Marapachi Ponni

Marapachi Ponni

4 mins
303


Marapachi bommais (dolls) were made of red sandalwood or silk cotton wood and are usually displayed in the Navrathri Golu festivals in the south. Ponni, the little heroine of this tale looked like a Marapachi doll dark, lean and small built. But she was the darling of her mother and her brother. Her father was never known to her. Her mother worked as a cleaning maid in some households and her brother who had turned 18 worked as a security in the same apartment where the mother worked. So, the family income was just sufficient to go by. Ponni liked going to school and she had a flair for imagination and drawing. The school was run by some nuns along Montessori methods and suited Ponni’s flair. Ponni was a favorite in the school too. There was none in the school who did not like her. She would make drawings for all occasions like the Teacher’s Day, Independence Day and her drawings would be displayed in the school for everyone to see and appreciate they did.


Ponni would often dream from stories she would have read. Her favourite was the Arabian Nights. Sometimes her drawing would take shape of her dreams. In one such drawing, she was a little princess lying on a queen size bed. The nuns wondered where Ponni could have seen such a bed in her limited life.


Anyway, there was this drawing competition held by a hotel chain on the children’s day and Ponni participated in it and got the first prize too. It was a set of a beautifully crafted drawing notebook with all the accessories. Ponni was delighted to the core. When the hotel manager who distributed the prize asked her if she had any desires, Ponni showed the painting of a princess lying on the queen size bed. The Manager immediately understood and promised openly to fulfill her desire in the function. 


There she was walking with her brother to the Taj Mahal Hotel, a 5-star chain to enjoy her one- night desire in the hotel room. As her brother dropped her the manager assured him that Ponni would be taken care of like a princess and he can come next day around 10 am to pick her up back.


Her room was a delight and the theme of the décor was Arabian Nights. There was a waiter who said he was her genie and he would fulfil all her wants during her stay. Ponni started with a fruit salad and ice-cream topped with a red cherry, something she often dreamed of having.


She scrolled the TV, channel after channel and could not decide which channel would it be for her. She closed the TV and started drawing but her excited mind was not in it at least for the night.


It was dinner time and her genie asked what it would be this time. Or he said he would walk with her to the buffet where she could pick and choose herself. This was something new to her and she said ok. Yet again it was like deciding which channel to see for her mind could not make up. Her genie suggested to start with a small bowl of the soup for the night, followed by a kebab of the chicken. She then asked for her favourite curd rice as her little stomach was already feeling near full. Then it was a hot gulab jamoon for dessert as she had already done with the ice cream.


Her genie walked her around the hotel and showed the various facility. She browsed the library and took delight at seeing so many books for the children. She was already tired of excitement and exhaustion. So, she was finally lying on her queen size bed. Her genie bade her good night and she drifted into her dreams. She dreamed that the bed was floating like the magic carpet and soon her mother and brother joined her in the floating magic carpet. She hugged her mother as she usually does and began telling her of the evening at the hotel before the sleep overtook her. 


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