The Earliest Event In My Life Poem by Bashyam Narayanan

The earliest event in my life

We do not know many things about ourselves
Especially when we were babies
We used to hear from elders in the family
As to how we looked, talked and hebaved

For everyone there could be an event
Which he or she has registered for the first time

This event in my life is one such
I could make out it was an afternoon
I was sitting on a broad sill in front of the house
My mother and a cousin sister of mine
Were attending to me

They were looking at me at different angles
And they were attempting to improve my looks
By applying talcum powder all over my body
So that I looked fair

When they were touching my face with a puff laden with powder
I found it difficult to breathe
Despite my protests against their attempt these facelifts
They went ahead

They dropped a golden chain around my neck
They dressed me with a new dress
Kept changing the dress till the time they were happy with one

I heard father shouting at them
To stop these decorations
And it was time we moved

I was too small and probably had not started walking my own
My sister lifted me up to hold me on her waist
All started walking in hot sun
In the rough un-topped road
Reaching a junction where I saw dad negotiating with a
Bullock cart service provider

I remember the travel in that cart
Which kept moving with crackling sounds on the unpaved road
We reached the bus station
I was sweating profusely
And I noticed all others were too

We boarded a bus
With my dad guiding my mother and cousin to get in first
Later he jumped on to the moving bus
I was watching all these sitting in comfort on my mother's waist

The bus went fast
It was wonderful to see houses, trees, light posts
Disappearing fast behind
I was watching things ahead and back
Got tired soon and probably went into sleep

The next thing I could recall
Was that we were in a place
Which now I know was a studio
Big wall drops with a range of drawings
A tall big mirror, bright lights, make up kits and many other things
My mother and cousin got busy all over again
In making me up with talcum, comb, and other facilities
Not normally available at home

They were satisfied with my looks
The man there suggested that
The dress I was wearing would noy suit me
And he preferred me to pose nude for the photo

I was seated on a circular polished table
With no dress on
While I was in full facial and exposed skin make up
With a golden chain around my neck
With hair combed up into plait with a decorative band
Showing up above my head
And all possible fittings of the waist rope
But with nothing to cover my bottom

My cousin sister was asked to stand by the side of the table
With her right hand resting close to my exposed left thigh
Photo session was over

I do not remember how we all returned home

There is still this photograph
That makes me rewind the happenings
Around this first ever self-recorded event in my life