Women of another world

M was a wizard. She whipped up bizarre stories and planted herself right in the middle. My young mind loved it and learnt to follow suit.

So the women in the asylum were born. I did go to the mental asylum at Thane, Pune, Tezpur, Ranchi... or did I really go?

I clearly remember this woman who felt her head was too heavy. She couldn't even take the weight of her hair. So she was shaved bald every day. Even if a day's stubble was left, she would faint with the weight.

There was Meenaxi who decked up and sat like a coy bride every day. She waited for her husband to come and take her. She had forgotten what he looked like and kept asking everybody if they remembered.

Mataji, I think, was a painter. With strokes of her brush, she changed men into women and life into death. She gathered the women in the ward and told them the world was going to end but they needed worry. She would save them. She loved everyone but was scared. Whoever she loved always died. So she pretended to hate the women and pulled their hair and slapped them hard.

The scar on Tulsi's body told tales of bride burning. With her one good hand, she kept digging up imaginary pots of gold and ran to give it to anyone in sight "You wanted gold! See how much I got you. I'll get you more. Take it or else I'll burn you."

The most moving character was Ranibai. Stories floated that she was born at a railway station. She thought she was a railway platform. She hissed and puffed and waited patiently while trains came and went. She was there for every train. She couldn't take time off to eat and sleep for fear of causing an accident. She would grab a quick bite without taking her eyes off the imaginary railway tracks. Her station was too busy and so she had to be awake. Sometimes, in between trains, she caught snatches of sleep. "It's a hard life. But I am happy". She sighed.