My FB friend Amit Amembal, recently posted a photograph of a mirchi (hot green/jalapeno pepper) growing in his balcony. Somehow, this one had escaped being harvested along with the other green ones, and turned red.
Turns out, it had turned red in anger. Not at being left on the tree. But something else.
It had something to do with the behaviour of onions today. With their skyrocketing prices and extravagant sense of self worth.....
Read on. As the mirchi spouts forth, first in Marathi, and then in English.
(photo by Amit Amembal)
लहानपणापासून
कुटुंबाच्या छायेत वाढली , भावंडान बरोबर हिरवाई मध्ये लपत छपत खेळत मोठी झाली . कधी छोटी खाउन पियुन धष्ट पुष्ठ , आणि शेलाट्या बांध्यातले यौवन; पानांच्या आडून आडून बघित्लेली स्थळ , चेहर्यावर उमललेले गुलाब , आणि कान्देरावाशी झालेला साखरपुडा . मग कठीण दिवस, कांदेराव न सांगता नाहीसे, कुणी म्हणतात त्याना ज्यास्त हुंडा हवा . आणि ती रागाने लालेलाल झाली , पानामागून बाहेर आली आणि म्हणाली , "एक वेळ झाडावर कुमारी राहीन , पण असला हुंडा वगैरे माग्णार्याशि लग्न करणार नाही …. काय हो, नारळपंत , बरोबर ना? …." |
A child hood spent amidst green family folks, playing hide and seek with siblings, and she grew up. Precociously chubby and then a slim and svelte teenage, a coming of age as she peered through the leaves at assorted suitors; some, like Sir Onion, who brought the pink back at their engagement. Then one day, he simply disappeared, and some whispered that he wanted more dowry. Enraged, red in anger, she emerged from behind the greens, ramrod straight, facing them all, and said, "I would prefer to say single on my tree, rather than kowtow to such dowry demanding folks...." And she nodded at an admiring smitten Sir Coconut, and asked, "Isn't that so ?" |
Simply beautiful..!
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