It
was cunning. Let us for a minute leave aside the debate of the prasad...and what her intention was when she left before collecting it. (And I feel if you are doing something, then do it wholeheartedly and accept the prasad ... otherwise dont do it at all ... there is no point in doing something, and then saying I dont want the prasad)...
But let us leave that alone for a minute...and move on to two other points.
First, the way J has described the celebrations at the haveli for his birthday, it is obvious that people dont just get up in the morning and start organizing such a huge celebration on the morning of the birthday itself.
Preparations would be on for atleast a week if not more -- to get the haveli all lighted up, shopping for the ingredients for all the sweet dishes he mentioned, different kinds of pujas etc. He said in the evening, the whole gaav was invited for a very lavish meal - a full meal to the haveli. In addition, clothes and money would be distributed to the poor.
Did anandi not notice this year that no preparations were being made? AT ALL? Does this only come to her notice when the panditji comes in the morning and asks dadisa about abhishek.
If A genuinely had good intentions, then she should have spoken to dadisa well in advance of the birthday and said "Dadisa, I really dont mean to bring this topic up, but please celebrate jagya's birthday well on my account like you do every year" ... and had a discussion with dadisa, particularly since she knows that the old woman apne laadesar par jaan chidakthi hai.
But A kept quiet.
Second, When A heard everything behind the curtain, and also saw sumitra's tears in the kitchen, then that too would have been a great opportunity to initiate a conversation, if she hadnt done so earlier of her own accord.
And she should have asked DADISA to do the whole abhishek business and anything else, by making dadisa aware that this action would not re-open her wounds. (Because that was the reason dadisa cited to the pandit).
Instead, she went behind dadisa's back to do the abhishek... as if dadisa has something against jagya because of something he has done to dadisa... and anandi wants to make sure he gets the abhishek even if dadisa hates him.
Third , In Indian households, all elders do the abhishek. What message does her going to the temple send to the priest ? Does it not make a laughing stock of the singh family? The elder of the household has given a decision to the priest. And anandi goes and overrides ds's decision? in front of the priest. It looks like they have no communication within the home?
Think about it -- if one of our parents gave a decision and then we went out to over-ride it in front of outsiders? Should anandi not have striven for consensus within her own home.
She should have told dadisa to go ahead with the pooja -- and abided by dadisa's decision.
Either dadisa would have said yes ... in which case, the pooja would have happened
or dadisa would have said no... in which case, anandi should respect dadisa's decision and not go to the priest herself.
Finally, if the puja was to happen anyway, then all family members should have participated in it with equal fervour. It is not just a ritual of pouring milk on a shivling, and then abhishek is complete. It is filled with prayer and bhakti.
Why to deprive the whole family of this occassion?
So, in conclusion, yes she is cunning.
When she knows the family wanted to do the pooja, but was not doing so on her account, she should have told them to go ahead with it ... and then participated in pooja organized by dadisa.
And is this her own abhishek. She took out such a thick bundle of notes -- this is not her money -- she earns nothing from either her girls school or her adult education class -- it is singh family's money.
Anupamaa
Seher Hone Ko Hai
