Forgetful Man and Khichdi / ओझा के खिचड़ी

Documented by Coralynn V. Davis and Carlos Gomez
Transcription and Translation by Pranav Prakash

Teller: Nibha Kumari
Location: Mithila Art Institute, Madhubani
Date: 9/8/16

September 8, 2016: Session A2
Maithili Folklore 16_09_08_a_2

View the transcription in Maithili.

एकटा लड़का रॅहैछे, जेकर शादी होयेछे । उ अपन शादी होयेछे, नऽ, त बड खुश रहैछे, जे हमर शादी भैले ।

There is a lad who gets married. He is very pleased with his marriage – “My marriage has happened.”

ओ…ओ खुशी में नऽ अपन सासुर जायेछे, तो ओकर सासुर में नऽ, सब ओते अमीर नै रहैछे, कनि गरीब टाईप के रहैछे, तऽ ओकर सास न खिचड़ी बनाबैछै । जो…जे में नऽ दैल, आलू-ऊलू, सब कुछ दॅ कऽ बनबेछै, उ टेस्टी रॅहैछे, ओकरा वैह खा ल दैछे, एक साइद में खिचड़ी रॅहैछे और एकटा कटौरी में भैड़ कऽ घी दॅ दे छै ।

He…he is so happy that he pays a visit to his wife’s family in their village. But his in-laws are not very rich, they are like poor families, so his mother-in-law decides to cook khicaḍī for him. It is…it is made up of lentils, potato and the like; everything is mixed together, and it is tasty. She serves this dish to him, she puts khicaḍī on one side, and she gives him a bowl full of ghee.

तऽ ओ खायेछे नऽ, घी और खिचड़ी दुनु मिला कै, त ओकरा बहुत सुन्दर लागेछे ।

When he eats it, by mixing ghee and khicaḍī together, he absolutely loves it.

त अपन सास स पुछैछे जे इ की बनैलियेयऽ, त कहेछे – “बउआ, किछ न बनैलिये, हमरा घर में किच्छो न छले,
खिचड़ी बना लेलिये, घी दौ देलों हँ ।” कहलके – “नै, माँ, बड सुन्दर छलै, हमरा बड नीक लागल है । अहाँ के बेटी क आबे यऽ न?” त कहलके – “हाँ, आबे यऽ ।” त कहलके – “ठीक छै ।”

He asks his mother-in-law – “What have you cooked for me?” She replies – “Son, I have cooked nothing really, there was nothing left in my house, so I cooked khicaḍī for you, and poured some ghee over it.” He replies – “Not at all, Ma, this is truly delicious, I liked it very much. Does your daughter know the recipe of this dish?” She answers – “Yes, she does.” He responds – “That’s great.”

तकरा बाद, ओ रॉत भेलै, फेर ओ अपन…सुबह मे…जहन प्रात भो गैले नऽ, तखन उ अपन आबेत रह, रस्ता में नऽ
उ सोचैत रेहे जे अपन घॅर जेबै अपन कन्या के कहबै खिचड़ी बनाबै ल, तऽ “खिचड़ी-खिचड़ी” कहत कहत नऽ
ओकरा “खिरचिड़ी-खिरचिड़ी” कहाय छलै यऽ ।

Afterwards, the night descends, and then he…in the morning…when it is dawn, he starts his return journey. On the road, he decides he would ask his wife to cook khicaḍī as soon as he reaches home. He begins repeating the name, “khicaḍī – khicaḍī,“ so as to commit it to his memory, but, by a slip of tongue, he ends up saying “khirciḍī – khirciḍī” over and over again.

तऽ रस्ता में एकटा बनजारन रॅहैछे जे चिड़िया…उर…पकड़ेत रॅहैछै, तऽ ओ बैजते जात रहै “खिरचिड़ी-खिरचिड़ी”,
उकरा “खिचड़ी-खिचड़ी” कहैत कहैत “खिरचिड़ी-खिरचिड़ी” कहा जायेत रहैछे । बनजारन जे सुनैछै नऽ, तऽ सब
उकरा सुनाय दैछे जे, सऽ कहैछै “खिरचड़ी” यानि “उड़ चिड़ी” उकरा सुनाय देछै । तो बनजारन के बहूते गुस्सा
आबेछै जे हम चिड़िया फसाबै छी, आर इ कहैछे “उड़ चिड़ी – उड़ चिड़ी” यानि “सबटा चिड़िया उड़ जो” । त
ओकरा…उ बनजारन नऽ पकड़ क खूब पीटैयऽ, जे “खीरचिड़ी” न कही, “आते-जा-फसते-जा” से कही ।

So, there is a gypsy woman somewhere on his way, and she is trying to catch…catch birds.

Meanwhile, he is uttering “khirciḍī – khirciḍī”, as he has confused the pronouciation of “khicaḍī – khicaḍī” with “khirciḍī – khirciḍī”. When the gypsy woman hears his utterance – and she is able to listen fully to his speech – she reckons he is indeed saying “khirciḍī”, meaning “fly away, bird – fly away, bird!” She is furious with anger. On one hand, she is trying to catch the bird, and, on the other hand, he is telling them – “fly away, bird – fly away, bird!” It implies he wishes “all birds should fly away.” That gypsy woman grabs…him, and smacks the hell out of him. “Do not say “khirciḍī”, rather say “come-on-get-ensnared!”,” she tells him.

तहन, आगाँ गैले…फेर ओ…याद कॅ लेलके “आगे-जा-फसते-जा”, उकरा याद एलै जे ओ खिचड़ी के नाम छै “आते-
जा-फसते-जा” ।

Afterwards, he resumes his journey…again he…he memorizes the expression “come-on-get-ensnared!” He believes that the original name of khicaḍī is “come-on-get-ensnared!”

तऽ फेर आगे जा क ओकरा एकटा आदमी भेटै छ, जेतै शादी होइत रॅहैछै…ओकरा कुछ बिबाद…बिबाद के कारण नऽ…ओकरा लड़का के, मतलब दहेज के कारण, लड़की के बाप के पैइसा ने रॅहैछे, तेक्कै कारण…ओकरा…मतलब, पुलिसवला-सब आब जायछै ओत्त, त उ बाजेत रॅहैछे छ “आते-जा-फसते-जा”, “आते-जा-फसते-जा” । ओत्तै नऽ, लड़की के बाप क बड खराब…अथि…लड़का के बाप क खराब लागेछै जे हमर बेटा एक त जेल जा रहलयऽ, उपर से कहैछ “आते-जा-फसते-जा”…ओत्ते जा क नऽ, दुनु फैमिली-वला पकैड़ के ओकरा खूब पीटैछे, जे कही “एसा-रोज-रोज-हो” ।

As he saunters ahead, he comes across a man whose marriage was about to take place…but a conflicting issue had come to fore…because of a feud…a feud concerning his marriage, that is, because of his dowry; the bride’s father did not have enough money to pay for his daughter’s dowry, that is why…to arrest the groom…, that is, a group of policemen arrive on the scene, while he is repeating “come-on-get-ensnared”, “come-on-get-ensnared.” So then, the bride’s father felt very bad…eh…the groom’s father felt miserable that his son is being put in the jail, and this lad is cheekily saying – “come-on-get-ensnared”…So then, both groom’s and bride’s family catch hold of him and spank him savagely. Then they advise him to say – “may-it-happen-everyday.”

तो ओ फेर याद कै ले छै “एसा-रोज-रोज-हो” जे हमरा मार ने खाय के यऽ ।

So, he thinks, “I do not want to get hit again”, and he memorizes the expression “may-it-happen-everyday.”

फेर आगा जाय छे त देखैछे एकटा नव-युवक मर गेल रहै छै । ओकर लाश लौ…क जायेछै । तऽ ओ, मतलब,
आदमी सब दुख भौ क, ओकरा जड़बै लॅ जायछै । तऽ ओ कहैत रॅहैछे “एसा-रोज-रोज-हो”, “एसा-रोज-रोज-
हो”…ओकर…ओ मुर्दा क रैख दै छै नीचाँ म, कहैछे कि…ओकरा खूब पीटैछे…जे कही “ऐसा-कभी-न-हो”, “ऐसा-
कभी-न-हो” । तेक्के बाद फिर, मतलब, उ रटै लागेछै, फेर आगाँ जायेछे ।

On his journey ahead, he arrives at place where a youth has died. His corpse is…being carried by his kinsmen who are mourning his death and moving his dead body to the funeral pyre. Meanwhile, this lad is repeating – “may-it-happen-everyday”, “may-it-happen-everyday”…they keep his…his dead body on the floor, and they say…they beat him up very badly…they tell him to repeat “may-this-never-happen”, “may-this-never-happen”. Thereafter, as one may infer, he restarts memorizing this expression by rote, and he resumes his onward journey.

तऽ फेर एकटा आदमी नऽ…खेत में काम करैत रॅहैछे, आ ओकरा खूब खेत में उपजल रॅहैछे, तेकरा फेर ओ…ओ मात्र बाजैत रहै जे “ऐसा-कभी-न-हो”, “ऐसा-कभी-न-हो” । तऽ मतलब…उ…जहन उ खेत में काम करत रहै छै, त ओकरा सुनाय दे छै जे उ आदमी बाजय छै जे के…ओ…“ऐसा-कभी-न-हो”…ओ…ओकरा खराब लागछै, त ऊहो फेर उकरा पकैड़ के खूब पीटैछे । और तैकै बाद कहैछे जे कही “ऐसा-रोज-रोज-हो”।

Afterwards, yet another man…is working in the field, and his farm has yielded good harvest. To the farmer as well, all he has to say is “may-this-never-happen”, “may-this-never-happen”. In other words, while he…the farmer is working in the field, he sees that a boy is mumbling something, that he…the lad is saying – “may-this-never-happen”…he…the farmer feels miserable on hearing this, and he too catches hold of him and beats him pitilessly. And afterwards he counsels the lad to say “may-this-happen-everyday”.

एन्हैते करैत करैत ओ घॅर पहुँच जायेछे, त राइत भो जायेछे, ओ सुइत रॅहैछे । सुतैछे नऽ जे उ सबटा भूल जायेछे
। त ओ बाद में पुछैछे…सोचैछे…हमरा सास की कहनै छलै नाम, हमरा रास्ता में त बहूते कीछ भैल, पर कीछ
हमरा न पता य, त अपन कन्या क कहैछे – “जे तोहर मॉय जे बनैने छलो, वैह बनौ ।”

In this way, he eventually reaches his home, and since it is already night, so he goes to bed. When he is asleep, he forgets everything that had happened in the day. Then, he asks…he thinks…later on – “What was the name of the dish my mother-in-law had mentioned to me? So many things happened on the way that I can hardly remember anything.” So, he says to his wife– “Whatever your mother had cooked, cook that for me.”

त ओकर कन्या के पतै न रहै जे मॉय हमर की बनैने छलै । तो उ सोचैय, त ओकरा नऽ, अपन कन्या के जतै जे
ओकरा रास्ता में लोग-सब मारनै रहै, से वेहे बदला अपन कन्या स लॅ लिये, खूब मारेयऽ । तखनो ओकरा नाम ने
याद आबेछे जे हमरा कि कहने छलै ।

But his wife does not know what her mother had cooked for him. This angers him; for all the blows he had suffered on his way, he…he vents his frustration by mercilessly beating his wife. Still, he is unable to remember what his mother-in-law had mentioned to him.

त पड़ोस में एकड़ा एकटा आदमी देखलके न औरत, जे बड मारैछे, तऽ ओकरा दया लागले, त ओ एलै, त उ आबेछै नऽ, कि कहेछे – “मॉय गे मॉय, ऐय औरत के त खिचड़ी बना देलकै”…त…ओ…मतलब…ओकरा याद आबैछे – “जा, हमर सास कहलेछेलै खिचड़ी बनबैल”, त कहैछे – “याह त हम कहै छलियै तखन स बनबै ल ।”

Then, among the neighbours who are watching him beat his wife brutally, a man…no…a woman is kind to her, she comes to her rescue, and she arrives in their home and says – “Oh my god, you have made a khicaḍī out of her”…then…that is when…he…he remembers, “There you go, my mother-in-law had said that we should cook khicaḍī!” then he replies – “That is precisely what I have been asking her to cook.”

“हो गया ? जाओ, जाके खिचड़ी बना के खाना ।”

“Is that all? Go on, get back, cook khicaḍī, and eat.”