vEndaam thaathaa (Raj)

[RR]

§Åñ¼¡õ ¾¡ò¾¡

-áˆ


'¸ðμ¡ «Å¨É' ¸÷ƒ¢ò¾¡÷ ¸ø¡½õ.

«Å÷ Óý ¿¢ýÈ¢Õó¾ º¢ÚÅý ¿Îí¸¢ì¦¸¡ñÊÕó¾¡ý. ¸ñ¸Ç¢ø Á¢Ã𺢠¦¾Ã¢ó¾Ð. ¸ðÊ¢Õó¾ §¸¡Å½õ ¿¨ÉÂò ¦¾¡¼í¸¢ÂÐ. «Å¨É ¾¢ñ¨½ ´Ã རø ¸ð¼ §ÅñÊÂÅý ¸ø¡½ò¨¾ À¡÷òÐ즸¡ñÊÕó¾¡ý. «Åý ¸ñ¸Ç¢ø ¦¾Ã¢ó¾Ð '"«ö¡ Å¢ðΠŢι¸û ' ±ýÈ ¦¸ïºø. "«Å÷ Áº¢Å¾¡¸ ¦¾Ã¢ÂÅ¢ø¨Ä. º¢Åó¾¢Õó¾ «Å÷ ¸ñ¸¨Çô À¡÷ò¾¡§Ä ÒâÔõ «ÅÕìÌ ±ùÅÇ× §¸¡Àõ ±ýÚ. «Å÷ ¯ÕÁ¢É¡÷ ' ±ôÀÊ þó¾ °Ã¢ø þôÀÊ ¿¼ì¸Ä¡õ!'.

°÷. «¨¾ °÷ ±ýÚ ¦º¡øÄ ÓÊ¡Ð. Ì츢áÁõ ±ýÚõ ¦º¡øÄ ÓÊ¡Ð. «í§¸ þÕó¾Ð ´Õ ¦Àâ ţÎ. ÞÃñÎ ¸ðΠţΠ±ýÚ ¦º¡øÅ¡÷¸û. «¨¾ ´ðÊ þÃñÎ º¢È¢Â ţθû. «¨Å¾¡ý º×ì¸ñʸû, Å¢Õó¾¢É÷ ¾íÌõ þ¼õ.
´Õ º×ì¸ñÊ¢ø ¿¢¨È À¡ö¸û, ¾¨Ä¨½¸û, ´Õ §Á¨ƒ, «ó¾ §Á¨ƒ §Áø ´Õ ¸ñ½¡Ê, ´Õ º£ôÒ, ´Õ ¸¢ñ½ò¾¢ø §¾¹¸¡ö ±ñ¦½ö. ´Õ ¸¢ñ½ò¾¢ø Ţ⾢. «Î¾¾ º×ì¸ñÊÔõ «§¾ §À¡ø¾¡ý. ܼ ´Õ «ÄÁ¡Ã¢. «Ð ¿¢¨È «Îì¸Î측¸ ô§Çðθû. ô§Çð §À¡ðÎ §¸ð¸ ´Õ ¸¢Ã¡Á§À¡ý. «Å÷ ´Õ þ¨º À¢Ã¢Â÷. ±í§¸ ÒÐ ô§Çð Åó¾¡Öõ Å¡í¸¢ Å¢ÎÅ¡÷.


°¨Ã ´ðÊ º¢È¢Ð àÃò¾¢ø þÕ ¦¾Õì¸û. «¨Å «Åâ¼õ §Å¨Ä ¦ºöÔõ, Á¡Î,̾¢¨Ã¸¨Ç À¡÷òÐ즸¡ûÙõ, ¾Ä¢òиû ÌÊ¢ÕôÒ. ±ø§Ä¡Õõ ÀÃõÀ¨Ã ÀÃõÀ¨Ã¡¸ «Å÷ ÌÎõÀòÐìÌ ¯¨ÆôÀÅ÷¸û. «Å÷¾¡ý ±øÄ¡õ. «ÅÕõ ±ó¾ ̨ÈÔõ «Å÷¸ÙìÌ ¨Åì¸Å¢ø¨Ä. ¿øħ¾¡, ¦¸ð¼§¾¡ «Å¨Ã Á¨Ä §À¡Ä ¿õÀ¢ þÕó¾¡÷¸û. «ÅÕ¨¼Â ¸Õ¨½ ¯ûÇõ «Å÷¸ÙìÌ ¦¾Ã¢Ôõ. «Å÷¸û ¯¨ÆôÀÐ «ó¾ °¨Ãî ÍüȢ áÚ §ÅÄ¢ ¿¢Äò¾¢ø. «ó¾ ¿¢Äõ, ¿¢Äò¾¢ø ¯¨ÆìÌõ Àñ¨½ ¬ð¸û, ¾ý ÌÎõÀõ. «Ð¾¡ý «Å÷ º¡õáˆÂõ.

´§Ã Å£¼¡¸ þÕó¾¡Öõ ´Õ °ÕìÌ §ÅñÊ ±øÄ¡õ þÕó¾É. §ÁüÌ §¸¡Ê¢ø ´Õ À¢û¨Ç¡÷ §¸¡Å¢ø. «¾ý «Õ§¸ ´Õ ÌÇõ. ÌÇõ ¿¢¨È «øÄ¢ô âì¸û. ÌÇò¾¢ý ¸¨Ã¢ø ´Õ «Ãº ÁÃõ. §¸¡Å¢ÖìÌô À¢ý ´Õ §¸½¢. º¢È¢Ð àÃõ ¿¼óÐ §À¡É¡ø ´Õ §¾¡ð¼õ. «í§¸ ´Õ Á¡ÁÃõ, «¾ý ¸£ú ´Õ À¡õÒô ÒüÚ. º¢Ä ±ÖÁ¢î¨º Áù¸û. º¢Ä ¦¾ý¨É ÁÃí¸û. º¢Ä Å¡¨Æ ÁÃí¸û. ´Õ ¿¡Åø ÁÃõ ¯Â÷óÐ ¿¢ýÈÐ. «ó¾ §¾¡ð¼ò¾¢ø¾¡ý «Ð ¿¼ó¾Ð. ¡§Ã¡ «óò ÅƢ¡¸ §À¡ÉÅ÷ «Å÷ ¸¡¾¢ø §À¡ðΠŢð¼¡÷.

¸ø¡½õ Á£ñÎõ ¸÷ƒ¢ò¾¡÷. '±ýɼ¡ À¡ìÌ§È ? ¸ðμ¡ «Å¨É.' ¸ð¼ §ÅñÊÂÅý º¢ÚÅÉ¢ý ¾¸ôÀý. §ÅÚ ÅÆ¢ þø¨Ä ±ýÚ ÒâóЦ¸¡ñ¼¡ý. ´Õ ¸Â¢üÈ¡ø Á¸¨É རø ¸ðÊÉ¡ý. '±ó¾ ¨¾Ã¢Âò¾¢ø ±ý §ÀÃ¨É ¦¾¡ðÎ ¾ûǢɡý. ±Î¼¡ º¡ð¨¼¨Â.' «Å÷ §¸¡Àõ «¼í¸Å¢ø¨Ä. §¸¡¨È¢ø ¦ºÕ¸¢ þÕó¾ º¡ð¨¼¨Â ±ÎòÐ ¦¸¡Îò¾¡ý ¾¸ôÀý. º¡ð¨¼¨Â Å¡í¸¢ÂÅ÷ ¸¡¾¢ø ±¹¸¢Õ󧾡 Å¢Øó¾Ð ´Õ ÌÃø, ' §Åñ¼¡õ ¾¡ò¾¡'. «Å÷ §ÀÃý ¾¡ý.

«¨¾ ¦À¡ÕðÀÎò¾Å¢ø¨Ä «Å÷. º¡ð¨¼¨Â ¦º¡Î츢 µí¸¢É¡÷. '«õÁ¡' ±ýÈ Ãò¾ò¨¾ ¯¨È ¨ÅìÌõ ÌÃø °÷ ±™Ìõ §¸ð¼Ð. «Ð «ó¾ º¢ÚÅý ÌÃø «øÄ. «Å÷ §ÀÃý ÌÃø. ¸ñ þ¨ÁìÌõ §¿Ãò¾¢ø «Ð ¿¢¸úóÐÅ¢ð¼Ð. རø ¸ð¼ôÀðÊÕó¾ º¢ÚÅÛìÌõ «ÅÕìÌõ þ¨¼Â¢ø §ÀÃý. º¡ð¨¼ §ÀÃý Óи¢ø ¾ý Óò¾¢¨Ã¨Â À¾¢òÐÅ¢ð¼Ð. «Å¨É «ôÀʧ ¸ðÊô À¢ÊòÐ à츢ɡ÷ ¸ø¡½õ . Óò¾¢¨Ã¢ø þÕóÐ ¸º¢ó¾ Ãò¾õ «Å÷ ¨¸Â¢ø À¢ÍÀ¢Íò¾Ð. ¨¸Â¢ø þÕó¾ º¡ð¨¼ ¸£§Æ Å¢Øó¾Ð.

«Å÷ «¨½ôÀ¢ø þÕó¾ §ÀÃý ¦º¡ýÉ¡ý, ' ±ýÉ ¾¡ò¾¡ «Å¨É §À¡Â¢ «Êì¸ §À¡Â¢ðËí¸§Ç. «Åý ¾¡ý ±ý¨É ¸¡ôÀ¡üȢɡý. ' «ÅÕìÌô ÒâÂÅ¢ø¨Ä. §¸ð¼¡÷,' ±ýɼ¡ ¦º¡ø§È? «Åý ¯ý¨É?' '¾¡ò¾¡ ¿¡ý Á¡ÁÃò¾¢ø ²È¢ Á¡í¸¡ö ÀÈ¢ò§¾ý. Á¡í¸¡ö À¡õÒ ÒòЧÁÄ Å¢ØóÐÎîÍ. «¾ ±Îì¸ §À¡§Éý. «ô§À¡ À¡õÒ ¦ÅÇ¢¦Â ÅóÐîÍ. «¾¡ý «Åý ±ý¨É þØòÐ À¢ÊòÐ ¾ûǢɡý. þø§ÄýÉ¡ À¡õÒ ±ý¨É.. ' «Å÷ ÒâóÐ ¦¸¡ñ¼¡÷.

¾¡ò¾¡ «¨½ôÀ¢ø þÕó¾ §ÀÃý ¾ý¨É Å¢ÎÅ¢òÐ즸¡ñÎ «ó¾ ¾Ä¢ò º¢ÚÅ¨É §¿¡ì¸¢ ¿¸÷ó¾¡ý. «Å¨É ¸ðÊ «¨½òÐ즸¡ñ¼¡ý. ¸ðÊ¢Õó¾ ¸Â¢ü¨È «Å¢úòРŢð¼¡ý. ¾¡ò¾¡ «Å¨É ¾Îì¸Å¢ø¨Ä.

º¡ð¨¼ ¸£§Æ ¸¢¼ó¾Ð. «¨¾ ¡Õõ ±ÎòРܨâø ¦ºÕ¸Å¢ø¨Ä. «ÅÕõ ¦º¡øøÅ¢ø¨Ä. ÀÂòмý À¡÷òÐ즸¡ñÊÕó¾ þÕ º¢ÚÅ÷¸ÙìÌõ ²§¾¡ Òâó¾Ð §À¡ø þÕñ¾Ð. ¬É¡ø ¸ø¡½òÐìÌ ¿ýÈ¡¸ Òâó¾Ð. «Å÷ º¡õáˆÂõ ¿¢Ãó¾ÃÁ¡¸ Á¡È¢ Å¢ð¼Ð.


( þ¨¾ §À¡ø Á¡È¡¾ º¡õáˆÂí¸û ÀÄ þýÛõ ¾Á¢Æ¸ò¾¢ø þÕì¸ò¾¡ý ¦ºö¸¢ýÈÉ )

[pavalamani pragasam]

º×ì¸Ê §À¡Ä ´Õ À¡¼õ. ¯¨ÈìÌÁ¡ ¯¨Èì¸ §ÅñÊÂÅ÷¸ÙìÌ? ¾¸ôÀýº¡Á¢ Áɨ¾ ¦¸¡û¨Ç ¦¸¡û¸¢È¡ý

[gragavan]

«Õ¨ÁÂ¡É ¸¨¾. º×측ø «Êò¾¡ü §À¡ø ¿£¾¢ ¦º¡øĢ¢Õ츢ýÈ£÷¸û.

[jn]

turantu veedu, savukkaNdi...graamaththukke uriya pEchchu vazhakku, eLiya nadai..siRiya kadhaiyil uyarvaana karuththu, ellaam arumai Rak
kalyaaNaththin saamraajyaththaip paarththu ellaa saamraajiyangaLum maaRanum

[stranger]

It is an excellent short story with a serious message which of course very much needed for our society! Though it is fictional, it sounds more like a real experience of the author!

Great job, raj!

[rajraj]

pp,ragavan,jn and stranger,

Hope you all had fun-filled deepaavaLi. Thank you for your encouraging words. I tried my hand at writing after about 45 years. It is good to know that you think that I still have some writing left in me!

stranger: Yes. There is some personal experience in the story. The village described exists and happens to be my ancestral village founded by my great grandfather with one large house (also in the story). The two dalit streets are still there separated from the 'village'. Now, buses ply on the road I laid the foundation for in 1957. There is a bridge on the river to connect the villages on both sides. Retirees have returned to the roost. It is no longer a family owned village. Last time I visited the village I noticed considerable progress - college education for all children seems to be the minimum. Rice cultivation has been augmented with other crops. But, the old hospitality is still there!

[stranger]

Good to know about remarkable developments and ever-lasting hospitality of "your village", raj!