"Hanumanji ka meeta"

Many years ago, while we were in Nigeria, I am told we had a family friend called Mishraji. He was a portly man in his fifties, had greying hair and was well-liked for being a generous host. Mishraji's wife, a great friend of my mother's, was a demure lady and couldn't hear or speak due to congenital deafness. My parents met the Mishras at the weekly bhajans where the South Asian community in the neighbourhood would gather. At the bhajans, Mishraji was legendary for his persistance while singing. People would squirm in their seats while he would stretch the last bhajan to the limits of sonic endurance with his booming voice.

Mishraji loved inviting people over to his house and my parents used to be regulars on the guest list. During every visit, Mishraji would offer homemade sweets as prasad - "Hanumanji ka meetha". On the rare occassion, when sweets weren't ready, he would call out to his wife - "Hanumanji ka meeta nahi banaya kya?" and after a short while, freshly prepared sweets would emerge from the kitchen in honour of the monkey god.

It has been over 20 years since we left Nigeria, but still every once in a while, when my mother prepares a sweet dish, she arrives at the dining table with a flourish and announces, "Hanumanji ka meeta" and we all break out into a hearty laugh. Mishraji's message endures. He liked his sweets and he liked his god. It was only fitting to combine the two and chant - "Hanumanji ka meeta" - in celebration of life and its gracious provider.