Whatever
Happens Life Should Go On....
A nice Story...........
Hi All,
Below is a story that was
written by an IT employee in a "short story
contest"...
It’s a story of a Brahmin
gal who loved a non-Brahmin and due to father’s
compulsion married a
Brahmin guy and leading a perfect life with little
happiness!!
This may be a story
written in a contest, but the content, characters and
the sentences of the story
were "Heart Throbbing" and "Breath Taking"...
Please do read it completely,
it takes around 15 mins... But, I say, its
really worth reading this
story... This may even lead to a change of
attitude or the character
or the mindset in you, in the future...
(Some tamil words
included)...
Hi folks, here's my entry to the much talked about short story
contest. The story is not short though, I apologise!
When I thought of this story, I envisaged it and almost started
writing this in Tamil but only then did I realise that my written
Tamil is not upto the mark. ( Well, am not claiming my English is
excellent, but it's relatively better than my Tamil) In fact, even
after I finished writing it, I still felt the story belongs to
Tamil!! Will mail it to my aunt and get it reincarnated in Tamil.
Pssst, the most operative name in this story, I ripped from Thevar
Magan ;) It somehow
signified a lot to me!
Dearest Appa,
27th Jan'1965
Hope this letter finds you, Amma,
Raji and Seenu in good health. The
weather here in New York City is
icy cold. But Avar sollraar- I have
missed this winter's biting cold.
I still wish I had seen the snow…
But then, I still wish I had not
left Trichy at all. I do miss
Trichy, Appa. You, Amma, Raji,
Seenu, pakkatthaathu Rama, Vikatan,
Ucchi Pillaiyaar Koil, filter
coffee, Holy Cross College, the Physics
Department and of course Sakthi.
I know you wish I hadn't brought his
name in this letter.But not to
worry Appa, I understand that you got
me married to Visu because you
thought it was best for your daughter.
I still remember Amma wiping her
silent tears with her madisaar
thalappu and you shouting at me
the day I told you about Sakthi.
Later, when the initial shock
wore off you patiently listed umpteen
reasons why I should not marry
Sakthi. I agree Appa, that 20 is too
young to decide, that Raji and
Seenu would have been affected greatly
by my 'mistake', the Agrahaaram
would have scoffed at you… a meat
eater was not a good match for
someone who had never even tasted
onion and garlic. The reasons
were innumerous. I knew you'd still
have objected and offered other
reasons even if he had become a
Dhigambara monk. Visu on the
other hand, wore a poonal, he is the son
of Neelakanta Sastri, an Engineer
and he researched about computers
which is what made you jump for
this alliance. Am not complaining
Appa, Visu is a nice man.
Tell Amma that I could not try
her kozhakkattai recipe this Pongal
because coconuts were too
expensive and Avar nenacchar that it was
ridiculous. Anyway, we went out on
Sankaranthi day and dined out. He
thought it would be a good idea
to invite the Chatterjees also. But I
didn't speak Bengali and
Mrs.Chatterjee spoke English in an accent
that comes with living years in
America. Hence I made myself busy
with the menu card. They ordered
various species of fish,shrimp and a
lot more of items I had never
seen in my life. I ordered orange juice
and a sandwich. The other diners
thought it was queer coming to a
seafood restaurant and settling
for a sandwich. That day, I learnt
that Avar prefer pannradhu beef,
pork, bacon and seafood. Do you
know, Appa… Sakthi gave up meat
because of me? I didn't ask, he just
did. But then, Sakthi is not
Neelakanta Sastri's son and that made it
imposible for Subramania Iyer's
daughter Kalyani to marry him.
I will keep you posted on what
happens here. I don't think I can make
it to Seenu's Upanayanam. Tell
Amma not to get me a pattu podavai for
the poonal, I don't use them
here. I wore it once and felt like a
clown here.
Your loving daughter,
Kalyani.
Dearest Appa,
20th Oct'1968
We are fine here. Gautam is
speaking his first words and I swear they
sounded like 'Dosai'. But Visu
claims it's just gibberish. From your
previous letter, I gather that
pakkathatthu Rama is married and
settled in Jamshedpur. Nice to
know that. Please find out her address
from Saarada maami and write it
to me. I want to keep in touch with
her. I hope Raji is happy with
her husband in Madras. I spoke to her
last month, great to know that she
has a phone. Do tell Seenu to
study well and prepare for his
school final exams. Raji also told me
that Sakthi is married now. I
wish him good luck, but I could not
convey the message to him. Raji
refused to be the messenger and I
know you have severed ties with
Sakthi's father, your long term
friend Sankaravel, thanks to me.
I hear his wife is his cousin… He
must have succumbed to his
mother's wishes.
How did Avani Avittam go? Visu's
mother gave me a bunch of new
poonals for Avani Avittam but
Visu was in Boston that day. He
wouldn't have used it anyway, I
haven't seen him wear one in the last
three years. Gautam is now
playing with the spool of thread- mere
thread it is, what else can I call
it? Gautam will not even know what
it signifies, I guess. Visu is
making sure Gautam grows up listening
to English only. He says it will
make his life easier. But I do read
out passages from Ponniyin Selvan
and Bharathiyaar's poetry when I am
alone with him. It's more of
reading to myself, I guess. I actually
got that poetry book as a present
from Sakthi, it still has his
scrawling signature in the first
page.
By the way, Visu saw that book
and asked me about Sakthi, I told him.
Hold your breath Appa, he didn't
throw me out of the house. He is a
good man, no question. He said it
is okay and that he doesn't mind.
And then he told me of his
American girlfriend whom he was once in
love with, when he first reached
America- Amy, a fellow Researcher
who was in a brief relationship
with Visu when she was in New York.
They lived together for 3 months
and decided against marriage,
somehow. Amy once dropped home
when she was in New York. Nice lady,
she was.
Ask Amma to send me Sambar Podi
for this whole year. My friend Sudha
is coming to Madras next week.
Ask Seenu to catch the Rockfort
Express and give it to her. I
will collect it from her here.
Your loving daughter,
Kalyani.
Dearest Appa,
3rd June'1974
We have arrived here safely. After
two months in India, I find it
hard to adjust back to normal life
here. Gautam and Ranjana demand
vadai,paayasam and vaazhai ilai here.
Visu's relieved to be back in
America. I left a set of my books
there. If it's not in Trichy it
must be in Visu's parents' place. If
you find them, safeguard them
until my next trip. They mean a lot
to me since they were gifts from
Sakthi. By the way, Appa, I found out
Sakthi's present address in
Madras from Rama and Saarada maami. I
wrote to him. I am extremely
proud to know that Dr.Sakthivel is a
cardiologist much in demand
there in Madras. He was thrilled to
hear from me after so long. You
know what he has named his daughters?
Kalyani and Raagamaalika.
He called me. You know what, he's
still a practising vegetarian,
Appa. He didn't revert back just
because he lost me… He asked me if I
still sang and whether Gautam and
Ranjana could sing. I could see a
proud father in him, when he claimed
his daughters could sing upto Ra
ra Venu Gopala. That's when I
remembered that I was once a good
singer. I wonder why I stopped
singing, wonder why I never exposed
the kids to Music and Dance. But
then, I realize that I had buried
all that deep inside me when I left
Trichy; after bidding farewell to
my best Rasika, actually. Sakthi.
After the call, I tried singing
'Kurai Onrum Illai'. I could not
rquite reach Charanam, because of
the lack of practice and more importantly
because of the tears that
filmed my eyes and the constriction
in my throat. I sang to Visu and
the kids one of these days. Though
Gautam was impressed, father and
daughter could not just wait for me
to finish!
By the way, next time some friend
comes to India, send me a Sruthi
Box. I would like to start singing
again.
Your
loving daughter,
Kalyani.
Dearest Appa,
14th Aug 1978
Just back after our tour to
California. Find our photos, picture
postcards attached herewith.
After you are done with showing all
family members,relatives, friends
and neighbours, pass them to Visu's
parents. It was a welcome break
for the four of us. But I missed my
paattu class students all along
and was happy to resume the classes
again last evening. Did I mention
in my previous letter, before we
left on the tour - I finally got
my driving license here. I sent a
few photos to Sakthi too. He has
sent me quite a few records and
cassettes. I loved it! I'm
reminded of AIR, almost! I'm circulating
them among my friends too. And of
course, playing them for my
students too. They are picking up
beautifully. Funny news is, I, a
Tamilian, is teaching Telugu and
Sanskrit kritis to a cross section
of Tamil, Malayalam,
Kannada,Telugu, Marathi, Bengali students in an
English speaking nation.
The music sessions have resulted
in a reborn Kalyani, Appa. Thanks to
Sakthi, really. I would have
never taken it up had it not been for
his reminder. I am now
thinking of what life would have been like if
I had indeed married him. I would
have of course lost you and Amma.
But right now, with this life in
America, Visu and these monthly
letters to you, Rama, Raji and
Seenu what have i gained? I don't
find an answer, Appa. Neither do
I think I ever will. Again, as I
have always reiterated, Visu is a
good man, no complaints there. He
is every bit the son in law you
wanted. Researcher, American Post
Graduate Degree holder, a dutiful
husband and father,earning a
comfortable income. I know it is
too much to ask for anything else.
That is a fantasy I left midway
in my life… Once upon a time in
Trichy with someone else.
Your loving daughter,
Kalyani.
Dearest Appa,
14th Apr'1984
Met
Dr.Sakthivel after 19 years… He had come to
New York for business purposes
and paid me a visit. Visu and the kids
welcomed him home with great
pleasure. And they liked him too. In
fact, they did most of the
talking initially. And of course, he got
me a whole load of books,
cassettes, Mysore Paak and lots more.
Your loving daughter,
Kalyani.
Dearest Appa,
20th Jan' 1990
I just went through all these
letters lying in my closet draw for
years together. These are letters
I started writing to you and then
decided not to post. For obvious
reasons. I could not mention Sakthi
to you even though I was itching
to. Not because I was afraid to
invite your wrath. I just did not
have the heart to hurt you, I know
these letters would have hurt
you. Because deep inside, I know you
were disturbed- you knew Sakthi
was a good man, you knew he was a man
of substance, yet you didn't want
to go further. Society, I know.
Family… I know… And all
these letters would have only wounded you
more. Today, 2 years after your
death, and 6 months after Dr.
Sakthivel's untimely death in a
road accident, I somehow felt like
re-reading all these letters. To
me, all these unstamped, unposted
letters mean a life that could
have been.
Kalyani Viswanathan.