The White Light calling - Episdoe 4

[iniyamalar]

Part - 1

The day dawned beautifully. The sun shone into the grilled courtyard that made the rays look like shining spaghetti falls. The youngsters were busy packing for the trekking trip and surfing the net for further info on the trekking path and the two elderly women were busy making orders to the maids for getting their food necessities packed. Everyone was busy and happy. Yes including Chemba. She was going too.

When she told that to her friends, they looked shocked. Even Meenakshi was amazed. “How did you manage to convince your father? It is a miracle”.

“A little game of psychology was all it needed” she winked at her mother.


Chemba had walked up to her father that evening. He was sitting in the garden tending to his favorite rose buds when she went.

“Appa!”

“Mm”

“I understand your position. I can feel the pain you must have gone through all these years.” She said slowly.
He was quietly caressing the petals of the blood red rose. He looked thoughtful and she could see that his forehead was deeply creased, which made him look older. Her father never looked old. He was always the king for her. That’s how he presented himself. She had never seen him this way ever in her life. He looked like he was punishing himself with his thoughts. She felt guilty, but she had to get on with it. This can’t go on any longer.

“But appa, tell me one thing. You think this is going to be true. You believe that some…some danger is waiting for me out there. But what if it was you rather than me? What if you were me? What would you have done appa?
Would you hide like this, scared to face the destiny?

Won’t you challenge yourself to defeat your destiny? Isn’t that what we sethupathis do? Did Vijaya Ragunathan sit like this when Rani Mangammal faced him with huge army? Or did Velu Nachiyar mourn like this, when her husband was killed?

Appa! I don’t want to be scared of something I can’t even see or feel. I am Shenbagavalli Nachiyar born in the great maravar clan. I belong to the bravest ‘veeramangai velu nachiyar’* family and the greatest marava king to be born - ‘para raja kesari vijaya ragunatha sethupathi’* family.

(* please google for more information on these historic characters, if you need)

I am not scared and I won’t hide from whatever is coming after me, not even death.” she announced with her head poised so high. For a moment there, Paandurangan thought ‘velu nachiyar’ herself was standing next to him without her sword.

“Come on dad speak up. Is this what you want your brave princess to do? Do you really want your shenbagavalli nachiyar to live cowardly, or you would rather like her to die bravely?” She uttered these words in utmost care and stopped with that.

Paandurangan stared at her for several moments and then said softly but firmly.

“Call maruthan, I will ask him to make arrangements.”


She was smiling to herself thinking how her father had looked at that very moment.

“Whatever you did, you are better than me in convincing your father and good for you. Now get ready, don’t wear that slimy crepe dupatta dear, you are sure to tear it off up there. Why don’t you guys wear shorts and t-shirts for today?” Meenakshi asked the girls.

Oviya looked at her lovingly and said,”Aunty you are cho chweet. Come on girls. Let’s change.”


It was 9.00 am when they dumped themselves in that heavy duty forest jeep. Maruthan had brought a young boy of about 16yrs old with him. The girls thought he looked very young and innocent for his age and they felt sad to know that he was a deaf and dumb boy.

“He is a kani.” Maruthan beamed as he said.

“What? Kani means fruit right?” Chemba asked.

“Ha…ha.” Mathanan laughed from behind. Chemba turned back and gave him a blazing look. Manmathan,my foot. I hate his grin, she thought to herself.

“I am sorry I didn’t mean to be rude. I really am.” Mathan came very close to her that she could smell his cologne and could even see that day old stubble in close up. Only now did she notice the faint tint of gray in his eyes. That soft glow in them did something to her brain. Suddenly she couldn’t breathe but could hear her heart thumbing louder and faster. What the hell is he doing? she thought.

“Mm…mm” she answered in a muffle and moved an inch away from him, self consciously. He smiled and turned towards Maruthan who was watching them. Chemba took a gulp of fresh air and turned towards the jeep where the girls looked at her with such mischievous look in their eyes. Oh god did they just see that scene? she would have a hard time convincing them now.

Madhan had turned his attention to the boy now. “Kani is the name of the tribal community who lives in the agasthya hills right?” he asked Maruthan. Everyone stared at him now.

“Yes, sir. How do you know?”

“Oh! It’s all there in the internet, no big deal” he said and jumped in the jeep.

“So he will be of more help to you sir.”Maruthan’s eye glittered with respect .

”no big deal” Chemba made faces to Oviya and Smitha and they couldn’t help but giggle.

“What?” vikki asked them from the front.

“Ah nothing... just some girls joke.” smitha said sheepishly.

“O..k.. fine. Let’s start, anyone wants to say anything before starting?” he asked.

“Mani mm pO( Mani go).” Chemba ordered suddenly.
All eyes were at her.

“What did you just say?”

“Me.. I didn’t .. I was about to say kani go... I am sorry. Isn’t that kani boy driving?
No?
ok.. My bad! ” She flustered and put her head down.

“You are going nuts” Oviya slapped her shoulder playfully and settled in. Mathan gave a short ‘are you alright?’ look and then turned back.

“Oh god this guy is killing me” she thought, but all the same she was quite confused herself. Why on earth did she say that? And who the hell is Mani?

[iniyamalar]

Part - 2



1.00 pm
Agasthiyar falls.

“Chada..chada….chada..”sound of the falls mingled with chirping of those ‘god knows what’ birds - sounds like a rhythmic music to our ears .The cool breeze that comes huddling the scent of some nice herbs with it, brush past us as we go near the falls. We can hear the giggles and the laughter of the girls, the high pitched yowls and the huge splashes from the guys. They are certainly having fun.
The nature was watching the dance of youth, like us (readers) with a muted smile.

“Wow. That was fun.”Oviya was grooming her wet hair. Smitha looked paler than her usual color because of being in the water for a long time. They had been playing and bathing in the secluded part of the beautiful agasthiyar falls.

“ Yep! You bet it was. To think, that I had missed these things for all these years.”

“Ayyo.. will you stop your ‘mokkai’(boring) fm? How long will you be saying the same thing da kanna(way to call a loved one). Come on dress up fast. You look like a …mm.. nothing” Oviya moved alongside a big rock to change into a fresh dress.

“What what do I look like? Fresh cow dung?” Chemba with her hands in her hip looked at her menacingly.

“Gosh, no. You look like a freshly bloomed rose bud that is wet and breathing.”

“Aey..”

“Seriously, you should have listened to your mom about changing into something else.” In that salwar kameez.. Well just beware of mathan”

“What?”

“Yeah , I saw how he was looking at her” smitha joined them and both the girls smiled evil.

“And just what did you both do there in front of the jeep today?” Smitha asked .

“That? I can’t believe he came that close… in front everybody. It was …shh.. I felt shivers you know.”

“Do you hear that Smitha? She is worried because he did that in front of ‘everybody’. So you probably wouldn’t have felt that shivers" she enacted shivering dramatically and said "if he had done that in private right?”She winked. Chemba threw the wet salwar on her.

“Just hold your horses you naughty girls... Oviya aren’t you hungry?” Chemba asked her as she tried to change the topic and change her dress.

“Yeah, Nice try. Speaking of which, I AM hungry.”Oviya discovered and the other girls laughed.

When Chemba came out in white cotton shirt and khaki shorts, Smitha stared at her.

“Oh why does she do that?” She asked Oviya sadly.

“What? What did I do?” Chemba was confused. Oviya giggled.

“It’s nothing Chemba, We are fairer than you slimmer than you and we also use makeup and we take pride in collecting nice fitting garments. But you, you look kind of..I don’t know what, attractive? That too in the simplest things like this wrinkled white shirt. What? You think you are Lady Indiana jones?”

“Oh stop it ok. You know you both are beautiful and stylish than me. Just give up acting and lets go” Chemba said.

“Ok..ok.. you better be extra careful with..”

“I know who. Now shall we move on?”

“yes ,move on..move on..move on..” Oviya sang like the fast track watch advt.



Hey! Girls are you ready for lunch? Vangs came along when they went near the jeep.

“Wow. Chemba you look cool. You too, smitha. That pink top is so becoming you.”

He smiled at her admiringly.

“mmkmm”. Oviya cleared her throat. “Oh! Please don’t get me wrong. You are always looking good.”

“Who asked all that? Where is the picnic basket?”



They had a good meal. The plan was to go to bana theertham and then to karaiyar dam lower camp. That was where they were going to stay for the night. From there they will start early in the morning. The plan was executed without any hindrance until evening.

It was late in the evening and the sun was lazy and was setting slowly behind the hills , when they reached karaiyar dam lower camp.

“All the formalities are done with. The forest department people told that they would send two more people for our safety. But we said no need.” Vikki was telling them. They sat in a circle around a small campfire eating bread. The meal is to be meager and simple for them to make the trip easier.

Oviya asked vikki chewing the bread” why did you say no? They could have been of some use.”

“But it would not be fun and besides, it won’t be good for the plan we are having right now. We are not going to go in the usual path. We are going to take the path less travelled.” Vikram said in an excited voice. Chemba went still.

“Don’t you think that is dangerous?” She asked suddenly.

“Oh! Please don’t tell me you are scared. This is going to be fun. And besides we have kuttan, the kani boy to help us. We would never be lost. We have all the right equipment and the latest satellite phones to help us track each other. What could go wrong?”

“Are you alright Chemba?”Oviya asked concerned.

“Yeah” she said meekly.

“Guys, if the girls are not feeling ok with this, let’s take the usual route.” Mathan spoke to vikram.” Yeah it is not wise to take them if they don’t feel good about it. What do you think Vangs?” asked Shekar who was silent all along.

“Yeah ..whatever” Vangs was more interested in the piece of bread in his hands.

“It’s ok guys. I am alright. Let’s go. I am sure nothing will go wrong.” Chemba smiled reassuringly and started to nibble at her bread.

But something told her deep inside, that everything was going to go wrong and a cold voice inside her whispered to her that she was not going to return home from here alive. The dark branches of trees which were wavering in the cold breeze seemed to second her thought. Chemba went cold suddenly.

[pavalamani pragasam]

The plot is thickening!
Interesting narration!

[AudazJay]

Very very interesting! Keep writing Iniyamalar...and faster please! Tension thange mudiyala

[iniyamalar]

Hai PPmam, jay

Thanx for the continuous support.