2009 - Scottish Woman And I

“Are you a catholic?” A Scottish woman asked me. Since the subject of discussion and context was about religion, I was not annoyed by her question. But, I did not want to answer immediately. I smiled. She continued her conversation. “Your name does not sound a Hindu one.”

I was thinking about an appropriate answer for her question. She revealed her religion first. She said “I am a protestant…” Then after a naughty smile, I replied “I do protest…” I laughed, and my laughter multiplied multiple times. She joined my laughter after sensing either futility of the question or as a momentary reflex to the laughter. 

First Abortion

Time was not important. The date was not important. The year and month were also not important. But it was some day in February 1995 around 7:30 AM, a strange discovery forced George to cut short the morning walk and irrigation. Out of sheer curiosity, he stopped irrigation around his dense pepper whirled areca nut trees.  The same dense plantation gave him a sense of fear. He looked at something obscure and talked to himself, 'ashes... here.. no way' he tried to study it further and took a small sample of ashes carefully. George washed his legs using outer tap water, folding his secret ash findings in his hand. He did not want to spoil it further. He entered the kitchen. ”See this teacher, it looks like, there are some criminal activities progressing behind our land during night. Someone has burned bundle of papers in the remote corner. I could see the back gate slightly moved.” George puzzled. The name ‘Teacher’ was an acceptable nick name accepted by George’s wife from the workers. Teacher laughed. “It is always open. That gate is not secured at all. It is better not to have a gate there.” She replied with no wonder. “But see this; A huge bundle of papers. It’s not newspaper. It is fresh pieces of white papers. Someone burned this last night. What could be the reason? Should we electrify the fence to avoid these criminals?” Teacher shake her heads. “These are very small problems. Don’t create more problems by electric fence. Just stop thinking about paper ashes.” George walked out for a second round with a passive irritating statement “Fences are problems. Not having fence is also a problem.”f

The thoughts triggered giggles in Lona. He did not tell anyone that, he had an abortion of his first literary work. Just like any abortions, he did not want to tell his parents about his fiction pregnancy. There were two reasons. Just like any other family he wanted to avoid the scolding of his mother. Had he burned in the firewood stove; mother would know it. It may end up in giving too many justifications. Secondly, using hundred fresh A4 size papers, avoiding rough notebooks, would have become an international problem. It may not stop there. The bigger business impact would be on the small local shop of ‘Etupettan’ for all the A4 size papers he would sell to a future novelist.

Annie was never behind in abortion. Few years back she wrote her first poem or story. Lona was excited to go through her first literary attempt. She did not allow Lona to read it. Annie tattered the papers and put it in waste basket. After a second thought, she took the pieces of papers and dipped into a bucket of soap water. He chased the bucket. Desperately, he wanted to join the pieces of papers before the words disappear. Realizing his intention, Annie with abashed expressions, mixed all that pieces of papers like a rice ball and swallowed it.  He could not read her first lines. She never wrote anything after that. Anytime anyone asks her about first attempt, she giggles. Annie never revealed on the content of swallowed paper, like a baby born in an illicit relationship.

A short Trip To Malayatoor - My Son's Point Of View

It was not a worn irregular edge of silk saree, but a sleeping horizontal hill, stitching the embroidery to the clear sky as I watched it daily from my apartment balcony. After three months of heavy rain, the hill was visible from apartment. The hill with historical significance for Roman Catholic church, a sacred place associated with St. Thomas, the pilgrim centre, known as Malayatoor hill. The moment I thought about travelling there, I felt the astonishment too. It took three long years after living in the same apartment to take a decision to visit a place that was at a stone’s throw away from us. Finally, it happened on that Sunday afternoon at 3:30 PM. I felt my parents were looking for excuses for not visiting a place which they have seen umpteen times during their childhood. Nevertheless, I cannot forget the lush green forest area covered on both sides of the road. Living long time in the city, my tendency to call any green area with occasional monkeys and elephants, as forest, not to be underestimated. I must say, two sides of the road appeared to be a forest area for a city boy like me. After all, there were government forest guard check posts on the way with red barricades. No need to toss a coin to decide, it is forest area.

Like most foothills in our country, a lake, a boating facility and fishing nets corner was our first stop on the way. We stopped near a monastery, another usual suspect around such hilly areas. Parents enquired about the fish price with a roadside merchant. I knew, they were not going to buy it. They were always curious about fish prices, travel any part of the world. I could also see an old man alone; using fishing hooks. From the clear water, I could see fishes were cleverer to avoid old man’s hooks. We did not wait till his successful fishing attempt. We spent thirty minutes in the church and surrounding areas. The locals call the church as ‘Thaazhathe Palli’. The old architectural style thrilled us. The olden style frills of the church buildings, reminiscence of Greek-Roman architecture was a different experience. It was a refreshing trip after a long time, though a short one. Looking back, I don’t recall anything about the return journey from the hill. It was a different night with short collection of pictures for my memory to ponder after many years.

3B - Young Scientist

Everything was usual on that day at St. Mary’s lower primary school Puttekkara, third grade ‘B’ batch. Everything included rhymes of poet Cherusseri and Kunchan Nambiar behind the cardboard partition walls of the classrooms,   routine commotion of students and habitual teacher’s order “Keep silence”. A silent boy Jo in the middle of a wrong group; or may be the right group; that he does not know. He found another boy drenched in the coconut oil as his daily bench companion. That was his usual appearance in the class. White skin over his skull was clear with Coconut oil dripping from his combed head,  spreading over the desk and bench of the class. Desks were slippery on certain days. But he was a good boy; Jo remembered. Most of the good boys of those days appeared oily on the head and face. Jo captured that boy’s attention by showing first magic of his life. He cut rough paper into small thin tiny pieces and rubbed a plastic scale on the boy’s oily head.

After a suspense, Jo told him “Now you see the magic.” He placed the plastic scale one centimetre above the pieces of paper. Oil boy and others were surprised; the way paper pieces jumped up and stick on to the scale like a magnet. The whole batch surrounded to watch the magic activity; uproar doubled. One of the teachers excited by the magnetic power of plastic scale reported the incident at headmistress office. The teacher was in a different state of mind. She did not want to miss any opportunity that may hit the new young scientist. Headmistress Edith summoned Jo at office room to discuss on his invention. Many students followed him to office room to hear about the result of Jo’s invention. Headmistress observed the plastic scale and asked Jo to repeat his experiment. After watching the action of paper pieces,

Sister Edith nodded head in acceptance, addressed the teacher and Jo, “There may be a science behind this. There may not be anything new to be reported to Rome. All of you, go to your classes. Please Disperse…”

The curious lot from the class were not happy with headmistress verdict. Boys wanted to hear something extra ordinary. Being a scientist for a day till Annie teacher’s arrival was not a bad deal for Jo. Senior teacher Annie heard about the incident from headmistress and immediately walked into the 3B Batch with authority. Annie teacher gave a final verdict convincing all students.

“It is static electricity. There is nothing new. No need to create any noise about it. keep silence.” She audaciously completed her statements. Annie teacher called Jo and took him to the school office room for his second trial in front of headmistress Sister Edith. Annie teacher affectionately talked to him.

“You know… once you reach bigger classes you will learn about it…” 

Nevertheless, headmistress Edith wanted to take a decision based on his finding. Sister Edith frowned at Annie teacher looking through her black rectangular glass frame in dilemma. “What should I do now?” Annie teacher recommended headmistress to move Jo into third grade batch C, Jo’s first horizontal promotion. Maybe it was a trick of the teachers to avoid the noisy confusion created by the new discovery. 

The Nun Story

It was not before many million years in history nor countable number of years, merely few seasons back in her life, she posed like a nun, in front of the mirror. She enjoyed the posture and whispered herself, ‘this is really sexy’. Many years before that solo mirror show, precisely six years back, during the plus two time, she knew men were attracted to nuns more than the famous actresses on the screen. Reena, the naughtiest of her friends, had advised her to keep the secret to herself. It is not the wide-open sexy dresses of western or eastern movies attracted the real strong men. It was the nun dress. This was an international secret. Maybe the secret hidden behind was more attractive. At the age of sixteen, she thought the nun dress would be unique and keeping that secret makes her sexier and more intelligent than her classmates. 

True calling of her life struck; when she walked through the rectangular corridors of uncertainty in the  renovated convent opposite to the enlightened benediction monastery built in the 18^th century. The convent room was big enough for her and the protector Sister Florina. It was easy for her to decide on the calling of life at the age of ten. When she walked and talked about her decision to her school friends, everyone was shocked at her courage. Tom was the first person challenged her decision. “See, it’s not like football my dear.” He said. She recalled sentiments of her classmates. Most of them were either surprised or in shock. Remy teacher appreciated every single damn activity of every single student in the school. The vibrant Remy teacher never vibrated in the same calibration after hearing her decision. Her vibrations stopped for many days. One day, teacher said, “You are too young to decide. After all, nobody can decide at the age of ten. Things change. Nothing in the world is permanent.” Remy teacher patted on her hair and setup a personal conversation to clarify the divine calling. Finally, the teacher nailed down her reasoning. Sister Florina had  great teeth. "Sister’s teeth shine while speaking." She was living with Sister Florina in the same convent as she started her life there. She lived with care takers for five years. The unexpected death of her care takers brought her to Sister Florina’s custody. Custodial rituals were never boring. Sister Florina taught her prayers of teeth, prayers of food, prayers of beauty, prayers of fearless sleep, prayers of health. Her teeth were not as uniform as Sister’s. Above all, Sister’s teeth shines. Those were the daily prayers. The huge laughter of Remy teacher after hearing the reasoning of her divine call changed the destiny immediately. “Oh, My Dear… Oh My Dear… Oh my dear Selina you be a Dentist; a doctor, Dentist. Selina, My Darling, then you repair every tooth on the planet. Being a nun is not all that safe these days. Not only that, it is very tough life there Selina.”  Selina giggled after remembering the nun episode and life’s calling at the age of ten.

Now, the digital dentist certificate shines in her hand on the mobile screen, drops of her tears drizzled freely and the smile could not wait long to wipe it out from her cheeks sideways without wetting the digital certificate. She consoled herself, “Ah... after all it’s digital... no worries.”