"Arjun, what was that?" Shalu asked as she stepped onto the balcony, wiping her hands. "It was just food. Why did you get so upset with him over something so small?" she asked, looking at him with concern.
"Is he asleep?" Arjun asked.
"He is."
"He was wasting food," Arjun replied, gently swinging on the swing.
"So?" Shalu said, still puzzled by his behaviour.
"So??" Arjun said, stopping his swing abruptly. "Shalu, I didn't mean to force him to eat. I just wanted him to be conscious about it and grateful for it. Everything he possesses, everything he eats, he should appreciate," he added in one breath.
"He's just a kid. I understand your concern, but cut him some slack."
"Sorry if I was too hard on him."
Seeing his face fall slightly, Shalu's tone softened. She knew Arjun rarely gets upset with anyone, especially Bittu.
"Are you okay? It wasn't that harsh. I felt it wasn't necessary" she asked while sitting next to him.
Arjun looked at her with crossed eyes, smiling slightly, both humorous and disappointed. He then leaned back, closing his eyes to feel the winter breeze, profound and soothing, as the gentle swing swayed, the air brushing against his face.
"What?" Shalu asked, sensing that he was lost in deep thought.
He opened his eyes, yet his gaze seemed locked in some imaginary place. "I remember a boy," he said. "His uncle used to call him 'Hero' He lived with his mother, sister, grandmother, and uncle in a tiny house, one you could cross in just four or five steps."
"His grandmother was a bit hostile toward them. Their father had left, and the three of them - Hero, his mother, and his sister - were seen as a burden. They survived on help from their maternal grandparents and relatives. In that stressful environment, the kids foundtwo escapes: watching television at Bhalu Uncle's house in the evenings and spending weekends with their uncle."
"Weekday Uncle and Weekend Uncle, however, were starkly different. During the week, their uncle would come home late, drunk, and often yelling at someone or causing a scene. It was frightening. But on weekends, he transformed into a completely different person, almost unrecognizable."
"For outing food, they didn't have much. Their snacks were simple: roasted chana at the Gateway of India, a glass of hot milk from Sarita Dairy, or some toffees. When it came to food, every movie and TV series back then seemed to glorify one dish: biryani. For Hero, biryani was a dream - a food reserved for the rich, something almost unattainable. He couldn't even imagine ever tasting it."
"One day, their uncle came home early. The kids had just returned from Bhalu Uncle's place and were still awake. Hero's sister was still at the neighbor's house. When Hero saw his uncle in the house at that hour, he got scared. He wasn't drunk. He looked intimidating, especially when he was drunk, but he never harmed them. That day, he held out a parcel to Hero's mother and said in his gruff voice, 'Take this parcel. It's for the children.''
Hero froze, too frightened to look at his uncle, but the word 'parcel' caught his attention. His uncle added, 'It's biryani.' At that moment, Hero's fear disappeared. He ran to his uncle, wrapping his arms around him. He called for his sister, 'Didi, look what Uncle got for us!' When she didn't respond, he ran to the neighbour's house, grabbed her hand, and proudly announced, 'Our uncle brought us biryani!' He then brought his sister home.
Arjun acted a bit, looked at Shalu, and continued.
"While their mother served it on plates, Hero rested hishand on his waist, looking at the biryani. With wide eyes, he told his sister, 'You know, only very rich people eat this.' She stared at him in amazement."
"Their uncle suggested that their mother have some, but she refused, saying she'd eat whatever was cooked at home to avoid wasting food. Their grandmother wasn't home that evening, and their uncle had already eaten, so the biryani belonged entirely to Hero and his sister. They ate it, unsure if they liked the taste, but their happiness was on cloud nine."
Arjun smiled, looking at Shalu, and said, "That uncle's hero was me."
Shalu looked at him with wide eyes. "What?" For her, he was a successful choreographer, and she was so impressed that she fell in love with him, and they eventually got married. He rarely spoke about his past, and even his sister, Aanchal, was doing well in her career too.
"And you know what I realized years later? My uncle got that biryani from his employer. It was leftover food meant to be thrown away. My first biryani was someone's leftovers. My uncle was sad and happy at the same time, watching us eat it." He said looking at Shalu.
Shalu smiled softly, her eyes filled with warmth. She reached out, gently wrapping her arm around him, and rested her head against his shoulder. 'You're my hero and Bittu's superhero.' He smiled, genuinely amused and touched by her unexpected, sweet comment.
"Is he asleep?" Arjun asked.
"He is."
"He was wasting food," Arjun replied, gently swinging on the swing.
"So?" Shalu said, still puzzled by his behaviour.
"So??" Arjun said, stopping his swing abruptly. "Shalu, I didn't mean to force him to eat. I just wanted him to be conscious about it and grateful for it. Everything he possesses, everything he eats, he should appreciate," he added in one breath.
"He's just a kid. I understand your concern, but cut him some slack."
"Sorry if I was too hard on him."
Seeing his face fall slightly, Shalu's tone softened. She knew Arjun rarely gets upset with anyone, especially Bittu.
"Are you okay? It wasn't that harsh. I felt it wasn't necessary" she asked while sitting next to him.
Arjun looked at her with crossed eyes, smiling slightly, both humorous and disappointed. He then leaned back, closing his eyes to feel the winter breeze, profound and soothing, as the gentle swing swayed, the air brushing against his face.
"What?" Shalu asked, sensing that he was lost in deep thought.
He opened his eyes, yet his gaze seemed locked in some imaginary place. "I remember a boy," he said. "His uncle used to call him 'Hero' He lived with his mother, sister, grandmother, and uncle in a tiny house, one you could cross in just four or five steps."
"His grandmother was a bit hostile toward them. Their father had left, and the three of them - Hero, his mother, and his sister - were seen as a burden. They survived on help from their maternal grandparents and relatives. In that stressful environment, the kids foundtwo escapes: watching television at Bhalu Uncle's house in the evenings and spending weekends with their uncle."
"Weekday Uncle and Weekend Uncle, however, were starkly different. During the week, their uncle would come home late, drunk, and often yelling at someone or causing a scene. It was frightening. But on weekends, he transformed into a completely different person, almost unrecognizable."
"For outing food, they didn't have much. Their snacks were simple: roasted chana at the Gateway of India, a glass of hot milk from Sarita Dairy, or some toffees. When it came to food, every movie and TV series back then seemed to glorify one dish: biryani. For Hero, biryani was a dream - a food reserved for the rich, something almost unattainable. He couldn't even imagine ever tasting it."
"One day, their uncle came home early. The kids had just returned from Bhalu Uncle's place and were still awake. Hero's sister was still at the neighbor's house. When Hero saw his uncle in the house at that hour, he got scared. He wasn't drunk. He looked intimidating, especially when he was drunk, but he never harmed them. That day, he held out a parcel to Hero's mother and said in his gruff voice, 'Take this parcel. It's for the children.''
Hero froze, too frightened to look at his uncle, but the word 'parcel' caught his attention. His uncle added, 'It's biryani.' At that moment, Hero's fear disappeared. He ran to his uncle, wrapping his arms around him. He called for his sister, 'Didi, look what Uncle got for us!' When she didn't respond, he ran to the neighbour's house, grabbed her hand, and proudly announced, 'Our uncle brought us biryani!' He then brought his sister home.
Arjun acted a bit, looked at Shalu, and continued.
"While their mother served it on plates, Hero rested hishand on his waist, looking at the biryani. With wide eyes, he told his sister, 'You know, only very rich people eat this.' She stared at him in amazement."
"Their uncle suggested that their mother have some, but she refused, saying she'd eat whatever was cooked at home to avoid wasting food. Their grandmother wasn't home that evening, and their uncle had already eaten, so the biryani belonged entirely to Hero and his sister. They ate it, unsure if they liked the taste, but their happiness was on cloud nine."
Arjun smiled, looking at Shalu, and said, "That uncle's hero was me."
Shalu looked at him with wide eyes. "What?" For her, he was a successful choreographer, and she was so impressed that she fell in love with him, and they eventually got married. He rarely spoke about his past, and even his sister, Aanchal, was doing well in her career too.
"And you know what I realized years later? My uncle got that biryani from his employer. It was leftover food meant to be thrown away. My first biryani was someone's leftovers. My uncle was sad and happy at the same time, watching us eat it." He said looking at Shalu.
Shalu smiled softly, her eyes filled with warmth. She reached out, gently wrapping her arm around him, and rested her head against his shoulder. 'You're my hero and Bittu's superhero.' He smiled, genuinely amused and touched by her unexpected, sweet comment.
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