yesterday was the last of my first 15-day acupuncture session. phew! eleven more such sessions to go.

i stayed over at jayashree‘s house last night.

her hair tied up in a careless bun, a simple cotton sari with the pallu tightly tucked in, multitasking with coffee and cholay on the gas and yummy carrot cakes in the oven, shouting instructions to viju and gayatri as they ran about in the kitchen…jayashree looked so much like my mom.

as we smuggled moments of privacy from gayatri and viju, i could see how much she wanted to be alone, or with her own friends. we talked till 4:00 in the morning. to me hers was a world i could not relate to, but i wanted to understand…

that night i listened to a mother proud that her 18-month-old daughter has already learnt to be very careful about picking up things and putting them back in the same place, and learning not to eat out of other’s plates.

i listened to a wife content that her husband helps by buying grocery from the market every evening, and watches tv while she cooks.

i listened to a simple girl who could not understand and was troubled by the hypocrisy and jealousy of the nagging housewives staying around her

i listened to a woman who loved to watch The Oprah Winfrey Show every afternoon on tv, because she felt that was the only time she could be with herself.

it needs courage to be a housewife like her. courage to forget that she was one of the best students in college and had wanted to pursue her MA in psychology, courage to compromise, and yet be very happy.

jayashree, i have a lot to learn from you.