THE PALADIN'S MOTHER

It was Meera, Nafeeza’s neighbour’s daughter who had first told her about it the next day. ‘Nafeezumma, did you hear about the bombing and firing? Its all over the news, come home and see it on TV. There has been a terror attack in Delhi.’ Nafeeza hurried over to Meera’s house. There it was, the horrific images playing back to back on the TV. Images of blood splattered across the ground, clothes, shoes and baggage drenched in blood strewn across, relatives of the victims huddles up, their faces grief stricken, many of them crying, some too shocked to react. Fire and smoke were emanating from the building nearby. Nafeeza watched in horror as journalists and reporters frantically tried to brief the viewers on what had happened. ‘How can people do this Nafeezumma? How can people be so cruel? Look at that small kid crying! Why does this happen?’ Meera looked at her old and wise neighbour who always had answers for her. But Nafeeza could not say anything. Indeed, why would anyone want to do all this? She knew the pain of having lost a child. And now, probably two. Why?  She had no answer. Quietly cursing the evil times, she left from the place.

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'Ameena, could you come here for a moment?’ Nafeeza called out to her daughter.

‘What happened umma?’ Ameena asked irritably. She was obviously annoyed at having been summoned when she was busy at whatever it was that she was doing.

‘Could you get me a glass of water child? I had a bad dream today’.

‘How many times have I asked you not to sleep during the day? You worry so much and you keep thinking about bad things, then why wouldn’t you have bad dreams? Hold on I’ll get you water’. 

‘I saw Afzal’, Nafeeza whispered.  

Ameena gave her the glass of water and pretended not to listen.

‘I saw Afzal in my dream Ameena. He... he doesn’t look well’. Nafeeza accepted the glass with trembling hands. She shivered slightly. She looked at Ameena for some response but Ameena remained passive. She appeared to not have listened to anything her mother had said. 

‘I’m talking to you Ameena. Can’t you hear me?  I’m telling you that your brother is not well and you choose not to listen? How can you not care?’

‘Umma! He’s been gone for 7 years now!! Seven years! We have no idea where he is, no letter, and no calls! If he were still alive, surely he would’ve tried to contact us by now! I’m tired of telling this to you umma. Please get this into your head once and for all.’

‘Afzal would never have spoken to me like that. He was not a good student but he was a good kid, my Afzal. He’d never have let you speak to me like that’, wept Nafeeza.

Ameena looked apologetic now. She sat next to her old mother, ‘umma, I didn’t mean to be rude or hurt you. You are worrying yourself for a lost cause. We’ve been trying to tell you for two years now. Haven’t we searched enough umma? See how weak you have become worrying yourself? Where is that old strong umma of mine? You’re not one to live a lie. All I’m saying is once you accept the truth you might be able to handle it better than being hopeful and worrying yourself. I love you umma.’

‘I have hope Ameena. That is why I’m still talking to you. I will never lose hope Ameena. Nothing and no one can survive without hope. Your brother is out there somewhere and I know he isn’t well now. I’m a mother, I’d know.’

Ameena shook her head. She has known her mother for 19 years. She was not one to give up so soon. And all along when the rest of the family was convinced that Afzal was no more in this world, Nafeeza never listened. She would always accuse them of not caring enough. That, had Ameena’s father still been alive, he would’ve found out about Afzal’s whereabouts. Nafeeza believed that her son was trapped somewhere with no means of escape and no way to reach them. And she fiercely believed in it.

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Nafeeza was old and weak and arthritis had rendered her unable to walk without a limp. If it wasn't for her tremendous will power, she would've been crippled by now. But she wasn't someone to give up so soon. It has been years since her husband died and she had looked after her children all by herself. Her first son had died of a hole in his heart when he was only one. Now she had two daughters a son. The eldest daughter was married to a man and lived in Dubai. The youngest daughter, Ameena, had finished studying and was at home. Her uncles were searching for a suitable groom for her, which wasn't very difficult. Ameena was a beautiful girl, much like her mother and had many suitors. As for her son, Afzal, Nafeeza had no idea where he was. 

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Three blasts-gun fires without ceasing-3 terrorists killed-2 still inside the building. Nafeeza was still trying to grasp the magnitude of the event the next morning when her brother ushered her into her room. ‘Did you see the news paper Nafee?’ 

‘No iqqa, I saw the news at Meera’s place yesterday…’ 

‘They are looking for an Afzal’, her brother cut her short. Nafeeza stopped abruptly. Her eyes shot at her brother, first with shock and then disbelief. She struggled for a minute to come up with the right words and then slowly said, ‘My Afzal would never be part of such an execrable deed. That is not how I raised him.’ 

‘Oh Nafee, we don’t know where he has been for the past 7 years. How do you know this is not our Afzal? I’m sure people are talking now Nafee. Everyone knows we don’t know where Afzal is. What do we tell them?’ her brother snapped.

‘Tell them the truth iqqa; that we don’t know where Afzal is. But the Afzal they are looking for is not my Afzal. I know for sure.’

‘Ha! Your Afzal was never good for anything. I don’t think I have any doubts. He is not good for anything else. He was insecure and ashamed of himself. He sounds like someone who would do something like this’

Nafeeza tried hard not to scream. ‘You thought he was dead. You all thought he was dead and gone. How can you be sure it is him now? You never appreciated the kid when he was here. Stop blaming him for everything. He is not with us now; leave him alone at least now! Let him be, please iqqa. I know my Afzal will not do such a heinous thing. He will not. He surely will think of his umma. He may have been an under achiever but he was a good boy’, fought back Nafeeza. ‘Leave me be iqqa. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. You can tell the whole world whatever you want to. But I know it isn’t true. My Afzal is a good boy’, she said storming out of the place.

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There was not a single day that Nafeeza did not worry about Afzal and his well being; even before he had gone missing. As a child, he had been bad at academics while both his sisters where outstanding students. When his father was alive, he would always compare him to his sisters and mock him for being beaten by two girls. He was a subdued child, who preferred staying at home than going out to play. The neighbourhood children laughed at him for being a milksop. But in spite of all the jeering and sneering, Afzal preferred to stay at home, lost in his world of books and poems or talking to his mother. Nafeeza had a natural soft corner for this child of hers. She believed he was timid and was artistic, but artistic men were never recognized in their own time. She believed her son was special and had the makings of a great man, but her husband used to laugh at her when she told him so. ‘Haha! Afzal? No no Nafeeza, don’t fool yourself. He is a shy boy, not fully grown. He cannot survive on his own. Look at him; he prefers sleeping on your lap to getting dirty in the mud. He is a boy Nafeeza, a boy! How can a boy be so?’ he used to say. His father did love him, but never believed he had any special qualities. Nafeeza often suspected that her husband was ashamed of his only living son and that pained her. She loved Afzal more than her other children for he was always with her and seemed to love her more than he loved anyone else. She loved him more than anyone else because he was mocked at by the others, and she didn’t want him to feel neglected. Afzal was her everything. Yes she loved her daughters, but Afzal was special.

And yet, seven years back when one of his uncles had slapped him for not being able to get a job, he had left her without a word. Initially she had thought he had gone to the lodge nearby and that he’d return the next day. But he never did. She waited for days, weeks and months, hoping for a letter or call from her son but none came. The rest of the family tried to search everywhere, or so they said, but Afzal was nowhere to be found. They had no hopes anymore, not after these 7 years that a boy so attached to his mother could stay away for so long. They were assured that Afzal was dead. But Nafeeza didn’t believe that. Something told her he was alive, and now she worried for something told her he was in danger now. 

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She was not going to believe her brother. What did he know? He never knew her son like she did. He would never do such a thing. So many murders? Surely he wouldn’t. He believed in the goodness of deeds. He was an artistic kid who loved the beauty of nature and its creatures. He could never kill someone. He was a timid and quiet boy, not a rebel. He wouldn’t bomb buildings and shoot at people. He wouldn’t even hold a gun in his hand. Why did he have to? He would think of her, his sisters and all those people who loved him and cared for him. But then, did he know how much they cared? Had she not shown enough care, given him enough love? Didn’t he know how it felt to lose someone you love? He had heard from Nafeeza; about how much she grieved his brother’s death. He would never kill anyone. No he wouldn’t. She was sure of that.

But the fact remained that he had been missing for seven years. Nafeeza knew nothing about his whereabouts or what he did for a living. What if??

NO! She dared not think about that. She might have had as well thought him to be dead. Dead and gone than be associated with such God forbidden evil deeds. She was confused and old and very weak. Her mind was playing tricks on her. Even if the entire world thought he was a terrorist, she wouldn’t believe them. She couldn’t believe things had come to this, her son, her only son, being termed a murderer. 

Even if it was him, it wasn’t his fault. He was a neglected child. No one had accepted him for what he was. That would’ve been the reason he was misled into everything. People would understand that, wouldn’t they? They’d forgive him. He was Nafeeza’s son, everyone loved Nafeeza. She was a nice loving woman and her son had made a mistake, that’s all. But to kill so many people? Was that a mistake? Should she report him to the police? But her only son! What if he was indeed dead? She would be torturing him even in his death. What was she to do?

And she cried, like she had never cried before. She cried for her Afzal, for her deceased husband, for her first son. She cried for everyone she had lost. She cried as the entire nation mourned the deaths of many innocent victims. She cried, hoping that would wash away her son’s sins. She didn’t want to believe it was her Afzal, but iqqa had been so sure of the accusation. What if it was indeed her boy? She cried for long and then slowly drifted off to sleep.

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‘Umma!! Umma wake up. Its Afzal, Afzal is on TV. They are showing Afzal!’ Ameena’s high pitched screech woke up Nafeeza from her deep sleep. She had been dreaming of a happy family of four kids and a mother and father. 

‘Umma come to Meera’s house. There is something you have to see. Afzal… he is not dead. His photo is on TV. You were right Umma… he was in danger... He… he is in Delhi…’ she tried to mange before running off to Meera’s place again. 

Nafeeza sat still on her bed. Afzal’s photo was on TV. Her iqqa had been right. Her Afzal, her sweet child was a criminal?? Nafeeza felt numb. She had given birth to a criminal? He didn’t deserve to live then. But he was her son. Her favourite child, how could she will him to die? She was torn between morality and motherly love. She sat there, her eyes moist but too dazed to cry. And then she heard another yell, ‘Nafeezumma!’ She slowly raised her weak body from the bed and walked towards her neighbour’s house. What was there to see? Her son being branded as the most wanted man of the nation? What was left in it to see? She aimlessly walked towards the house. And there she saw him, his photo on the TV. She did not hear anyone around her as she looked at the face she had loved so much. She looked into the eyes that had given her hope and sunshine. And she slumped into a chair nearby.

‘Umma Afzal iqqa is a hero!!’ screamed Ameena. Nafeeza was suddenly shaken out of her trance. ‘What?’ she asked, perplexed. ‘Umma look at the caption! Local boy saves hostages. He helped the army! He is in the hospital but doctors say he will live. Umma, Afzal iqqa is a hero! The country is so proud of him!’

Nafeeza couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her son, her only son was a hero. She had been right all along. She had believed he was alive. She had believed he was not at fault. Her chest swelled with pride. It wouldn’t be long before she talked to her son again. He will come to her, as a man who has achieved something and he will get a hero’s welcome. All was well. She thought about her husband and brother, and a little smile spread across her wrinkled face. She hugged Ameena and Meera and cried. 

‘Why are you crying now Nafeezumma? Isn’t he fine? Aren’t you proud?’

‘Yes sweetheart, I’m proud. I’m very proud. I’m very happy. God is kind. I’m very happy’.

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Faded Colours

His life wasn’t all bad. But it was not exactly what you’d call extraordinary. He went to college, like everyone else; was an average student, like everyone else; had a decent number of friends, like everyone else; went out for an occasional booze party, like almost everyone else; all in all, life was good. But at times he felt there was something lacking. Something told him that his life could be a lot more colourful had it not been for that missing element. And he couldn't understand what it was.

He talked about it to his best friend. Well, best friend because he spent most of his waking hours with the person, and not really because he confided everything in him. His friend suggested maybe it was because he had no girlfriend. Most of the people his age had girlfriends, not any of his close friends but that was just because either they were not interested in the daily drivel associated with relationships, or preferred booze to girls or well, they had no takers. But him? He just had not felt that way about any girl. He didn’t have the so called Greek God looks but he was fairly good looking, presentably so. He had loads of friends, but none so intimate that he thought he could spend the rest of his life with or even attractive in that sense of the word. He considered this possibility for a while… well, it did sound plausible but then he was not the lovelorn types so he dismissed the idea almost immediately. Yes it would be wonderful to have a girlfriend, to have someone you found attractive, charming, loveable, smart, and all that, all at the same time. But that couldn’t be the reason for this void feeling. That was stupid.

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And that’s when he met her. Social networking sites have proven to be better at match making than matrimonial sites of late. As the trend goes, it worked for him as well. It was not love at first site (or first chat). It was a feeling that grew gradually and beautifully. He didn’t remember when it first hit him that he was attracted to this childlike yet occasionally mature whimsical girl. She was not ideal; she was not without flaws. But he couldn’t see them. He was the laconic, subdued guy and she was the animated, chatty girl. He was the guy who always obliged, never got on the wrong books of anyone, never hurt a fly while she was the girl who always spoke her mind. He was the patient listener; she, the vivacious speaker. He was the level headed bloke; she, the spontaneous spitfire. She filled his life with music and colour. She talked about places he had never seen, people he had never met, tunes he had never heard and cultures he had never known. He was amused by her endless stream of topics and her inexhaustible energy. He fell in love with her love for life. He knew then what had always been missing in his life. No, it wasn’t a girlfriend. It wasn’t just any girlfriend. It was her. It was her zeal. It was her presence. Was he in love? He couldn’t tell. For he knew not, what was love. But for now, he knew she was the single most important thing in his life. It was like his life had a renewed meaning now that she was in the world. He did not feel the void anymore. Nights were filled with the sweet tone of her voice; dreams were filled with the hues of her moods; and morning was another reason to talk to her, to see her.

And so they remained, for quite a long time- inseparable. He suddenly discovered a talent in him that he had never known existed before. He took to painting. He was, unlike her, the kinds who did not pour out his feelings to his near and dear ones, so he found another way to vent out his feelings. The sunshine that she was shone in his paintings; yellow and orange a beautiful mix. The night skies in his paintings lighted up with silver stars that were her laughter. It burst onto the trees as cherries in his next. Her hair ruffled in the wind that blew the scarf off the little girl in his painting. He listened to her as she spoke and he drew her in his paintings. He listened to his paintings as they spoke to him. A time came when he knew not what he loved more, her, or his rendition of her. Love, is such a beautiful thing.

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But, somewhere down that beautiful cobbled street, he failed to listen to her completely. Mesmerized by all that she was and all that he wasn’t, he did not see it. He did not see that she was the butterfly who went from flower to flower, giving it reason for existence. The flowers bloomed, bore honey and coloured the bushes in wait for the butterfly; it gave them a purpose, a meaning to life. The flowers lived when it was graced by its touch. It meant no harm, but it could not stay on forever. It had its own reasons perhaps, or maybe it didn’t. But the flowers had to live on.

It was late when he saw the signs. Her laughter did not sound so merry anymore. The colours started fading. His paintings started a transition from yellow to brown. The night skies became pitch black. The morning sun had set and the eerie moonlight cast ghostly shadows in the deserted alleys of his paintings. The bright sparkling waters became dark and still. The bells didn’t toll. The music stopped. The little girl in his painting had tears in her eyes.

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There was a note where they had found him lying- still as a rock and cold as a stone, bathed in a resplendent blend of colours. His palette lay beside him, upturned and empty. There was only one line in the note – ‘my paintings; they stopped loving me.’

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And somewhere a girl lost her laughter, silenced by a cruel fate.

pics courtesy: lizzy forrester

Victims of an inferno maze

The flowers in the vase were still ruby red;
the leaves and thorns still undead.
A beautiful thing it may have seemed,
if it weren’t for the silence ahead.

Paintings on the wall did, some story, say
of old country sides, cows, fields and plenty hay.
A beautiful thing it may have seemed,
had someone cared to see and stay.

A lovely evening festooned the sky.
Hues unknown streaked up high.
A beautiful thing it may have seemed,
but they, beneath, couldn’t see why.

Busy at plenty them puppets were.
Sad faces, tears and pristine black fur.
A dreadful thing it is, for them.
The loss of someone as pure as her.

She was, but ten, such a young soul!
Still, was death right? Even for one old?
A dreadful thing it is, for them.
Them, standing out in the night so cold.

A fire, a blast, few seconds does it last.
It rips and kills and leaves all aghast.
A dreadful thing it is for them,
who live in the shadows the dead cast.

They, who cried, did they not know?
Who killed her, and what be they sow?
A dreadful thing it is, for them
In a cruel world, how do children grow?

But to do a thing, would they dare?
To stop all terror, did they care?
A dreadful thing it is, for them,
Yet what do they do but to stand and stare.

We cry, we mourn, we grieve, we pain.
We do, not a thing and all is in vain.
A dreadful thing it may have seemed.
But who gave a thought? Who was left so sane?

Salvation

The soul dissolves in despair.
The darkness becomes me.
Hiding away from the light of the world,
waiting demons to break my shackles free.

Solitude never felt sweeter
as the vapours of vengeance flow.
O spirits above, help thine sister,
deliver her soul free to let go.

If you thought you could just walk out;
crush past days beneath your feet.
I’ll do your beliefs wrong;
guide you to your defeat.

May your grief keep you company
whilst you try to undo the wrongs.
But the doom of past engulfs you;
as your cries drown with the night songs.

And then the night seems silent.
It whispers summons to early dawn.
I lie beneath the dousing stars;
my soul redeemed, my sores long gone.

Ente Sammaanam

‘I’m sorry’, she half whispered into the phone. Or at least that’s what he could make out of the barely audible words. He had spoken for about 20 minutes trying to explain how they could work things out. He told her it wasn’t as hard as she thought. He was desperately trying to convince her that she was being stupid with this decision. He repeated again and again that she did not have to end things so. At that point of time that was all he could think of doing and probably all he could do. She listened to all of it, not uttering a word. If it weren’t for her muffled sobs and her futile attempts to fight back the tears he would’ve thought she had hung up. She didn’t want him to know she was crying. She was always like that, always strong; or acting so, even at a moment like this. He didn’t know why she did that. He didn’t know why she was doing this. Well he partly did, but he couldn’t understand how she could do this to him, to herself. He tried his best to make her see sense, pleaded to her, praying that his words wouldn’t fail him. They never had, but now was the time when he needed them to work for him the most. It was now or never. And after listening to everything he had to say all she said was, “I’m sorry’ and after a small tear-swallowing pause added, ‘Sorry for everything’. Click. Beep. And the line went dead.
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She was born on a beautiful November morning. One look at his daughter and Keshavan knew exactly what to name her. She was bright like the sun rays on a November morning. He knew her warm smile would cut through the cold winter fog. He had thought of naming her ‘Sita’, after the greatest and most strong willed woman he had ever read of, but as he cradled this tiny new born miracle that glowed in his arms, he changed his mind and whispered into her ears, ‘Tejaswini’.
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Tejaswini didn’t know how long she had been standing there. For her, time had frozen. Everything had frozen around her. Her own thoughts were like the old broken gramophone in her grandfather’s house at Shoranur. She remembered how he would proudly show it off to anyone who would listen or not. ‘Major Sahib had gifted it to me. “A token of my undying gratitude for saving my life” he had said. Vallya manushyan. Great man. When I was in the Indian army years ago…’ and he would repeat for the umpteenth time, his favourite story of how he dodged bullets to save his superior’s life. The gramophone had only a single disc that played some foreign music she didn’t understand. And always the disc would play for two minutes and get stuck at a line that she comprehended as ‘mar-anam-te… mar-anam-te… mar-anam-te…’ Right now she thought not of the gramophone or of her grandfather who passed away years back. Right now she thought of nothing but how she could’ve messed up her life so. Right now she could only think of how stupid and reckless she had been. Right now, as she stared blankly at the vast Arabian Sea in front of her, she could only think of what a disgrace she has proven to be to her parents. And the thoughts kept coming back. Mar-anam-te … mar-anam-te… mar-anam-te…
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Tejaswini was probably what every parent’s dream daughter would be. She was what people easily labeled, ‘gifted’. Intelligent and smart, she had also acquired her father’s flair for writing. Born into a very prosperous and renowned family of a small village in Shoranur in Kerala, Tejaswini had a lot to live up to. Her grandfather had been an army man and had much more than his gramophone to be proud of. Her dad was a government employee, better known as Writer Keshavan Nair whose works of Malayalam literature had earned him many awards. But she did not have much trouble keeping up the family pride. She was after all, gifted. And no one was surprised when she aced all her exams. No one was surprised when she opted for engineering with top marks. No one was surprised when she wrote GRE and went to America. But then how long can life carry on as an expected flow of events?
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She was no stunning beauty but one couldn’t call her bad looking either. God made most of his creations to balance out the rest you’d think. Why bestow such a brilliant girl with added astounding looks and complicate her life further? She had been given what most people craved for- a loving family, high IQ, healthy life, and a little more than just about enough money. Who needed beauty? Just when you think God is a generous and benevolently calculative creator, he plays his little games.
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Like every perfect daughter, Tejaswini had perfect parents and a perfect life. When you’re a perfect daughter, your parents have nothing to complain about. And what’s more perfect than parents who don’t complain? She had always lived in Kochi. One could say she was used to city life. Of course, Kochi is no Bombay, Delhi or Bangalore, but it is as far as city has gone in Kerala. Amidst the general conservative crowd, the Kochi youth has gained its name as ‘modern’. And that is good enough for a city life. Tejaswini was the ‘modern pennu’, modern girl. Shoranur was her yearly vacationing destination. Greenery is no scarcity in Kerala. But only the ‘modern people’ from the cities know how it is slowly vanishing from God’s Own Country too. The villages however were still the green backyards. In fact, people at Tejaswini’s small village in Shoranur are so used to the lush surroundings that they find it very comical when tourists drop their mouths and gape, fascinated by the serene green beauty of a normal Malayalee neighbourhood. ‘Ayalentha, ithu vare thengu kandittille?? Komali!’ (Has he never seen a coconut tree before? Clown!). But Tejaswini understood the fascination, for she was fascinated too. There was something about her village that she never found anywhere else. Maybe it was because she was a small writer who loved nature or maybe it was because she was born here or maybe it was just one of those things you can’t explain. And there was her beloved muthassan, waiting for her, waiting with his endless stories from the army camp.
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It was grand celebrations the day she got enrolled into the American university. She had a high score after all. Getting into a good university for a course of her choice was no surprise event. Yet, she was thrilled to receive the confirmation. Calls and congratulations poured in. “Keshavan Nair’s daughter, what a gem!’ people had to say. She never stopped smiling that day. Neither did her parents. They were proud of daughter. She had achieved what she wanted. She always had. But Tejaswini knew that day her parents smiled only half heartedly. America sounded good. America sounded hip. America sounded rich prosperous and wealthy. But America sounded too far off and dangerous. And like every average Indian parent of those times, they worried a little for their daughter. But she had wanted this. She had worked hard for this. So they smiled for her. They trusted their daughter. She was wise and she was 21 now. And she smiled too. She was going to America. Two years later her smile was going to be wiped off her face. Maybe forever?
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America was what dreams were made of. It looked exactly like in the movies. It was exactly like she had dreamt of. All those days she had between her acceptance to college and actually leaving, she used to dream of her life to be. She was no country simpleton, but even the ‘modern pennu’ of Kochi had to drop her mouth and gape at the way things worked in America. She loved the place. She made a lot of friends. She soon forgot her lush green ‘Shoranur’ house and her Kochi. It was not intentional. But she had so much on her hands then. Work, friends, parties, music… America was no place for people who liked to sit idle. And she had so many friends. Never before had she dealt with such an assortment of nationalities. The writer in her was fascinated by the cultural harmony; the girl in her was enthralled in the excitement. She called her parents once a week. And so they knew she was fine. More than just fine actually, she was happy. Very happy.
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Tejaswini was bright and smart but she was a poor judge of character. She blindly trusted people. And that is why people say everything comes with a price. Tejaswini was ‘gifted’. But God forgot to remove the price tag from it.
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She had thought of it a hundred times before but she could not remember. She remembered the party. It was two years after she had first landed in America, the dreamland. She remembered her room mate’s friend, a strikingly attractive girl offering her a drink. She had had been to a lot of parties by then. It was one of the things she wasn’t used to back home. But she liked it. And she had had plenty of drinks before. So it was natural of her to just take it. And so she did. Next thing she remembered was getting up in the morning with a mild headache. Nothing else. Absolutely nothing else. One month later she learnt she was carrying.
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And now she was standing at the port. Staring at the water, wondering again what had happened. And she knew it was all futile. She had no memory. She wondered which was worse, that she was pregnant or that she had no idea how it happened at all. Her flowing river of thoughts was interrupted by new tributaries. What should she do now? She has scarred the family pride. How will she face amma and achan? Secretly, she felt relieved muthassan was no more. One person less whose shocked and disappointed face she did not have to endure, one person less to be pained at her cost. And almost instantly cursed herself for thinking so. Has she indeed become so ruthless? Has she changed altogether? Where was the little Malayalee girl who loved the country side of her grandfather’s house? Was she no more the loving little girl her parents had brought up with countless dreams and aspirations? And she knew she wasn’t. And that was when she decided she had to end it all. She no longer willed to live. She had disgraced her family. All these years her parents had been proud of her. And now she had smeared burnt ash on their faces. She could not face them. She couldn’t go back home. She looked at the water below, slapping against the rock pavement she was standing on now. It almost hissed a welcome. She could see the pointy rocks beneath the waters too. Tejaswini was ‘gifted’ but she didn’t know to swim. She wondered if the rocks beneath could take a life. She picked up her mobile phone and dialed her father’s number.
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She had left for India the moment she learnt of the dreadful news. She did not know whom to turn for help. And all she could think of was her parents then. She wanted to see them. Cry in their arms. Hug amma and ask her what she was to do now. She did not think of anything else. That’s how for the first time in two years she returned to Kochi.
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‘I have a small presentation and conference in Bangalore’, she explained to her parents. They weren’t fools of course and they weren’t to be convinced with one line. She had done her research before announcing this. She had to make a few ISD calls to her friends in wretched America to enquire about conference halls and universities. ‘My professor insisted on it. I’m like one of those student representatives from my university. I have to go day after’ Writer Keshavan Nair was not a fool. He said he wanted to talk to her professor the next day. Tejaswini nodded. He trusted his daughter. And the price tag gleamed.
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He could not believe what he was reading. His hands trembled and sweat was breaking on his brows despite the fan above. He could not finish the letter. He slumped onto the chair nearby as the letter fell from his hands and landed on the table next to muthassan’s framed photo.
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She did not have the courage to tell her parents. She saw their beaming faces, markedly happy to see her again but she did not miss the faint sign of anxiety at her sudden arrival. They did not make it obvious of course but she was smart and intelligent after all. Within ten minutes she knew she had made the wrong decision coming home. She could not bear smiling at her parents, putting up such a poor show when she held a truth that would shatter them. She reached home and wrote them a letter. She told them everything in it. And she put it in an envelope. By afternoon she was off to the Kochi port.
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Her father tried everything to save his daughter’s life. He didn’t know where she was. All she said was she was still in Kochi. He pleaded her not to end her life; that it was cowardice and solution to nothing. He said he loved her. He said her mother loved her. She said nothing. She loved him too. She loved her too. She loved them all. She loved her land. But she had betrayed them.
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She stood up. She was certain of what she had to do. She was leaning against the metal chains that claimed safety to the people on the safer side. There was a man reading a book 3 feet away from her. There were always so many people at this time. She closed her eyes. She thought of her lush green Shoranur for one last time. She thought of her childhood. She thought of muthassan and his stories. She thought of amma and achan. She saw them all in her eyes for the last time. Her eyes welled up with tears. And she was fighting back tears. She asked for forgiveness and leaned over.
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Well, almost leaned. That’s when the book caught her eye- her father’s book ‘Ente Sammaanam’ (my gift). The first book he had written after Tejaswini was born. The book was about a father who lived and died for his daughter. She saw the first few pages flutter in the wind. She knew what the lines on the first page read. And she couldn’t jump. She could not end her life. She owed it to the ones who loved her. She sat there, broke down and cried.
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The lines read, "For you, my gifted daughter; the light of my life. For my life’s tejjassu. For my Tejaswini, 'Ente Sammaanam’". Keshavan Nair's words had not failed him after all. Just when you think you can have it your way, God plays his little games...

she.... in white...

she had always looked beautiful in white. they all knew that.. white was her favourite colour. she looked happy... a very peaceful and content look on her face as she lay there covered in that white sheet, surrounded by white lilies. but somehow, they could not think of her as beautiful. not today...

white was Amie's favourite colour. she had worn a beautiful white frock on her fourth birthday. a big white bow had adorned her shoulder length blond hair. daddy had got the bow from Singapore specially with that frock in mind. daddy would get the whole world for her if she asked for it. his daughter was his life. his only daughter. his only beautiful baby daughter. he had so many dreams for her. year after year as she blew the candles on her birthday cake he dreamt another dream for her. every year she insisted on buying a white dress for her birthday. and daddy would dream of his little doll one day in a white flowing gown ready to leave her folks and start a new life. daddy would dream of his precious darling in a white suit ready to take on a new job and face the world. daddy dreamt so much... after all daddy had only one daughter, daddy had only one kid; daddy wanted only the best for her. she had his eyes, his nose, his hair; she was his flesh and blood. she was his everything.
and then the fifth birthday, sixth, seventh; years just passed by. and daddy just grew fonder and fonder of his little angel Amie.
But mummy was not the same. Amie couldn't remember the time when mummy had last kissed her; or hugged her. in fact Amie couldn't remember the last time she had even looked at her with love in her eyes. but Amie couldn't bring herself to think that mummy hated her. daddy told her mummy was ill; that she was in a lot of pain and thats why she behaved so. all her friends at school had kind and caring mothers. Sarah's mummy was a wonderful lady. Amie found her beautiful too. of course, Amie found her own mother beautiful..but only in photos. she found her to be angelic in those wedding photos of hers, wearing that beautiful off shoulder white bridal gown. Amie thought she looked happy and full of life in them. she had never seen mummy like that ever in real life. it seemed so impossible for mummy to have been normal and like all other mummies. Amie never understood what disease mummy had. but it made her look bad. she was always irritated and angry. she didn't even seem to be happy with daddy.
Amie's mother had had a wonderful marriage. she had fell in love with the most amazing man. she was the envy of all her friends. she had everything she could ask for. she was beautiful, had a loving and wonderful husband who gave her anything she wanted, lots of money, a big villa with a beautiful garden that had rows and rows of white lilies and roses... she had her room painted white.. white was after all her favourite colour. her husband never said no to anything. she was Cinderella living her fairy tale.. that was until the day they gave her the news. and then Amie came into her life...
she was shocked when they told her she would never be a mother. but her shock was nothing compared to her husband's. he had always wanted a baby.. 'a beautiful baby daughter' he used to say. he cried that whole night. he hated his wife for not giving him the only thing he wanted. he felt cheated and deceived. what had he not done for her.. he loved her, gave her everything she asked for. and she could not give him the only thing he wanted so badly. he hated her for that. he hit her and shut her up in her room. she cried and pleaded. she threatened him that she would die. and he knew it was beyond her, one sane moment was enough for the educated man to know his wife was not at fault.deep down he did love her. but he did not feel it anymore. sometimes he would go up to her to fall at her feet and ask for forgiveness. but sane moments are such a rare thing. what sanity can u ask of a man who has been denied his life's greatest desire? emotions are such an unfair means of the creator to take away the logical thinking of mankind... probably that is His way of keeping mankind in its place; that small slip of feet when he reaches too high up on the ladder. and he never did go up to her. he hated her. he had no explainable just reason but he hated her.
and then he brought Amie home. she was the most beautiful baby in the orphanage.. and he thought she looked just like him. no one would say she was adopted. no one. she was his flesh and blood. she was his own daughter. he loved her from the moment he took her in his arms. and she would be the only reason he lived for. no one else mattered. not even his wife. his wife who could not give him a baby. his wife who was just another being in his huge villa for all he cared. his wife who, he now hated more... and she hated Amie. she hated Amie for taking away everything from her. as years passed and daddy dreamt another dream for his little daughter, she hated Amie more. she hated Amie for taking her place. she hated Amie for sharing her favourite colour. she hated Amie for everything. She blamed Amie, that little kid no more than seven, for ruining her life. she hated her enough to kill her. maybe then her life would be different...maybe then her husband would love her.
Amie hoped her mummy would one day be like all the other mummies. her mummy beat her when daddy was not home. she refused to even look at her. mummy would not comb her hair or read her a story at night. mummy would never even come near her. mummy always screamed at her. she heard mummy screaming at daddy too. she heard her mummy cry at night. she heard her hitting daddy. she heard her yell and shout. she heard her screaming at daddy that she would kill herself. but daddy was the sweetest person Amie knew. everybody loved daddy. daddy would never harm mummy. daddy loved mummy so much and mummy would never care. but she knew mummy was ill and all this was not her fault. she hoped mummy would get alright soon and they would also be like Sarah's family who went out on picnics and movies together. she dreamt of that day. and she knew it would come soon. in fact she had a feeling it was coming too soon. maybe tomorrow would be the day. it was Amie's birthday and mummy seemed a lot better today. she did not cry today. she even thought mummy looked at her and smiled today. maybe she was getting alright. maybe all was going to be fine. Amie saw her mummy trying on that new white dress daddy had got her. Amie thought she looked beautiful in it and she rushed to try on her new white birthday dress too... all was going to be fine. her mummy was going to be alright. it was going to be her best birthday.

and they all came for the funeral the next day. daddy sat in a corner. he had no expression. he looked frozen. he spoke to no one. her white dress had been smeared with blood. he was the first one to see her. the sight had made him dizzy. everything had gone blank after that. he didn't know who had made the arrangements for the funeral. maybe his servants, maybe his neighbours, he didn't know. all he knew was that it was his fault. he knew he had made her do it..
but she looked happy... a very peaceful and content look on her face as she lay there covered in that white sheet, surrounded by white lilies. she had always looked beautiful in white.. but somehow, they could not think of her as beautiful. not today...

she.... in yellow....

She couldn’t have been more than 19. A fairly good looking girl, not outright attractive but not ugly; presentable you could say if you took away all that smudged make-up from her face. She had a faraway look in her eyes as she passed me by; a sort of dazed dreamy look as though she was lost deep in thought and had no idea where she was heading. In fact she looked like she was just gliding through the sands, her yellow dupatta wound tightly around her neck, billowing behind her. I don’t know why, but I had a sudden vision of a girl wearing a yellow flowing evening gown to a funeral at that very instant. Maybe it was because of the cheery colour of her dress and the morose expression she was wearing, it somehow didn’t feel quite right.
I had gone for a stroll by the beach side. I like to go there all by myself sometimes in the evenings. It’s true what they say about solitude being the sole solution to certain non fixable worries. Yes I love being in the company of people. What’s life without friends and family; a lot of parties, hang outs together, sharing secrets, being together in times of joy and despair. What’s life without someone beside you? Yes I completely agree with all of that. Yet, at the end of the day, a moment of solitude feels so sweet…
It was one of those evenings when I was savouring the smell of a nearby fried fish and bajji stall, wondering if I should give in to temptation when she passed by me. It was the strange way her dupatta fluttered in the breeze that caught my attention, not to mention its bright screaming yellow colour. She didn’t go too far. She crossed me and sat on the sand. No, I generally am not the kinds who stare at women a lot (for obvious reasons) but there was something very strange about this girl. She kept staring straight ahead. I followed her gaze to see if she was counting the ships on the horizon like I usually did. I saw it was nothing so. She was looking at the sea with a sullen look on her face. Her expression didn’t change with the rhythm of the waves, her eyes never left the nothingness she was staring at; in fact the only thing that moved was her dupatta. But there was a gloomy feel about that too. It flapped behind her in a way that was depressing. It seemed like it was trying to break free from her and fly away. I’m aware that I sound insane, but it almost looked like it was alive, struggling to get away from her binds while she fiercely kept pulling it back to stay in place. She had nothing with her; not even a small bag. I wondered how she had got here and where she was from, probably someplace nearby. She had big eyes smeared with a lot of kaajal. Her eyes were red and much of her kaajal had spread. Her hair was however tightly tied up in a neat plait and she wore a strand of jasmine flowers on it. She wore a small red bindi and lipstick too. She wore no jewellery. Her churidar was also yellow with red streaks, tightly tailored to fit her just right. She didn’t look very rich but she couldn’t have been very poor either, there was a certain charm on her face, of course if it weren’t for that mournful look.
And then she looked down, groped around, took a handful of sand and slowly let it slip through her fingers. She kept doing that for a while and I think I saw a tear trickle down, I couldn’t see very clearly because it was dark already; more so because her expression never changed. She was like a wax statue forever wearing a dejected face. I was tempted to go up to her and talk to her but honestly I didn’t have the guts to. Or maybe I just didn’t care enough to.
I think I must have stared at her for too long a time because she suddenly looked up at me. She had a scary piercing stare. I looked away almost immediately and tried not to look back at her, fiddling with my cell phone. For a minute I thought she’d walk up to me and yell at me for staring at her, or maybe give me that murderous glance again. Nothing happened of course, and after two or three minutes I turned to look at her again. She had gone by then. There was no trace of her anywhere nearby. I got up and went where she had been. She had drawn a small ‘om’ in the sand and that was all.

And then I was back at the beach two days later. The girl with the yellow dupatta unforgotten, clearly etched in my memory. I knew I wouldn’t see her again. You never really meet the same stranger again at the beach, no matter how often you go there (that is apart from those sundal kids). I spent an hour walking around, sitting on the sand, looking at random couples, children playing, kites, balloons and those fancy lights and stars, the carousels and then the yellow dupatta… the same yellow dupatta stashed away with a pile of trash. It didn’t look life like anymore. It looked dead lying there. I didn’t want to think of what would have happened to its owner. It all seemed so spooky. And then I was reminded of that strange funeral vision again. I tried to shake it off. I didn’t want to feel guilty about anything now. I hoped she was fine, whoever she was, whatever had happened, wherever she was from. I hoped she was safe.
And I just walked away from the place.

TEARS DON'T CEASE TO FALL

Why do thy cry, o, ill-fated one?
In your dreams, your thoughts, you must’ve pondered.
Thou love was the country’s warrior son,
So into her arms he has wandered.

Why do thy cry, o mother of the brave?
You gave birth to the suffering soil’s son.
His life, to you, was a dream come true.
But dreams are short, reality has begun.

Why do thy mourn, his lovely neighbours?
Thou tears won’t take him forth
or back to you, for when he was called,
good bye were his last words and he gave no oath.

Why do thy mourn, people of his country?
He was no one to you, no one you have lost.
He was but another soldier, merely a name
of the many who die at your cost.

Why do thy weep, now that they are gone?
Melancholy moods and memories remain.
They came like the sunshine into your lives
and as you look on, left like the rain.

Why do thy weep, for what are these tears?
Are they mementos of that broken heart?
Are they shed for the lives yet to be lost?
Or memoirs of lives being torn apart?

Today you cry for the one who sleeps, while,
yesterday he cried for the one who slept.
And tomorrow you will cry for one
among you, until to cry, none will be left.

Why, why weep now when the next moment
you’ll hear a gunshot, never to cease?
And yet another face, another life, another tear
will be lost in this ridiculous war for peace.

You cry now, as though you were helpless.
But the truth narrates- you are to blame.
You shouted and screamed for more metal;
the soldiers fought while you played your game.

And now you cry and mourn over their loss
as under the soil’s blanket, safely they sleep.
Safe they are, from the wrath to befall you
as the war for peace continues and still, you weep.