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MYSTERY OF THE MISSING BUNCH

 MYSTERY OF THE MISSING BUNCH

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

 

05/X/2022

 

Our neighbours are NRCs (Non-Resident Colony mates). Due to his posting in a different station, they keep visiting off and on. They are here for the Dusshera break.

 

They are fond of plants but then they leave them unattended. Assuming that ‘yours truly’ will not let them perish in their absence, they leave even without saying a word. However, they give a subtle hint. Moment their pots get lined up close to the common fence, it is an indication that they would be off the next day.

 

My wife and I do not mind and rather take pride in looking after. After all, it is our duty and hobby. They also have a few banana trees growing. Bananas are fruiting and one can see two huge bunches hanging. Everyone passing by glances at them.

 

There is this little girl called Pari staying on the other side of their home. Her mom told her that these are Banana trees. Banana being her favourite fruit, she got so excited that she would tell all passing by that these are her bananas. Every evening she would get her little tumbler full of water and pour it in the bananas, as my wife told her that if she waters them, the fruits would come faster.

 

One fine day we saw two banana flowers emerging and they changed into nice juicy bunches. It was our duty to keep an eye, as ‘keen eyes’ and ‘smart hands’ could whack them.

 

One of the trees tilted towards the road precariously. The neighbours landed up out of the blue, on the day we were planning to put a Y wooden support to straighten it out. Instead, they tied a nylon rope to its trunk and anchored it to the fence. The tree straightened up.

 

This morning I was up early. After my morning walk, I got on to taking pictures of Sunbirds which have now returned to our garden. Mr Neighbour came out quite perturbed and agitated. Something was bothering him.

 

‘Colonel Saab, koi mahra kelo tor ke le gaya.’ Before I could utter a word, he told me that they had checked the CCTV footage in the office last night but there was a car which blocked the view. His rage was obvious and justified.

 

I was about to say something when in his anger he again started off saying that 'during Navratri people chadhao fresh fruits and someone would have plucked the bunch'. He further added that ‘ye bangali log iske phool ki sabji banate hain. I thought to myself that there was no ‘Bangali’ we had come across.

 

I could sympathise fully with him. If someone plucks a flower, leave alone a branch, the feeling within is to find the culprit and send them to the gallows.

 

Last evening my wife was in the veranda and I was sitting in the drawing room reading something when she rushed inside as if she saw a snake. ‘Dekho unka kele ka per gir gaya.’ The neighbours were not there that time, probably must have gone to the market.

 

We decided that we should not leave the bunch hanging as now it would be easy to break and take away. I fetched the traditional ‘Koita.’ With one slash the bunch was in my hands. We decided that as soon as the neighbours come, we shall hand the bunch over to them.

 

Off we went to play ‘dandiya’ and returned. The neighbours were still away. The pots were lined up towards our side, so we thought they would probably had left. We were about to retire for the night when we heard the neighbours drive in. It was past eleven so we decided to meet them next morning and hand over the banana bunch.

 

It was with great difficulty that I got a chance to speak. He got a shock when I told him that “Maine tora hai aur rakha hai aap ko dene ke liye.” All his fury subsided in one second. I told him that my wife heard the tree falling with a loud ‘kar-kar-kar’ sound. He insisted that the bunch and the tree had been chopped by someone.

 

I sliced the bunch, I said, but not the tree. It fell on its own. I went inside and got the banana bunch and handed it to him. He will not take it. Hum kya karenge iska? The same were my thoughts too. I said, these are fruits of your hard work, please enjoy.

 

In the meantime my wife also joined the conversation. On another inspection we found that the banana flower was lying on the floor. It probably would have snapped when the tree came down. There was a clean slice where the bunch was attached which was of course the strike of the Koita blade. The question was, why did the Banana tree fall?

 

On close inspection, the mystery got solved. The nylon rope they had tied to hold the sagging trunk, over a period of time had sunk into the trunk and sliced it by and by. When the tree could not support the weight of the banana bunch, it snapped exactly at that place.

 

By now Pari’s mom too joined us and confirmed that she heard the crack of the falling tree. We then requested our neighbours to give a few bananas to Pari as she was the one who very sincerely watered them every day. Pari jumped in glee and held those bananas to her chest like she does to her favourite toys.

 

Mystery of the broken tree and the missing bunch was solved. What more? I wonder!!!!!!!!

 

WISH YOU ALL AND YOUR FAMILIES A HAPPY DUSSHERA

 

JAI HIND

© NOEL ELLIS

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