The White Light Calling - Episode 3

[iniyamalar]

It was raining.

Thamirabharani seemed like it was having a race with the rain. The workers on the field had taken a temporary shelter from the rain in a stone ‘mandapam’(mandap) near the river and were enjoying themselves. She thought she could even hear them sing ‘themmangu’ (a folk song). Slanting rays of rain slashing through the lintel roof made another kind of music. The view had a new makeover with the rain.

Something smelled great. She breathed in deeply. Wow. this is what they call “Man Vasanai”(the smell of earth). Chemba loved this moment, this climate and this solitude. With only the music of rain, the faintest sound of women singing and the occasional drip drop of rain from the lintel onto the platform near her, it felt like heaven on earth.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” a deep voice interrupted her ‘tapaz’ on nature. She turned back irritated.

“Hi. Sorry to bother you. But..ah..” Madhanan paused for a moment looking at her and then “You looked like a beautiful painting just now” he said suddenly.

“What?”Chemba gaped at him.

“Yeah ! The window framing you in that gray canvas of rain, You looked so divine and contented and your smile was nothing short of Monalisa’s. Seriously, I didn’t want to disturb you, I would rather sit there and watch you all day but, you are wanted back in the hall.” As if he had done what he came for, he gave a short nod, a quick smile and went in. Chemba was staring at him. Wow. What was that? Did he shamelessly flirt with her just now? Or was it an innocent compliment?

“Chemba!”Meenakshi’s voice reverberated through the veranda.

“Coming.”she rolled her eyes and jumped down from the window settee.

The hall overlooking the huge ‘mutram’(indoor patio) was full.

Paandurangan, meenakshi, mangalam, Vanks, sekhar, Oviya, Smitha, Vikram and even Maruthan was there. The hall furnished in teak wood masterpieces and beautiful paintings looked too majestic in front of the open patio which was simple, clean and void save for a huge vessel kept in the middle to collect rain water. The rain was playing peek-a-boo in that open patio and the drizzling made the red oxide floored hall much cooler.

Mathanan was just settling down in a floor cushion beside Vikram when chemba entered.

“Ada. Thambi(a way to call younger boys), please sit on a couch. Why do you sit on the floor?” Meenakshi felt uneasy.

“Easy aunty. It’s ok. I am not a royal blood like you guys and I am comfortable here. I like sitting on this kind of floor. It’s cool and comfortable.”

"Just leave him be, my dear aunt. He is always like that. a very simple fellow" vikki praised him and mathan punched him playfully in his arms saying"enough already".

“Vikram can’t sit cross legged like you since he was a kid, he is so used to sitting in a chair. It’s a wonder how an American born Indian like you can sit so easily like that.” Mangalam looked amused.

“You are an American born Indian?” Oviya chirped.

He shrugged as a matter of factly.

“But nothing about you looks American. Except may be your accent, but I thought,You went there for you higher studies.” Smitha interjected.

“Well, I was born and brought up in Aberdeen, South Dakota. My grandfather, a tamilian married an American woman, that was my loving granny when she came to India for a tour and they went back to my granny's place.My Dad came back to Chennai and got married to my Mom who was a dance teacher in Kalashetra. That was my granny’s idea. She always wanted to strengthen the bond between us and India. She insisted my Dad to marry a tamil girl and so I was born. I never came to India before this, but I probably know more about Tamilnadu than most of you guys, atleast more than Vangs”, he gave a slap on his friend’s back as he said that.

Oviya was still searching something on his face.

“What?” he smiled at her.

“I don’t see any western gene on you. No blue eyes, no blond hair except for that height.” She concluded her examination.

“Oh I forgot to say, My granny was a half native American lady by origin.”

“Oh..” everyone said in chorus.

“So tell us about your other friends vikki. Not an autobiography like madhan but shorter version “ Chemba said in a flourish and looked at madhan. He sat there smiling unabashedly.

“We were all roommates during our senior year of college. Though, each one is in each direction these days. This is Venkatachalapathy alias vangs he is working in a US equity firm. He owns a 5 acre house and a Ferrari car.”

“And i hope you have his jathagam?(birth chart). You speak like his match maker man.”Chemba pulled his leg and the girls laughed, even paandurangan joined them.

“Yeah very funny” he grated and continued.”This is shekar, working in Princeton university neuroscience institute as an assistant research staff.”

“And he owns?” Oviya grinned. “Nothing” shekar smiled humbly.

“Sorry,we were just..”

“Oh please! no formalities here. I am your friend too.”

“Shekar is a very brilliant fellow” Mathan dipped a piece of ‘bonda’ in coconut chutney and thrust it in his mouth.

“Mm.. heavenly.”he said.

“Yeah, and he is my boss” shekar pointed at mathan.

“you are a scientist?” all the girls asked him in unison. Mathan’s bonda stood still in front of his mouth.

“What ? why is that a crime here? shouldn’t I be a scientist?”

“Nah..You didn’t strike as such type.”

“Yeah. Dude. Like I say. You are too good looking to be a scientist. You know what I mean.?”Vangs said.

“Ok. Enough about us let’s know something about the ladies.” Madhan provoked the girls.

“Ok.. this is Oviya, my friend, studying M. sc maths in Madras Christian college. This is Smitha studying M.A economics in stella maris and I am chemba alias shenbaga valli studying M.tech in anna university.” Chemba introduced.

“Is that enough?”She asked.

“I guess” mathan shrugged.

“An economist! Nice.” Vangs smiled at smitha and smitha smiled back shyly.

“But how come?” sekhar started.

“We are friends from school” chemba answered his unfinished question.

“Well, since the introductions are over. Let us get on with the next thing in the agenda. What’s the plan for tomorrow? Where are we going?” Vangs started.

“You guys are fast. You didn’t even inform us coming today. Mangal even you didn’t tell me. We could have sent them a car.”

“Didn’t we reach here safely aunty? Besides we want to do it our own way. So don’t mistake us. Uncle can you arrange a trekking trip for us to the agathiya hills and agathiya koodam. I really want to go there. How about you girls?” mathan seemed to be speaking for the guys.

“Oh. Yes we are ready. Let’s take maruthan with us. I heard he is from those parts. I bet he knows the hills like the back of his hand. Won’t you marutha? And we can ask annamma to make some snacks to go with us. Can we bathe in the falls these days mom? Then we need to take an extra set of dress as well. Torch, penknife, thick boots, water bottle,What else? ”chemba was planning happily.

“This is not chingara Chennai or your happy hippy United states. You cannot plan things on your own here. Chemba you are not going on any trekking trip and that is final.” Paandurangan spoke firmly and walked out with a matching expression.

The hall fell silent.

Chemba sat silently. She was shaking with anger. she clutched her fist tightly to control the tears that were dangerously close.

Smitha was the one to break the silence. “I have been meaning to ask you aunty. What is wrong with uncle? Why is he so against chemba coming here or now going out?”

Meenakashi started after a brief silence which she took to take a deep breath.

“Her father is an old fashioned man smitha mma. His grandfather was a great astrologer and so was his uncle. He is the reason for all the confusions. Chemba’s father had great respect on his uncle. He never did anything important without asking him. When chemba attained puberty he went to his uncle to chart her horoscope.”

Meenakshi took a gulp of her masala tea without even giving a glance over it. She then continued.

Her father’s family has a long history. We come from a disconnected (due to dispute) lineage of ramnad sethupathi (straight descendant of kilavan sethupathi) family who were appointed as chieftans of nayak period tirunelveli. After the dispute though, they remained secluded with this huge chunk of land and this huge nayakar period house as a reminder of their broken chain. But they retained their royal habits and other stuff. People in our circle do that. But we, I mean myself and mangalam come from sivagangai nachiyar family and we are not so old fashioned as chemba’s father. He is immersed in old beliefs, astrology, siddha puranas and stuff like that.

She took another break before continuing. The whole group was watching her with great interest, including chemba who was always given an excuse for an answer whenever she asked about these things.

“Looking at chemba’s chart his uncle had told some gibberish to her father. He totally believes it to this date and that is the problem.”

“ayyo aunty you speak like tamil tvchannel mega serial director. You told all unnecessary details but yet to tell the important stuff. What did his uncle say to him?” Oviya asked restlessly.

Meenakshi smiled and continued” he had told that, chemba will get into a big trouble, one that might turn fatal if she comes here to her hometown. It seems she was a princess in one of her previous births, who tried to save a young knight and a huge treasure.”

“Wow. Nice story. You really can start a new mega serial with is aunty.”

“Yeah, listen to what he said after that. “Paandu, how much ever you try to stop her she will come here as she had come back in every birth, she will go to the hills and there she is to die for her knight again. She will find the treasure or not only god will tell. But she will die there in the hills.” That was his exact words.

“Oh! my god. Now this is turning horrible. No wonder uncle is worried. Aren’t you aunty?” Oviya had horror stuck to her face.

Meenakshi simple shrugged. " Don't you see the absurdity in this? I don't believe in reincarnations and i don't believe in astrology. You know what? As per my birth chart, I will not mother a child. But look at her" She smiled proudly at her daughter.

Still Chempa sat silently.

“Now do you understand why your father is like this, and why i didn't tell anything about these to you my dear?”Mangalam slightly caressed chemba's cheek and asked in a husky voice.

But Chemba with her head bent down was still so quite . Mathan could sense her feelings. He stopped vangs who was about to say something.

Smitha looked at him and understood and so did Oviya.

“Ok, what is for dinner. I think I am hungry.” Oviya was good at changing topics.

“You always are.” teased shekar. Everyone tried to make the situation lighter but chemba was still silent.

They thought she was angry on her father. But was she?

No. Chemba was confused and shocked. She was starting to think about her dreams.

The ones she seems to be getting quite often recently. The dreams which she didn’t say a word about, even to her best friends.

The dreams in which she rides a white mare on a hillock dressed in off white silk 'sarai'(leggings) and 'kachai'(blouse) and her red 'menpattu' saree (soft silk) flowing behind her. Her long braid jumping up and down in unison with the mare's tail. She could even feel the gushing air brushing her face.

she is riding the horse as a princess.

[chevy]

I remember reading the same "Oviya" "chemba" characters in another story, which one was it?


I like stories where the last line suddenly adds meaning to all the lines before

[Querida]

I like stories where the last line suddenly adds meaning to all the lines before

Great description and dialogue,
I along with Oviya am glad that you did not lengthen like a megaserial and told us nicely what the actual matter was

Hope to read more!

[AudazJay]

Amazing writing Iniyamalar! I can hardly wait to read the rest!
Though some the scenes, particularly "Mathan admiring Chemba" comes across as a little cliched, nevertheless, the candid dialogues shows a novelistic approach to the scene! Keep writing...and faster