As night falls, a large griddle on a fire brazier heats up. My grandma, mom, and bhua (aunt), Usha, get the cooking underway to pile the toothsome rotis up ???? for us, by and by. I keep watching ???? them with all my nosiness.
Three of them wait and watch, as a heap of cowdung-cakes lights the fireplace up ???? with all its warmth and glamour.
Grandmother ???? lays a pinch of dry flour right in the middle of the griddle and notices if it goes brownish black. Yes! She smiles ???? as the griddle heats up congruously.
My mother and aunt rolled the dough into disc-shaped chapatis. Grandma promptly gets to toss chapatis across the blazing griddle, manoeuvring tweezers to eventually pitch perfectly cooked mouthwatering rotis into a crock ????, while mom and aunt remain busy applying plenty of ghee ???? on them.
We kids ???? keep looking at the brazier with all our eagerness.
This is our usual evening routine.
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Tempting aroma of the scrumptious rotis wafting all the way to the adjoining mansion ???? would welcome my father and tayaji (uncle) on their return from farm.
As my bachelor aunt Usha can’t help playing with the red-hot coals in the brazier, my grandmother interrupts her, “don’t play with fire, girl!! ????Damsels are forbidden to do so, for it may lead to totally underdone or overdone rotis. So, better not playing with fire!!"
I heard about “not playing with fire” for the very first time from my grandmother's mouth. I eventually started playing with fire, consciously.
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Today, as a young man ????, I have again played with fire ????. And guess what! It feels so great playing with fire and tears start rolling down my cheeks ???? as I start missing my grandma ????, my aunt and my beloved uncle. All of them have departed this earthly life.
Anyway, I still have so much support, as I have my mother around!!
May God bless us all!!
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Ninder Ghugianvi, writer and columnist
ninder_ghugianvi@yahoo.com
Phone No. : 9417421700
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