June 19. Story of the Day: Absentminded Mum

This is an original story by Prof. Smita Pawaskar, and you will find two versions here. First, there is a rendering by Suniti Namjoshi based on hearing Prof. Pawaskar tell a quick version of the story orally. Then there is a translation of the version which Prof. Pawaskar later supplied in writing; you can see the Marathi text here (click on images for larger view). It's fun to see how the story evolves!

This is not a folktale, but it does feature the same kind of "barnyard animal" series that you find in folktales. There are animals you will find in European and American barnyards (like in The Barnyard Song), along with a distinctively south Asian water buffalo.

Want more? Click here for previous Stories-of-the-Day.

ABSENTMINDED MUM
by Smita Pawaskar
(as told to Suniti Namjoshi)

A farmer’s wife, who was cleaning the attic with her child beside her, suddenly remembered she had left a pot of boiling water in the kitchen downstairs and went to turn it off. Then she noticed the kitchen was dirty and started to clean it. After a while she realized that her child wasn’t with her. She was frantic. She had quite forgotten she had left her in the attic. She thought the child must have wandered outside.

The anxious mum ran up to the nanny goat, “Nanny goat, nanny goat, have you seen my little girl?”

(pxhere)

‘Of course not,” replied the nanny goat. “I’ve been busy nursing my kids. I have twins, you know.”

The mum turned to the speckled hen.  “Speckled hen, speckled hen, have you seen my little girl?”

‘Of course not,” replied the mother hen. “I have a dozen chicks of my own to look after.”

The mother then asked the brown mare,   “Brown mare, brown mare, have you seen my little girl?”

“Sorry,” replied the brown mare. “My own little foal is still young and I have to keep an eye on him.”

A mother goose was swimming in the pond.  “Mother goose, mother goose,” the mum called, “have you seen my little girl?”

But the mother goose just shook her head and pointed to her own brood of goslings.

The poor mother was returning to the farmhouse sadly, when she saw her own dear, little girl coming out of the front door. The child had clambered down the stairs and was looking for her mum. The two ran towards each other and hugged and kissed and were as happy as can be because they had found each other.

And the nanny goat and her kids, and the speckled hen and her chicks, and the brown mare and her foal, and the mother goose and her goslings were happy as well.

~ ~ ~

THE MOTHER AND HER CHILD
by Smita Pawaskar
(translated from the Marathi by Suniti Namjoshi)

A mother and her two- or three-year-old boy lived in a small village.  Her husband used to go to work in the fields early in the mornings. She used to be busy with the housework all day long. And the child used to be busy playing!

One day the mother said to her boy, “Come let’s go and tidy up the room at the top of the house. I’ll get busy. You bring your toys.  Our food is in the cooker and will be ready by the time we finish.”

They went upstairs. After a while the mother remembered the food in the cooker. “Come, Raju,” she said to her son, “let’s go downstairs.” And with that she hurried downstairs and got busy in the kitchen. She was sure that Raju would have followed her downstairs. Once she’d finished all her kitchen chores, she called out to Raju; but Raju didn’t answer.

She decided that Raju must have wandered into the farmyard, so she went out to look for him. She said to the cat, “O pussy cat, have you seen my little Raju?”

The cat replied, “Of course not. How could I have? I was busy giving milk to my little kitten.”

A little further on the mother found a gentle cow in the cowshed. “O gentle cow, have you seen my little Raju?” she asked.

“How could I have had the time? I was busy licking my little calf,” the cow replied

The mother then came to the stables, and she said to the brown mare, “O brown mare have you seen my little boy?”

“No, oh no,” replied the mare. “I was busy running about with my little foal. How could I have?”

Just then she came across a dog with her puppy.  “O mistress dog, have you seen my little boy?” she asked. “I’ve been looking for him for so long now.”

“How could I have?” came the reply.  “My little puppy and I were busy with a bone. I was teaching him how to gnaw.”

(water buffalo)

And when the poor mother asked a water buffalo whether she had seen her little boy, the buffalo replied, “I was taking my little calf for a dip in the water.”

As for the nanny goat, she said she was teaching her little kid to pull down leaves to eat.

The poor mother sat down in despair on her doorstep, and just then Raju appeared stretching sleepily.

“Where have you been?” she said to him. “I’ve been looking for you for ever so long.”

“Oh Mum,” Raju said. “I fell asleep while playing. And that’s why I didn’t hear your cries.”

Then Raju’s mother held him close and gave him a big kiss.