कौंच की फली (Mucuna pruriencs beans)

It was 1969 when I got promoted to 9th standard after securing first division in the 8th standard and a distinction in Sanskrit that secured me a three year scholarship, that I talked about earlier. I was almost 12 and still not reached the adolescent age as per the norms prevalent in the late sixties when people used to put that age as 13.  Nevertheless, there was a big change in my class structure and it was now a co-ed class as the all girls school in Betma was only a middle school. So suddenly I found six girls in my class. They were all older by at least two years and oldest one must have been five year older. There were many other new boys who were admitted from middle schools of neighborhood villages. So the entire mix of the class changed from class 8th to class 9th and I found it quite exciting and noticed the changes in my own social behavior, felt rather grown up. Till then I had ignored girls who were either friends' sisters or sister's friends who sometimes would play board-games like "Trade/ Business" or " तुम बनो भारत के बड़े व्यापारी", in which girls didn't have any interest, and sometimes outdoor games like pitthu aka sitolia. But often times some of us would play some balancing girlie games like "paanche/पांचे" in which I would be as good as them. But as a grown up (now in 9th) I lost interest in games like paache . This interest in my new classmates was more of a curiosity than anything else at that time. But soon I discovered that "I had come of age". 

I was considered ( and actually was, believe me) a decent and studious boy and these girls used to treat me like a kid and some of whom could confide in me, it was also convenient to them since very often they would borrow my class notes that I diligently took with no absenteeism in the school. Except Gend Kunwar other girls were quite average or even below average, I suppose they were not interested in any academic activities and were waiting to get married. They would regularly require some coaching and also my class notes. One of them Shanta Khandelwal was my rakhee sister. Her mother tied rakhee to my father for some 6 decades and their relationship was so thick that my father was her favourite brother till she died some two decades back. Even until last year her son would send rakhee and mithai to my father on that festival. Her son also performed some ceremonies upon my father's demise last month (Jan 2021), that were ritualistic and are performed by sister's family. I think Khandelwal rakhee sisters came to my genes and some 40 years back I found another sister Madhu Didi although she is not so regular with sending rakhee our relationship is very deep, not just between two of us but with the family on either side. 

In the school besides academic activities I was also assigned a task by my teachers to write a welcome message for everyone when they arrive at school. So one blackboard was put up right at school entrance and I would come to school 15-20 minutes earlier than everyone and a peon will bring me a chalk, duster and a stool, mounting on which I will be able to reach the height of the blackboard and would write "Quote of the day" or आज के विचार and आज के समाचार/Today's headlines. Since we used to get नईदुनिया the most popular Hindi newspaper at home I would select one headline of the day and also find a relevant and inspiring quote on my own and would write them on the board.

If I recollect other names of girls in the class besides this sister there were Chandra Kunwar, Gend Kunwar, Padma and another Shanta. I don't know if that was all or there was one more name I don't recollect. Some of the older boys in the class were real rowdy and would often make some trouble or other just to get girls' attention. I think the most notorious amongst them were Harpal Singh, a tall well built boy who was with me since class 4 and his cousin who had joined us in class 9th. They hardly had any interest in the academic activities especially in attending the class and would always be up to some mischief or other and catcalling in the class and after the school till girls reached their homes.

Gend Kunwar's father Kavi Girivar Singh Bhanwar was a popular Hindi poet and was a famous poet in Hindi speaking belt. He had a very deep and husky voice very suitable for reciting poetry at Kavi sammelans. His voice would add gallantry, valor, heroism and chivalry to poems he recited . After the 1965 war with Pakistan, his poems moved up the popularity charts. One of his poems that he often recited, even today fills me with "josh" and emotions.. it goes like : 

कि, मुश्किलें हज़ार है, 

मुश्किलें हज़ार हैं,

हम भी कोई कम नही,

मुश्किलो के शीश को, हम कफन चढ़ाएंगे

कि आफतें हज़ार हैं...

I often recite it when I am feeling low and get inspired to defeat the situation with these lines.

Because of his poet friends we often used to have Kavi sammelans (public poetry congregations) in Betma where Hindi kavi (poets) like Bal Kavi Bairagi and Satyanarayan Sattan ( both of them later took to politics due to this popular platform) and some Malwi Kavis like Bhavsaar ba and Ramesh Chatak would keep audience spellbound through the night ( in those days public functions like Kavi Sammelans, Mushairaas and Qawalis would happen in nights only).  Ramesh Chatak was a local find whom Bhanwarji groomed and he was also in the big league later. Somehow, I have no recollection of another famous poet/shayar Rahat Indori from that time.

Harpal Singh and his backbencher friends would always be up to some tricks. These boys (and I am sure senior students with such "qualities") had discovered that if you touch a particular type of beans (कौंच की फली) that had some fibrous substance, it spreads itching over your body like fire and you would immediately get into vigorous dancing and scratch yourself till blood starts oozing and the only remedy to curtail it is to take immediate bath applying fresh cow dung on your body. These beans could be easily found in the forest or wooded area outside the village or sometimes even within. One needs to know of such plants and stay away for the fear of such "bites". These plants also have some medicinal properties hence they are not culled altogether.

One day to tease the girls in the class this rowdy gang came early to class and had spread that fibrous substance on the tables that girls would usually occupy, in the front row. It was my bad or good that that day I was early in the class and took the place in the front row. As soon as I put my hands down I got up and started dancing as if I had come to a kathak dance class, a minute or two later the whole class as well as our teacher arrived and everyone could figure out what the matter was. I was rushed home and girls got saved from the tragedy of dancing and rushing home to a cow dung bath.

In the process I became a hero and their saviour. Later when their parents got to know of this, besides complaining to teachers and to the Principal they walked up to me and profusely thanked for my "chivalry".

I instantly became a favourite not just with these girls but also with their parents.

Picture courtesy: Wikipedia.