Seven Vows Part 1- Published

The Lunch

Suman came to kitchen. " Maa Sreedhar told he will have lunch". She was thinking how to put forward the request for making Dal Tadka. She had so far only helped in kitchen, not really cooked anything apart from making tea.

" Maa can I cook something today. I don't know many things. I know only Dal Tadka. Can I make it." She asked hesitatingly

Maheswari looked at her bahu " This is what I call competition. You felt left out when yesterday we all cooked for Sreedhar and you couldn't make anything. You want to make up today."

" Maa nothing like that I.."

" Suman don't hide and I will tell the unasked question from you. Does Sreedhar eat Dal Tadka because that's all you can make confidently"

Vindhya and Renuka by this time had started laughing. " Suman Sreedhar eats almost anything that is home made. His favourites are there, but then unlike my husband, Sudhir, Murali he is not fussy about food" told Renuka

" So you make Dal Tadka. Let us see how it turn out. If it is not good even if he doesn't complain, we will complain. So be careful" told Vindhya

Suman started making Dal Tadka. Maheswari looked at her DIL. She looked more or less a normal human, not the robot who was just doing things as per instructions.

When Sreedhar came out for lunch Vindhya blabbered " Today's special dish is by Suman Sreedhar, the great Dal Tadka. Taste it "

" Oh Sumanji has made it. And I am the one who should be experimenting. Have some mercy on me ladies. Also Renuka Bhabi, sit everyone naa. Only I am there and I don't like eating alone. Let us all eat together"

" Vindhya and Suman you both sit. Me and Renuka will have later" told Maheswari

" So I am also Bali ka Bakra for Dal Tadka right maa" told Vindhya

" I am making the cook also sit " told Maheswari

" Maa you all sit, I will have food last today. Please" told Suman

As they were about to sit there was a knock on the door. Maheswari opened the door. It was a couple of Sanyasis

" We have come travelling so far. We are hungry. Can we have food here "

" Yes Mahatman. Of course you can. Please wash your legs and come inside " tol Maheswari

Sanyasis coming houses were not new. In many houses it was considered auspicious to feed visiting sanyasis.

Sreedhar, Vindya and Suman got up from their seats and Suman hid herself in the kitchen as she couldn't go up without coming in the sight of the sanyasis. Lest they create another issue seeing her.

Maheswari served them the food. The sanyasis ate, praised Dal Tadka a lot and asked who prepared it. Maheswari was in a fix. If she tell them the truth, she was sure the orthodox sanyasis will create hungama. If she lied then whatever blessings these people were planning for Suman will go in vain.

" Ji my bahu who prepared the food is not here now. I had to send her to market for something very important" told Maheswari half truth, half lie

" Doesn't matter let your bahu remain Akhanda Sowbhagyavathi and beget good progeny" Maheswari, Renuka and Vindhya looked at each other not sure what to make out of the strange blessing directed Suman's way. Yes the sanyasis didn't know the truth , but it was a belief that a blessing given by these sanyasis fully satisfied never went in vain.

Maheswari send the sanyasis, only to see Sreedhar laughing like anything. Suman came out of the hiding looking calm. She was not sure whether she will be a mother or the society will allow her with Sreedhar to have a married life. But if what happened in temple between them was true and if the belief these sanyasis blessings don't go in vain is true, then her Sreedhar was safe and that is all she wanted. Especially with the risks he was taking for them.

" Why are you laughing" asked Maheswari

" Maa I was just thinking about the idiotic traditions. These sanyasis enjoyed dal tadka and gave Sumanji blessings. If they had seen her, the same dal tadka would have become poison for them and what hue and cry they would have raised"

" But what kind of blessings is it Maa. It is so contradictory" asked Vindhya

" Vindhya sit and have food. Be happy that Suman was prudent enough to hide herself in the kitchen. Else today first she will be the casualty unnecessarily listen to taunts just because she cooked something, second they put some curse and unnecessary headache around it ,third Sreedhar's papa would have made another hue and cry as these people would have told community leaders and we will have to face another community meeting. So stop thinking about the blessing. I am relieved they went full stomach and happy"

" Maa I will serve. You all sit now." told Suman. But Renuka decided to be with her and they both started serving. Lunch was over and everyone praised Suman for her Dal Tadka. As Sreedhar was leaving for office he kept something under the pillow and as he passed Suman took the piece of paper and hid in her pallu. Once back in her room she opened the chit. " Dal Tadka was really good and I am happy you got the blessings and there was a wink drawn. She blushed deep red knowing what the wink meant. She had taken the first half of the blessing, but for him second half mattered.