Many years in the past, on a crisp spring afternoon, I used to be sitting with Phuphee peeling alle (bottle gourd). Whenever she cooked alle, in any kind, she would by no means fail to say Gandhiji and the way it was his favourite syun (dish).
When Phuphee wasn’t current, different relations would usually snigger about it, poking enjoyable at the way it was one thing she had made up. To at the present time nobody has been in a position to work out if there may be any reality in it.
The alle we had been peeling had been sourced contemporary from Phuphee’s kitchen backyard. She was planning to make alle yakhni (chunks of bottle gourd cooked in a velvety mint yogurt sauce). While working, Phuphee requested one of many family assist, Aisha, to make some kahwa for the company. Aisha appeared confused as there have been no company current on the home.
‘They will come,’ Phuphee advised her.
I appeared out of the kitchen window and couldn’t see anybody within the backyard, however expertise had taught me that if Phuphee stated company had been coming, they’d undoubtedly arrive. Half an hour later, there have been individuals on the gate. They had been proven into the visitor room and served kahwa. After a short while, Phuphee and I went to greet them.
There had been two households sitting within the visitor room. One of the aged gents obtained up and spoke, ‘Dear sister, we have come with a very grave matter. You must help us. My enemies have done their best to ruin my family.’
‘Tell me what I can do to help you,’ Phuphee replied.
‘Our daughter-in-law,’ he stated, pointing to the younger girl who sat silently along with her head down, ‘has been possessed. One of my enemies has cast the most evil of spells on her. A week ago, during dinner, my wife and I complained that the alle she had made was quite hard and not cooked properly. The words had not left my lips, sister, that our daughter-in-law got up and started shouting and screaming. She said that we had not taught our son how to pick good quality vegetables from the shop, and that she had only cooked what he had brought home, and that we should complain to him instead. She went as far as to say that we should now teach him these things. She says that we have failed to impart good homemaking knowledge to him, and she refuses to come back unless he is taught to buy vegetables.’ He was virtually frothing by the top of the story.
Phuphee appeared on the younger girl and requested her to come back ahead.
‘Is this true?’ Phuphee requested her.
‘Yes, it is. I will not go back unless he too learns certain things. How to choose vegetables is just one of them,’ she replied confidently.
‘What else must he learn before you agree to go back home?’ Phuphee requested.
‘Dear sister, you cannot be serious in asking…,’ the father-in-law broke in, however Phuphee raised her hand, silencing him.
‘Tell me,’ Phuphee requested the younger girl once more.
She took a deep breath and stated, ‘He must learn to maintain the washroom in the condition he has found it. When he returns home from work, he must fold his clothes and put them away neatly. There are certain things he has to do around the house — he must remember to do them without me reminding him to do them because I will not be called a nag. Once he has learnt to do all these, I will go back home. Otherwise, I refuse,’ she stated, pursing her lips.
Phuphee sat silently for some time and stated, ‘I guess there is only one thing to do.’
The father-in-law obtained up and requested if they need to all keep or go away whereas she exorcised the demon.
‘There will be no exorcism. I need to ask one question, and the answer will solve this problem,’ Phuphee replied.
She requested the younger man to step ahead. ‘Tell me, do you think you can learn these things that your wife asks?’ Phuphee requested him.
‘I think so. I can try,’ he stammered, giving his spouse a shy look.
‘Have you lost your mind?’ his father roared, scaring his son somewhat.
‘I think that is decided then. Once you learn the things that she wants you to learn, you may go to her maalyun [maternal home] and bring her back.’
With that Phuphee obtained up and left the room to return to her cooking. Everyone else sat there, somewhat shocked, some overwhelmed and a few underwhelmed, by what had simply occurred.
Later that night after a scrumptious meal of scorching rice and alle yakhni, I requested Phuphee why she hadn’t simply put a spell on the aged gentleman since he was clearly the one within the mistaken.
‘Well, I could have done that, but today I cooked gandhijiyun syun [Gandhiji’s dish]. I couldn’t presumably use violence in any kind,’ she stated, winking. I couldn’t work out if she was being severe or pulling my leg.
‘Also,’ she continued, ‘if I had done that then I would have lost the opportunity to help them help each other. They just needed a little nudge in the right direction,’ she stated.
In the village, the information unfold like wild fireplace, about how the younger girl had a demon so highly effective at her disposal that she may bend her husband’s will. Just a few days later, I’d see individuals — women and men — stroll round her, as if the very air round her was poisoned.
But then one thing slowly modified. Just a few months later, I noticed her available in the market, and although the lads handled her with the identical disdain, the ladies didn’t. They handled her with what can solely be described as some kind of reverence.
Later at dwelling, I requested Aisha about it and he or she talked about how the ladies from the village would go to the younger girl and ask her for the key phrases that Phuphee had given to her. They would lean in shut, and in the event you occurred to be close to sufficient to witness it, you possibly can sense their hearts beating somewhat quicker on the prospect of getting a partner who would pay attention, somewhat than simply hear them.
Saba Mahjoor, a Kashmiri dwelling in England, spends her scant free time considering life’s vagaries.
Published – May 22, 2025 07:56 pm IST
