Satna Kaniya

The most savoured memories of my childhood take me to my Nani's house in Patna which used to be our sojourn for summer holidays. Maa as I call my Nani had a female servant with her even before I was born by the name of सटना कनिया. She was in her late 40s when I was about 5.

She had a weird habit of teasing the children of the house with pranks. We in our childhood rage never hesitated to pull her hair to punish her. Since we were kids she actually used to enjoy this and laughed her heart out whenever we beat her out of utter irritation. Years passed by and she got older. We also matured to know that she loved us and hence teased her back always. She was short with a freckled face, with a highway between her front two teeth. Her mouth was not big enough to keep them inside. What's more, she had a habit of smoking 'beedi' for which she was often scolded by my Mamas and Nani.... but to no avail.

It was only when I was in my teenage that I asked my Nani the meaning of her name सटना कनिया. Maa told me that कनिया was actually a local word for 'wife'. सटना कनिया hence meant Satna's wife!! All those years I never saw her husband and I must admit I never thought she had one. She too never mentioned it to me or any other child. In fact, I didn't see any of her family members ever in my life. Her husband left her at a very young age and since then she was serving my Nani who brought her from village many years ago.

When I think of सटना कनिया now I feel so plaintive thinking of how hard it would have been for her to lead a life without meeting any of her family members who never turned up to see how she was. She led her entire life bearing the name of a person who wasn't even going to come back to her ever. I now understand that those irritating pranks were the only solace for her otherwise drab and meaningless life. How hard it would have been for her to drag herself every morning for a new fight with loneliness. She served us for many years until her death almost 15 years back. She considered my Nani's family as her own and treated us as her own children; sometimes even threatening us if we did anything wrong and also pampering us by singing songs in our praise in her local language. She might be insignificant to me in my life now but I can't deny the fact that I was one of the few important people serving whom was her only joy in life.

My reminisces are dedicated to her and her extraordinary strength to lead a life as she did.