She was a perfect cook .Even though people would criticise her as someone who would interfere in people's kitchen,she would go on poking her nose into everyone's affairs,especially telling them how some dishes are made .Never would she realize that she is not wanted , her opinions undesired and her hyperactivity uncallled for.She would go on bragging about the extra expensive cookery classes which she had taken as a young,unmarried Rajput girl whose main motto was to marry someone with a stable backgound and a sound bank balance.
Let me introduce you to her.Her name was Bela Choudhary and her occupation was of a housewife.You must be wondering how being a" housewife "is an occupation ;but let me make it quite clear that housewives work for more than twelve hours a day ,evidently much more than a corporate worker who goes for a nine hour shift on a regular basis.
So here was Bela,a graduate in Hindi from Delhi University utilising her time in packing lunch boxes,instructing the house-maid and waiting endlessly for her businessman husband.
She was fair,slim and tall.A careful inspector of the kind of things she was buying ,her dealings with the sabziwallas was not at all imposing:"aree bhai yeh matar kya bhav diya ?...Nahin nahin...theek lagao nahin to main kahin aur se le loongi."
This was the usual threat presented to the sabziwallah so he would never fall into the trap.
"Jao bahenji kahin aur se hi lelo."Quite alarmed at the situation and upset with the public humiliation ,she would quietly say,"achcha chalo dedo ek kilo,agali baar dekhoongi" and quietly move to another vendor.
Today she was in a hurry as her daughter was bringing some friends home for her birthday treat and she had bragged about her mother's culinary skills especially her gajar ka halwa.So she didn't even try to bargain.
Poor Bela was in a mess."Gajar ka halwa in June?"She had cried in disbelief.
"Mom you can arrange this, I know. "Her daughter had shown some extra faith which she never would otherwise( being a rebellious collegiate, she was never polite with her mother and today she was on the verge of flattering Bela)..How could she disappoint her little angel,"I would surely try it..it doesn't matter if it 'll be made from the exported orange-coloured ,unsweet carrots but I will make the gajar ka halwa and also make sure it has the best taste."
So her search began ..from the mother dairies to the local sabzi mandi to her favourite vendor.But alas,there were no carrots anywhere.What to do now?
The time was ticking . Nicky's friend would be home in about four hours from now,she mused.
Suddenly she had a perfect idea.She quickly paid the grocer and there she was,at her house ,in the kitchen.
She kept cooking the halwa for about an hour or more .After the completion of the task,she smiled satisfactorily to herself.She went to change and then dressed for the occasion.She wore a lovely pink suit with white flowers embroidered on the neck and sleeves,with a shimmery dupatta to match with it.She wore her small pearl set to finish the decking up.
Ding -Dong.Ding-Dong.The bell rang.
"Sunita,open the door".
The maid opened the door ....Two boys with spiked hair,ear studs and Gucci glasses .Identical faces.Surely they were twins.There was a fat , fair womanly girl whom Bela already knew as Nicky's best friend Savvy;and a squinted boy dressed up as a colorful joker depicting his taste in men rather women:Jyotish was his name.
"Aunty where is our lunch?We are so hungry and we have heard so much about the halwa"
."They are as dumb as my own Nicky.They 'll easily be befooled,"thought Bela.
"Aunty, I'm sure you haven't been able to make the gajar ka halwa Nicky was boasting off ,declared the one in courful parroty clothes-Jyotish".
She would have made it"said Jacob."Yes ,I'm sure she has,added the other twin-Judith.
"Okay Okay..see for yourself but first wash your hands and have the lunch before making your judgements on the halwa."
They all sat down on the dining table and started gulping down the sumptuous meal which she had prepared.The butter drenched alloo paranthas,biryani and raita with paneer chilly masala her speciality.Now was the turn of the most awaited -gajar ka halwa.
"Sunita.jaldi se woh bada bowl leke aao jisme halwa hai."
Nicky was proudly smiling at Bela".My mom is so great a cook.The halwa is soooo yummy, isn't it?"
Everyone agreed with a smile because all of them had their mouths stuffed with the orangish red gajar ka halwa.
"But aunty how did you manage to get carrots in this season,asked Jyotish who was sure that it just looked like gajar ka halwa but wasn't that for sure.
Bela shrewdly replied,"Aree dhoodhne se to bhagwan bhi mil jaata hai , yeh to bas gajar thi."
Satisfied that it must be the real carrot halwa , Jyotish also gulped down the last spoon .
"We are going for a movie and I will come back around eight .Savvy will drop me,mamma,don't worry .
* * *
That night at eight when Nicky returned after watching Mission Impossible -The ghost Protocol,she was on cloud nine.Her birthday had gone quite well.She went on in the kitchen to thank her mom for the lovely treat she had put up for her friends ,especially the not so possible : the mission impossible , the gajar ka halwa.Her mother was not to be found .She asked Sunita ,the maid about her whereabouts."Arre madam to bahar aur kaddu lene gayi hain ,halwa itna bhadhia jo bana tha ,ekdum gajar -halwa jaise.Yahi to kamal hai tumhaari ma ka."
Let me introduce you to her.Her name was Bela Choudhary and her occupation was of a housewife.You must be wondering how being a" housewife "is an occupation ;but let me make it quite clear that housewives work for more than twelve hours a day ,evidently much more than a corporate worker who goes for a nine hour shift on a regular basis.
So here was Bela,a graduate in Hindi from Delhi University utilising her time in packing lunch boxes,instructing the house-maid and waiting endlessly for her businessman husband.
She was fair,slim and tall.A careful inspector of the kind of things she was buying ,her dealings with the sabziwallas was not at all imposing:"aree bhai yeh matar kya bhav diya ?...Nahin nahin...theek lagao nahin to main kahin aur se le loongi."
This was the usual threat presented to the sabziwallah so he would never fall into the trap.
"Jao bahenji kahin aur se hi lelo."Quite alarmed at the situation and upset with the public humiliation ,she would quietly say,"achcha chalo dedo ek kilo,agali baar dekhoongi" and quietly move to another vendor.
Today she was in a hurry as her daughter was bringing some friends home for her birthday treat and she had bragged about her mother's culinary skills especially her gajar ka halwa.So she didn't even try to bargain.
Poor Bela was in a mess."Gajar ka halwa in June?"She had cried in disbelief.
"Mom you can arrange this, I know. "Her daughter had shown some extra faith which she never would otherwise( being a rebellious collegiate, she was never polite with her mother and today she was on the verge of flattering Bela)..How could she disappoint her little angel,"I would surely try it..it doesn't matter if it 'll be made from the exported orange-coloured ,unsweet carrots but I will make the gajar ka halwa and also make sure it has the best taste."
So her search began ..from the mother dairies to the local sabzi mandi to her favourite vendor.But alas,there were no carrots anywhere.What to do now?
The time was ticking . Nicky's friend would be home in about four hours from now,she mused.
Suddenly she had a perfect idea.She quickly paid the grocer and there she was,at her house ,in the kitchen.
She kept cooking the halwa for about an hour or more .After the completion of the task,she smiled satisfactorily to herself.She went to change and then dressed for the occasion.She wore a lovely pink suit with white flowers embroidered on the neck and sleeves,with a shimmery dupatta to match with it.She wore her small pearl set to finish the decking up.
Ding -Dong.Ding-Dong.The bell rang.
"Sunita,open the door".
The maid opened the door ....Two boys with spiked hair,ear studs and Gucci glasses .Identical faces.Surely they were twins.There was a fat , fair womanly girl whom Bela already knew as Nicky's best friend Savvy;and a squinted boy dressed up as a colorful joker depicting his taste in men rather women:Jyotish was his name.
"Aunty where is our lunch?We are so hungry and we have heard so much about the halwa"
."They are as dumb as my own Nicky.They 'll easily be befooled,"thought Bela.
"Aunty, I'm sure you haven't been able to make the gajar ka halwa Nicky was boasting off ,declared the one in courful parroty clothes-Jyotish".
She would have made it"said Jacob."Yes ,I'm sure she has,added the other twin-Judith.
"Okay Okay..see for yourself but first wash your hands and have the lunch before making your judgements on the halwa."
They all sat down on the dining table and started gulping down the sumptuous meal which she had prepared.The butter drenched alloo paranthas,biryani and raita with paneer chilly masala her speciality.Now was the turn of the most awaited -gajar ka halwa.
"Sunita.jaldi se woh bada bowl leke aao jisme halwa hai."
Nicky was proudly smiling at Bela".My mom is so great a cook.The halwa is soooo yummy, isn't it?"
Everyone agreed with a smile because all of them had their mouths stuffed with the orangish red gajar ka halwa.
"But aunty how did you manage to get carrots in this season,asked Jyotish who was sure that it just looked like gajar ka halwa but wasn't that for sure.
Bela shrewdly replied,"Aree dhoodhne se to bhagwan bhi mil jaata hai , yeh to bas gajar thi."
Satisfied that it must be the real carrot halwa , Jyotish also gulped down the last spoon .
"We are going for a movie and I will come back around eight .Savvy will drop me,mamma,don't worry .
* * *
That night at eight when Nicky returned after watching Mission Impossible -The ghost Protocol,she was on cloud nine.Her birthday had gone quite well.She went on in the kitchen to thank her mom for the lovely treat she had put up for her friends ,especially the not so possible : the mission impossible , the gajar ka halwa.Her mother was not to be found .She asked Sunita ,the maid about her whereabouts."Arre madam to bahar aur kaddu lene gayi hain ,halwa itna bhadhia jo bana tha ,ekdum gajar -halwa jaise.Yahi to kamal hai tumhaari ma ka."
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