As the first grains of rice
cooked in the free range cow's milk,
aromatic with the saffron from Pampore
were put in the baby's tender mouth,
Everyone joined in to congratulate
the beaming parents.
The men patted the broad shoulders
of the exultant father,
who gave away sweets to everyone.
And, the women hugged the mother,
as she sat with little Ganesha,
a veritable Parvati,
resplendent in a coral colored saree
on which golden peacocks danced
in their full Kanjeevaram glory.
The euphoric grandmother sat amidst
the older ladies with hoary and dyed heads
singing folk ditties to bless
the little piece of their hearts.
The mausis and Buas vied to outperform each
other in Bollywood and classical dance.
The guests having their bellies filled
with savoury and sweet delicacies
lazed and talked about
how beautiful the mother looked
and how healthy the baby.
They complimented each other's sartorial sense
and whispered about many people's lack of it.
They talked about the mouth melting moong dal halwa
but hinted at the absence of gulab jamun, a favorite of many.
But, no one paid any attention
to the thin woman with red eyes and stoic face
who wore cheap imitation jewelry, a wilted gajra
sat in a corner trying to cover her leaky blouse
with the anchal of her polyester saree.
- Neha Bansal
(Published in "Mosaic of poetic musings : contemporary women poets from India" edited by Seema Jain and published by Authors press)
