The Chicken feet..

I’m Prasad.I stay in a village named kottapuram.I had a great interest in cooking and making food..life taught me in many ways how to make a food even in the difficult times with very limited resources.I feel life is also like a dish that we cook.It’s a mixture of many things like sad,happiness,anxiety,surprise,fear,courage etc..that adds taste to life.Now I’m 35,enjoying post married,settled,contented life with self-employment,,kids etc…To me life is not an even road that laid on equal footing before 13 years ago. When I take Letter ‘I’ it is mostly followed by ‘And’. That is my friend,brother-in-law,I call him Bava.He is almost there in every situation of my happiness and mischief. We grew up together.

After our much struggling graduation,the next duty is to work.We neither have the skill from our education nor the money from our family.This we realise soon when we started trials for employment at this point of time. After someday later I Came to know that one of my friend’s relative Soori,working in Bombay as Labour in construction company for five thousand per month.We also decided to go along with him.Our parents objected to this but, we couldn’t heed.As we already started dreaming about Bombay and It’s charming name,felt that working there means choice to earn more.

First time in life we travelled in train we amazed to notice the length and breadth of India.After we reached the city, we amazed by the tall standing buildings which seemed to touch the sky…our heads into the sky, mouths opened wide with glittering eyes, for sometime gazed through the never seen beauty of buildings and malls in glass reflection that reminded us about“rajmahals” studied in school I surprised how man made this possible …Soori first took us to the construction site and introduced to the contractor.He looked stout,strong,frequent consumption of Pan masala made his mouth to shine red in colour.He told our work by pointing to the 20 storeyed construction building…we just raised our heads to the sky and held in astonishment first.Contractor settled our wage at 4000 as we looked so lean to him. He told us to stay with the fellow labourers in some sheds like arrangement near the area and said in loud voice, “hmm..get to work early by 8am” and then he went off.Almost it is dusk …we ate what we got with us.Then Soori left to his working place which he told that it is nearby and ensured he will come by sunday to meet us.Soori enrolled us here because there was already huge labourers working in his area.we bewildered for sometime. But I was Atleast little happy that Bava is with me here.With little fear,confusion in heart we slept in the small shed given to us which is mostly covered with tarpaulin.We couldn’t sleep properly As the mosquitoes on one side and humidity on the another.

We start to work in the morning.our first task is to load bricks in ghamela and carry on head to deliver those in tenth floor construction area.It is also risky as the Handrail for the steps is not finished…while carrying the bricks, any deviation in a step will result simply in landing directly to ground and on to the death bed.Sudden chill went down my spine.

But Bava hold my shoulder and told, “don’t worry Hero…lets do it together,you follow after me.If you don’t feel well in the middle we will halt for a while in between the floors.”

Our second task is to load the sand brought by trucks to the emptied cement bag and unload it in the working floor.We learnt from the co-labourers how to make a small circular folded turban to carry weights on our head.

Finally, we finished the working day by 8 pm in the evening.At the end of the work our hair filled with some sand,some scratches to the legs and hands.We had a bath under the borewell.Our muscles become hard stones,that made a simple body movement hard.We observed Some of the fellow labourers consuming the alcohol to relax their body, and relieve from the pain…might be they don’t feel the same like us as they used to the work since many days,but alcohol became their part of duty to relieve from the work ,to have anaesthetic feeling and an immersed sleep.They offered us one glass,we denied smoothly as we didn’t have the habit.But it lasted only one day,as we couldn’t bear the pain,we accepted one glass each for the first time in life.The taste is a very different, mix of all tastes.After having the glass we exchanged an exclamatory glance meant to tell, “hey..did you really drink..!”

It is saturday, third day in Bombay.The night we don’t have anything to eat.First day,our fellow labourers gave some food,Second day we managed to complete our cravings with food that we brought from homes.Third day we do not have anything for lunch..we thought to ask the contractor some advance but he didn’t turn up these days.If he didn’t tomorrow also, we thought to ask Soori,as he promised to meet us on Sunday. We couldn’t bear the hunger,body pains that night and unable to sleep properly since the day we came to Bombay.Don’t know suddenly, We remembered our homes and the food made by our mothers.I used to fight with my mother for her daily routine curries and I used to complain each and every time.But now, I am missing her and the food she makes.For sometime became emotional and realised the happiness at home.Later,we checked our bags and purse, found 40 rupees together.It is unbearable with sleepless nights so we decided firmly to try some alcohol first, then sufficient food as we didn’t eat anything for lunch.But both are not possible with the limited money soon we landed in dilemma,whether to have the food or alcohol.sacrificing either of two will deprive our sleep tonight. As we don’t have a habit of consuming alcohol before, if we take alcohol with an empty stomach,it causes the bloating.Only food will not make us fall asleep.

I thought for a while,a sudden glitter got in my mind when I spotted a chicken shop.I took Bava to the nearby wines.I checked each and every brand which might fall in our amount.Finally I selected one small bottle which the seller told it as Quarter and is for rupees 30 and I borrowed one plastic glass from him.

Bava told, “Hey Hero…! You successfully bought a bottle,but What would fill our stomach with the remaining 10 rupees…!”

I replied wittily, “See Heroine..I had the Idea don’t worry.you will have stomach full today..”

He giggled in silence and settled to observe what I would do.I went to a chicken shop and requested to sell the Chicken Feet which are set aside as people don’t take it.The Butcher refused first, as time passes by I was able to convince him and collected a cover full of Chicken feet for Rupees 10.Bava didn’t understand What I was doing at the moment, my actions were a wonder to behold.Then we went to our Working area.Near our shed I Collected some sticks and arranged some setup Like camp fire.I borrowed a bowl,some spice,salt and oil.I arranged a triangular Hearth that fits the Bowl.I cleaned the chicken feet in the boiled water so that any leftover dust to feet will be cleaned and it becomes easy to remove the yellowish layer on chicken feet.Bava helped me to adjust the fire in the hearth as the sticks burnt by lapse of time meanwhile I went to cut down some wet sticks which are of flat from a branch of Neam tree . After a while I removed the yellowish skin from chicken feet by dipping them in boiled water..Later, I mixed the spice ,salt and some oil that I borrowed to the chicken feet in the bowl,sharpened the neam sticks at one of the corners and used them like a spit to pass the chicken feet.I arranged all the marinated chicken feet through the spits.Bava was like in astonishment giving a glare of,” when did you become a chef..” I held some neem sticks filled with marinated chicken feet and gave some to Bavaa , told him to heat through a moderate fire.

After some time our food is ready.I arranged all the smoothy,reddish,mouth watering chicken feet in a long paper one side and the quarter bottle ,a glass,water filled plastic bottle on the other.We had only one glass,after I mix the alcohol and water into the glass Bava had the half glass and I later, which made us Glassmates for the first time.Bava tasted the chicken feet after having a sip.It is beautiful to notice the expressions and feelings of a person when having a mouth watering food. I understood that Bava liked it and he said,”shabbash beta,shabash tum chef bangaya..”

and I replied,” Jee huzoor,dhanyavaad.”

We both broke into laughter.The calm night filled with full moon,the camp fire,the hand made food and unexpected alcohol…our laughter in between made us forget our pain,responsibilities,and a thought,tension for the next day at the moment and took us into the world of happiness.

Soon I refreshed back into the present from the memories when Bava patted my shoulder from the backside and asked,” what hero…are you dreaming by standing..?”.I replied,”No heroine,just simply..”We both Shared smiles of Past and exchanged some jokes..After some time as it was getting late, we both started to go to our new Restaurant,”The Chicken feet…”

*(based on some real incidents of People)

(01-10-2024)