The day when I stole salt from home..

Today I want to share a happy memory from my childhood. 

After coming back from school, I would quickly eat my lunch and rush to my childhood friend Sari's house. There lying on her jute bed, I happily listened to stories as she read it to me. After an hour I would grumpily leave her house and go to my tuition classes. 

In the evening, my job was to go to the tabela (local dairy farm) along with neighbours and get fresh milk in a steel container. The task was boring as we had to stand in a long queue for hours. Not to forget that we were surrounded by big black buffaloes. We had to learn the art of protecting ourselves from their heavy wagging tails and dung! Lol!!!

Steel Milk Container - Mine was similar. Image Source: Flipkart

One day Sari said that she and I will go together to get milk in the evening (everyone had different timings according to their schedule). She asked me to get some salt. I had no idea why but I was very excited to find out. I sneaked into the kitchen when mom wasn't around, stole some salt and kept it in a piece of paper. 

Me and Sari left with our milk containers. On our way she pointed towards a tree. It was a huge bor (ber, Indian jujube) tree. I remember jumping with joy and then running towards it like a woman possessed. First, we plucked fresh bors and then she asked me to take out the salt. That's when I realized the purpose of her odd request.  You see, salt enhances the sweet and tangy flavour of bor. 

Tangy sweet ber! Image Source: Shaheen Peerbhai

I was so happy. Not only because I love bor. But because I experienced the unprecedented  joy of plucking fruits and eating them fresh. 

Then we moved on towards the tabela. She took our containers, kept it down where the queue starts usually and left. That day I learned the trick that many women kept their milk containers as their queue number, while they finished their other chores in the market and came back after an hour or so to pick it up. 

In the market we ate some yummy street food from the little money Sari had. It was a unique experience for me as I had never went out unsupervised without my parents. Then we walked back, picked our milk dabba and went home.

We did repeat this routine for many days. But this first day is one of the happiest memories of my childhood. 

Happy Weekend!!