Ruchira gratefully acknowledges the profound impact of seemingly small acts of kindness from various individuals encountered throughout life’s journey, exclusively for Different Truths.
On this colourful journey that we call life, each one of us meets numerous people. Out of them, some create almost zero or minimal impact on our lives. But many others end up moulding our lives like never before. The purpose of this write-up is to acknowledge my debt of gratitude to some such folks.
During my school days in the Punjab, there was this Marathi boy who lived in the neighbourhood. He was in a higher grade in the school where I studied. Now, I confess I thoroughly hated needlecraft. I usually got most of the tasks done by Mama and managed to escape successfully. One summer’s day, when I was in middle school, Mom was frightfully busy, and I had a craft exam the following day. I was frantically struggling with cross-stitch designs on a piece of ‘Matty’ fabric when this guy quietly stepped in and taught me how to do each stitch properly and complete the design. The following day, I passed my exam. I was surprised and delighted.
There was a colleague of mine at a private television channel where I worked; she was very cunning and crafty but a brilliant chef who made simple yet tasty dishes. I would watch in amazement as she chopped carrots and potatoes into minuscule pieces to increase the bulk of the dish and make it last longer. She was the one who also taught me to make suji ka halwa (semolina), a dessert immensely enjoyed by my present family.
Ruma, one of my erstwhile neighbours, was a loudmouth constantly bragging about the culinary skills of her husband, who was a hotel management graduate and employed as a senior chef in a five-star hotel. She wanted to share recipes. Some of them were nondescript. Nevertheless, she gave me one valuable tip: while cooking instant noodles, add a dollop of butter and the taste will be enhanced. I tried it once, and hey presto! It sure did taste better.
Another former co-worker who now runs a successful food vlog page on social media gave me another important tip. We were talking about Bengali no-hassle dishes. I chose kumro chhenchki (ripe pumpkin mishmash), which uses minimal spices (panch phoran, green chillies, and turmeric powder). The lady suggested adding a bit of chopped onion. I complied, and voila!! It certainly tasted better!
Closer to home, once during an adda (gossip) session with my kin, the conversation veered to homely prawn dishes. A bhabhi (sister-in-law) suggested adding chopped onion while preparing lau chingri (prawn and bottle gourd). I found it a bit weird since I had never seen or heard any of my aged female relatives cook in that manner. But my curiosity got the better of me, and I went ahead. The result was delicious!
I was taught many more hacks and tricks along the way. How can I ever forget the genial Patnaik, a fellow scribe-turned-family-friend who taught me (and other co-workers) how to open tight lids of steel tiffin boxes in which we carried lunch from home to the workplace? All one had to do was hold the tiffin box against the wall or a hard surface (while ensuring the content didn’t spill out) and knock it a few times. Lo and behold! The tightened lid would part softly. It was a huge relief, and it felt like a victory!
I always found cleaning windowpanes and other glass surfaces around the home a cumbersome task – a colossal waste of cleaning liquids and tissue paper. That is, until a cousin came to stay over a weekend. She demonstrated how we could clean equally well, using dampened newspaper sheets instead.
Once, I was undergoing severe hair fall, which was disturbing and distressing as well. Pompa, an acquaintance of mine (we are both members of a cultural club), suggested using ‘Jaborandi’ homoeopathic oil made with extracts from flowers, leaves, and herbs, et al. I applied it on my scalp regularly for a few days. I soon realised that my hair loss had significantly decreased!
My so-called benefactors have since moved on; some stay in touch, others don’t. Nonetheless, I shall always remember and cherish their little deeds of kindness.
Picture design by Anumita Roy
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