SURPRISE VISIT

It was a fine Sunday morning. As usual, Alishaa was at her desk, checking emails after routine daily chores. Her personal mobile started singing one of the latest popular filmy tunes. Eagerly she peeped into the display panel. “Wah! It’s Shyama on line.” Alishaa was so excited that she leaped out of her executive chair, setting it on a full rotation.

“Shyama, hay, how are you?” Alishaa practically shouted over the speaker. “Where are you calling from?”

“What’s it yaar? You sound so excited! I am right at your local railway station. I shall be landing home any moment from now. Start the count down. Dont forget to open the gates, you lazy goose. See you soon…”

Alishaa hung up. She went round the house in a jiffy; ruling out chances of misplaced items if any. She peeped into every nook and corner. “Thank God, everything is fine.” Alishaa voiced absent mindedly. She called her kids to open the gate and asked them to wait at the front door.

Quickly, she brewed a cup of hot coffee. The Lingzhi one, that’s Shyama’s favourite. A well kept house, tended garden, nutritious food are Shyama’s benchmarks of quality house keeping.

Close friends from childhood; nothing was strong enough to part them, over all these years. They confided all their feelings mutually. Each was sure that the other would always be there whatever might be the external limitations.

“Mamma, Shyamanty has come;” shouted Ponnu; herself excited and astonished at the very sight of the unexpected special guest of the day. Alishaa joined the team in a fast run. As they stood hugging each other, kids shared their enthusiasm and showered their love and started expressing their excitement in cute unique ways of their own.

Rithwik, Shyama’s son was jumping on the sofa, catching a pampering pinch from his mother. Alishaa quickly grabbed him from his mother as an SOS! She let him down and ordered her kids to help him refresh himself and to join them soon for a late breakfast.

Alishaa then served Shyama her coffee and looked at her questioningly. “Amma is fine da. So is Appa. They convey their warm regards to you. They have sent some homemade pickles and snacks – all your longtime favourites. Its all in that big shopper bag, da. Keep them in.” suggested Shyama.

“It’s not that da. But, what brought you down all this distance, all of a sudden?” enquired Alishaa.

“It is suspense. If I reveal you would tease me and take me to hell.” aired Shyama. “I will have a bath and come; yaar. Imagine until then…” she continued with a laugh.

Alishaa’s mind became more and more excited with every possible imagination.

“Is Shyama transferred over here?
Maybe Saj is joining back after his overseas assignment?
Might be Shyama is registering for a doctorate, over here?
Is she going abroad, on leave, to join Saj there, on his next project?
If so, will Appa and Amma come and join me?
Maybe she plans to launch her NGO and has come to finalise discussions?”

Thoughts dropped in one after another in series, as Alishaa laid the table for food. She called her grocer and requested for fresh chicken drumsticks. Rithwik loves her fried lollipops…

Alishaa soaked some “jeerakashala” to prepare some ghee rice also for Rithwik.

Shyama is a pure vegetarian. So are her parents. But Rithwik cherishes non-veg food and almost all junk stuff. Shyama is full of rules and ethics that he seldom gets a chance to catch hold of these items at home.

Healthy balanced diet is her policy. It’s right too. But, kids are exposed to lot of things around them and should be permitted to taste their preferences, at least once in a while. That’s Alishaa’s attitude. She boiled some macaroni too for the kids, to enjoy after breakfast.

Ponnu and Minnu also are ardent fans of junkie foods. Parathas, Naan, Chicken broast, French fries, pizzas, burgers, hot dogs, noodles, chips, roasts and ice creams… they love all. They are permitted to choose any one item, just one, once every week. That’s Reji’s unwritten rule. Like kids, he too is an ardent lover of junkie tastes !

With a Palak Paneer made at home and Parathas home delivered from caterers for dinner; Alishaa was all set to enjoy a half holiday. Shyama would prefer chapattis for dinner, so she kneaded some flour and covered the dough ball with a wet towel. The menu thus finalised and everything in place; Alishaa was relieved off the over burdens of sudden hosting …

Shyama and Rithwik enjoyed the food with others watching them in delight. “Rithwik, what prompted your Mamma for a quick visit darling?” asked Alishaa, unable to hide her curiosity. “Aunty, you didn’t know? Really?” Rithwik was astonished. “Neither do I” came the innocent chaps response.

“Come on, break the ice…please” requested Alishaa. She voiced her thoughts one after another, simultaneously accepting a negative nod for all. “For heavens sake, please yaar…” she pleaded. “At least a clue…”

Rithwik threw a wink at his mother and said “it’s related to women.” He was enjoying the shot, now.

Alishaa started thinking hard. What might be the special visit on a topic related to women?

Before Rithwik could proceed any further, Shyama said: “Alishaa, I have to moderate a women’s seminar here tomorrow. And share my experience on the topic- significance of women’s day and the women who influenced me…”

It’s on official duty, da. The programs are in association with Women’s Day and the venue is Nalanda Auditorium. You loved one of my joint research proposals on Role of women in decision making process in farming communities; isn’t it? That paper has bagged the best field study of the year. Simultaneously, I have to present the paper and list my role models!

“You are going to deliver a public speech?” Alishaa’s excitement started mounting again. “Can I be a listener?”

“Of course, you have to. You know very well. I hate all such hungama. I am never comfortable making public speeches and presentations. But, my superiors were simply adamant. So is Saj. And lo, I am here.”

They say, “It’s my duty as one of the senior most technical professional, who walked along those remote tracks, as a pioneer, to motivate youngsters, to keep track of the initiated works in motion. My crazes, my ethics, my commitment, my principles all are creating a toll on me. I just kept doing all that I felt like. Now to link all that to women leaders and biographies that inspired me into all this… If people are going to trouble me like this unnecessarily, I would be forced to become silent or quit…” voiced Shyama.

Alishaa was aware how much Shyama hates a stage and more the limelight. She prefers background action, rather facilitations, massive too, for true empowerment of the downtrodden; the underprivileged. She has a vision for of gender equity, where there is so much of mutual give and take, a balanced flow of energy in all directions. It is the society at large that has to improve. Social attitudes have to change and evolve. We have to attract finances and spent funds wisely for that. Not for such celebrations and utopian show offs. There should be proper planning at the grassroots for total empowerment. Illiterate masses must be enlightened, awareness creation is inevitable as part of our development process.

However Alishaa tried her best to console her friend.

“How can I calm down? Are we mere dolls? Under one pretension or another we have to discharge assigned duties. Whether it fits your job description, it suits your tastes, thoughts or caliber none is bothered! Tomorrow I have to attend these programs at such a short notice. As for the project, I just ghosted to support Sneha mobilise UN aid for her research on gender equity. Now look I am getting an automatic feminist image! Moderating the seminar and drafting its proceedings is ok. But sharing my list of role models… Not that I have to toil multifold, that’s never my concern. But what is the end result? Will someone ever use any of these resources? That’s what makes me wild. “

“Come on Shyama, take it positively. You are too sensitive. You already have an attitude for social commitment. There is an activist inside you. Lets use this as an opportunity of awareness creation;” suggested Alishaa in a soothing manner.

“Look at our health care system. There is so much of female foeticide and maternal deaths.

Look at how young students are harassed on their way to school and at school.
Look at the unorganized domestic maids. Majority are subject to exploitation of myriad ways.

So are the farm labourers. They are paid less …

Even today our public transport system is not safe enough.
My kids are girls; maybe I am getting concerned more.

Even pregnant ladies hesitate to use public toilets amidst long distance journeys. These are pathetic situations.

Equal Opportunity Employers are only a striking bit of advertisement. Women seldom get selected because of their gender! We had to compete and prove our mettle. We never enjoyed any exemptions simply because of our gender.

Women under normal conditions are still at a suffering edge. Majority needs to be uplifted. But, here I agree with you. It has to be community empowerment and not women empowerment.”

Alishaa shared her views and social anguish. She was sorry that Shyama had to undertake a task against her liking, but she was particular that there are many issues that need to be addressed on women’s day. Whether it would fetch immediate results or none at all, she was not worried. She was a fervent person of action at that.

There was no response from Shyama. To inspire her into positive spirits, Alishaa continued. “I remember the presentation you made few years ago, on Women and Environment. Even in villages, its women who are badly affected. They have to trek long distances for fire wood and potable water. They have to travel long distances to get access to better health care facilities. So they often prolong with their illness. They bear lot of pollution from biomass burning. They bear lot of grunt from their drunkard counterparts and violence from their sons. They toil so hard to keep their mud floors clean and roof thatched regularly.”

“Yes da. That was a simple presentation. I had enough time. Moreover, environment and women is a popular topic. From our puranas to those tribal women who hug trees in Chipko movement to Narmada Bachao Andolan, led by Medha Patkar it was easy to deliver. It was focused too. From Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring to Vandana Shiva’s Navdhanya, there are a good range of examples to cite from, in a simple manner. Even Wangara Mathai by herself was quite motivating. Really I enjoyed that assignment, though that was also forced on me.”

“You can enjoy this one too. Let’s try to make it another memorable Women’s Day that deepens our bond of friendship as well…” suggested Alishaa.

“As a kid you were attracted to Enid Blyton. You were a voracious reader and in fact ate into her books on Mr. Pink Whistle and the Invisible Man. Then you moved into adventures of Nancy drew, mysteries of Agatha Christie. Later to Jane Austen, Mahaswetha Devi and recently Madhavikutty too lured you. You love columns of Leela Menon and poems of Eliot.

Soothing Suprabhatams of M.S. Subbhalakshmi facilitated you to learn music and later to turn to playing veena. They also helped you enjoy classical performances at Soorya festivals in an involved manner;” continued Alishaa.

You are very fond of Jhansi Rani for her valor and patriotism, Smita Patil for her acting, Shakuntala Devi as the mathematician…

Not just women, many others have also influenced you…from Nehru and Tagore to J K and APJ…

“I think the most famous women who inspired you were Florence Nightingale, Marie Curie and the character, Maria von Trapp, in The Sound of Music. Then Mother Teresa, Helen Keller and Maria Montessori? Am I right?

I think I can very well enlist your favourite legends, in all areas; both past and living…should I?”

“I have already drafted a matter, da. Not up to my usual standards. But I think that’s enough for now. May be we can tabulate a list, as you said, to remind youngsters that there were so many of them…who have inspired us knowingly and unknowingly, all through our life.”

As Alishaa browsed through the draft material, Shyama eagerly awaited for her approval nod…