Preparations for the US

"Saraswati Maa ki! Jai!"

"Saraswati Maa ki! Jai!"

"Saraswati Maa ki! Jai!"

I gave them Aashirvad, my ancestors, as they regarded me an incarnation of Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge.

Well, when a 5 year old suddenly starts showing off complex physics and maths theories, and starts talking in perfect English(Indian) and Hindi even though she only spoke Bengali a day ago, and even say that Saraswati appeared in your dreams and gave you the knowledge and said to you to go somewhere, people that are 123 years before the future, in a family that is deeply embedded in religion, they believe you.

"I need to head to a land called America, to a reputed University. Maa Saraswati has directed me there."

"Yes! We will do that immediately. Suresh! Go to get her documents! We can't let the goddess's tasks to be delayed!"

"Yes grandmother! I will immediately head to the office!"

"Sunita! Start packing bags! And take some money! You will need those British people for things to go smoothly. You and Suresh are her parents, so go with her and assist the goddess's tasks!"

"Yes grandmother! Ruma Bhabhi! Help me in packing bags!"

And the whole joint family was plunged in chaos. But because of it, I get to know their names and my relationship with them.

My new identity is Saraswati Chattopadhyay. The surname is same, but name is different. And I remember her name.

She was one of my great-grand-grandmothers who was famous in the family, who fed lakhs of people during the Bengal Famine by selling all her jewelleries and was later murdered along with many others by British because she didn't allow that food to be snatched away and to be sent to London. It was then they burnt our lands after taking all the food.

It was because of this that the joint family was reduced to a single person who was my great-grand-grandfather and we became a nuclear family, the family ending with me as the last person after 123 years from now on.

Then there is my current great-grandmother, whose name I don't know yet, who seems to be the head of the family as the oldest member here.

My parents are Sunita and Suresh, who don't seem to be much older than 25.

Ruma is my aunt, who seems to be a widow going by the white Saree she is wearing. And I have currently about 29 family members in the house.

"Maa, I think my memory is slightly hazy with all the influx of knowledge in my brain. Saraswati Ma did say something about side-effects because I am still young-"

"Saraswati! What happened!?"

My current mother shouted worriedly.

"I have trouble remembering the family, but I know where we live, the year, I remember some things and don't remember some others."

Okzy... She was on the verge of crying now...

"Hmm, Sunita Bhabhi, children her age don't have developed brains. Going by how much her brain has developed overnight that she is talking so fluently and without stuttering, it could have had some side-effects. Saraswati, do you remember me?"

My supposedly uncle was here to handle the situation, it seems. Thanks for misunderstanding.

I genuinely tried remembering, since the memories are stored in the brain, right? But it just didn't seem to wor-

"Ssss!"

I winced as I felt a slight headache, and memories flooded in like a river whose dam was opened.

Although the memories I received were not much and most of them were of just running around and playing, they also contained the names and relationships with about 50 people. So they weren't really useless.

"Saraswati! What happened!? Can you remember us now?"

"A little... it's hazy... but I can recognise most of you."

They all sighed in relief.

"I will go and bring a doctor."

One of my uncles, Chacha Chandrashekhar left home to get a doctor, along with father to prepare my studying in the US. The bigger children started preparing for school, and everyone else started packing.

"Saraswati Maa ki! Jai!"

... And great-grandmother kept trying to get more Aashirwaad from me.

...

Good grief.

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*Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge in India.

*Maa means mother.

*Chacha means brother of father.

*Aashirwaad means blessings from either Gods/Goddesses, elder people, teachers, etc. You touch the feet of the one giving Aashirwaad.