Monday, October 10, 2005

A Bygone Life???

The strains of the flute permeated the air - the fragrance of sandalwood agarbathis wafted into her nostrils- she closed her eyes- and drifted….

Images of decorated mud homes- cowdung dried courtyards- open wells- colourful cholis and lehengas, hennaed hands, chiming anklets- jingling bangles- Kohl rimmed eyes, long, plaited tresses, mud pots and the mellifluous strains of the flute…

She was churning the curds- her hennaed hands pulling at the twin ropes , the frothy cream swirled in rhythm around the wooden churn paddle, she hummed absent mindedly- her kohl rimmed eyes gazing vacantly into the distance- a half smile lingering on her crimson lips…kanha- kanha- kanha-

And suddenly the strains of the flute reached her ears- she started- her heart skipped a beat- beads of sweat glistened above her lips- she wanted to run – run to the Banks of the Yamuna- where her Kanha would be waiting- but the butter was yet to set- she grew restless- how would she steal past the watchful eyes of her grandmother, and mother? She tugged at the ropes frantically- the frothy cream splattered around her- she looked around- her gaze fell upon a pot filled with water behind the back door- she gingerly tiptoed upto the pot, emptied the water into the basil platform- and slithered back to churning butter. She looked up to see if her grandmother had noticed- no, she was still bent over the hearth…her mother was busy in the backyard- thankfully her brother and father were out grazing the animals-

She resumed churning the curds vigorously and then as soon as the ball of butter set around the churn paddle, she deftly scooped it with her fingers and placed it in the butter pan. She called out to her grandmother:

“Ba, there is no water in the pot- I will have to fetch some water – shall be back soon”

She did not pause to wait for a reply- quickly gathering the folds of her long lehenga, she swung the empty pot onto her slim waist and sprinted off to the river side.

Her grandmother gazed at the disappearing figure of her granddaughter puzzled. She was sure the pot was full a few moments ago- or was she mistaken? Perhaps her daughter- in- law had used it up. She was getting increasingly forgetful of late.

Radha’s feet found wings- her hair flew behind her- her anklets and bangles created a clamour- the strains of the flute was now near…

Radha stopped when she saw the silhouette of her Beloved Kanha leaning against the Kadamba tree. Her bosom heaved partly due to the exertion of running, and partly due to the increasing excitement in her heart…Kanha was still playing the flute as if oblivious of the world around him- but she knew he was waiting- waiting for Her…she kept the pot on the ground soundlessly, tiptoed to his side, carefully trying to not make noise with her mischevious anklets and bangles- Kanha’s eyes were closed- Radha kept gazing at her Lord’s form- and the world came to a standstill!

Suddenly He opened his eyes, looked at her- the beginning of a smile on his lips- Radha’s cheeks burnt, her eyes lowered, her toes traced absently on the mud…

“What are you doing here at this time? Don’t you have chores at home?” He taunted her.
Radha raised her eyes offended, “yes, I do, plenty of chores – I’m going” and she turned to go.

Radha suddenly felt being pulled to him by her waist, he slowly and deliberately tucked the flute into his waistband- then lazily pulled up her chin- Radha melted into his arms, her back and neck arched backwards- her eyes closed and lips parted- the fragrance of sandalwood seeped into her being….

The waters of the Yamuna swirled and churned in gurgling symphony…

The music stopped. She opened her eyes- She was seated in the “Padmasana” posture on the grass mat in the hall of her home- The silence loomed large…a pang rose and died in her heart…

6 comments:

Reshmi said...

ati sundar!!

krishna ka moh bahut bhari cheez hai - bach ke rahiyega ;) :)

aria said...

One of the most beautiful n different kind of blog - I have ever read :)

Priyamvada_K said...

Lovely...and a great one for hopeless romantics like me :-)

Priya.

shshukla said...

My oh my...so sensual and romantic, loved it immensely- shuchi

abhilash warrier said...

Ardra, I loved the connection you are trying to make here.

At different levels.

Vandana Vasudevan said...

What a picturesque piece of words entwined in romance, longingly waiting for kanhas attention ...radhas in all worlds are same