Just 3 months ago, I went to the ceremony of Annaprasan (first rice eating ceremony) of one my friend Candy’s son. Annaprasan is commonly known as baby’s first rice eating ceremony means the beginning of solid food in your baby’s diet. The religion ceremony is often followed by a fun game where a fun game where a number of symbolic objects are placed on a banana leaf or silver tray which your baby can then pick up. The objects include:
- Books symbolize learning
- Jewels symbolizing wealth
- A pen symbolizing wisdom
- Clay symbolizing property
- Food items symbolizing a love for food
Family and friends have a great time cheering the little one while he makes his choice. It is believed that the object your baby picks up from the tray represents his area of interest in future.
Candy did love marriage with Sony. Sony belongs from a middle-class family whose father Sree uncle worked as a head constable in State Police, and mother Ela aunt a homemaker. Sony’s younger brother Nabh who working at a BPO completed his BCA.
I entered ……….
Candy and Sony both are good friends of mine but Candy is one of my childhood friend who belongs from an upper middle-class family. But he is a liberal mind guy who not bother to introduce himself by holding the status of his family.
Generally, I not felt so comfort in friend’s family function. As all guest were unknown to me and by sitting alone among all seems quite odd. So initially I tried to avoid him by giving the sake of my busyness in work and family but he not at all ready to listen my any excuse of non-presence at his first son’s rice feeding ceremony.
I will sure get bored at that function as Candy and his wife will be busy with their rituals and guests. So, I decided that will go but just for half an hour and then will back. But after went over there saw apart from me Candy invited few more friends from our friend’s group but when I asked him while he had invited me that whether he invited to any other friends from our group or not, he not told as he wants to kept it as a surprise for all of us.
After passed out from college our friend’s group hardly get time to assembled for fun as all are employed. By seeing to those known faces at the hall we all felt like if we ignored for this function then we might lost the scope for that sudden surprise. Now post excitement of our united with all of us now we started as usual in sharing with each other’s significant happened moments in our life which we might be missed to share over phone or by Facebook messages
Their Candy and Sony both welcomed all of us and we all congrats them by gifting their baby but Candy failed to participate in our group conversation as he was engaged in welcoming his other guests.
Category of guests ……………..
Generally, you might have noticed in such family functions where close relatives always tried to make over themselves in the sense of pretending them as their wearing dress, jewelry and rest all accessories is the best among all present over there. They came for spending their full time with inviter. In fact, they are the one who comments often on other invitees directly as they try to proof themselves as what’s significance they carried for the inviter.
Next Friends category who usually tried to skip from such functions if they not yet married because for bachelor its bit boring typed function where you neither get the opportunity of exploring your enjoyment with loud music like happening in Indian marriage functions. They come for formality and would like to stay for a couple of hours, so they make up themselves for such family functions with simple decent.
Now the last category of guests who neither your relatives nor friends but still invited, like neighbors and known ones who comes at casual and stays for short timing with the intention of an acknowledgment to the inviter. For them after blessing the baby with gifts then without wasting their time by stared at others as all relatives and friends were unknown for them they move for lunch so that they could utilize their valuable time in their own life (like to have a siesta) after coming back at home.
Some unusual talk mesmerized all………….
It’s around 11 am, the priests were busy with his rituals. Now the hall was crowded with guests and all were busy among them, none was bothering about other’s gossip and wordings. Suddenly someone shouted loudly by uttering the words of ‘’you are the cause of our ashamed…. Don’t you have any sense?’’
All of a sudden the whole chaotic ambiance turned to silent. All tried to guess and read the face that who told those wordings but none couldn’t assume as all were engrossed in their chattering. So after few seconds pause all again started to their own remained topics. We also by ignoring that again started. Again after few minutes same voice popped up like ‘’it’s your fault then why should we suffer always like every time and moreover if you couldn’t change your attitude then it’s your problem, not ours………..’’
Again, the whole environment paused suddenly now along with guessing that who uttered so loudly, why so agitated, upon whom and for what wrong act? These are those queries about which all had been whispering at that moment.
It’s 11:10 am. Their priest also paused his chanting then my friend Candy came out from that room from where that voice being heard by all. He instructed the priest that he would carry on with his chanting.
Suddenly Sree uncle, Candy’s father-in-law came out from that room and proceed towards the door to left the ceremony when Candy holds his hand and requested him for not going back without blessed his son. But seemed he was quite offended that ready to left the function. Candy tried his best to hold him for the sake of his Son’s ceremony till end up.
At last, Candy told to Sree uncle that ‘’he now became a father then how could a grandfather could leave his only grandchild without blessed him?’’ By listening that Sree uncle paused his step for further going.
Here all invitees were quite confused for that incident, all were muttering about Sree uncle like what made him so offend that he was being ready to leave the ceremony.
Disrespect of closed one………………
In this between Ela aunt, Candy’s mother-in-law also came out from that room. She told to Candy that why he hold his father-in-law as if he doesn’t like to stay over there then let him go. All bit surprised by heard that as it felt like she doesn’t bother about the presence of his husband over there. But Candy tried to stop now his mother-in-law.
Now up to this, all invitees were quite assured that they might meet any family conflict for which such ill-tempered.
There Sony with her baby carrying in her lap sitting beside the priest had been watching her parent’s such irrational behavior at public and Nabh her brother also sitting behind her. Sony suddenly told her mother that why not she kept quiet for the sake of those auspicious moments.
Ela aunt told her daughter that why she always kept quite when for their father she always faced such ashamed in front of their relatives. Sony replied her that let ignored her father now and let be focused on their grandchild.
Suddenly she asked to all that what wrong she did if she expected that her husband would gift their grandchild a 60-gm gold chain? But her husband could afford up to 24 gm gold chain for that ceremony which agitated her towards him a lot. All glared on her such query. Then Ela aunt started to share her family confidential finance issues with all like….
- Since from the day 1 of her marital life she had been suffering from scarcity.
- She always wished for top Universities for her 2 children.
- She and her children never went abroad nor they had any dinner or lunch ever in any 5*hotel.
- They have Hyundai i20 but she preferred for Mercedes-Benz.
- She always preferred to an ultra-luxurious life but her husband failed to afford those.
Though she herself in an 18 k Bangalore silk and almost near about 2.5 kgs gold she wore whereas Sree uncle in his simple formal white color shirt with his old model of Titan watch which golden colored band faded to whitish with the simple look.
Morality in profession………….
Sree uncle worked as a head constable in State Police, where his salary is good for sustaining his family but like other colleagues of his department who got promoted in their younger age and taking home double income one from their white earned salary another under table one and which is more than their expected salary.
Sree uncle never craved for his promotion, not even he had ever ready to compromised with his ethics that’s why till date he is continuing his same post and status in his job because he never flatters his superiors to keep himself in their good books for his performance grade in his arena.
As for him whatever he had been earning by his honesty will pay him as a reward in the form of their children’s happiness in life because he always tells one thing that ‘’if he does not take a single Rs. bribe from anyone then there will be no enemy in his life who will ever dare to abuse him by cursing him and his family for taking the bribe.’’
Dissatisfaction of income………
Ela aunt had never been found that satisfaction forms her husband’s loyal source of income. In fact, in her view, her parents did wrong by gave her marriage to a policeman. She always had a desire of rich lifestyle in the affluent society which she missed a lot in her life when she found that her husband who just left his all scope for earning more from his left-hand source of bribe. In his job where all taking the advantage of their uniform whereas he always had been rigid to his moral and ethics, which cost them in their life.
She told to others that his husband bought the car for them after 20 years of job even from the loan amount. Though he never used that for his personal purpose always its used by his family. That much simplicity he carried in his personality.
His ethics and principle of life might have paid by his family. Sony and Nabh also supported to their mother in this view. For them only due to his morality towards his job never fulfilled their desires in their life. Even Ela aunt told daringly that ‘’very few among us who gets the opportunity to earn by his two hand and if anyone after getting that opportunity in life misused that by avoiding that for the sake of moral and ethics then he is really a big stupid who don’t know how to lead the lavish life.’’
Feeling of embarrassment ………………
It’s now 11:25 am, their Priest by ignoring Ela aunt’s wordings tried to solemnize the rituals calmly. There the whole ambiance was pin drop silence. All of them felt so embarrassed as Ela aunt’s bold confession about her husband’s morality made quite amazed to all of us. As now a day we hardly met with such strong determined honest person.
Ela aunt was so adamant and loud in her bold shameless confession that she not even bothered for a while also that she was in public and it’s her husband about whom she had been pointing her fingers. Moreover, what people think when they found her so careless towards her utmost close relationship, in fact, she doesn’t have that sense that by abusing her husband she wouldn’t be able to gain the pity sympathy from all despite peoples might be laughed on her uncivilized attitude.
There the priest asked for final ritual of Annaprasan where as per ritual the brother of baby’s mother feeds the first rice to the baby. So Nabh was sitting beside the baby when he was about to feed the baby then suddenly Candy hold his hand and paused him for that. All shocked by seeing that as why Candy interrupted Nabh while feeding his Son?
Before priest asked him for that pause he called Sree uncle who was sitting at the corner of the hall. By heard such humiliation by his wife Ela, made him quite ashamed in front of all which forced him to left the ceremony but due to the humble request by his son-in-law he failed to refused him. Despite being present over there he made himself detached from all by kept himself at the corner of the crowd.
First admiration of life ………………….
Candy hold his hand and took him in front of his all invitees he apologized before his father-in-law for such disgraced by his mother-in-law at his Son’s first rice eating ceremony.
Now candy told to all that how his father-in-law probed the case, He was offered a bribe to do the job but he refused to accept it. Just a month ago, when an owner of a pharmacy caught by the corps for his illegal unauthentic supply of baby food then they tried to bribe him to get back the license. But his ethics not allowed him as usual.
He told that ‘’maybe this doesn’t a big issue for us who present over here but its matters to those parents who was about to purchase those baby products even who knows if I bought those unauthentic baby foods for my Son then today in place of Annaprasan ceremony may be funeral ceremony would take place. The value of my son’s life is quite precious than gold.’’
‘’The man who saved many lives could never be so disgraced, in fact, I idolized him for his bravery and honesty. We need people like Mr.Sree who are not corrupted.’’
‘’Moreover, I don’t like that any coward like Nabh, feed the first rice to my son. Who even don’t have the guts to stopped his mother’s irrational statements in the public. It proves that he also supported his mother’s perspective towards their father.’’
‘’So, I decided that the savior of many babies’ life only have the right to feed my son, and I wish for my son that he also follow the same footstep of his grandfather forever.’’
After heard those all honored Sree uncle with a great clap, now priest solemnized the ritual when Sree uncle feeds the first rice to his grandson. Actually, Candy made realized in public to Ela aunt, Nabh and Sony that morality praised the most than corruption and only an honest person could be honored for his unusual act of life, which is far more precious than anything in life and which we couldn’t buy by spending million dollars in life. We might earn money from various aspects of life by utilizing that in short span but to earn a respectable life it took our whole life hard dedication.
Family and friends have a great time cheering the little one while he makes his choice. It is believed that the object your baby picks up from the tray (books, pen, jewels, clay, food items) represents his area of interest in future. The baby touched the pen, all clapped by forgetting the harsh wordings of Ela aunt. Ela aunt’s greediness made all of us quite discomfort to further communicate with her.
View changed………….
Candy’s such daring confession made him a hero in our friend’s group. In fact, we all personally admire him for his such superb confession in public. As I told at the beginning in such family functions those invitees who came for short span also reluctant to left the function till its end. Seemed all were quite enjoyed it thoroughly.
I enjoyed the function thoroughly, in fact, Candy’s family melodrama turned that boring function into a different taste but we all admire forever our Sree uncle he is now becoming the inspiration for our friend’s group.
A small perspective changes the life…………
Bravery Truth !! 