Bheela’s Blog-006&007
08 January 2021
Episode 5 Recap
Oshin is a happy child unaware of the poverty her family is facing until one day when a stranger comes home. Oshin’s father has decided that she will also work as a babysitter, like her elder sisters Haru and Mitsu. Fuji, Oshin’s mom, and grandmother both oppose and argue with the father. It seems her father has run out of options.
Hitoshi, Oshin’s son who is the president of the Tanakura company, learns the bad news that another supermarket chain has decided to open a massive store near their newly opened 17th store. This will have a severe impact on the Tanakura business.
Kei decides to be with Oshin during her journey to those places which are part of Oshin’s distant past. The next trip she wants to make is to the Mogami River, which flows through their village.
Episode 6, followed by Episode 7…
PRESENT TIME
Oshin insisted on visiting the Mogami river. Just like snow-clad fields were always in her memories, Mogami river, too, had a lasting impression on her mind.
Kei follows Oshin to her trip alongside the Mogami river. He is playing with snow happily, but he looks at Oshin and is speechless to see her face filled with pain as she stares at the river. Indeed, this river holds painful memories for her that will not fade with time. Kei wants to comfort her silently just by being with her.
FLASHBACK
Little Oshin is with some village boys of her age, and they are trying to catch a fish from the Mogami river. The surrounding area is covered with snow.
She catches one, but the boy, who gave her the fish rod and rope, claims the fish to be his since he got the fishing rod. She fights with them and claims the fish to be hers as she caught it. She wants the fish for her grandma. The boys push her into the shallow water and tease her that she is just a girl and cannot claim the fish.
She runs home, her dress is wet. Mother Fuji is worried as the river water is freezing, and one can die with a severe cold. She warns Oshin to be careful. Oshin wanted Grandma to eat the fish. Grandma and Fuji are both surprised that she went out fishing in this cold. Oshin observes that grandma is sick and unable to eat regular meals, so she thinks Grandma will recover faster if she eats fish. Grandma feels guilty again and goes away. Fuji warns Oshin not to go fishing with boys anyway as those boys are usually bullies.
Oshin feels for grandma and is very sad for not being able to bring the fish home. Fuji asks her to help in the kitchen with lunch preparation. Fuji talks to her mother-in-law lovingly as the grandma is crying; she asks her to eat.
Grandma is guilty of eating because she is not able to work anymore. She wants her share to be given to Oshin. (It is clear that mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in this family share a special bond and has a lot of compassion towards one another. Grandma also wants Fuji to eat well as she is carrying a child and works all day).
Oshin listens to this conversation. Grandma loves Oshin, so she lies, and tells her that she does not like fish; Oshin needs not catch fish in this cold. Oshin starts thinking. She understands that Grandma is lying.
Oshin brings her lunch bowl to grandma, and she wants grandma to eat. She is relieved to see grandma doing needlework; she thought that grandma does not eat because she was sick. Oshin persuades Grandma to eat since she believes that grandma has already done more than her share in the past. She also jokes with grandma that she can eat as no one is watching!
There is much love among these women of three generations. Fuji also joins grandma and Oshin. She, too, asks grandma to eat as Oshin feels for her. Fuji tells Oshin that grandma is skipping 2 meals per day to have enough food for Oshin, and she doesn’t have to go away for work.
Fuji promises Grandma that she will not let Oshin go to work no matter what. She is ready to talk to her husband again to make him agree. Grandma continues to cry and feels guilty that she cannot work and cannot die either. Oshin, hearing grandma’s words, gets panicky and hugs grandma, saying never to say such things ever again. She is clearly starting to understand the scarcity of food.
Fuji is yet again calming both Grandma and Oshin promising that she will take care of Grandma always. Oshin understands that if she eats her fill, grandma will have to go without food.
BACK TO PRESENT TIME
Oshin is sharing her sorrow with Kei as they walk along the banks of the river Mogami. In those days, if an elderly person of the family is unable to work, they feel guilty about eating their meals. By now, she understood why her two sisters, elder Haru and second Mitsu, had to go to work at such young ages of 11 & 9.
Kei is extremely surprised and feels terrible to know that old people did not eat out of guilt of not working anymore. They are abandoned to die.
Oshin learned another grave fact. She now knows that grandma was sad, but her own mother, Fuji, was in worse condition, and Fuji is feeling awfully helpless.
She looks at a spot on the river, which is mostly covered with a layer of snow. She starts remembering her harrowing experience that it was the same winter time as that year. Her mother hadn’t returned from work; she was delayed that day. Oshin said she was looking out of the window for her mother. Suddenly she saw someone walking through the river water tackling the snow boulders on the way.
FLASHBACK BEGINS AGAIN.
Oshin follows the person going into the water, and then she realizes that it is her mother, Fuji. She shouts for her mom, to which Fuji asks her not to follow her and not to tell anyone. It appears that Fuji wants to take her life by dipping into the freezing cold water of Mogami river.
Oshin runs fast, calling villagers for help as she understood that her mom will die. Fuji does not move; her hands are shaking with cold. Some village elders arrive in time; they pull her out of the water and take her home. Grandma quickly covers Fuji with quilts, and she starts giving a massage to Fuji to make her body warm.
(Grandma fully understands Fuji; she took charge of the situation. When I saw this part of the episode, I get reminded of kind-hearted elderly women of my own family, who are ready to help without being judgemental)
Oshin’s Dad arrives and calls his wife’s action to be a stupid step. Grandma argues with him and says that women have to take life’s burns, which a man would never understand. Fuji is regretful of her action and apologizes to grandma, who in turn feels guilty as always. Fuji thinks that a child should never be born in such a condition of poverty. Grandma speaks kindly with Fuji and consoles her.
Oshin is listening to all of these conversations. She suddenly has matured by this event of her young life. Oshin comes close to her mother to say something. Fuji says sorry to Oshin for causing so much worry and says she is feeling better now.
Oshin declares that she is ready to go to work. Fuji is shocked. She does not want Oshin to go to work; instead, she wants her to study. Oshin is unmoved; she has decided that she will work. With a smile on her face, she also tells her father that she is ready to go tomorrow.
Oshin tells her shocked mother that she should never do what she did today (trying to take her life).
She is happily telling her parents and grandma that everyone will get to eat if she goes, and the new baby will get to be born. In a feeble voice, Grandma protests that Oshin should not be worrying about food as she is so young. Oshin continues to argue in favor of going to work. She says that she will also get to eat her fill at her workplace, as her father had explained earlier.
Grandma reminds Oshin that she wanted to go to school, and at work, she will have to do babysitting all day and will not have any time left for learning.
Father comes forward, somewhat surprised at Oshin’s decision, and says that Oshin needs to work just for one year. Once they get their share of the harvest, they will be better off. Next year, when the snow would melt, he will himself go to Oshin’s workplace and bring her back. Father thanks Oshin for agreeing to go to work.
Mother is still not convinced, she asks Oshin to stay, and she is ready to go another year without her own share of meals. Oshin calms her mother and says that the year will pass in no time. Fuji is worried because Oshin has no idea about servants’ conditions and their treatment by the house masters. Oshin replies that if her two sisters work, then she too can do the same.
Oshin tells grandma and Fuji not to worry. She knows the river water was so cold as boys had pushed her into the river while fishing. She is glad that her mother did not die. Both Fuji and Grandma start crying profusely. Father goes away and starts working with the straw bundle to make sandals.
The next morning, as Oshin was playing with her younger brother and sister, a stranger comes. He knows Oshin’s name. Oshin informs him that her parents are working at the field and grandma went up the hill to fetch Daikon vegetable.
The man puts a barrel of rice (about 100 kilos). He informs that this rice is against the payment for Oshin’s one year of work. He also tells her as the payment of rice is done in advance, Oshin will have to work very hard. The man tells her that he will talk to Oshin’s Father, and she should be ready to be picked up the next day.
Oshin looks at the barrel of rice. She checks the rice by poking a rod in the straw barrel and sees so much white rice. She has agreed to go to work, yet she is unable to understand the situation entirely. She did not want to go in the first place. When she realizes that she was to go in exchange for a rice barrel in advance, there is no turning back. She decides to go with a smile the next day. She has already learned that crying will not do any good.
End of Episode 6 and Episode 7 begins…
RECAP
These episodes (flashback part) show the era when Russo-Japanese War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Japanese_War ended in 1905, 2 years before the time shown in flashback. The Japanese economy was in the doldrums, especially the agriculture system, which was totally an unorganized sector. Oshin’s parents worked on borrowed land, just like other Share-farmers, being in a vicious circle of poverty.
They had sent their two daughters, Haru (11) and Mitsu (9), to work with affluent families as home servants. The situation is so bad that they have to send even Oshin to work as a babysitter, who is just 6 years old. In exchange for her year-long service, they received one barrel, about 100 kg of white rice.
Oshin suddenly turns mature as her mother attempts suicide out of desperation. She decides to go to work happily without any complain, even though it has crushed her dream of going to school.
FLASHBACK CONTINUES…
Oshin is playing with her younger brother and sister as her parents return from work in the evening.
During the day time, Oshin looks after her siblings. She tells her mother to feed them as they still need more. She has just fed them Takuan Pickle (pickle made of Daikon or Radish)
As growing kids, the pickle cannot fill the hunger of the kids. Mother is sorry and remembers that Oshin will have to leave for work the next day. Oshin then tells her father about the stranger who brought rice barrel against her wages for the year as advance. She tells her father that she will work hard to earn this. Father hurriedly takes the barrel indoors.
Mother apologizes again to Oshin for this situation that she has to work at this young age. Oshin now has resolved in her mind about the work, she replies, that as both her elder sisters Haru and Mitsu are working so, she too will do her part. Mother is very sad and cries again. She puts the edge of her dress to her mouth so that her cry is neither visible nor heard. (Indian women also do the same to hide their sorrow from others, how similar are women worldwide!!)
The rice has arrived, it is dinner time, and the mother has cooked white rice. Today is Oshin’s last night at home before she would be sent off to work the next morning. Father is angry, and he yells at Fuji for making rice. (White rice is precious, preparation is done only during festivals only). Fuji ignores him, gives a bowl full to grandma first, and tells her to celebrate Oshin’s start of work. She also acknowledges the love and care provided by grandma to Oshin. She tells her the rice is earned by Oshin, so Grandma has the first right to eat. Fuji also tells Oshin to eat her fill and gives her bowl filled to the brim.
Father continues to be angry. He wanted to exchange this high-quality rice with more ordinary rice lasting till the next harvest. He is mad about this celebration as he considers this a waste.
Mother was quiet all this while, but she loses her patients and argues with Father that this rice is Oshin’s wages for the whole year, so what if we feed her one last time a good meal. Father is surprised at Fuji’s retaliation and shouts at her even louder. (The Men of the house prefer the women to be docile and not answer back). Oshin then calms them down.
Mother teaches her eldest son Shoji to be thankful to Oshin as the feast is because of her. Oshin is very happy as white rice tastes so much better than the ordinary rice they eat every day. Mother asks Oshin to eat with her stomach full. She fears that the Masters of the house where she will work as a servant may not treat her well.
Grandma is fearful too; she thinks that Oshin is so young, she just gets happy by eating white rice, she has no idea how much hard work is waiting for her. She feels sad and starts crying again. Fuji consoles grandma (in turn, consoling herself) and says that Oshin is smart and the masters know her age; they will be nice to her. Grandma is not so convinced and doubts if the employment agent told Oshin’s real age to the masters. Fuji is half unsure but is trying to put up a brave face.
Everyone is asleep at night. Oshin wakes up seeing some light. Fuji is still awake and stitching a dress. Oshin is worried as it is almost dawn, and her mother did not sleep at all; she has a full day’s work ahead. She asks her mother to get some sleep.
Mother is stitching a Kimono for Oshin. Oshin has always been wearing her sisters’ dresses. The dress Fuji is altering is what she wore as a bride when she came to this family. She must finish fixing this so that Oshin can put it on when she goes to work. She cannot send Oshin in tatters, which is her regular outfit. Fuji held on to her wedding dress all these years. She had three wedding dresses, she gave two to her elder daughters, and this last one is for Oshin. But she never imagined that Oshin will have to go away so soon. As she is telling all these to Oshin, she is unable to stop crying.
She then puts the dress on Oshin and is very happy to see how good it looks on Oshin.
She ties a thread with a locket around Oshin’s neck and appreciates Oshin to be so independent. While at home, Oshin always helps her mother looking after younger kids. Mother cannot express her love and fear, and tells Oshin that she will be all alone by herself from now on. Fuji advises Oshin not to count on anybody for help and stand for her own self. She tells her that if things go really wrong, just try to bear and hang on. However, if the limit is crossed, she can always come home, a mother will still be waiting for her.
Oshin then gets somewhat scared and starts crying in her mother’s lap. Mother encourages her to remain brave as she is. Grandma is awake; she listened to the conversation and cried silently.
The next morning, a worker comes from Nakagawa Lumber Mill. He announces that he has come to pick up the babysitter girl.
Father welcomes him and asks Oshin to get ready fast. Mother has packed her change of clothes and some rice balls. She ties all of these in a cloth around Oshin’s back. As Oshin is about to leave the room, Grandma gives her a coin, tells Oshin not to tell anyone. This is all she can give her. She, too, apologizes to Oshin.
The Nakagawa mill worker informs that they will go by Raft, so Oshin must carry her Hat and coat to protect her from rain and snow. Fuji is surprised because the agent had told them that they will bring a boat. Fuji is scared because the Raft is too risky, but Father stops her and says that let her go by Raft, or else they will have to pay for the boat ride. Fuji is desperate with helplessness. Father is still too harsh and says that Oshin is now their employee as they have already paid for her wages. So, if they chose, she will have to go on a raft. Grandma brings a straw hat and a rain cover, but Oshin refuses. She knows that if she takes these, her mother will not have any straw-hat left for her own use in the field. Oshin is already matured and starts walking confidently towards the Raft.
Mother follows Oshin to see off up to the river bank, but the father tries to stop. Grandma chides the father for not saying a proper goodbye to Oshin. As the Raft starts to move, Oshin breaks down, and she cries for her mother, she wants to return, but the man holds her on the Raft.
As Oshin calms down, she looks up at the snow-covered field at Mogami river banks and spots her father standing there. She shouts for him, and Father also runs towards the rafts shouting, “Oshin, Oshin!” The father falls down as the snow is slippery and he profusely apologizes to Oshin.
(We haven’t seen this side of Father’s personality; he remains rude externally to hide his own helplessness and inability to change the poverty faced by his family)
Father was suffering too, Oshin now understands him better for the first time.
PRESENT TIME
Kei and Oshin are looking at the river. Kei is painfully surprised that Oshin rafted down Mogami river dangerously to work in exchange for a single barrel of white rice as her entire year’s wages.
Oshin explains that it was not anyone’s fault; a share farmer’s life was unfortunate in those days. Every family and each member of the family had a grim life. People did whatever it took just to survive. She had understood that her father was desperate too. He yelled all the time but never wanted the family to know how vulnerable he was. Kei too can understand somewhat.
Oshin further says that there are poor people in the present era, but it was much harder to deal with poverty in the olden days. Oshin says with a smile that she has herself now forgotten how tough things could be. She says she had seen so much hardship at that young age that she should be in a position to take on any adversity that came her way. Nothing can be compared to those hardships.
Kei feels even closer to his grandma now that he knows her very early life. Oshin starts looking at a distance again; at the age of 83, what exactly is she looking at? Kei tries to follow her eyes and sees snow all around both the banks of the river Mogami.
FLASHBACK AGAIN…
Oshin reaches her workplace. This place is covered with snow as well, and she drags her feet. She is so much exhausted with the long raft journey that she has fallen sick. She is not able to stand anymore and starts vomiting into a ditch. The worker tries to rub her back and tells her that we have reached.
Two ladies come out of the house and look at Oshin. The worker explains that Oshin, the babysitter, has sea-sickness.
One of the ladies who appear to be the head housekeeper, a very stern woman, declares that Oshin is useless, as she fell sick the very first day. The Mistress of the house, the other lady, seems a bit kind, and she is doubtful if Oshin would be able to handle the work. The agent, as feared by Grandma, has lied about Oshin’s age. He has told them that Oshin is Nine years old. The Mistress observes that for nine years, this girl looks very small and frail. The mistress lady feels that they should send her back. The Head-housekeeper lady interrupts and says that she will train Oshin once she gets over the sickness.
The worker takes Oshin inside the house, carrying her in his arms. Oshin is sick, and she has fainted; indeed, she is too young and frail.
How will Oshin handle the work in such a hostile environment?
Episode 8 is coming soon…..