Monu's World: Tinchu and the Detergent Bar
The great Indian South-West monsoon dawned a trifle lazily at first, but soon picked up momentum as the wet and wild month of August came with its typically heavy showers that spanned almost the whole of the Indian peninsula. Most of northern and central India receives the bulk of their annual rainfall during this month. And rather fittingly the festival of Janmashtami or Sree Krishna Jayanti is observed and celebrated with much fervor across the country. Monu and her friends loved the rains as any Delhi-ite does and used to have races in the pouring rain. It was during one such race that something unexpected happened that the children would remember with amusement for years to come.
It was a Sunday morning and the neighborhood was rather silent with not even a hint of any movement or sound. Being the weekend, the younger children would be sleeping late while the elder ones would be engaged with household chores. For Radha, Shree and Neeba, weekends always meant that they were up to their necks with housework while the younger kids were pampered unashamedly by the parents. But in Monu's house things had changed for the worse somewhat since the birth of her younger sister. While earlier it used to be Monu who got the best of everything that her parents could provide, the baby's arrival had effectively put a stop to all pampering. And poor Monu was left to taste the bitter aftertaste of having become the 'elder' child. To her morose eyes, the sight of her parents cuddling the new born and playing with the baby as she grew older, was rather depressing and created a feeling of jealous antagonism. No matter what she tried to do, her parents would be ready to scold her especially around the baby, asking her to not touch things that were meant exclusively for the use of the baby. So, it was that Monu tried to keep her distance from both the baby as well as from her always-busy parents who seemed, to her insecure mind, to prefer the baby over her. And as a result, weekends were especially tiresome for Monu, who tried to stay outdoors as much as possible.
The onset of the rains had put a damper on Monu's routine somehow as she was reduced to staring out through her window at the water pouring from the skies while the trees, shrubs and bushes swayed wildly in the wind that lashed out at anything that came its way. She knew it was no use asking her parents permission to go out as her mother would shake her head with a firm dismissal even as her father would look askance. Still, Monu had hope that an opportunity might come her way to go out of doors, and when it did, she would jump and take it to rush outside. Sure enough, the chance did come in the form of an unexpected visitor who called on her father to discuss some work. The man was known to her father from his work circle and as he stood on the threshold of the front door being welcomed inside, Monu sneaked out by his side not waiting to look back if her father noticed her slipping away.
Once outside, she made for Raka's house and along the way glanced at Meethi's open window thinking about signalling to her to come out. However, there was no one to be seen near the window and so, Monu went up to Raka's front door and knocked twice. The door was opened by Raka's mother who asked Monu what the matter was knowing fully well that she had come to ask for Raka. Even as Monu stuttered a reply, there was Raka beside his mother trying to push his way through the doorway and getting squashed against the hinges. One push more and Raka was out and the two children raced to the tarred road and went in search of Meethi and Teepi. The scenario that had transpired at Raka's house was re-enacted at Meethi's house and the kids all raced outside shouting in glee. And the weather Gods too seemed on their side as the wild showers of the afternoon had given way to a gentle drizzle, which soon dissipated altogether as evening dawned. Hearing the commotion, Tinchu came out onto his veranda and was followed by his brother Pinchu as they both joined the quartet of Raka, Monu, Meethi and Teepi who were by now stationed under the big peepal tree looking out at the main road as vehicles navigated the water-logged roadside.
"Chal race lagate hain", muttered Tinchu having grown weary of watching the water splashed by the numerous cars and buses onto the sidewalks of the road. Monu and Raka looked at each other, then at Meethi silently asking her to join them. She smiled in answer and nodding her head said,"chal main bhi aati hun." "Yay! trilled Raka even as Monu grabbed Meethi's hand and ran across the road to the end where she stood looking for a piece of red brick to mark out the starting line. Even as she drew the line, she felt the sky overhead change and felt the breeze come up silently blowing through her hair. She looked up and felt a raindrop on her forehead. Blinking slowly, she saw the grey rain clouds starting to gather above. Hurriedly, she finished drawing the bright red line that would act as the starting line for the race, turning to look over her shoulder for any trace of the parents who, spotting the gathering rain clouds, would inevitably call out to the children to come indoors. But it seemed that the Sunday afternoon nap had somehow extended its life for some of the parents at least.
The race itself was along the lines of the 100 meters dash as the participants would jump up and dash as quickly as possible from the starting line and aim for the end of the tarred road all the way up the row of houses till the road turned at 90 degrees to the left. This turning marked the point at which the runners would turn back and aim for the starting line. Before turning, however, the children had to touch the leaves from the row of hedges that grew along the right margin of the tarred road as it turned left. Understandably, whoever was the first to cross the line would be the winner.
The racers who lined up included all the children except Teepi and Pinchu. Among them, Tinchu had an unfair advantage - he was wearing shoes and socks while the trio of Raka, Monu and Meethi would be running barefoot. Running barefoot was not a choice for the the three but a matter of compulsion because if they ran wearing their rubber slippers the straps of the slippers would inevitably break and that would mean not just losing the race but also an expected dose of scolding from the parents along with cancellation of playtime altogether if the parent in question were in a particularly foul mood. So, the younger children made sure to take their slippers off before the race began. The fact that running barefoot also meant risk in the form of sharp objects or possible thorns stinging their feet was something that the children were willing to take. And rain would only add to the risk by making the road more slippery. But like the Formula One races where the onset of rains only upped the adventure factor and made the audience cheer more, the obsequious little charade that was to play out before the excited Teepi and Pinchu would only get even more engrossing with the coming of the rains.
Standing on either end of the red brick starting line Pinchu and Teepi took up their positions to act as umpires and check for any foul play on the part of the runners when the race started. As the rest of the children lined up crouching behind the starting line with one knee touching the ground, shoulders bent and hands placed on either side of the tarred road, Pinchu shouted "On your marks, get set and go!" Even as an excited Teepi jumped up and down clapping and cheering, Pinchu made sure that the runners had all started at the same moment. Raka, Monu and Meethi were all good runners, but Raka was faster than Meethi and Monu was faster than Raka. So, it turned out that Monu had soon left behind these two while she saw Tinchu move farther away from her and the rest of the field. Monu willed herself to run still faster and was glad when her body responded and her legs carried her forward to catch up with Tinchu and be just behind him.
However, even as she looked in front to be almost level with Tinchu, she noticed something unexpected. Tinchu was starting to slow down and it had nothing to do with his running. In fact his legs with his socks up to his knees seemed to move faster than ever. But quite unusually, his whole body seemed to slacken. She thought that it was because of the falling rain drops that were coming in heavier by the minute. And soon enough the falling rain drops had turned into a downpour that made visibility almost zero for the running children. However, the excited adrenaline coursing through their veins egged them on and they had enough visibility to see the way in front as they ran. But what on earth was happening with Tinchu, wondered all who came up to him. His speed had decreased and Monu had passed him by while Raka was just behind him and Meethi was starting to come up to be beside Raka.
The rain shower had decreased but poor Tinchu seemed to be in some trouble as he kept wiping his face with his bare hands that seemed to somehow shows signs of lather. Very soon there were bubbles seen on his arms and face that were making him cough and spit. By now, Monu had reached the hedges and touching the leaves of one of the plants, she turned back to run towards the starting line. As she ran back, she passed a surprised looking Raka and an equally mystified Meethi who was starting to giggle and laugh out. As she passed them by she soon came up facing Tinchu, and the sight that greeted her eyes almost made her stand stock-still for a moment. There was Tinchu running as hard as he could but his body seemed to be letting him down. For one, there was something like lather covering his arms and neck and on his face too, even as he tried desperately to wipe his face on one of the sleeves of his shirt. Then, there was his mouth that was working itself out by short sharp coughs that seemed to make him breathless. Monu felt sorry for him but she did not have time to linger and she ran faster trying to make the starting line before the others.
The rain had abated and as it turned out, Monu did come in first and once she caught her breath, started jumping in glee and clapping her hands. Next to reach the starting line was Raka with Meethi right behind. And trailing them all was a very white-looking black-haired boy who seemed to cough up bubbles. Actually, it was only when he came in and finished the race that the origin of the bubbles and the whiteness became clear. "Ye kya ho gaya tere mooh ko?" spoke a very surprised looking Raka who tries to touch Tinchu's cheek to make out what it was that covered Tinchu's face. Tinch replied with a sheepish grin that usually showed off a set of pearly white teeth, but that day were covered in bubbles. As Monu and Meethi stared at Tinchu and supressed giggles, Pinchu and Teepi joined the quartet and seemed caught in abstracted silence. "Bata na, kya hua", spoke a gigging Meethi. "Arrey yar kuch nahi, bas maine na aaj nahate waqt zara alag saabun laga liya tha." answered a dismissive Tinchu. "Kaunsa saabun?" asked a curious Monu as she looked incredulously at the bubbles forming on Tinchu's arms as he tried in vain to wipe them away.
"Woh kya hua ki jab main nahaane ke liye bathroom gaya to saabun khatam ho gaya tha. Bas kapde dhone waala saabun tha wahaan par, aur maine woh hi laga liya." quipped Tinchu in a low voice. "Kya keh raha hai!", Raka sounded astounded at hearing Tinchu and even Meethi was silenced for once as she looked disbelievingly with her mouth open at Tinchu. "Haan sach mein. Lagaane ke baad maine socha ki kya kar diya. Ab take jhaag nikaal nahi saka aur paani bhi itna laga nahaane main ki maine socha poori tanki khaali ho jaegi". Hearing a serious looking Tinchu speak such incredible things all the younger children burst out laughing. Methi and Monu laughed so hard that they were soon holding on to their sides and as for Raka, Pinchu and Teepi, they all thought that Tinchu was as usual playing a practical joke by making outrageous claims. The only one not laughing was Tinchu as he realized the enormity of his blunder but tried to nonchalantly pass it off as a careless mistake.
As the day ended and the children all went back to their houses, the sky overhead was tinged a brilliant golden orange - a reminder of the fun and enjoyment they had derived from the weather God playing hide and seek and making their evening a most memorable one, albeit by an inadvertent mistake on the part of one of the chief mischief makers of the neighborhood!
It was a Sunday morning and the neighborhood was rather silent with not even a hint of any movement or sound. Being the weekend, the younger children would be sleeping late while the elder ones would be engaged with household chores. For Radha, Shree and Neeba, weekends always meant that they were up to their necks with housework while the younger kids were pampered unashamedly by the parents. But in Monu's house things had changed for the worse somewhat since the birth of her younger sister. While earlier it used to be Monu who got the best of everything that her parents could provide, the baby's arrival had effectively put a stop to all pampering. And poor Monu was left to taste the bitter aftertaste of having become the 'elder' child. To her morose eyes, the sight of her parents cuddling the new born and playing with the baby as she grew older, was rather depressing and created a feeling of jealous antagonism. No matter what she tried to do, her parents would be ready to scold her especially around the baby, asking her to not touch things that were meant exclusively for the use of the baby. So, it was that Monu tried to keep her distance from both the baby as well as from her always-busy parents who seemed, to her insecure mind, to prefer the baby over her. And as a result, weekends were especially tiresome for Monu, who tried to stay outdoors as much as possible.
The onset of the rains had put a damper on Monu's routine somehow as she was reduced to staring out through her window at the water pouring from the skies while the trees, shrubs and bushes swayed wildly in the wind that lashed out at anything that came its way. She knew it was no use asking her parents permission to go out as her mother would shake her head with a firm dismissal even as her father would look askance. Still, Monu had hope that an opportunity might come her way to go out of doors, and when it did, she would jump and take it to rush outside. Sure enough, the chance did come in the form of an unexpected visitor who called on her father to discuss some work. The man was known to her father from his work circle and as he stood on the threshold of the front door being welcomed inside, Monu sneaked out by his side not waiting to look back if her father noticed her slipping away.
Once outside, she made for Raka's house and along the way glanced at Meethi's open window thinking about signalling to her to come out. However, there was no one to be seen near the window and so, Monu went up to Raka's front door and knocked twice. The door was opened by Raka's mother who asked Monu what the matter was knowing fully well that she had come to ask for Raka. Even as Monu stuttered a reply, there was Raka beside his mother trying to push his way through the doorway and getting squashed against the hinges. One push more and Raka was out and the two children raced to the tarred road and went in search of Meethi and Teepi. The scenario that had transpired at Raka's house was re-enacted at Meethi's house and the kids all raced outside shouting in glee. And the weather Gods too seemed on their side as the wild showers of the afternoon had given way to a gentle drizzle, which soon dissipated altogether as evening dawned. Hearing the commotion, Tinchu came out onto his veranda and was followed by his brother Pinchu as they both joined the quartet of Raka, Monu, Meethi and Teepi who were by now stationed under the big peepal tree looking out at the main road as vehicles navigated the water-logged roadside.
"Chal race lagate hain", muttered Tinchu having grown weary of watching the water splashed by the numerous cars and buses onto the sidewalks of the road. Monu and Raka looked at each other, then at Meethi silently asking her to join them. She smiled in answer and nodding her head said,"chal main bhi aati hun." "Yay! trilled Raka even as Monu grabbed Meethi's hand and ran across the road to the end where she stood looking for a piece of red brick to mark out the starting line. Even as she drew the line, she felt the sky overhead change and felt the breeze come up silently blowing through her hair. She looked up and felt a raindrop on her forehead. Blinking slowly, she saw the grey rain clouds starting to gather above. Hurriedly, she finished drawing the bright red line that would act as the starting line for the race, turning to look over her shoulder for any trace of the parents who, spotting the gathering rain clouds, would inevitably call out to the children to come indoors. But it seemed that the Sunday afternoon nap had somehow extended its life for some of the parents at least.
The race itself was along the lines of the 100 meters dash as the participants would jump up and dash as quickly as possible from the starting line and aim for the end of the tarred road all the way up the row of houses till the road turned at 90 degrees to the left. This turning marked the point at which the runners would turn back and aim for the starting line. Before turning, however, the children had to touch the leaves from the row of hedges that grew along the right margin of the tarred road as it turned left. Understandably, whoever was the first to cross the line would be the winner.
The racers who lined up included all the children except Teepi and Pinchu. Among them, Tinchu had an unfair advantage - he was wearing shoes and socks while the trio of Raka, Monu and Meethi would be running barefoot. Running barefoot was not a choice for the the three but a matter of compulsion because if they ran wearing their rubber slippers the straps of the slippers would inevitably break and that would mean not just losing the race but also an expected dose of scolding from the parents along with cancellation of playtime altogether if the parent in question were in a particularly foul mood. So, the younger children made sure to take their slippers off before the race began. The fact that running barefoot also meant risk in the form of sharp objects or possible thorns stinging their feet was something that the children were willing to take. And rain would only add to the risk by making the road more slippery. But like the Formula One races where the onset of rains only upped the adventure factor and made the audience cheer more, the obsequious little charade that was to play out before the excited Teepi and Pinchu would only get even more engrossing with the coming of the rains.
Standing on either end of the red brick starting line Pinchu and Teepi took up their positions to act as umpires and check for any foul play on the part of the runners when the race started. As the rest of the children lined up crouching behind the starting line with one knee touching the ground, shoulders bent and hands placed on either side of the tarred road, Pinchu shouted "On your marks, get set and go!" Even as an excited Teepi jumped up and down clapping and cheering, Pinchu made sure that the runners had all started at the same moment. Raka, Monu and Meethi were all good runners, but Raka was faster than Meethi and Monu was faster than Raka. So, it turned out that Monu had soon left behind these two while she saw Tinchu move farther away from her and the rest of the field. Monu willed herself to run still faster and was glad when her body responded and her legs carried her forward to catch up with Tinchu and be just behind him.
However, even as she looked in front to be almost level with Tinchu, she noticed something unexpected. Tinchu was starting to slow down and it had nothing to do with his running. In fact his legs with his socks up to his knees seemed to move faster than ever. But quite unusually, his whole body seemed to slacken. She thought that it was because of the falling rain drops that were coming in heavier by the minute. And soon enough the falling rain drops had turned into a downpour that made visibility almost zero for the running children. However, the excited adrenaline coursing through their veins egged them on and they had enough visibility to see the way in front as they ran. But what on earth was happening with Tinchu, wondered all who came up to him. His speed had decreased and Monu had passed him by while Raka was just behind him and Meethi was starting to come up to be beside Raka.
The rain shower had decreased but poor Tinchu seemed to be in some trouble as he kept wiping his face with his bare hands that seemed to somehow shows signs of lather. Very soon there were bubbles seen on his arms and face that were making him cough and spit. By now, Monu had reached the hedges and touching the leaves of one of the plants, she turned back to run towards the starting line. As she ran back, she passed a surprised looking Raka and an equally mystified Meethi who was starting to giggle and laugh out. As she passed them by she soon came up facing Tinchu, and the sight that greeted her eyes almost made her stand stock-still for a moment. There was Tinchu running as hard as he could but his body seemed to be letting him down. For one, there was something like lather covering his arms and neck and on his face too, even as he tried desperately to wipe his face on one of the sleeves of his shirt. Then, there was his mouth that was working itself out by short sharp coughs that seemed to make him breathless. Monu felt sorry for him but she did not have time to linger and she ran faster trying to make the starting line before the others.
The rain had abated and as it turned out, Monu did come in first and once she caught her breath, started jumping in glee and clapping her hands. Next to reach the starting line was Raka with Meethi right behind. And trailing them all was a very white-looking black-haired boy who seemed to cough up bubbles. Actually, it was only when he came in and finished the race that the origin of the bubbles and the whiteness became clear. "Ye kya ho gaya tere mooh ko?" spoke a very surprised looking Raka who tries to touch Tinchu's cheek to make out what it was that covered Tinchu's face. Tinch replied with a sheepish grin that usually showed off a set of pearly white teeth, but that day were covered in bubbles. As Monu and Meethi stared at Tinchu and supressed giggles, Pinchu and Teepi joined the quartet and seemed caught in abstracted silence. "Bata na, kya hua", spoke a gigging Meethi. "Arrey yar kuch nahi, bas maine na aaj nahate waqt zara alag saabun laga liya tha." answered a dismissive Tinchu. "Kaunsa saabun?" asked a curious Monu as she looked incredulously at the bubbles forming on Tinchu's arms as he tried in vain to wipe them away.
"Woh kya hua ki jab main nahaane ke liye bathroom gaya to saabun khatam ho gaya tha. Bas kapde dhone waala saabun tha wahaan par, aur maine woh hi laga liya." quipped Tinchu in a low voice. "Kya keh raha hai!", Raka sounded astounded at hearing Tinchu and even Meethi was silenced for once as she looked disbelievingly with her mouth open at Tinchu. "Haan sach mein. Lagaane ke baad maine socha ki kya kar diya. Ab take jhaag nikaal nahi saka aur paani bhi itna laga nahaane main ki maine socha poori tanki khaali ho jaegi". Hearing a serious looking Tinchu speak such incredible things all the younger children burst out laughing. Methi and Monu laughed so hard that they were soon holding on to their sides and as for Raka, Pinchu and Teepi, they all thought that Tinchu was as usual playing a practical joke by making outrageous claims. The only one not laughing was Tinchu as he realized the enormity of his blunder but tried to nonchalantly pass it off as a careless mistake.
As the day ended and the children all went back to their houses, the sky overhead was tinged a brilliant golden orange - a reminder of the fun and enjoyment they had derived from the weather God playing hide and seek and making their evening a most memorable one, albeit by an inadvertent mistake on the part of one of the chief mischief makers of the neighborhood!
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