The Joys of Neighbourliness

By Dr. Elizabeth V. Koshy

I.

We are an eclectic mix of Gujaratis, Punjabis, Maharashtrains and Malayalees at Krishnakunj. Most of us are second generation children of parents who have migrated from their home states for work.

In the evenings, young mothers watch their little children at play, exchange news, pleasantries and the joys and sorrows of parenting. School going children play hide and seek, apparappi, tippi tippi tip top, I spy with my eye, nine tiles and other games. Men folk discuss politics and the weather.

Kitty parties are arranged with homemade treats, One Minute games played with enthusiasm. We celebrate Christmas, New Year, Diwali, Id, Kojagiri, Onam and each others’ birthdays. Sweet and salty treats are made together in the basement during Diwali. Sweetened and flavoured milk is boiled in pots on wood fires under the full moon and songs are sung till the wee hours for Kojagiri, relatives and friends are called to sing carols for Christmas and partake in sheer khurma and mutton biryani on Id.

II.

The heady fragrance of the mango and ramphal blossoms fills the air in December at Ashwamegh Park with promises of juicy and creamy treats in May. By April, we savour raw mangoes with salt. The cuckoo beats us to the ripe fruit at early dawn cooing contentedly to its mate after relishing the creamy delight. By early May, the fruits are ready to be plucked. Armed with bamboo poles tied with hooks, we gather for the eagerly anticipated harvest.

A young man from the neighbourhood climbs the tree and skilfully pulls down the fruit hanging in bunches. The children catch the falling fruit in bedsheets. The mothers divide the fruits: raw, semi-ripe and ripe. There are more than a thousand mangoes from just one tree! Each family takes home around one hundred and fifty!

The ramphal fruits are also shared equally. It is nearly afternoon by the time the last fruits are plucked and distributed but everybody goes home happy!

III.

These are not just unforgettable memories! Little did I realize then that the shared Diwali sweets, the sweet sheer khurma and the sweetened milk partaken on full moon Kojagiri nights were not just sensory delights but memories that forged bonds so deep!

Though we’re not together anymore, I still buy Diwali sweets, make sheer khurma and mutton biryani during Id and flavoured milk during Kojagiri. Perhaps they crave an Onasadhya during Onam and buy cake during Christmas!

The cooing of the cuckoo brings to mind the camaraderie, the neighbourliness and the shared joys of summer. Not just present help in times of trouble when kith and kin are away. Not just closer at times than the ones we call our own! Our neighbours are a significant part of who we are!

Dr. Elizabeth V. Koshy is a Professor in English Literature at Dr.A.B.Telang Senior College, Pune, India. Her poems have been published in edited anthologies by Sweetycat Press in ‘Love‘, ‘Song‘, ‘Beauty‘ and ‘Movement‘, Clarendon House Press in Poetica 3,4,5,6, Gertrude’s Writing Room, Caesurae.org, The Writers Club (Grey Thoughts), Stacy Savage’s Poetry for a Cause, Lothlorein Poetry Journal, The World of Myth Magazine, Indian Periodical, Literary Yard, Spillwords and Rabble Review.

Her CNF/memoirs have been published by Academy of the Heart and Mind, Impspired Magazine and Sweetycat Press.  A poem is forthcoming in MockingOwlRoost and a short form in 101 words. Her poem ‘The mystical conjunction’ was selected by Sweetycat Press for ‘The Jewels in the Queen’s Crown’ anthology in the 24 K Gold category.