Sarah
February 12, 2002
Daily Life in Ancient India
I see the first rays of morning's light splashing gently through the small window. "Sangita," NikAsa calls to me, asking me to help prepare our breakfast. I slice the lush, pale-green, melons, smelling their fresh scent. NikAsa bakes the light-brown wheat bread over the fire she made earlier.
Just as NikAsa and I finish making breakfast, Father and my younger brothers come down stairs to eat. Our house has two stories, with bedrooms and our bathroom on the second floor, and a kitchen, drinking well, dining room, and living room on the first floor. The house is made from brick, with a flat roof. It is built around a courtyard, with windows overlooking the courtyard, but not on the outside. Almost all the houses in our town, Mohenjo-Daro, look exactly like this.
My father looks out a window to the golden sun shining on to the courtyard. "Brahma and Vishnu must be pleased with us today," he says. Brahma and Vishnu are Hindu gods. Brahma is the god of creation, who created earth, our bright sun, and glittering moon and stars. Vishnu is the god of preservation, who preserves our earth, sun, moon, and stars. Last is Shiva, the destroyer, who destroys our crops and brings storms to punish us if we do not follow our dharma.
When we finish breakfast, Father says, "this afternoon, there will be a chariot race. Tarak, you are old enough to bet on the race." Tarak is my oldest brother. He is still younger than I am, but he is the oldest of my brothers. I am almost 11, while he is 10. Some of my younger brothers begin to play with their toys. They have small toy cows and whistles shaped like birds. I help my mother wash the dishes, heating water over a fire and rinsing the crumbs off.
When the dishes are washed, our dog, Lavali, comes inside. She has black fur, with light brown feet. I get her a bowl of leftover bread for her breakfast. She eats the bread, and lies down at my feet. My Father goes outside to feed our farm animals. Lavali follows him, running as fast as she can, then stopping to wait for him to catch up. We have a dog, several sheep, and an elephant.
I ask NikAsa if I can help father feed the animals. "Yes, as, long as you come in soon," she says. I run quickly to catch up to Father. It's very warm out, as it is the warm season. There are three seasons here: the warm season (February through May,) the wet season (June through September,) and the cold season (October through January.) The temperature can be anywhere from 32º-100º. Right now, it must be 95º.
Our elephant is glad to see us. His name is Gajendra. Father and I give him a large pile of hay and a bucket of water. Father starts to work on his farm, but tells me to help NikAsa make lunch. I walk back inside, and help NikAsa make lunch. We prepare more wheat bread, and place a bowl of dates on the table. NikAsa calls Father and my brothers for lunch. We eat, and get ready to go to the chariot race.
We start to walk to the racetrack, where the chariot races always take place. The racers are in their chariots already; the horses stamping their feet, ready to take off. We are slightly late. Someone lowers a flag, and the horses take off, running as fast as they can. Tarak, my father, and some of their friends place bets on the race. I watch the band, playing their music. The race is boring, but I love the band. It includes several stringed instruments, flutes, and drums. I play the flute, but not nearly as well as these musicians. Their music is beautiful.
The race is very long and boring, but I live through it. When it is finally over, the afternoon is almost gone. We walk home and my mother and I begin to make dinner. We make barley soup with vegetables in it. I eat quickly, as I am very hungry. The soup is very good. This is one of my favorite foods.
When dinner is over, I go right to bed. It's been a very long day.