By Khura Seraton
As usual, Tamoyai was in his usual shorts and jersey burgundy walking barefoot unwaveringly by the side of the road. He looked tired and old today. Winter has cracked his lips badly. The lines on his face were very much noticeable. Is it because the year is coming to an end that I saw Tamoyai in an appalling shape? What you had for lunch in the morning, Tamoyai, I asked. `I did not have lunch`, he replied. Why? Did you not eat at the Bijoygovinda? `No. There was no Ushop today`, Tamoyai replied with the same smile that he wear for most of the time, widening the cracks on his lips. And he went away, looking here and there. As if he was looking for something that he had lost in the morning; searching for it till evening.
With time Tamoyai have also changed. Comic books, Filmfare magazines and VHS cassettes were some of Tamoyai`™s favourites. Anyone who knows Tamoyai would give him happily of those things whenever he asks. Sometimes his demand would include old newspapers as well. But nobody knows what Tamoyai do with the VHS cassettes. Though, he can watch the images on the comic strips over and over. `Leishabi. Mashak yam phajeiko. Meenakshi maliko` (Girl. You look so beautiful. Just like Meenakshi), is Tamoyai`™s favourite line. He would use it when he sees a damsel of his fancy walking on the road. I am not sure of who is this Meeakshi in particular. But I know that Tamoyai have a fondness of the name. Tamoyai`™s compliment was always received well by the girls.
With the comic strips and cassettes on his hands, Tamoyai would navigate around so many Leikais within Sagolband area. I have never found him venturing out to far-away places other than Sagolband. During the spring month when Shumang Leelas are played in plenty, Tamoyai would get busier. He would somehow gather the news of Leelas to be played at specific places and timings. If it is eshei Leela Tamoyai would say `Eshei Leela ne. Gojen na mike khongni` (It is a Eshei Leela. Gojen will operate the mike). There was only one mike operator during those days. During the Leela show, Tamoyai always prefer to sit near Gojen and his mike. Precisely near the amplifier.
Nowadays Tamoyai has stopped giving compliments to the damsels. Does he consider himself too old to be giving compliment? Does he know his own age? He has also stopped asking for comic strips, newspapers or VHS cassettes. But at times, he would ask for old CDs. He will not accept new ones. He will simply not accept saying that he don`™t like them, always, with his cheerful smile. Tamoyai`™s smile has got that innocence of a small child. He has even stopped giving publicity about Leelas taking place in the Leikai.
But one thing that Tamoyai has not stopped till today is his visits to the families who have lost their near ones. He needs no invitations from anyone. He has a specific timing for his visits. He will show up just the day after the `Asthi`™. He would ask the family to give him a Heijrang (small kitchen knife). No other knife would do. With the knife, Tamoyai would start uprooting the grasses that are grown on the lawn of the house. He would say the grass looks dirty. Tamoyai next demand would be a broom to sweep off the grasses. He would meticulously gather the grasses and deposit at a corner. At that particular corner, Tamoyai would collect all kinds of litters scattered on the lawn of the house and deposit at that corner. Empty disposable plastic glasses, cigarette buds and discarded banana leaves.
Tamoyai knows well that it is important to keep the house and its surrounding clean when someone passes away. Visitors would pour in to share the grief with the family members until the day of Shradh. For the Meitei Vaisnav families, it is customary to hold Lairik Taaba rituals for the elders. This ceremony leaves behind quite a lot of litters around the house. And Tamoyai loves to clean the litters without anything in return. He will not accept any money or a free lunch. As a matter of fact, I have never seen Tamoyai seeking alms from anyone. You will also not find Tamoyai on any other occasions at someone`™s house. They may be those occasions like wedding, grand feast or celebration of a newly born.
I don`™t know why Tamoyai shuns all other occasions. Somebody once told me that when Tamoyai was young, it was the habit of his father to wake him up in the morning by thrashing him. That unthinking habit of his father must have hurt Tamoyai badly. That could be the reason why Tamoyai is in constant search of an unknown thing. It could be his lost childhood. But I do find that innocence in Tamoyai even with the lines getting prominent on his face at the fag end of the year.