MUSHI APA

Mushi Apa

P K Routray

To the readers, a unique and peculiar may sound the name,
but to me, my brothers and sisters, a nectar like sweet is the same.
In relation she is my father’s sister,
but to all her brothers and villagers the same call was universal and dear.
She is ever ready to extend her philanthropic hand at this call,
In her eye from child to old, from haves to have nots all are needy after all.
Some for food and some for shelter,
some for love and some need nurture.
With sweet words and merciful gesture,
She gives her best to mitigate caller’s torture.

Child, young and old irrespective of age,
We all love this call,
And she responds rescues us as she is our mentor real.
only at advanced age we knew she was from the womb of another mother,
but adorned the lap of a mother who at her teens lost her husband dear.
The loving widow remained her mother dearest to her heart,
Even all at her adopted village remain her own which she could not part.
she was born with many brothers and sisters,
but enjoyed the status as the only daughter among many brothers.
She was an apple of eye to each family member,
All aunties were her mothers and uncles served and loved her more than a father.
Even when she would have known her actual history,
She discarded itas if it as an imaginary story.
From her childhood she liked to be treated like her brother,
As if the will of woman liberation was inbuilt in her.
she liked to be addressed as Babu not Didi like a male member,
Similar to her eldest brother she was one of the villagers‘male master.
In fact to her, her younger brothers have to meekly surrender,
Being afraid of her masculine authority controlling each wicked younger.
She was brought up in a zamindar family in a remote rural village,
All wicked and work- thieves did surrender to her courage.
Then in Indian rural village the light of modern world was not seen,
With tooth brush from Neem trees and bathing in a river were their daily routine.
Her brother found a match in an engineer in government job for her,
She was never consulted but like other village girls she had to accept her life partner.
With remote rural family background,
also working under somebody, her family since generations was never found,
Her aunts’ and mom were apprehensive of their daughter’s future,
Can she mange with such background in an alien atmosphere?
she was respected and treated as a master in the village,
How she can be a subject in a city serving others after marriage?

Later not only she succeeded in all her new role and the life’s transition,
but also transferred the situation for fulfilling her life’s mission.
To me and my brother she was a father, mother and aunt in one in unison,
She showed us the light to the life and taught us how to carry on.
My elder brother prematurely passed away,
but before his death he made sure to express his life’s gratitude to her through me to pay.
A girl with rustic back ground remained a model of womanhood of divinity,
Hey sisters and daughters! Emulate her to have peace and bliss with service to the society.
She is old and bed ridden but still with iron will,
Ninty years of her keen on the society, vividly she remembers still.
Whatever I have done in life and what I could be,
behind everything her blessings and inspiration, I always see.
Hey God! Bless her in this life and after,
You can add all my positive points of life to increase her tally so that she does never suffer.
Peace and bliss should be her companion,
Be merciful and ensure them as she is one in million.
as so far to her only your cruelty you have shown,
But difficult tests are put to your bests as is known,
And then you are with them to teach and train for longer,
to be sure that they are with you and help you to make your job simpler and sweeter.
She may be nobody for my dear readers across the globe,
But this is a glimpse of a good soul born unknown, remained unheard but could be an epitome of “serve and love”