Location : Sringaverapura
Time : Late Afternoon
Sita is sitting on a ledge moping her brow
Rama and Lakshmana are talking with the Nishadaraj Guha. A group of tribal women are huddled together at a distance, peering at Sita with great curiosity. They had never seen a real, live princess before.
"What do we, the tribal people know about royal politics" replied Guha who was already flustered and nervous about the royal visit.
Guha gave strict instructions that none of the women was to talk to their royal guests and make a fool of themselves. "You know nothing of royal courtesies..." he ordered "instead ...get started with preparing a banquet..."
The women folk agreed and shuffled to their feet. Guha's chief wife began giving directions for the feast when Guha interrupted her "I have heard they eat cooked food in cities...
Guha's wife tuned to him in amazement... "City people cook their food before eating?"
"Yes" nodded Guha gavely "and prepare some sweet dish too. I have heard they eat kheer in cities"
"What is ...this...kheer?" asked the wife
"It is made from cow's milk" answered Guha knowledgably and went off to supervise other arrangements.
Panic set in amongst the womenfolk. No one knew how to cook food. They had never heard of something like this... And their chief had mentioned something about kheer...made from cow's milk
An elderly matriarch slapped her forehead "Is cow's milk ever drunk ? What can be sweeter than fruits dipped in honey ?"
Now that the royal visitors had arrived, the tribal women huddled together and peered intently at the princess.
***
"She is so fair and white...pathetic.. I thought she would be more beautiful" Guha's third wife commented in dismay.
Her co wife agreed. "She has a beautiful face but her fairness is spoiling it. She would look so much better if she were darker"
The matriarch grumbled "all because of eating cooked food. And drinking cow's milk... it sucks the color of the skin and makes it so pale.
14 yer old Malini however was wonderstruck. "Ma..ma..." she plucked her mother's clothes... "shall I ask her how to become so fair ?"
Malini's mother gave her a whack on her head "You girl will bring shame on this family... which decent lad will marry a fair girl ?"
Meanwhile the whisperings continued ... "She how she keeps her head covered all the time..."
"Maybe she is embarrassed by the colour of her skin..."
"Cow's milk..." the matriarch continued to grumble.
The veil had slipped of Sita's face and the tribal women did not fail to notice a tinge of sadness in her face
"Oh, but why could she so sad?" Guha's chief wife asked in concern
The matriarch continued to peer at Sita. "I know" she said with a tone of certi nity. "Tell me which one of the two is likely to be her husband?"
"The fair one... who washed her feet" replied some women
"The dark one..." Replied few other women.
"But the dark one has not looked at her even once, not even held her hand.. how can he be her husband?"
"That's why she is sad." replied the matriarch. "See how dark and swarthy her husband is. He would have wanted an equally dark and beautiful wife...but got saddled with this girl who is pale as the moon. No wonder he is ignoring her"
"Now I know why they have been sent to the forest..." exclaimed Guha's first wife. The emperor wants his son to pick another wife - a nice dark girl. No wonder the princess looks so sad.
Malini and her teenage friends shrieked... giggling uncontrollably...What if the prince chooses one among them?
As if reading their thoughts Malini's mother shooed them. "You will have to drink cow's milk. Are you ready ?"
Malini made a puking gesture and lapsed into silence
"And look.."whispered another woman "the princess is not wearing any ornaments either"
"But she is wearing something on her neck and hands.. see" replied another woman
"Bah...those are as colourless as her.. pale yellow. If she wears colourful beads and shells and conches her husband will find her attractive. And no feathers on her head either... how lifeless."
The womenfolk made a bold decision. They would not allow their princess to suffer. They would rub her skin with the paste of the tamala tree till she was nice and dark and deck her up in with colourful beads, cowrie shells, feathers and make her so beautiful, her husband will not want to look at another woman.
They would make her smile again.
Anupamaa
