Foreign Biren

 Never in her wildest childhood dream would Aai have thought of going to the U.S.of A. She grew up in a small town. Undoubtedly, Pandharpur is the spiritual capital for-n-of every Marathi soul. For humdrum practical purposes, however, it is a provincial place without the hi-fi glamour of a metro. Initially, in fact, when she was suddenly pushed in to that vortex called the impersonal, fast Mumbai life, she had close encounters of the terror variety. From Pandharpur to Kolhapur to Bombay, in a span of about five months must have been tough for her. She once narrated the lonely feel of staying in a huge building all by herself after Papa and Bhau Mama would go to office. Once she wanted to get wheat flour, it seems. Venturing out thus turned in to a nerve wracking nightmare when she would not find either the lane or the buidling. She used to be afraid of speed and traffic, too, as she had met with a grievous accident in her childhood. Given such a profile, she was hardly the ideal candidate for a visit to phoren/biren. 

Her sons, however, started frequenting the far away foreign shores. In his generation, Raju was the first one to go abroad. By the end 80's, he had visited many countries. Next, Mandar, Sanju, and then an endless stream of cousins was to soon settle abroad. Aai was jerked out of her India bound inertia by the quirk of fate. When suddenly fate twisted her tale in to a tragedy, Sanju decided to take her along with him to America.

It was the wisest decision ever. Given the totally different environment and the absolutely new contexts that she had to adjust to, her oozing emotional wound started healing partially. Sanju indeed eternally deserves all the benedictions ever possible for making her stay at Riviere extremely cosy and caring. He took utmost care of her every emotional need. Literally he made the phoren-biren a warm home for her. Sushama supported his sensible and sensitive treatment of Aai. Kunal had always been with her ever since his childhood, and at Riviere, they became best buddies. Aai had countless kind stories full of love nad affection of her stay with the Sanju family. Sanju showed her as many nearby parts of America, beginning with the autumn fall to the Niagara Falls. 

What I admire the most about her sudden, most unexpected visit to phoren-biren is that she has written down every detail of her journey, her stay, her emotions, kid Kunal's worried cry about how his Granma would return to India all alone. Her notebook is full of detailed entries by the day of her stay. Even the letters she wrote have their rough drafts in these diaries.  Such are the detailed descriptions full of intense emotions that sometimes I wish Papa had heeded my suggestion, and gone there for a most welcome change. 

Let me sign off this bitter-sweet anecdote with the traditional wisdom that there is no phoren/biren. Home(land) is where the heart is!

Pratima @ Sanju's sagacity at Riviere