Another couple of days flew by, and on this particular morning, Beeti did her morning routine.
After waking up at 5 am in the morning, without uttering a word, she ran to the front yard and folded her palms together, closed her eyes and faced the sun to do "Surya pranam", running towards the "Tulsi" and kowtowed three times and murmured to the leafs of tulsi, like whispering to the ears.
After which she did a short run for about 10 minutes, completing three sets of squats. It was already torturous for her 2- year - old body to handle this much stimulation.
Even after nearly half year of her rebirth, she still doesn't know why she was given a second chance to live. But since she has nowhere to enquire about, she decided to just protect her family and herself to her fullest. For which, only having the knowledge of future events won't be enough. What was needed was a strong foundation and power.
As a toddler, Beeti decided to start with strengthening her foundation. She will start with light and simple routine and avoid being the same Apathetic person who, doesn't even care about her health. For now she will only do basic jogging and running to increase stamina, and some of the vaiyams, including yoga, she remembers. All the rest are to be left to be done once she has grown up enough.
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After her little episode of morning 'exercise', she took a bath and changed into a washed and clean set of clothes and then did Puja. Mrs. Das was not at home as the couple went for their shop, facing the main road. It was the daily routine for the family.
Breakfast was white rice, milk, and ripe banana, a meal that was her favourite since she can remember.
After repeated asked by and rejecting her brother to go play with him and the others, the village children, beeti was dropped at her grandparents again. And Bankim ran off to play with others.
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The front yard of the old lady's house have been laid with dried palm leafs and were spread out. A baby was sitting on a palm mat, watching her grandmother weaving a palm fan for her. Beside them on the other side of the yard, her grandfather is crafting a small bamboo flower basket for her. Behind each of them are palm leaf mat and bamboo basket 🧺 for different purposes, for example used during construction, fish basket, vegitable basket etc. respectively stacked up.
Beeti was watching intently, as trying to learn their craft. Recently Beeti has discovered that no matter what it is , she can basically learn everything after carefully observing a couple of times. Like those people with photographic memories she has read about. Though she was not sure if she can retain this quality of memory power once she is all grown up.
Both the elders have a smile on their face, as they saw their granddaughter so seriously observing their craft, as if she would be able to learn it, if she watched with that much intensity.
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When it was afternoon the two elders finally stopped working and took their granddaughter, who wash having fun with the now finished palm leaf fan,to wash up and took her back , with her bamboo basket, to her home.
" Dima, Dadu, why the sudden gift.?", asked the baby in a sweet baby voice, while happily fanning her grandparents from one of her chubby little hands while resting in her dadu's embrace and gazing at the basket happily.
"Why? don't you like it?" asked the old man, raising a brow and looking sad. The old lady was the same, they looked like that had been hurt by the baby questioning their intentions for the gift.
" No... No..."
" I love both the gifts from you, I really do... trust me." Beeti was waving her hand desperately, trying hard to make them believe that she meant what she said. Afraid the elderly couple had misunderstood her and got hurt. She was a little anxious to make them believe in her.
" Okay we believe you liked our gifts." Said her grandma, while both of them tried to hold back a smile by seeing the adorable gesture of her.
*I love your gifts ", beeti corrected seriously, to express she meant when she said she loved their gifts.
"Yes... Yes... You love our gifts"
Both of them smiled.
******
Author's note:
Surya pranam:that is to pray to the sun god with folded palms. It is said that praying to sun god makes one clam and to bath in the early unlight washes the negativity. Surya namaskar is different then Surya pranam, in Surya pranam you just pray and Surya namaskar is proper step by step procedure you can look up in Google, well Surya namaskar is helpful for your health. You will understand once looking up in Google.
* There are also proper Surya pranam where one should bath early and wear neat and clean set of clothes and take one lota,( a small spouted and round jug used in India since second millennium BCE or earlier ) made of brass , filled with water and arpan (offering ), the water to the sun god and say the Mantra, it can be complicated or simple mantra like, " ohm suryaya namah".
Tulsi: basil, by whispering to the basil it is believed to pass our wishes to devi tulsi, who passes our wishes to lord krishna. Or my whispering our nightmare to holy basil it is believed that the holy basil takes away all the negativity.
I still do tulsi pranam and Surya pranam.
Dima=grandmother ( mother's mother)
Dadu=grandfather ( mother's father)
Vaiyams= physical exercise or activity.