Survival skills

(Another one from my old collection)

Survival skills
"You need a number of skills to survive as a wife and mother”, remarked Mrs. Krishnan, a business colleague’s wife. She was a little over forty, and an interesting shopping companion on my trip to Chennai. However, I found her statement a bit strange. I had then been married for six months, thus, glowing with the ignorance of a bashful, newlywed wife, I nearly said aloud; “I am a smart Delhi girl and can handle any situation”. .

As if, she could read my mind, she smiled and then realizing I had picked up a Kanjivaram for my sister-in-law, said, “While you also shop for the husband’s sister, no problems. Let the more expensive one be for her.” Indeed, that was the first survival skill I acquired and the rest of them came over the years - some easily, some quietly and some after great perseverance.

However, one critical skill, I fell upon by chance. One mid-night, I realized I could simply conjure up a dish that could feed any number of hungry Bridge players. The head count that night had gone up from five to ten.

To the cooked mutton curry I had added a dozen-boiled eggs and some garlic tomato sauce. The dish, I served as, “mutton-in-egg gravy”.

However, the same delicacy was another night produced as “Mutton Goulash in red pepper sauce”. Along with the eggs, I had added some boiled potatoes and lots of freshly grounded black pepper. The dish was a great success with the spouse and his fifteen cronies, who licked the last little bit of sauce off their plates. And I was crowned the “Empress of Mutton Goulash”.

Of course, to keep the title, I had to churn out many more such dishes, for many such evening get-togethers and for many unaccountable years. Thus, cooking for people in multiples of five became my forte and one of my greatest survival skills.

Another skill that crept in quietly was indifference to noise. The baby’s blabber, cartoon network and banging of the utensils in the kitchen were all a part of my evening schedule, while I merrily typed my story (news article) on my dad’s portable “Olympia”, surrounded by the din.

However, the most important survival skill I learnt was when my daughter, Sonali, turned sixteen. Cleaning up her room, meant, following loads of instructions from her. Finally, I gave up and decided to let her have the “space” she so much craved for.

It was a victory of sorts but for a short time. With half her clothes, books, cushions and shoes on the floor, an unmade bed, music cassettes and CDs strewn all over her room, she had just enough “space” left for her toes. Not a dull one, she was quick to remedy the situation. She put her younger sibling, Shubhi on the job. The trade-off was fifty rupees for clearing the mess.

Now, with Sonali thousands of miles away, in college, the just-turned thirteen has moved into her shoes. Unfortunately, her survival skills seem to be sharper than mine. Perhaps, to match her skills, I need to go back to Chennai, for a refresher course from Mrs Krishnan.