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Thread Ceremony

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It was sometime in the 60's.Since I was boy born into a "Brahmin" family it was a custom to have a ceremony called "Thread Ceremony". Probably I was in Class 7. In this the boy has to have his head shaved and ears pierced as per custom of Bangla Brahmins.It was summer holidays.Since we were not very affluent it was decided that my elder brother and me be "threaded" together to save the cost of two ceremonies.

Invitation cards were printed and delivered by hand by my father. Those outstation were invited by posting the cards putting a postage stamp on each and in this work I volunteered.Around 20 guests arrived the day before the ceremony with bags baggage and children. But my family was not in the least annoyed or stressed though at that time we lived in a very small rented concrete slum home with three tiny rooms.Our neighbours shared their homes for our guests. There was a bustle of activity all around our side of the narrow lane.

At 4 a.m. we were made to leave our beds and were taken in hired cycle rickshaws to the breezy Mahanadi river for the ritual bath after having our heads shaved by a nasty and pain-inflicting barber.My head felt as though it was on fire after the xxxddy barber had rubbed a piece of alum vigorously on the shaved skin.The many nicks and cuts burnt like hell. Somehow my "kind hearted" father managed to convince the "puroot" [priest] not to pierce our ear lobes.Bath over the "guniea pigs" were made to change into new "dhoti" and "chaddar" in place of half-pants and half-shirts. No.. no footwear was permitted. Our hand and toe nails were also trimmed by the barber with at least 10 onlookers gazing and smiling at the "tortured specimens".

Our 10ftx10 ft "drawing room" was filled with sacks of vegetables ,potatoes and other grocery items. 100 people were to have lunch at our home that afternoon. A large makeshift oven was prepared by the hired cooks with bricks and mud in the small courtyard and cooking began in full swing by 8 a.m. The priest arrived and we were confined to a room for the "rituals" for over four hours.Off and on some inquisitive invitee or close relative would peep into the room to see the  "fun" much to my annoyance.

The guests ate lunch and lay here and there for siestas. Most however left for home by 4 p.m. after giving is gifts of utensils and some hard cash which is customary.The sight of hard cash made my eyes glisten like glass. Never in my so many years I had seen so many ten rupee notes !! The remaining guests vanished by late evening and we brothers sat happily counting the cash "loot" .. a welcome by product for the untold misery. Rs.370/- was the total amount. It was unanimously decided that a bicycle be purchased with the money for us to commute to school together.

Anothe happy fallout was that every month on a particular day [akadashi] we were not allowed to eat rice. We feasted on "Dalda" fried luchis and vegetable curry. Delicious !!!! What a treat.The unhappy side : we had to go to school after only a week with cropped heads and all classmates made fun of me.But the bicycle and luchis were healing enough. I remember ardently cleaning the bicycle with kerosene oil every Saturday.The "thread" hangs below the portrait of my grandfather and I wear it only on special occasions. The next day I'll wear it is on Saraswati Puja.Incidentally I can still recite the "gyatri mantra" using the "sacred thread"... Sometimes I wander back through the alleys of adolescence now hazy with time.