An untold story; “My Grandmother”

Once upon a time there was a small village in Duekalya in Nepal. There were many families. But among them there were husband and wife in that village. They were very poor. Wife was pregnant when his husband dead in an incident. Then she gives birth to a little child girl.

At past there was a belief that if a woman gives birth to her baby no one will touch her before the child’s (Nuyarawan ). Only a woman called in Nepali as “Sorini or Sohriniya” can touch a baby’s delivery-woman and take care of baby’s delivery-woman and her child. Villagers give a name to her as “Garvi”. It is because child’s father died when her mother was 8 month pregnant. It was a superstitious belief to the village’s people.

One day, child’s mother went to bath and washes her cloths in a river without child. Child was alone in the house. Suddenly, the fire lit in that house. Child was crying then a person saw the child and he throw the child in the strop. Child was crying. Even her mother did not come never and ever.

She was very small; her mother was not there with her. So, her uncle used to give the milk of goat to her. Then slowly she was 5 or 6 yrs old. Her uncle always tortured her. There was a woman who always came to play with her. She prepares the food for her and always helps her in the work.

At the age of 8 she got married. She does not even know that she is getting married with man who was 15 yrs older than her and she even doesn’t know who he is. It was a arrange marriage. All of her elder told to cry when she was leaving her house and also they were pinching to her to make her cry. But she was not crying, she was telling “ouch it’s paining” and even she was laughing because she doesn’t know about the marriage.

Child went to her husband house, her first mother-in-law likes her but when her first mother-in-law died then the context changed again they tortured very much to her. Child’s father-in-law again got married and her second step-mother-in-law was very harsh to her. She always and scold beat her. As I said they were very poor. So there was only one water hand pump not in their house in other people’s house. She always went to water hand pump to pump the water for her. She was a child so people tortured her and she first pumped water for those people who were present.

Child’s hand was full of wounds because she always works harder for the family but her family members never likes her and she should always pumped water for the other people too. She was a hard worker. She was small and her husband was big not only the husband, her husband’s little sisters were also bigger than her.  Child was tortured very badly by them.

There was an iron rod (Chimtine/Chimothney), they always put in to fire and then slice in to the child’s leg. If they get angry, they always beat her and even some time they got sickle ( “Aashi” in Nepali ) and slice in the head of her. She got very injured by this.

She gives birth to baby in inappropriate time (at the age of 15 or 16). Her first baby was a baby girl. She again gives birth to a baby girl (3 times baby girls). Then only three baby boys were born. Then again she gives birth to two baby girls. So, we count it and she gives birth to 9 babies or children.

We know that mother should takes care her child minimum for 3 yrs and maximum 6 yrs. She had many children so; she wasted time 27 yrs only for her child. Her husband had many landlords (jagga in Nepali) (29 Bigha). We can say that her husband’s family was not much poor. They were rich in a word. She should also work in field in farm and in everywhere.

Her first baby girl and a baby boy were died in an incident. So, she had 7 children (2 baby boys and 5 baby girls).

Slowly her child also been elder and some problems also were been vanished. She had two grand-daughters from her big son. She teaches them her traditions, languages, rituals and many more. Villagers are also like her and respect her because she had experienced and skilled on her community rituals from the childhood. Villagers also came to her to ask their problems regarding traditions and she gives the solution answers to them. She also called as Kisninya in Village. Kisninya is who know every tradition and perform rituals and first lady leading of the family.

When she was living happy and comfortable life because of her children, she died at the age of 70 because at past she had many problems so, by those problems she also got ill very fast. In the heart and mind of villagers and her grandchild’s and her 7 children, she is there and she will be there.

You know that how much it had been hurt to her. How much she was tortured by them. The life of women was very bad at that time.

So, do you know who is she (child), she is my grandmother, now she is not alive in this world. I love my grandmother from the earth and my grandmother loves me from the heaven.

Axis Vidhyasham Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City-5,