Chal bo, Chal Jhadama Buro [ଚାଲବୋ, ଚାଲ ଝାରମା ବୁରୋ]

It is the month of January. Like all other years me, my family and the two dogs are getting the stone pelting everyday even while at home. No it is no revenge from the neighbors, but from the children of the neighborhood. Every noon after  returning home from school they gather in groups to target the ber (Zizyphus) tree that we got at the backyard,  which bear the small, but the most  delicious tropical fruits at the end of the winter.

                                 

Yesterday noon these children expedite to the other side of the compound wall  and started pelting pebbles, stones, rocks and even brickbats  to pluck these  sweet fruit. Soon Dany and Diana raised the alarm by barking. And my Amma assigned  me to go and nab the children. I went to open the rear gate, but I was helpless. Because these children were clever enough to lock  the door from outside. I was as helpless as these two dogs were. We were all locked inside our own fort. After a while Ladoo came running to the window and shouted, “Chachu Chachu…. those Oriya kids are stealing  your buros”. I asked him to open the door and he unlocked it. But by the time I step outside, those kids were chu champat (fled) the place.

Ladoo the four years old Marwadi kid is the unofficial spy of mine. He reported it was the gang of Oriya kids of the other street. In the mean while  Piyush, Ayush, Chotu and Vivek with a broken elbow  gathered with us. They showed their concern for my safety and told not to worry and they will guard the back street. I was moved by their word of assurance. I asked them to wait for a while. I went inside the garden and gathered all the fallen fruits and distributed to these Marwadi kids for their solidarity. And these kids started shouting in a chorus, “Kiran Chachu Jindabad Jindabad, Kiran Chachu Jindabad Jindabad”.  I was much pleased to get the laurels, even when my action had no political motive. 

In this winter  the asbestos roof of our  abandoned store room has been completely destroyed due to the pelting of the brickbats and the rocks by the street kids. My father declared to execute the buro tree. My Amma expressed her resentment as every plant and the tree in the garden are being grown by her caring hands for the past ten years.  Apart from Dany and Diana garden is her first love.  

[Monkeys while invaded our residence complex to steal the buros on a winter noon]

I do believe it is not only my nephew Sreyanshu and niece Srestha, but every bird, monkey and the  children of Barpali got the equal right to relish  these delicious small fruits. Definitely it’s a nuisance, but we have to live life on this earth while giving space to others to grow. Its evening hours and play time for the street kids. I could hear one boy is shouting  as :“chal bo, chal jhadama buro” which means, lets go and pluck the berries.

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E.Kiran Mohan(The Blogger)

C/o.Dr.E.R.Rao (MD)

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At/PO. BARPALI – 768 029

Dist. Bargarh, Odisha, India