Night Jasmine

Untitled Part 68

She rose early next morning feeling a little sore after having surrendered herself fully to the worship of Eros along with her lover. She smiled as she recalled how like a typical man Randhir had faith in make-up sex, not that she was complaining, this was the happiest phase of her entire life. Off late they had hardly managed to spend time together and both were glad that they took this spontaneous holiday. But while she was feeling elated she had also come to realise how she vulnerable and insecure she was deep down inside, there was no doubt that both of them were fully in love and yet she had felt uneasy with just the mention of another girl's name. She needed to work on the issue, it had affected her and her discomfiture had made Randhir uneasy. She knew he had pulled out all stops to boost her morale, to make her feel special he had bought her a nine yards Paithani silk saree at the Goddess' temple shop, his unusual first gift to her since they got into a relationship. 

Although she would have loved to snooze some more in his arms she had a quick shower instead and rushed downstairs to join their hostess in her morning riyaaz. Later as the senior lady was occupied with her puja, Randhir joined Sanyukta and they rode a bicycle to explore the farm a bit. When they reached the farmhands were waiting patiently to milk the buffaloes after the calves had suckled. The milking was done twice a day on schedule as any delay caused the udders to swell making the animals uncomfortable. As they heard the free-range hens clucking up a cacophony after laying in the coop they grabbed a basket and went about collecting the eggs which were to be cooked for breakfast. Then they got to the cultivated patch where they noticed pepper vines trailed around coconut palms, papaya, guava, pomelo and lime trees laden with fruit, pineapple and banana plantations besides assorted vegetables growing. They helped to pick fresh fruit and vegetables for the kitchen before heading back to the house.

 They went to the kitchen to see breakfast being prepared. Sanyukta spotted the gravid housecat as it lazed by the warmth of the stove and to her amazement she could actually see the kittens move in the mother's belly.Since this was their last day in Goa and because they had bonded so well with the hosts, they were being served an assortment of local specialities for breakfast and later for lunch. There was home style egg bhurji topped with grated coconut to be eaten with poi bread, rice flour pancakes called ghavan with chutney and freshly steamed rice vermicelli to be dipped in sweetened coconut milk. Sanyukta admired the fact that tradition was quite strong here, as reflected in the cooking methods and in the use of home-grown organic produce. Almost all of the vegetable and fruit peelings were fed to the dairy animals or composted thereby serving the need for waste management. Dried cowpats were used to replace firewood in the clay stoves, meals cooked over these bearing a delicious smoky aroma unlike those made on LPG stoves.

Randhir asked their hostess for assistance to train Sanyukta on how to drape the Marathi nine yards saree that he had picked up at the temple. The lady was really impressed to know that  the city bred young couple had shown interest in the local culture. She explained that it is custom for devotees to make saree offerings to the Goddess and some of these were available for sale, being picked up by the faithful who considered them blessed as they had been symbolically draped over the Devi, a new saree each day. Noticing the saree was in yellow silk bordered with green and gold she remarked that it was an auspicious combination worn by a Marathi bride during her nuptials. This saree does not need a petticoat and its drape can help distinguish the wearer's background, with the khaandani style made popular by the nobility which was the norm, the shramik or closely draped style worn by working class women, both different from the shringarik or revealing style opted for by courtesans and dancing girls to titillate their audience. 

She rued the fact that film dancers had made the saree an object of ridicule by wearing it in a debauched manner when in fact Maratha warrior queens like the Rani of Jhansi wore the same saree in a dignified way, it was such a practical garment to ride to battle on horseback. She gave Sanyukta one of her own brocade blouses to try on as she helped her drape the saree elegantly with the folds drawn between the legs and tucked in the back similar to a dhoti. To complete the look she tied Sanyukta's hair in a topknot, pinned some champa flowers on it, painted a crescent shaped bindi on her forehead and lent her a mango shaped Marathi nath embellished with pearls, rubies and uncut diamonds, assuring her that she looked pretty enough to knock the socks off her husband. Sanyukta knew the lady assumed that they were a married pair as she sported a mangalsutra. Randhir had never expected his lover to glow so much in the saree as she appeared before him blushing, he could not get enough pictures of her, even Vidushi and Parth complimented her on her looks.

After she had changed back they had a hearty breakfast and went boating with their host in the calm backwaters, who pointed out several birds perched on the trees along the banks. They came ashore to buy cashew nuts and bottles of feni. On their way back their host picked up fresh mackerels and black pomfret for lunch. When they got back both couples returned to their rooms to finish their packing and to relax before lunchtime. As she nestled in Randhir's arms Sanyukta thanked him for bringing her on the best holiday she had ever been on, he in turn continued to savour her without saying much until it was time to get dressed and have lunch. Their last meal at the homestay consisted of spiced mackerels wrapped in banana leaves and baked on embers, fried black pomfret, sauteed okra and red amaranth, kulith or roasted horse gram porridge eaten with parboiled rice. For dessert they had patolyo, rice flour parcels filled with jaggery and coconut wrapped in fragrant turmeric leaves and steamed like a pitha. 

After they paid for their stay they bid a fond farewell to their generous hosts who plied them with specialities like brown rice, feijao beans, kokum and cashewnuts. Sanyukta became emotional when the hostess performed a god-bharai for her, with an offering of fabric, coconut, rice, fruit and flowers made to a married daughter when she returned to her marital home after spending time with her parents. She had tears in her eyes as she gave her a warm hug, unable to confess that she was not married yet feeling touched and privileged by the affectionate gesture, having made new friends for life. She touched their feet to seek blessings from the senior couple and the others followed suit. After having said goodbye they drove to the airport, reaching well in time to finish their check-in for their return flights. They left Vidushi and Parth alone so they could cherish their last few minutes together before her Delhi flight was announced and she shared a parting kiss with Parth to proceed with boarding. As they boarded their own flight to Mumbai they made a pact to return to Goa in future whenever they could, taking back some of their best memories with them.