Grandmother

Translated by: Golam Rabbany Sujon
Written in Bengali: Nafisa Mubashira

Grandmother shouted “I’ll break your backbone by kicking”
“Why, what I have done?” Said Nadia
Grandmother said again “More speech!! I’ll kick on your face?”
Nadia said to her father “Are you hearing, what grandmother is telling?”
Father said “She is your grandmother, so tolerate her speaking.”
Nadia said “How deep relation with grandmother, Dad”
At the time of taking dinner Grandmother shouted “Would you give me dinner or I have to die without food”

Mother called everyone at the dinning table to take dinner. Grandmother started to take dinner. After taking one or two times food she said to my mother “hey daughter of rich family, do you not know how to cook well.” And then she went away to her room with full of her food.

My brother and grandmother would lie in a room. I saw my brother lay in a corner of his bed and grandmother was scolding him. Seeing me grandmother told “Do you take him from her or I’ll kick him?” At the end of her speech she already kicked my brother and brother fell down from the bed. My brother got hurt and started bleeding. Seeing this no sooner I shouted and went to tell to my mother. We took my brother to the physician and we saw grandmother was trying to sleep lying in the bed. Then grandmother also said “what a soft body is, doctor is needed for a slight case”. Nobody replied to her speech.

One day grand mother wanted to go to the village. Beside our final examination was also completed and we also wanted same things. I sit beside my elder sister but grandmother scolded us and took seat middle of us. We reached to the village in the afternoon. Then my younger cousin aged 14 (approximately) was in the guava tree.

No sooner reaching in the home and seeing cousin in the tree grandmother shouted “how dare! You are eating my wealth in absence of mine” and Ok I’ll teach a good lesson. Then she started to throw piece of bricks targeting him. And one piece of brick hurt beside his eye. Then my cousin Sumon started to shout. Hearing shouting my elder uncle came and every one of us became disappointed to see her activities.

My uncle said “No sooner reaching in the home, you have started what you like”. Grandmother also told why you did not look after my wealth while your son was wasting my wealth. Then my father told “OK, it’s enough, please be calm and quiet. Now we need to take him (Sumon) to the physician”. My father was the youngest child of my grandparents and that’s why grandmother used to love him. Grandmother became silent and we everyone went to grandmother’s home. In the meantime one Germany woman came to us and showed honor touching feet of grandmother.

Grandmother became surprised and asked “who are you?”
Elder uncle said “ I have taken her from the German getting married ands now she is your new son’s wife”
In the meantime elder aunt came and submitted objection to my grandmother what her son did.

Grandmother told “He has done well what he has done and you can stay with us or you can go away. Male person can get married several times and that’s a great wrong”.

My mother could not get any language to consolation our elder aunt. Aunt also did not take any food at night. Aunt cried and passed whole night at veranda.

In the morning aunt was going to her father’s house with her younger daughter Minu who was 3 years old. Seeing this grandmother come fast and said “Hey daughter of beggar, where are you going with Minu? You can die alone.”

Minu told “Grandmother, mother is going leaving us!!”
Grandmother tried to make understand and told to Minu “that is your black mother but your father has taken a beautiful foreign mother for you.”

Minu said “No grandmother, I have no need a beautiful mother. My mother is the best to me.” Grandmother said “let us go to bath as you your head is hot” Grandmother took her to the pond for bathing. Few minutes later grandmother returned from the pond alone.

My mother asked grandmother “you alone returned but where is Minu. Have you not taken Minu for bathing?” Grandmother replied with angry“Beggar’s daughter is as like as beggar. She told me that she would take more baths in the pond. I kept her there.”

Mother said “what you have done! She is much younger.” Mother did not complete her speech; she started to run to the pond. Seeing running of my mother we also ran to the pond. We did not see Minu at edge of the pond. Seeing blue clothe of Minu in the pond Sumon jumped in the pond. He started to cry touching Minu’s dead body and he had no strength to carry her dead body.” Everyone shouting to take her to the up but Sumon lost power of speaking. Taking Minu’s dead body to the dry place he started to cry loudly and said “This grandmother killed my sister.” Sumon was very shocked because her left them and losing her younger sister.

This is first time I saw grandmother silently in standing. Middle uncle said “Sumon please be calm and don’t talk roughly.”

Minu was buried under Kodom tree where Minu used to play with her dolls. After that day Sumon was not found. Few days later elder uncle went to German with his new wife. We passed long daysin the village. Now it is time to go to Dhaka. Grandmother did not want to come to Dhaka with us. Father gave her some money and said “I’ll send money to you every month as your expenditure.” Grandmother did not tell anything. After that incident grandmother became very sad and weak. Now grandmother did not scold anybody and talked with anybody loudly. Everyone said that grandmother was the main guilty of Minus’s death.

Then we returned to Dhaka. After two month later we were informed that grandmother died. Hearing the news of her death we became very shock and we went to village. We were also informed that our middle aunt did not give money that my father used to send for my grandmother. Even grandmother also was not given proper food.

After being sick grandmother wanted food and medicine but uncle or none gave her food or medicine.

Anyhow grandmother collected some medicine (10/8 pieces paracitamol tablet) and took at a time. Grandmother was groaning from serious fever. Seeing this grandmother wanted to wash her by coldwater for reducing fever.

Grandmother said “No thanks, if you wash me by water I’ll die but you can give me stale food.” Uncle said “Don’t talk more, let me watering you.” Grandmother died while uncle was watering.”