Surangi, The Child Bride

Part 39

"Babies and toddlers rarely get seasick, they are not as sensitive to the motion of the vessel as adults tend to be." Narhari explained when Surangi quizzed him about how when some people, especially women, looked rather green in the face as they threw up their meal over the side of the ship, little children seemed rather unaffected. Many passengers were taking the sea route for the first time in their lives and their response to the experience was varied. To Madhav's relief neither girl was affected by seasickness, on the contrary they were eager to explore the deck. Their sea journey would last only until the next morning. They wanted to see as much of the coasting vessel as they could before the sun went down and it was too dark to look around .

Leaving Narhari to watch over their luggage Madhav led the girls on a walk around the ship. They strolled along the portside deck. Surangi was captivated by the sight of the sea which stretched for miles to the west almost as if she had a natural connection with water. The sea was serene and because of the sun's heat a steady sea breeze blew from the higher pressure over the water to the lower pressure over the land. In the night the process would be reversed and a land breeze would start to blow seaward as land cooled faster than seawater.

The children squinted against the glare as they took in the sight around them. Some people were stretched out on rollaway grass mats enjoying their siesta. Steadfast punters occupied themselves with card games, mindless of the presence of others around them.Elsewhere a few women sat in a huddle and chatted the afternoon away while their children played nearby under their watchful eye.  As they stood by the railing of the deck the girls could clearly hear the conversation between a newly wed Konkani Muslim bride and her female relatives. The women spoke a dialect of Marathi which was easy to grasp for the girls.

Except for the lack of a red vermilion mark on her forehead the bride could be mistaken for a Hindu woman. She wore new green and red glass bangles on her wrist. Around her neck she had a necklace of black beads strung around a huge gold pendant. Resembling a mangalsutra this necklace was known as kali poth ka laccha. This was a vestige of the community's Hindu origin. Konkani Muslims were either descendants of Arab immigrants or traders who took second wives from among the local women, or they were Muslim converts of the Konkani fisherman or other seafaring castes.

 The bride's dowry included jars of traditional handmade pasta called sarvaley or nakuley. It was a summertime occupation for Muslim women to make papads, pickles and these dainty sundried farinaceous foods in either ring or fingernail shapes. The older women were sharing with the bride their closely guarded family recipes for making both savoury and sweet recipes using the pasta. They also gave her advice on making variations of the fish or meat biryani and curries called saalan. Bored of overhearing the feminine discussion on home economics Madhav nudged the girls to continue the stroll around the deck. 

"They are so much like our mothers, they can discuss cooking all day!" Chandri was referring to the resemblance of the Konkani Muslim women's conversation to those of their Hindu counterparts. Chandri's and Surangi's knowledge of the Muslim community of the region was rudimentary. All they knew was that they prayed to a different God, did not worship idols, said their prayers several times in a day and their deceased were buried instead of being cremated.

"Why won't they resemble our mothers? Men and women play similar gender based roles irrespective of the faith. We may belong to different communities but our culture is common since we hail from the same region." Madhav explained. Actually he knew many Muslim families of his village, some of them owned mango orchards and farmland just like his family.

By the time the children strolled over to the starboard side the oppressive heat of the summer noon had begun to recede. The sun loomed closer toward the western horizon. For the children stepping out of their village for the first time and travelling all the way to Bombay on the passenger vessel this was the equivalent of an exotic luxury cruise. They took in every nuance the vista had to offer- the seagulls that followed the fishing boats hoping for an easy meal, the silver glint of the winglike fins of flying fish that flitted over the water trying to evade predators and the palm fringed emerald coast of the Konkan villages dotted with neat little houses and fruit plantations.  

The sunset out at sea was one of the most beautiful they had ewitnessed. The evening breeze was pleasantly cool. The western sky was painted in a hundred hues of orange, pink and red against a blue background dotted with wisps of cottony white clouds. If one put one's imagination to work the clouds assumed shaped ranging from a feather to a fluffy lamb and from a dove to an elephant. Surangi stood at the rail between Chandri and Madhav as they waited with bated breath for the sun to take the final plunge into the waters of the western horizon. 

Surangi stole glances at Madhav and realised her husband was now much taller than the pre-teen she had married last summer. The fair skin of his shaved head was offset by his coal black tuft of hair. The lustrous pearl of the bhikbali earring he wore in his upper earlobe looked radiant as it caught the glow of the setting sun. As he stood with his arms resting on the rail Surangi felt a sudden impulse to touch his flexed bicep. When her fingers made contact with his arm he turned to her wondering what happened. She made a great pretense of steadying herself but refused to let go his arm. She quickly looked away to avoid his piercing eyes and also to hide her blush, she wanted neither Madhav nor Chandri to notice the flutter within her heart. She had long suspected it but now she knew for sure that she had a crush on her husband. And it was not proper for her to let her affection show. How would he react if he knew? And what would Chandri say?

Narhari and the children ate a light dinner, finishing any perishable food that they were carrying. As they unfolded their mats Surangi asked Madhav to lie down near the girls. 

"It is for our safety. What if someone tries to harm us in the night? You can lie close to Chandri if you want!" She urged him, not wanting to reveal her feelings.

"Don't be silly, how can I lie beside Chandri? It may be awkward. At least we are married to each other. Fine, I'll sleep next to you, and Narhari Kaka can lie next to me." Madhav said. He had enough sense to know that it was a wise thing to do. The ship was filled with strangers and who knew what perverts lurked around? He was personally responsible for the safety of the two girls. He discussed the sleeping arrangements with Narhari and the man agreed to his suggestion.

Having settled things Madhav then accompanied the girls to the ship's stern where the toilets were. Surangi was left unimpressed with the rudimentary arrangements in the back. They had just left a gap between the planks to do one's job. One could see the seawater from the space between the planks. After a quick break the children were back in their section of the deck. 

Surangi felt warmth radiate within her as she lay between Madhav and Chandri. Chandri giggled and dug her elbow into Surangi's side while the girl whispered a protest into her ear.

"Cut out your mischief and go off to sleep, you two! We go alongside soon after dawn." Madhav warned the girls. He could feel Surangi squirm under her sheet. He had never laid down to sleep this close to her. He felt a little uneasy. Off late he was getting weird dreams about being intimate with her. She was just a kid, if she knew his private thoughts she would think he was debauched. He took care not to touch her while he she fall asleep next to him. It would be a few years before her body assumed a womanly shape. Taking his role as the girls' sentinel seriously he lay awake for a long time listening to her cute snores before sleep finally overcame him.