On Navaratri (Part XVI)

On Dussehra day, Shami plant is bought and placed on the West side of the house and Beejakshara Mantra of Shani is chanted; then the doshas connected to this planet are resolved. A banyan tree should be planted in a temple or roadside and nurtured.

These trees are usually not planted on the roadside because they grow fast and block the movement of vehicles. We suggest that children and older people living much below the poverty line be identified and given the job of cutting off the culprit branches that come in the way of the large vehicles. These people may be given food and tea for this work. This can be done by taking donations from very rich people holding black money. As a result of this, increase in beggars, robbers, etc. will be curtailed. Also, the branches will grow upward and solve environmental issues.

On Vijaya Dashami, we would offer payasam to Devi Vidhyalakshmi, when we used to live elsewhere. Dolly’s mother insisted that this naivedyam be given to both her children. Dolly was very competitive of her brother Ronak. Thus, their mother sent the boy alone early in the morning before Dolly would wake up. The naivedyam would not be ready at that time. Thus, Mom would give the little boy some dry dates as naivedyam. She would also warn him not to show it to anyone for fear that Dolly would know about it.

Around 10 AM, Dolly would appear. The little girl would always want her Mummy Aunty (my Mom) to feed her with her own hands. Mom would tell her stories about birds connecting them to the heroine Dolly. She would eat it slurping and enjoying the naivedyam. She insisted on going to the balcony and standing on her favourite chair for this purpose. I could not control myself. I liked the scene so much that I took her photo. She posed for me slurping the kheer. Mom told the little girl that Ronak did not get any of these naivedyams and she should not tell him that she received it, thus, reducing their mother’s tension.

On Dussehra, we have to perform pooja to the Aparajita plant. This plant removes all negativity and tension. This plant is precious, but grows without much help from us. We had placed this plant on our terrace. The plant had flowered and there were several flowers on it. It looked very beautiful in the morning. People known to us would be happy looking at the plant while passing near our building. They would call it Hanging Garden. Our Lady of Intolerance and the great businessman from the ground floor made us stop watering this plant. Their reason: water percolated into his office. But, our terrace protrudes away from the wall. There are no chances of the water entering his office. Now, the Aparajita plant is gone.

A few days back again, the man came to our house and complained to my Dad that his wife poured water on his office. The situation is we have removed all the plants from the terrace. Dad realized that though the man is educated and foreign-returned, he has become a slave to Our Lady of Intolerance. The whole group spoke filth with cuss words about me and drove me to a suicide attempt. Even now they are trying to kill the 3 of us.

Fart, Our Lady of Intolerance’s son, has been heard saying that he will bring a silencer gun and push it into our mouths to kill us because we have been opposing all the criminal activities that they indulge in. Imagine the kind of dangerous neighbours we are living with.

Since our Aparajita has expired, Mom plans to plant 2 Raatranis, representing Our Lady of Intolerance and the businessman, inside our home.