My Mother — Page 14
14 not yet an end to Jai Devi. On one occasion she appeared in her dream, but the moment she set foot in the house she cried out in great distress: ‘Ram, Ram, Ram; the cow has been dishonoured here, I shall never come here again’; and she beat a hasty retreat. Husain Bibi was puzzled. Despite the fact that Muslim fami- lies in the rural areas of the Punjab had been adherents of Islam for many generations, yet because of their Hindu origin certain aspects of Hindu culture still prevailed among them. One of these was their repugnance towards the eating of beef. Jai Devi’s excla- mation meant that beef had been eaten in the house. On enquiry it was discovered that the previous evening some guests had arrived about dinner time and were served the meal that had been prepared for the family. The servant was despatched to procure cooked meat for the family from a shop. The hour being somewhat late, cooked meat was available only from a shop that sold curried beef. The servant bought a portion of it and the family had dined off it, without knowing that they were eating beef. Thereafter, in consequence of the dream, beef was cooked in the house once or twice a month, without the head of the family being made aware of it. Whether the use of beef had any connection with the heal- ing of the disorder from which Husain Bibi had suffered is a mat- ter of speculation. The time of the birth of another child drew near. Despite the twice monthly consumption of beef in the family, Jai Devi appeared once more in the dream of the expectant mother and told her that a male child would arrive the following evening, and that certain precautions should be taken to safeguard its life. On its birth its right nostril should be pierced with a needle and a camel’s hair should be strung through it. Also, a wick should be