Memoirs are such ,which make you pensive & musing at the same time & it becomes amusingly hilarious & make you circumspect on the naivete committed . At times memories of the childhood over mouth watering gourmets force you to reflect on dazzling cuisine but not able to savour & relish it as religion comes in between ! It was a piquant situation,but it happens .I have experience of this & I always feel nostalgic over whole saga of futility. A fine cuisine with best culinary art was offered to our family but I never tasted & enjoyed it ,but it is embedded in my memory !
I was in Siwan & the year was 1956-57. The major source of our entertainment for me & my mother was Darbar Talkies . Papa remained always busy on his official hazards ,so mother & her companion me were habitual visitors of Darbar Talkies . Siwan was a small town so always C-grade pictures were played on the screen which were carrying funny names such as Mastani Bagdad ka chor , Shahi Bazaar etc but it was available free of charge so, why not enjoy it !
We were always taken to special class which was reserved more or less for official gentry of Siwan & it was partitioned by thin framed curtain & on the other side Muslim theatre owner & their family were having the seating arrangements. It was a good arrangement. My mother was frequent movie visitor to Darbar talkies so,gradually she developed a bonhomie with young girls of Muslim owner family. One among those girls having fat disposition with ivory skinned colour & shinning eyes donning black burqa was Tahira . She was real chatter box & addressed my mother 'Aapa'.
Whenever my mother & me were present in Darbar hall in the special enclosure , after some time Tahira with few of her relatives came to Darbar hall & ensuing gossip was very chirpy & flippant . I always thought whether she gives time for breathing or go on for unstopped chattering .Such was Tahira ! One evening in old Morris car she came to our residence with black burqa clad relatives of her family ,introducing them as Mummy Jan , Fufi Jan & others . Oh ! when they disrobed their burqa ,all were looking marbled skin with henna dyed hair ,what a gathering of Muslim aristocrat women.
Come Muslim festival Eid al-Fitr which we generally known as Eid & fine culinary preparation from the owner's family of Darbar came to our places The glittering cover over the delicacies were pleasing to look & at the same time I was curious to savour the treat underneath . It was Dum Biryani , Ande ka Halwa , Sheer Khurma ,Chicken preparation & other delicacies which I don't remember.
It was mouth watering proposition. Tahira & her Mummy who once visited our place invited us for Eid delicacies & celebrating Eid festival at their residence but Papa advised against it. Those were the days when business persons were kept at arms length to officials . Perhaps British legacies !
When Dabar people returned delivering the delicacies , I thought now the time has come to savour the treat but mother became adamant. The old prejudice was playing in her mind . She grew up with the prejudice ,Muslims always spit on the eatables served to Hindu as they were Kaffir . God knows ! But the casualty for me were delicacies.
Mother gave a strict 'Firman' nobody of the household will savour the dishes . The aroma of spices were filling the room but in vain & old prejudices die hard .
मेरा दिल ममोस कर रह गया ,लेकिन क्या उपाय था I हमारी एक महरी थी ललिता I माँ ने सभी डिश जो दरबार से आये थे ,उसे ललिता को दे दिया और वो ख़ुशी-ख़ुशी सभी अच्छे बने मुस्लिम डिशों को अपने यहाँ ले गयी I अगले साल भी यही वाक्या हुआ और मैं समझ गया ,इन डिशो को प्यार भरी नजरों से देखना बेकार है और अब मै इन डिशों से तटस्थ हो गया I
The act of my mother was not unnatural . After many decades I read the memoir of another person & he was narrating a true episode.
'His father was a person of standing in his village & his many friends were sitting on a wooden chouki & gossipping merrily. In the mean time he felt the urge of drinking water . He ordered for it & water in a glass came . He started drinking & his one Muslim friend just stood up from chouki & remained in standing position till his Hindu friend did not finish his glass of water ' What a respect for sensibility!
Perhaps this was Ganga-Jamuni 'Tehzib !
Continued ............
I was in Siwan & the year was 1956-57. The major source of our entertainment for me & my mother was Darbar Talkies . Papa remained always busy on his official hazards ,so mother & her companion me were habitual visitors of Darbar Talkies . Siwan was a small town so always C-grade pictures were played on the screen which were carrying funny names such as Mastani Bagdad ka chor , Shahi Bazaar etc but it was available free of charge so, why not enjoy it !
We were always taken to special class which was reserved more or less for official gentry of Siwan & it was partitioned by thin framed curtain & on the other side Muslim theatre owner & their family were having the seating arrangements. It was a good arrangement. My mother was frequent movie visitor to Darbar talkies so,gradually she developed a bonhomie with young girls of Muslim owner family. One among those girls having fat disposition with ivory skinned colour & shinning eyes donning black burqa was Tahira . She was real chatter box & addressed my mother 'Aapa'.
Whenever my mother & me were present in Darbar hall in the special enclosure , after some time Tahira with few of her relatives came to Darbar hall & ensuing gossip was very chirpy & flippant . I always thought whether she gives time for breathing or go on for unstopped chattering .Such was Tahira ! One evening in old Morris car she came to our residence with black burqa clad relatives of her family ,introducing them as Mummy Jan , Fufi Jan & others . Oh ! when they disrobed their burqa ,all were looking marbled skin with henna dyed hair ,what a gathering of Muslim aristocrat women.
Come Muslim festival Eid al-Fitr which we generally known as Eid & fine culinary preparation from the owner's family of Darbar came to our places The glittering cover over the delicacies were pleasing to look & at the same time I was curious to savour the treat underneath . It was Dum Biryani , Ande ka Halwa , Sheer Khurma ,Chicken preparation & other delicacies which I don't remember.
 |
| Sheer Khurma |
 |
| Rumali Sevai. |
It was mouth watering proposition. Tahira & her Mummy who once visited our place invited us for Eid delicacies & celebrating Eid festival at their residence but Papa advised against it. Those were the days when business persons were kept at arms length to officials . Perhaps British legacies !
When Dabar people returned delivering the delicacies , I thought now the time has come to savour the treat but mother became adamant. The old prejudice was playing in her mind . She grew up with the prejudice ,Muslims always spit on the eatables served to Hindu as they were Kaffir . God knows ! But the casualty for me were delicacies.
 |
| Ande ka halwa |
मेरा दिल ममोस कर रह गया ,लेकिन क्या उपाय था I हमारी एक महरी थी ललिता I माँ ने सभी डिश जो दरबार से आये थे ,उसे ललिता को दे दिया और वो ख़ुशी-ख़ुशी सभी अच्छे बने मुस्लिम डिशों को अपने यहाँ ले गयी I अगले साल भी यही वाक्या हुआ और मैं समझ गया ,इन डिशो को प्यार भरी नजरों से देखना बेकार है और अब मै इन डिशों से तटस्थ हो गया I
 | |
| Chicken preparation |
The act of my mother was not unnatural . After many decades I read the memoir of another person & he was narrating a true episode.
'His father was a person of standing in his village & his many friends were sitting on a wooden chouki & gossipping merrily. In the mean time he felt the urge of drinking water . He ordered for it & water in a glass came . He started drinking & his one Muslim friend just stood up from chouki & remained in standing position till his Hindu friend did not finish his glass of water ' What a respect for sensibility!
Perhaps this was Ganga-Jamuni 'Tehzib !
Continued ............
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