She was even more surprised to see her master, confused.
What happened?
Wasn't he at the courtyard when she left?
How could Beeti have known, that her master used his lightness skills to reach here before her. Although many years passed, his skills are still there, though somewhat rusty.
Once inside, everyone started wishing again.
"Happy birthday to you!"
"Happy birthday to you!"
"Happy birthday dear Trisha!"
"Happy birthday to you!"
"Clap clap clap!"
After cutting the cake, she first fed her grandparents, then her parents, her master and at last her brother.
"Here's a small gift from your grandparents."
Beeti took the gift, it is a very exquisitely made medicine box. The weaving technique is really beautiful. Obviously her grandfather had put in a lot of efforts in it. He truly liked this gift.
Then came, a very cute set of gloves with kantha embroidery, and mask, plus a coat with kantha motifs.
Those designs are so vivid and full of colours.
And then there is the kantha motifs on the handkerchief, a vivid lotus.
It symbolises: Purity and non-attachment, Spirituality and enlightenment, Long life and beauty.
Hoping her to be like the lotus.
Beeti feeling emotional, " thank you so much, these are really precious and means a lot to me."
"Silly girl, it is nothing."
Both the early has a content smile.
It has to be said that, her grandparents are both skilled individuals.
Her grandfather is not only skilled in bamboo crafts, but he's also somewhat known for Kirtan -Bhajan, plus he was an expert when it came to playing harmonium and dholak, kartal, flute and many more.
Whereas her grandmother, is a talent in the embroidery world.
Chikankari, Phulkari, Kantha, Zardozi, Kashida and Gota Patti.
All the above mentioned embroidery, her grandmother can be said to be known figure out there.
And kantha is her speciality.
Nakshi Kantha specifically.
.
.
The gifts from her parents came next.
Her father gave her trinkets that he brought from West B state, mainland. Those are really pretty. And she liked them.
Her mother gifted her two pairs of outfits.
Suitable for practicing martial arts and climbing up the mountain.
It was a comfortable and cute set. Suiting her age perfectly.
Since adding the snacks, their family made some money, though not enough to be rich, but absolutely enough for them to eat and drink comfortably and still having some savings.
"Thanks you so much, I really like them!"
Beeti has noticed that, Mrs. Das seemed to be more confident recently in whatever she is doing.
Indeed!
Money makes one feel confident in everything they do.
Coming up next is her master's gift.
And truth to be told, she fell in love with them instantly.
It is a complete set of acupuncture needles!
Plus a book about poisons!
Everyone in the sweared that they could practically see heart in her eyes after seeing the gift.
"I love them!"
"Old man! No... No.. Guruji! My dearest Guruji! You are the best!"
Everyone was amused.
It was rare to see her losing composer. Now she looks exactly like her age.
Akshay raised an eyebrow, it seems like he was right about her preferences.
Just seeing how happy she is, he decided to ignore the way she just called him old man for once.
It was then that her brother's gift was brought out.
It was a handmade doll, made from cotton and cloths.
Beeti was stunned when she saw the doll.
This...
"How is it? Isn't it just like you?"
She remembered this doll, in her last life, they were still struggling financially and to fulfill her wish, her parents had asked Lokhi aunty to make her a doll.
It was almost same. That doll was her favourite, then with time the doll was forgotten.
Seeing the doll again in this life, it really was hard for Beeti not to be emotional.
"Look it looks just like you with that little nose!"
"I... I love it."
Beeti said, somewhat emotional.
But...
Wait!
Looking at the doll...
Beeti looked up at her brother, her eyes that were teary a moment ago turned red with anger.
Gone were all the emotional feelings that she was feeling by seeing the doll, and was she angered, because the doll didn't even have a nose.
Indirectly her brother was teasing her by saying her nose was flat or rather she didn't have a nose.
"Ugh!"
Beeti started to chase her brother inside the house, with the doll now being her weapon.
Bankim was laughing and shouting as he ran, " why are you even chasing me? I wasn't wrong about your nose, was I?"
Beeti refused to comment!
This wasn't the first time they argued about this. He always had a issue about her nose. And she was tired and decided that it will do just well to beat him.
Anyway, if you can't win over an argument then just beat up your opponent.
"Though the doll looks prettier than you, but don't worry you are still my dear little sister!"
"Thud!"
"Young lady, you shouldn't be so violet! Otherwise you will scare your husband someday. And no ones going to marry you!"
The reply to that was...
"Clatter!"
"Ahh!"
"Calm down! Gadadhari Bheem[1]! Calm down!"
"Swoosh!"
The others in the room were just looking at the scene and enjoying the moment.
Akshay ji was thinking, see everybody has their day. It's quite refreshing to see this brat being unable to do anything in times like this.
The others just thought it is good to see the children messing around like this, this way it feels more like home and lively.
...
After the little episode of the siblings banter, they all sat down for dinner.
There was payesh, as it is a must-have and is believed to bring good luck.
And The meal also included alu posto (potato and poppy seeds), shak-bhaja (fried greens), and muri-ghanto (fish head curry).
Whenever Akshay joins his disciple's family for a meal, he feels like his one another world.
In the short time that he has known the Das family, he fell in love with Bengali food. It just creates a sense of complete satisfaction and pleasure, further enhancing the feeling of a deeply satisfying and well-rounded experience.
Beeti totally forgot about her master and was concentrating on eating. It went without saying that payesh is her favorite of all time.
So, she just forgets everything else when she's given a bowl of payesh.
After dinner, Akshay bid the Das family goodbye and left.
As Mrs. Das was clearing the table she said to Beeti who was flipping through the poison manual:
"What is it that can't wait until tomorrow? Come on, go wash up and go to bed. The book is yours anyway, it's not going anywhere. You can read it whenever you want."
"Just a little more Ma."
"No."
"Look! Your brother is all ready to go to bed. Your grandparents are also staying, you should go to bed early." Mrs. Das said while pointing towards her son who is already making his bed.
"Fine!"
Beeti sighed.
***
Author's note:
Chikankari: Originating from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, this is a delicate, white-on-white embroidery featuring intricate floral and paisley motifs. It often uses a variety of over 35 different stitches on fine fabrics like muslin or chiffon.
Phulkari: A vibrant, colorful embroidery from Punjab that uses a darning stitch to create intricate floral patterns.
Kantha: This style, from West Bengal and Odisha, is a form of quilting that uses a running stitch to join layers of old or recycled fabrics, often with decorative embroidery added over the top. There are atleast seven types of kantha embroidery, if you are interested please look up on Google or relevant sites for more information thank you.
Gota Patti: A Rajasthani technique using gold or silver lace (gota) appliquéd onto fabric to create geometric or floral patterns.
Zardozi: An opulent and traditional embroidery from Uttar Pradesh that uses gold and silver threads, creating rich and heavy metallic designs, especially on ceremonial and royal attire.
Kashida: A Kashmiri style that uses thick, colored threads and beads to create motifs inspired by nature, such as flowers, birds, and fruits.
Nakshi Kantha: a folk art tradition of embroidered quilts and textiles made with a simple running stitch.
"Bhajan" and "kirtan" are both devotional singing practices in Hinduism, with "bhajan" being a more free-form devotional song and "kirtan" typically being a call-and-response chanting session.
Harmonium: is a stringed instrument made of wood, metal, brass, and cloth. A kind of a portable wooden box, it was originated in West Bengal.
The dholakis a traditional double-headed hand drum from South Asia, widely used in folk, classical, and Bollywood music. Made from wood with heads of goatskin and buffalo hide, it produces a deep, resonant sound and is central to the rhythmic backdrop of music in India, Pakistan, and other parts of South Asia. It is played by hand, making it a versatile and widely recognized percussion instrument.
Kartal: A pair of hand cymbals, also known as manjira or khartal, used in devotional and folk music in India.
They are often made of brass or iron and produce a jingling sound when clashed togethe.
Payesh : It is rice pudding, traditionally made with fragrant, short-grain Gobindobhog rice.
While some versions use sugar, a classic Bengali Payesh is sweetened with date palm jaggery (nolen gur), which gives it a rich, caramelized flavor.
Payesh is a staple for special occasions in Bengali culture, such as birthdays and festivals.
If there is any information I didn't mention or any wrong information given, please feel free to correct me. I too am searching them as I write. And everyone is welcome to search online for note information.
[1] The term "Gadadhari" means "mace-wielder" and is an epithet for the mythological character Bhima from the Mahabharata, known for his great strength and use of a mace (gadā). Here it simply means she is a strong fighter or someone always ready to fight!