The White Light Calling - Episode 2

[iniyamalar]

Episode 2:

Ambasamudram Junction.

Brightly painted black and yellow board smiled at her. The train stopped with a jolt which sent her swaying slightly. She was standing readily at the door ,blocking the entrance, taking in the clean and fresh early morning air into her nostrils straight to her lungs. Heavens! who need pranayama? She smiled with her eyes closed.

“elaa, engittu ponaamle avan?”(hey where did he go?) someone nearby was shouting to his companion in beautiful nellai tamil. Chemba giggled. Lord she was waiting for this day for years. How long had it been?20 years?

“Hey get down yaar.. What are you waiting for.?”Oviya pushed her from behind.

“ She is probably looking for someone to come with band music and huge garland?”smitha teased her.

“Oy..shut up”

“yemmaa? Chuvama irukeeyala?embuttu varushamaachu. Chinnapullaila ungala paathathu”(How are you?. Haven’t seen you for years.) maruthan came running to her and took her bag from behind her as he spoke to her.

“Mm. You are …?”

“Maruthan ma,,”

“Oh right. How are you? Daddy didn’t come ?”

“No madam.” (Maruthan doesn’t know even abcd but speaks a wonderful tamil of nellai slang. since this is a English novel ..just for us we will have him speak in English. shall we?”)

“Marutha how are you?” Rajamangala naachiyar skillfully dragged down her huge form to the platform. It’s a wonder how she carries her big frame in places like this, that too with such grace. Chemba smiled to herself.

“Fine Madam. car is waiting outside. Shall we go?”

“Mm. I guess we got all the luggage and all the girls. Lets go.” Rajamangala naachiyar is chemba’s aunt. Meenakshi naachiyar’s younger sister. They lived in Chennai, and that was chemba’s residence for almost twenty years. Not anymore she swore to herself. Daddy you are angry because I came here right? Wait till you know my future plan.

“Hello Madam. Started to dream now itself?” Oviya poked her from behind.

“Nah, I was just admiring my beautiful hometown which is as new to me as to you.” She smiled and they all walked towards the gate.

Meenakshi was running here and there. The “Aranmanai” with new coat of painting was already getting ready for the ceremony.

“Pom..Pom..”

The huge metal gate opened without a creak and in came an Innova.

“Holy mother of Jesus. Is this your house?”Smitha couldn’t take her eyes off the house.

“Yes” chemba whispered for she herself was too immersed in the beauty and grandeur of the house even from a distance.

When their car had turned that curve, she saw it. It was breathtaking.

A huge nayakkar style palace was peeking out of the tree tops bunched within a thick eight foot wall. The Huge gate with marble arch stood worth for a fort and the cute yellow flower creepers hugging the arch tightly vaguely came to her memories. The whole house stood like a centerpiece in the otherwise green canvas painting. It was in the middle of the paddy field which was in full form, swaying slightly in the breeze like a shy young Indian girl. The canvas ended with a thin line of silver running sparkling beside the fields. Thamira bharani river. Chemba felt anger seeping in her.

How could this daddy, deprive me off this beauty. Not fair at all.

The gate opened and her jaw dropped.

Nothing prepared Oviya for this. “Oh! my God. You are a princess..” she uttered with utmost sincerity. Chemba laughed nervously. Even she was unnerved by the size of the house.

“Wow I feel like I have time traveled.” smitha joined them.

“Do you remember your house my dear?”

“How the hell could you forget a p(a)lace like this?”smitha chided her.

“Oh shut up, It was twenty years ago ok?”

“Ok..Ok.. keep your smiles on. There comes your mother chemba.”

Meenakshi stood at the top of the long and wide marble stairs which lead to the tall pillar covered open veranda.

“Mummy..”she ran to her and the proud mother hugged her tightly with tearful eyes, which she managed to wipe off gracefully before saying

“Welcome home my dear daughter.”

“vinnum mannum pOtrum
Vaenkatappa naickarin veera thalapathy Vazarkudi veeramagalae..
Ilavarasi shenbagavalli naachiyar avargalae…varuga varuga..”
( The brave woman of a brave and royal lineage who stood proudly beside the great king venkatappa naicker.
Princess shenbagavalli naachiyar. We welcome you.)

“Dad..”. Paandurangan waited near the door with arms outstretched. she ran to her father. Her anger had fled without a trace.

The house was getting noisier. Before it was just Meenakshi , Paandurangan, the maids and workers who were always quite and polite. But now with the girls in , the huge house and it’ s acoustics made the noise louder. The squeals and laughter could be heard in the nearby paddy fields where the women giggled among themselves.

That morning they were greeted by a news. Chemba and her friends were sitting in the 30 seat dining hall overlooking the river eating delicious pongal, vada, sambar.

“Aunty some more please. Hey, chemba your cook is too good. He is fit to be the chief chef of taj” Oviya chatted away between her slurps of sambar.

“Mangalam, when is vikraman and his father coming?” Meenakshi asked. Vikraman was mangalam’s only son and he was also the reason why chemba had come here. It was his marriage. It was a love and arranged marriage. He had fallen in love with a simple girl and his parents had accepted it graciously. Mangalam herself had gone out of their royal lineage and married a young army officer who came here during an emergency period. They then went to several places before settling in Chennai with a good business. By then vikraman was ten years old and that was when chemba went to live with them. Though Vikraman was chemba’s cousin, they were more like real brother and sister. And now it was the time to tie the knot and that was one great excuse for chemba.

“Vikraman’s dad will come next week only. But Vikram and his friends will come today.”

Well that was new to her. “ Chithi. I didn’t know vikki planned to bring in friends this early. I mean, we still have three weeks for the wedding.”

“I know but they too had planned like you to make a good vacation trip around. Maybe you guys can go together. It is always safer to go with guys.”

“That depends on how safe the guys are.”
“Mmm. Vikraman always has good taste.”

“Yeah,.hey you guys know anyone who likes to eat payasam with vathakolambu?”

“Yikes who does that?” Oviya acted like she was about to puke. Chemba smiled wickedly.

“You naughty little monkeys, wait till he come with his friends. And who knows you might even fall for them.”

“ah..lets see what mathana rajas he is going to bring.”

“yemma..”Maruthan called from the foyer.

“I think they are here.”

“What already? Oh god. Chemba do I look ok?”smitha hurriedly adjusted her hair and checked herself in a huge ornate mirror on the wall.

“You look just like a morning fresh dew dipped…..”smitha brightened at oviya’s compliment.

“Cow dung” oviya finished and smitha threw a piece of vada on her. chemba laughed heartily.

“Chemba” it was her mother’s voice.

“Ok girls. Put on your good girl mask and follow Me.” chemba led them to the main hall.

“Hi! Vikram. How was your journey?”

“Great. Chemba meet my friends. Sekhar, venkat alias vanks and ..where is he da?”

“Hey! dude.. Come on up.” Vanks called upon someone in the front room. Who could it be? chemba thought. He came in.

“Guys this is my cousin sister Chemba and Chemba this is my best friend” he pointed at the new guy.

“Hi I am Mathanan.” Looking tall, dark and handsome, he smiled brightly at her.

“Well he sure is manmathan” oviya whispered.
__________________[/u]

[pavalamani pragasam]

Very interesting!

[Querida]

Hi Iniyamalar,

what a pleasant story you have woven here,
your descriptions are so vivid that it brings to mind many a shot from Bharathiraja's movies . Please do continue

[AudazJay]

Hi Iniyamalar,

what a pleasant story you have woven here,
your descriptions are so vivid that it brings to mind many a shot from Bharathiraja's movies . Please do continue

+1. Waiting to read more

[chevy]

Hi Iniyamalar,

what a pleasant story you have woven here,
your descriptions are so vivid that it brings to mind many a shot from Bharathiraja's movies . Please do continue

second that