Jhumri

Jhumri Motilal Pandey, her name was a mouthful but suits her perfectly. Jhumri was ten years old, but she would bit your ear off if you told her so. Jhumri has been hundred year old when she was born and every year she keep gaining wisdom beyond others belief. Living in a small town of Bihar, that seem to lay forgotten in this day and era as there people still use letters instead of phones and where electricity is a privilege that occurs once in a year.

The only thing that remains to view in this town was the serene temple that holds all the decision for the town and is governed by the one Pandit whose family was bestowed with blessing of Goddess Durga. All the people of town daily gathers here to listen to the Bhajan and Kirtan and the speech from the Pandit ji to enlighten their life.

Jhumri has been a witness to these events numerous of times and once she lost her toy in the temple and when others were trying to find it she stated that materialistic things have a way to get lost and we shouldn’t exert ourselves in the possession of those. This garns the attention of people to hear such words from a kid.

When her aunt from across the town came and share her grief over the death of a relative, Jhumri stated that the relative died peacefully and she should be happy about that.

Soon the door of Jhumri’s house were filled with people who wants to listen to Jhumri and her take on the problems of their life.

Jhumri is special for everyone with the exception of her brother Deva, who still throw bugs at her at any given time of the day and pull her hair just to annoy Jhumri, but that is a written law for siblings to hate other. It’s natural. But everyone else is in awe of her wit and intelligence. Now, one may think what is so special about Jhumri?

Nothing but when Jhumri was five years old she was able to recite complex poem with their meanings and when she become eight, she start to teach her father the basics of business no one in the town has ever heard of before.

Jhumri’s parents were at first happy to get a child like her but slowly they start to fear Jhumri is too special and different from them. Jhumri doesn’t like to sit on a dirty floor, wouldn’t do the chores she found beneath her.

At first, it was just a suspicion but then one day when the Pandit who has hear about this miracle kid came and looked at Jhumri and asked her parents if they had stole Jhumri and swore at them if they lied he would made sure they rot in jail. Jhumri’s parents cried, pleaded and said Jhumri was their first child and they haven’t stole her from anyone.

At this point, Pandit become slightly softened and explained to them that Jhumri is a reincarnation of a goddess and she should have been born in an upper cast home, because that is where she belonged.

Jhumri’s parents were both exhilarated that their child was divine and also still scared of the wrath of the Pandit if he continued to think they kidnapped Jhumri.

For a month, Pandit daily come to Jhumri’s house and used to observe her from distance and then one day he called Jhumri’s parents to temple and told them that he is certain Jhumri is a part of god’s blessing on their village and they should give Jhumri to the temple.

The parents were shocked, the mother went hysterical and wasn’t ready to gave up her child, the Pandit chided them to be selfish and gave them some fund to made them see it’s good for everyone that Jhumri stays in temple itself.

The arrangement was made and Jhumri came to live in temple and although Jhumri was exceptionally good with numbers and has her wit with her, she couldn’t understand how from Jhumki she become MotiDevi overnight, She doesn’t understand that although she liked to talk she wants to play with her friends as well and why her parents doesn’t come to meet her anymore and why the only person who still look at her the same way but still never come near her is her brother.

Deva although may hated the attention his sister got from their parents but losing her wasn’t what he wished and he prayed to the god to gave him, his first archnemsis back. His Jhumri back.