We moved to Mumbai when I had just completed my kindergarten and was getting ready for Class 1. My mother needed a domestic help, and with a few references from helping neighbours in Mahim, she got one.
We brothers called her Mausi ( Maternal Aunt ). A simple lady living in the neighbourhood, Mausi was an extremely disciplined and hardworking woman. Even though she had a large family to support, she ensured that come what may, all her children, six of them, received proper education. Her husband worked in a local factory, but the earnings were meagre.
Even though Mausi didn’t have any formal education, she surely had a vision for her children, on whom she had great influence. She was determined to make something out of them, and so she worked hard, and so did her children.
Mausi used to prepare Puran Polis during festivals, as was the case in many households in Mumbai. Puran Poli a sweet flatbread stuffed with a filling made of husked gram and jaggery or sugar, best served with Butter or Ghee. I liked the dish immensely and had taken a fancy for it. I often used to request Mausi to prepare Puran Polis for me, and she being so affectionate never ever refused.
After more than a decade of being a part of our household, Mausi called it quits , as we shifted to stay in south Mumbai, making it impractical for her to travel such a far distance. Her daughters by that time had completed their education and had found decent jobs too. Mausi was at ease. However due to the distance involved, we could hardly meet and there came a pretty long period, where we had no clue as to how Mausi was.
One fine day, the door bell of our house rang and we were pleasantly surprised to see Mausi at the door. It was a long long time since she had come over to our place. The moment she entered she was looking for me. She had got lots of Puran Polis. Wow , infact I had been craving for it, but there was no way I could have got it. But Mausi somehow came to know. The previous night she had seen a dream, wherein I was requesting her for Puran Polis, having not tasted them for a long time. Mausi got up in the morning, prepared the Puran Polis and left for our place.
Mausi’s sheer affection had touched me and still continues to do so. She was one of those people who had the ability to make others happy and make this world a better place to live in. That was the last time I saw her. It has been more than two decades to this incident, but it remains fresh in my memory.
Puran Polis- undoubtedly I share a special bond with them.
Deeply felt emotions