Daana Paani - Umerah Ahmed English translation

Part 4

Gamu's wife Allahwasai has picked the last wrist full of grains and putted that grains into flour mill (Patthar ki chakki), she was sitting in the patio of her house and rotating the wheel of flour mill with her hand, the flour came out the mill was last, apart from that flour there was nothing in her house to eat, the flour was that much that only two times roti can be prepared, she has never though of tomorrow, that what will going to eat tomorrow.

She wakes up early in the morning and after she wakes up she always used to take wrist full of grains from the same vessel as theirs and kept it in one bowl for birds who cames and seat on her house's gate to eat it. The vessel in which grains were kept was small in size. That grains which she feeds to birds and she feeds her family that always comes from Choudhary's Haveli.

At the first, grains comes after harvesting and the amount of grains is that much that it can be use till months, and till that grain vessel starts getting empty, and before it completely gets empty it again gets filled by grain and it also comes for Choudhary Karamat's Haveli for some or the other reason, sometimes he get fascinated by the beauty of Gamu's voice and sometimes impressed by his honesty.

While picking the last wrist full grains Allahwasai always used to think that she is so blessed that in the biggest universe also Allah has always remember Allahwasai and Gamu's house and their empty vessel of grains, She is fascinated how Allah never fails to refill it with grains she says in her mind
"wah rab sone teri shaana"

Allahwasai was rotating the wheel of the mill and flour was coming out the mill and was falling on the cloth which spread below the mill, her breath got heavy because of this hard work, and she was sweating, she stopped for a minute, she took the towel which was kept beside her and wiped the sweat from her forehead and drank some water. It is very difficult to grind the grains in mill during may-june because of summer.

Before starting the mill again, she put an effort to listen the voice of Gamu in the breeze, his voice echoed in the whole village because the village was too small it has 50-60 houses. As his voice echoed in the village it also reaches till his house also, Allahwasai always hear his voice from her house, and from the high and low sound of his voice she could tell on which street he was, and till when he will reach home.

She always wakes up at the time of fazr when Gamu leaves from home, and while listening to his Gamu's voice getting far and near she starts finishing her household works. It's like Gamu's voice work like clock to her. It was small village but she was sure that if village would big than also the Gamu's voice would be that loud that it can be hear by Allahwasai in her house.

Gamu roams Street to street to supply water, and before he come back Allahwasai complete all her work grind the flour and prepare breakfast for him and wait for him to come home. Gandum roti and pickle, sometimes it may be roti and previous nights leftover Curry (salan) and pickle or sometimes only roti for breakfast.

Gamu's earning was water's earning and in water's earning they can afford this much only. And in this much also they both were happy. Mostly her wife Allahwasai was happy, Allahwasai's love for Gamu was never get affected by his poverty, it was always pure for him, she was happy being with Gamu, he was sufficient for her.

Allahwasai was very kind and soft hearted women, she was very kind to others, she always used to go to the neighborhood in her village whenever there is function or when anyone is getting married to help them in work. She is the one who always get involved in everyones happiest and saddest moments.

If someone's daughter is getting married in her neighbourhood she used to prepare food for them, and serve them, and wash their vessels too. She wash the vessels with bricks and because of that her palms also get injured but she never feel the pain, and when it comes the time of brides farewell (ruksati) she used to cry like her own daughter is getting apart from her.

And if someone's son is getting married she beats the drum and all the villager dance on the beat of her drum. And while beating the drum continuously her hands get all red, her arms and shoulders starts paining, and while sitting for a long time her legs starts getting numb, but she never leaves the program in between, she remembered all the wedding songs and all the beats. She starts singing songs in with her lisp (tutlana) tongue and the whole village starts singing with her, and her lisp voice get muffled by the loud voice of villagers.

If in her neighbourhood there is anyone's funeral then also she is the first to visit there, and she takes all the responsibility of household work as she does in marriage functions. She also starts crying with the family members, just like her own relative or family member had died. But she has never saw any of her family members death, because her mother and father died in her childhood before she gain her consciousness, and her uncle who has brought her up was still alive. And while crying also she prepares food, drinks like tea coffee, and light snacks, for the visitors and relatives those who come from far place and another villages.

Every villager used to call Allahwasai in every situation and functions of their house, and she go there to help them, either it is marriage or funeral, happy or sad, in every occasion Allahwasai was called by them. But in occasion she was never called was when someone gives birth to a child.

End of the Chapter........