THE MATCH MAKER
Jagari uncle used to smile mostly to himself. What that cute mysterious smile meant he only .knew. He was a man of few words. Jagari was no not his name, it was his profession by which he was known. Most people had forgotten his real name. Only a few of his contemporaries knew but they too never called him by that name.
Every village has a match maker who can be sought upon particularly in times of difficulty in finding no suitable match for a boy or a girls. He/ she will be handy and make a success story. Normally match making is a well oiled machinery in which the family Purohit or wife of the village barber called Nayin or friends, relatives and acquaintances play a very important role. Sometimes it is just between two families knowing each other for long. One such maker in the hills of Uttarakhand is the Jagariya.
Jagaria comes from the word Jagar which means awakening the gods and local deities from their dormant state to seeks favors and blessings. The jagaria on the beat of music and musical instruments like Hurka and Thali sings stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata. The Jagaria plays the Hurka and always has an assistant with him who plays on the Thali and joins him to sing in chores. They are called to perform Jagar by family in distress and help them come out of it through the Jagar singing that awakens the gods and local deities who bless the family and grants them the desired favors. Thus they keep visiting nearby villages and thus get acquainted with lot of families.
The Jagarias therefore established very personal bonds with such families. Since Jagar is the traditional form of worship, many family perform Jagar one time or the other. This furthers the influence of the Jagarias over such families. Since they travel to many village they have the information about the eligible boys and girls for marriages. This makes them the perfect match makers also.
Our jagaria uncle was one such match maker. Jagaria uncle was not the head Jagaria, he was the assistant of the head Jagaria who plays on the Thali. But in the village he was known as Jagaria. He had been instrumental in a few successful match making. He knew it well that people came to him only when they had exhausted all other options. There were and are boys and girls who for one reason or the other remain unmarried as if they were destined to have no partner in life. Such helpless individuals or families were his clients.
Jagaria uncle was a pillar of hope. He was a relentless seeker of suitable match and always kept his client updated on the progress. One such client was Tularam in our village. Tularam lost his parents early. He grew up under the shadow of his cousins and with the mercy of their parents. He was well built. This was probably the reason he was used as a coolie for carrying heavy weights or as laborer for working in the fields. This justified his heavy food intake also. His good physique had deprived him of good brain. He had no thinking of his own and as such could be manipulated easily.
Well he was not a fool. What if he did not see the school door? As youth of 25, he was dreaming of having a wife and therefore children one day. He was sure his elder cousins would take care of that. He was not aware that it was and will never be in their agenda. Another five years passed and he was still bachelor. He meekly sounded his cousins many a times but they did nothing. It was not in their interest. Not only the share of Tularam's land was under their possession and cultivation but Tularam was an asset in many other ways. He would cultivate the land, do all hard work in return for food, shelter and discarded clothes. Not only this he worked as a security guard. He was their shield against any physical assault on them by any one in the village. Tularam was feared by all.
One day Tularam told his cousins that he wants to get settled in life, wants a wife and live separately for them. His cousins taunted him -"who will give their daughter to a fool like you?" . This was enough.
He secretly approached Jagari uncle. Jagari uncle saw a potential kill and had a long session with him on the dos and donts. He advised him to seek separation from his cousins and take possession of the land of his share as early as possible. Tularam embarked on the mission and told his cousins in no uncertain terms that he wanted division. The village Panchayat mediated and the land of his share was marked. The village Patwari - the government revenue officer, gave legal approval. Tularam now lived in a part of the house, had land in his name and was, in the eyes of uncle Jagari, a perfect eligible bridegroom.
Days passed into months and months into a decade. Tularam was still unmarried. Uncle Jagari had given him lot of hopes but for some unseen and unexplained reasons, the girls family retracted at the last moment. Meantime uncle Jagari used him for all sundry field work in his farms in return for hopes and more hopes. Once or twice he took Tularam with him so that he could see the girl for himself. These were nights when Tularam's grew wings in his dreams.
He wanted to get angry with uncle Jagari but somehow controlled himself because uncle Jagari was his only hope. Finally, uncle Jagari was able to find a suitable match. The match a woman, girl, as he used to say was widow of 30 years. Tularam had no objection. Tularam brought that girl home one night. Within three days the woman left him. No one knows from where she came and to where she went.
Things were getting desperate for Tularam. He had put uncle Jagari on notice. Once again uncle Jagari found a match, a girl of 25, orphaned, blackish in complexion and not good looking, no guardians to name, living with a family as a domestic servant and most importantly willing to tie knot with anybody who could accept her as a wife. Tularam saw the girl and then and there itself the formality was completed in the presence of some villagers by the pandit.
Tularam was now married. They lived happily thereafter. He had one son and two daughters. He died after ten years of his marriage and his wife followed five years latter. His sons and daughters are happily settled in life.
Uncle Jagari is no more but his son has taken over his seat in the profession. Another match maker in the making.
