Bheela’s Blog-012
06 February 2021
Episode 11 Recap
Oshin endures hunger and regularly goes to school. The Teacher learns that Oshin does not get lunch, so he manages to get some potatoes for her. Oshin goes to the river Mogami and talks to her mother. She imagines that her voice will reach her mother through the river. She is happy.
But her happiness does not last. The Teacher scolds a school bully taking Oshin’s side, so the bully threatens to beat the baby if Oshin tries to attend school. Oshin decides to quit school. The lumber mill worker Naka (his full name is Naka Sadaji, sympathetic towards Oshin) has to take the wooden logs to a village upstream Mogami river. He offers to Oshin that he can make a stopover at Oshin’s village on the way and take her message to her parents. Oshin takes the whole night to write a letter to her mother in faint moonlight joining the alphabets she has learned in school.
Episode 12
FLASHBACK CONTINUES
As Oshin is doing the household chores, she thinks about the letter, did Naka Sadaji reach her village? Did he handover the letter that she wrote to her mother?
Oshin was waiting for a word from her home about her family from Naka as he was her only hope.
Naka reaches Oshin’s village early to catch Oshin’s parents before they leave for fieldwork. He greets them respectfully. Fuji, Oshin’s mom, recognizes Naka and is very happy and worried at the same time. Naka hands over Oshin’s letter to her mom, informing her that the letter has been written by Oshin. Mom is pleasantly surprised to know that she can now write! Naka tells them that Oshin went to a school for a short while.
Mother is very excited to see a letter written by Oshin’s own hand, and she is showing the letter to the father. Father is not so interested and turns his face quietly, guilty of being illiterate.
Mom then tells Naka that there is no one here who can read. Somewhat embarrassingly, she informs Naka that they all work in the field, so they can’t send kids to school. Mom is again happily wondering that Oshin gets to go to school and can now even write by herself! She looks at the paper repeatedly with so much love that she does not care if she can’t read. She is happy just by touching the letter.
Naka then comes forward to their rescue; he hasn’t done much schooling, but he can somewhat manage to read the script. Mom requests him to read for them, and she wants Grandma to listen too. She wants Father and Oshin’s brother Souji, all of them, to go inside next to Grandma’s bed.
As expected, the father is least interested in reading the letter’s contents, saying, we now know that she is fine so don’t have time for a letter.
Mom goes inside next to Grandma’s bed. Grandma’s rheumatism has gotten worse, but she gets up to listen to Oshin’s letter with difficulty.
Naka starts reading, ‘Mother and father, I’m well so don’t worry. I get enough to eat to fill my stomach. Master and his wife are both very nice. My work is easy. Take-bo is a cute baby. I watch him every day. Please take good care of Grandma for me. Mother, please have a healthy baby.’
Mother is very excited; what pleases her most is the news that Oshin gets to eat! She is repeating the contents of the letter to Grandma, ‘her employers are nice.’ She is so pleased to see that Oshin can now write. She is relieved that she sent her out to work. Both Mom and Grandma are thankful to Naka. They convey their gratitude to him in a formal way. All they did was worry about Oshin, and now they feel much better after receiving the letter.
Mother requests Naka to tell Oshin that they are all well and she need not worry about them. Grandma pitches in, saying, ‘Tell her that I am much better”. Mom continues that since Oshin started working, we can live much better.
Grandma asks Fuji to pack some roasted beans for Oshin since she is living with strangers. She also says that we can do without those beans.
(Hand-carried letters was the way to communicate in those remote places in Japan. One who brings the letter gets much respect. He also has to carry back some dry food for the sender of the letter. We do the same, if we come to know that any person has come from a place where our family member has gone for work, we too send food items through the messenger. It was so touching to see the same gesture by Grandma)
Mother is still happily excited, and she tells Grandma that Oshin is not hungry anymore! She has written that she gets to fill her stomach!! Seeing this excitement, Naka feels emotional with tears that how Oshin wrote lies to make her parents happy. Mom says that a year will pass in no time, and she will be home soon.
Naka is back from his trip and talks to Oshin. He accuses Oshin of lying to his parents about food. He tells her that both her Mom and Grandma were so happy. Oshin replies that she lied so that they remain comfortable. There is no use letting them know that things are so tough here. They are in no position to get her back home. She then asks Naka about her Grandma’s condition. At her eager question, Naka starts telling lies too. He says Grandma is much better and can work by herself. He also tells her that her mother now is big, so by the time she returns home, there will be a new baby. Oshin is very happy, and she just wants to hang in there, waiting for the year to complete.
Naka feels a lot of concern and affection for her but is unable to do anything. He tells Oshin that he does not get a salary as he is working against a debt. He wants to open a shop, and when he can do so, he will ensure that Oshin gets to eat her fill and more. He asks her to endure for some more time. Oshin is prepared to do what she is going through. Her mother, on the last day, before leaving, had told her never to depend on others. Naka is happy to hear that.
They are distracted by the sound of boots approaching the house. Two men in uniform enter the home. Oshin thinks they are soldiers, but Naka corrects her that they are “Kempeis.” In Japan, there is a military police force in those days called Kempeis. They are policemen, working on behalf of the Japanese Army.
They look for “draft dodgers” Every man attaining certain age and schooling has to join Army. If you don’t, you are a dodger or deserter. Deserter is the one who runs away from the Army. Kempei’s job is to look for them and hand them back to Army. The Master comes out with those two Kempei and clarifies about Naka working with them since his age of 12. The Kempeis tell the Master that if he sees any suspicious persons, he should inform them. Ordinary people are scared of these Kempei. The Master and Naka both bow to them not out of respect but out of fear.
Soon, a fall festival starts, homes are decorated, and people dance on the street. Since Oshin didn’t get an allowance, she could not have any fun like other kids. She carries the baby and watches others with wide eyes. She again takes out the 50 cents coin her Grandma had given her. There are many sweets and candies displayed at a store nearby. She watches them but, in the end, she is not able to part with the coin.
Winter combined with heavy snow comes soon after the festival. All the trees and roads get covered with a blanket of snow all around the village. Oshin goes about doing her household work. She pulls water out of the well using a wooden bucket with attached rope. She is thinking about her mother, and in her mind, she talks to her mom and says that now we have snow, very little time is left for her tenure at the workplace. As soon as the snow melts, she will reach home.
Meanwhile, Otsune complains to the mistress that a 50 cents coin is missing. The mistress asks her to search thoroughly before suspecting anyone. Otsune is sure that someone picked the change after she paid to the vegetable vendor, from whom she bought Daikon. She starts blaming Oshin and says that Oshin was the only one there, so she must have picked up the coin. Although Oshin was busy preparing the fire, Otsune thinks that Oshin must have gone ahead and picked the coin.
Mistress asks Otsune to forget about the lost 50 cents coin; Oshin works so hard, so we should never suspect her. Otsune does not give up easily and argues that it could become a habit later if they overlook her stealing. It is not crucial if the lost money is small, but Otsune wants to teach Oshin a lesson.
Oshin shows up, announcing that the bathwater is ready. Otsune runs towards her and begins accusation. Oshin is taken aback with surprise and shock. Otsune continues to shout at her, saying what made Oshin steal the money when the employers take good care of her. Oshin protests, but Otsune doesn’t relent. She asks Oshin to take off her kimono. Mistress is upset, and she urges Otsune not to take the matter this far. Otsune is unstoppable; she challenges that if Oshin is innocent, she will take off her clothes. She then asks Oshin to hurry. Oshin, with bowed head, takes off her kimono and the undershirt. Otsune checks Oshin’s clothing but does not find any coin.
Then she asks Oshin to take out the locket, which is tied to a thread. Unfortunately, the 50 cents given by Grandma is kept with that locket into a small cloth bag. Otsune charges Oshin loudly that we found the money on you, how can you deny stealing? Oshin keeps saying that Grandma gave her this coin when she left. Otsune does not believe; she says your family is poor and how your Grandma has this coin. She does not believe Oshin despite the child’s repeated protests. Otsune takes the 50 cents coin and puts it in her own bag. When Oshin tries to snatch it back, saying it is Grandma’s coin, Otsune pushes Oshin to the ground. She is hurt and asks for her precious gift from Grandma back. Otsune threatens Oshin to send her to the police. Otsune tells her that she spared her this time, but she will be jailed if this repeats. Mistress tries to stop, but Otsune brushes her aside, saying they can’t take stealing so lightly. Otsune keeps the coin and asks Oshin to wash diapers throwing her clothes on Oshin’s shoulder.
Oshin gathers herself and goes to the river. It is winter season, and the river is mostly covered in snow. The water is chili. Oshin, with great pain, starts washing the diapers. She warms her hands by blowing air from her mouth. She talks to her Grandma through the river, asking to forgive her. That coin, so precious to Grandma, has gone. Oshin’s eyes are filled with an unstoppable stream of tears. How many insults can a child take?
Oshin, with a heavy heart, returns home carrying the bucket of washed clothes. Otsune blocks her way and inspects the clothes. She continues to be harsh on Oshin, saying that the clothes are still smelling, they need to be rewashed. She shouts at Oshin that just because the water is cold, it is no excuse for inadequate washing. Otsune does not stop there; she taunts Oshin and says that they did not employ Oshin to steal. She must go immediately and rewash the clothes. She also shouts, saying that she will continue to send Oshin back to the cold river until the washing is perfect.
Oshin returns to the river; this time, she wore a snow boot made of straw to protect herself from cold entering through her feet. She starts washing again with teary eyes, she looks up towards the river. Something seems to burst within her tiny heart. Enough of this, her patients snapped. She decides never to go back there to her employer. She just throws the bucket of soiled clothes on the snow and starts walking along the River Mogami banks.
She knows that her village is upstream of the river, towards the north; if she continues walking alongside the river, she can reach home to her Mom and Grandma. She walks without looking back. Luckily, she wore the straw shoes.
Winter’s darkness brings a snow blizzard.
Severe snow with chilly wind engulfs the surroundings. Oshin became enveloped in a white sheet of snow. Her eyelashes, hair, and whole body is covered with snowflakes.
We can hardly see her.
Will Oshin reach her village if she walks like this in these challenging conditions?
Episode 13 will bring memorable events of Oshin’s life.