Deivamagal - Oru Aaraichi kurippu - Page 27

The kanakku pillai has come with his kaalai maattu vandi. Actually there is bus service to their village, but frequency is less, hence this arrangement. They all board the bullock cart as if boarding Lufthansa Airlines, and even though the bull is capable of giving a tough competition to the aircraft engines, Sampoornam cautions the kanakku pillai who now leads the cart as if in a wedding procession. Needless to say the village greenery is a heavenly sight for sore city eyes. After some distance, Dharani gets down. She has the urge to touch the crops and walk inhaling the fresh air. Suresh also gets down to give her company. Soon following them... rather ahead of them, Sathya and Prakash get down. After some time, Anjali also gets down and gives company to a goat kid. The bullock cart carries Sampoornam and her manja pais in the forward direction.

Outside the village, Sampoornam is waiting under a tree for her children to come. The couples arrive one after the other and that includes Anjali and her little goat.

Sampoornam hands them water coconuts and straws. Only three coconuts are available for the six of them.

Dharani - "Amma! Neeyum Anjaliyum onnu eduthunganga. Sathya and I will share one. Prakash mama and Suresh mama can share one."

Dharani inserts 2 straws in each coconut.

Anjali looks at Dharani with a 'Idhu theraadha case' look.

Anjali - "yeh loosu. Neeyum akkavum sari, you are sisters. If both the mamas were to drink from the same coconut, what will passersby think about them?"

Prakash and Suresh exchange startled looks. Prakash gives a meaningful look at Sathya, "Be careful with Anjali, idhu pinjila pazhuthadhu."

Dharani asks innocently- "Why Anjali? What will they think?"

Suresh looks at Dharani - 'Idhu pazhukkave pazhukkaadhadhu'

Sathya angrily to Anjali -"Ye Anjali, what are you saying?"

Anjali - "Akka, I was just saying that won't the passersby think both the mamas are so poor that they can't even afford a coconut? What else did you think?" She smiles mischievously.

Prakash and Sathya again speak through their eyes reiterating their earlier opinion about Anjali. Suresh and Dharani share one, Anjali and Sampoornam share the second and readers are requested to guess who had the third one.

Yes you are right, Kanakku pillai has the third one and doesnot share with anyone else, because Sathya has a slight cold and Prakash doesnot want to with out Sathya - athnai love vamaam 😉 Sampoornam is once again displaying her white pearls, happy to see the closeness of her daughter and marumagan.

The procession again starts and comes to a halt in front of Kanakku pillai's modest house. It is a typical village house with sloping brick tiles roof. But inside it looks quite spacious and well kept. There isn't any novelty for Sampoornam clan as they have already lived in village. But Prakash and Suresh, being the city dwellers, go around the house marveling at the village architecture.

Looking at their curiosity, kanakku pillai describes the different areas of the house using the local slang like "idhu thaan thinnai, anga irukkaradhu rezhi, adhu attali, that is kudhir, here is patthaayam" and so on...

Kanakku's wife - "Ellarum mutthathula kai kaal kazhuvittu vaanga."

Suresh looks beh beh beh. Even Prakash pauses with eyes wide.

Meanwhile Kanakku's daughter brings a thavalai of water and a sombu and keeps them in the open courtyard part of the hall.

Kanakku's wife repeats - "En innum ninnuttu irukkeenga? Ponga mutthathula kazhuvittu vaanga."

Prakash looks at Sathya and walks towards her with a mischievous grin.

"I think we should fulfill your kanakku aunty's wish. Where will you start... my hands firsts?" He whispers in her ear and stretches his hand near her lips.

Sathya makes a face. "Enna kanravi purinjukitteengalo theriyalai. Go and wash with water."

Prakash - "Andha amma muttham nu sonnaangale."

Sathya thalaila adichikkira. "Adhu muttham illa muttram; you should understand the colloquial slang. It is the open -to - terrace area. See, the roofs slope downwards and the floor is also lowered so water leaves with out accumulating here. It is airy, ventilating and has natural lighting.

Prakash sees Anjali, Sampoornam and Dharani washing in the muttram area with the water from the brass pot. He gives a sheepish smile and proceeds towards the wash area followed by Suresh.

Kanakku's wife Mallika serves them a typical village meal which is tasty, filling and healthy. After a light nap, they are served fresh unboiled milk and evening snacks. Kanakku takes all the youngsters to the village amman temple, while Sampoornam stays back to help Mallika with dinner.

After dinner, they all sleep in the common hall, as Kanakku's house doesnot have many rooms - gents on one side and ladies on the other.

Anjali has a wonderful dream. She has secured state 3^rd rank in her board exams and happily distributing sweets to her sisters, when she hears a faint cry and a running sound. She opens her sleepy eyes with difficulty. There is a power cut, the hall is dark and she feels all sweaty. She stretches her hands and feels the bed around her; she is shocked to find her sisters, who were sleeping on either side of her missing. As her eyes get adjusted to the darkness, the moon which was hidden till now behind a dark cloud sends it faint rays into the house through the muttram area. As she takes out the cell phone from under her pillow and switches it on, she hears scary squeaky sounds. There is another cry of fear which Anjali recognizes as that of Dharani's and then she sees a figure running across the room and two more figures following the first in quick succession.

TBC