As the Sankrant dawned, so did Aai's memories. Aai-Papa, both of them, loved celebrating each festival. I suppose, it gave them both a sense of rootedness they were denied by their elders in the very first six months of their marriage. The festivals were, of course, for us, too. Each festival hence was celebrated with lot of fervour.
Aai used to begin preparing 'halwa' some six to seven days in advance. Making halwa is a very difficult art. With bare fingers, she used to coat each sesame seed with Sugar jelly, atop a hot 'kadai' perched up the gas stove. Yet all her halwa's used to be of the same size and consistency. She would colour them with kesar/saffron, etc. Papa used to post the halwa in special potli envelopes to all family, friends, acquaintances. Sending and receiving halwa was an important facet of the festival. For almost a week later, we would continue getting such envelopes from relatives, friends, et al.
On the "bhogi" day, sesame paste ritual bath was compulsory. It made the skin super soft. Without fail, she would make the millet khichda, millet bhakri coated with sesame seeds and the bhogi special mix vegetable. With home made butter, home made perfect ghee, her special amti, the special bhogi food used to be superb, what with the sesame chutney. She could make anything taste simply superb.
On the Sankrant day, she would make both, lovely tilgul and gulpoli, once again sweetmeats extremely difficult to prepare. Before the Rath Saptami day, there used to the "haldi kunku". Her attempt ever was to give the invitees some useful but beautiful "wan", the ritual gift.
She never asked Papa for a special Sankrant saree, but she made lovely "halwya che dagine", jewellery she delicately handcrafted with the extremely fragile halwa, minute and easily breakable. Both her daughters in law, each one of her three grandsons got this precious gift. She made such jewellery for other relatives as well. Back breaking labour born of sheer love it was crafting these jewels, truly precious.
Even on the rath saptami day, once again, she used to make 'tilgul ladoos', the jaggery-sesame sweet as the prasad after boiling rice and milk the ritual way in the " akshay patra".
What eternal fount of creativity, energy, love for family would revive such traditional ritual year after year, she and Papa alone would know. Till 2021, I cheered her up by following most rituals her way, of course, with minor concessions such as ready made gulpoli's, for instance. Her brothers would visit us on Sankrant day, too, making her feel very happy. This year, with neither she nor he being around, the sweet tilgul tastes bitter!
Pratima @ love's labour is never lost/it lingers forever/like the shadows/ forevermore accompanying you/ never leaving you lonesome.
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