Indulgence can be linked to an evil wish. It can also stem from a penchant for something that is often at odds with morality. Such indulgence challenges acceptable behavior within the social fabric. It can lead to some crass shows of extreme naivety, gullibility, and original trickery. The next Anandpur chronicle story will highlight the purview of these traits.
It’s the story of my maternal grandfather. He was a pleasant man in his prime and the eldest of the siblings. His immediate younger brother was very close to him. Both brothers often played many pranks to entertain themselves and pass the time. The anecdote I will describe is one of my grandpa’s famous pranks in his youth. It’s a word-of-mouth story passed down for generations.
Anandpur is quite famous for its delicious dishes and pithas. Pitha is a traditional odia dish prepared for family occasions and celebrations. Kakara Pitha is one of Odisha’s most famous pithas. On a lazy afternoon in Anandpur, my grandpa duo went to the market for errands. Luckily, they came across an event where kakara pitha was being made for the guests in the market. In the front, they decorated the tents for the guests. In the backyards, they prepared all the food to serve the guests fresh.
They saw a bizarre yet funny incident. The main chef of the feast had a small daughter. She would often come to the tent where the cooking happened. The father and daughter had a secret code. The girl whistled, and the father threw two kakara pithas through the tent without seeing her. It was a personal bond. In this way, the father-daughter duo had stolen many pithas for their home. After getting to know the modus operandi, my grandpa duo got mischievous and planned to trick them. The girl was naive, so it didn’t take long to convince her that her playmates were calling her to play. After the girl left, my grandpa took her place.
He began mimicking the girl in her exact voice. My other grandpa was ready with a bag to collect the Pithas. They tricked the chef and collected 20-25 Kakara Pithas in the bag. The chef didn’t know, as he thought his daughter was taking all the sweet dishes. After a while and after collecting a family-lunch-worthy Pitha, my grandpa duo returned home triumphantly. They went to collect some vegetables but returned with lots of kakara pithas. It was a prank, but it was unethical. But who cared about the ethics part when the mouth was stuffed with delicious dishes? It’s the actual story that happened maybe 70-80 years ago.
Whenever somebody mentions the Socio-economic angle of Anandpur in the 1960s and 1970s, this story comes to mind. It’s a funny incident, but it still reflects people’s social behavior. People led joyous lives filled with mischief and carefree abandon. Probably the most essential thing in life is genuine fun. This generation misses this frivolity; all the fun and excitement are only experienced through social media.
The Witty Stride 