobbing ribcage spreading the sorrow of an impending farewell to the world. The sweet smell of jasmine and rose adorning the walls of her house feels bitter to her..A benarasee saree as red as her fury at her own fate adorned her body. Each dark stroke of kajal feel like a stroke to her dreams.Every jewellery she put on took her farther away from herself.
"Momo ,the groom has arrived," her brother panted.

" You look so beautiful!" He said his eyes glistening.

What an irony! The same brother who has once been proud as she pursued her dreams was pushing her away from them. Fury unraveled in the form of unshed tears. Her mother however said holding her chin.

"You are a traveller Momo! This is a part of your journey. Just because you don't like this part wouldn't wipe it away. He is a good man. He will keep you happy."

Her heart breaking into pieces she follows her mother down
" Not every dream is to be fulfilled Momo! A woman has to sacrifice".
On the other side the young groom was mesmerised by the beauty of his young bride.
As the marriage rituals proceed and two strangers vowed to forever, witnessed by Agni Devta bounded by the sanskrit mantras, a new chapter begins in her life like the first rays of sun reaching earth.
From the hubhub of Shyambazar to the serenity of a village drowned in darkness after the last rays of sun illuminated only by the earthen lamp her life had taken a u-turn.

She took her new life as a challenge and never gave up.

5th May 1978

"Boumoni, can you write this letter for me?"

" Boumoni , I got this letter today. Can you read it for me?"

She used to write letters for those who couldn't. She lived her dreams albeit differently.

" Ma..." Motherhood was another aspect of her life now.

Thier cries and laughter and the whistle of train as it passed by were the sounds she grew used too.

You are a traveller Momo.

She knew now what her mother meant.

28th Sept 2010

The morning was soothing lavender and brilliant amber just like her life.
She was a proud mother to 6 children.Everything was same- the morning sunrise,her determination,her spirit.Her dreams had taken a new shape.She started teaching English to the kid of her house maid everyday while she worked. She never in her life looked down on her househelps.She used to sit down with them and chat with them about the day to day affairs when she herself washed some of the vessels her maid was supposed to do.

Author's Note: My grandmother is no more.She left us back in 2018.I wanted to end it where I had ended it back then as I donot want her story to end here. About double promotion- Early days if you could complete a course of one year beforehand an exam would enable you to skip that class.My grandmother skipped 7th class and got promoted from 6th class to 8th class which unfortunately was her last year in school before she got married.Some other day I will post some faint memories I have from her.