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| Puthumai Pithan |
This is an English translation of Chellammal, a famous Tamil short story written by Puthumai Pithan. Translated into English by Saravanan Karmegam. ***
Chellammal’s
breath came to a standstill, her pulse slowed down and settled
finally. Chellammal became a nameless corpse now. It simply meant
that she died in solitude of the city in the presence of her husband, at a
distance of some five or six hundred kilometres away from her relatives.
With sweat flowing
like a stream from his forehead, Brahma Nayagam Pillai kept aside the bale of
husk he was carrying in his hand and stared at the body that was alive as
Chellammal a while ago.
He closed the eye
lids that were half opened, and kept the hands that were stretched out lifeless
in an orderly fold on her chest. He straightened her left leg folded with a
bend on one side and joined both the legs. He closed the lips that were
slightly parted. Although the interiors of his heart could feel that Chellammal
was no more, he didn't feel the same while touching her. Her breath came to a
standstill that time.
He felt that an
unbearable heaviness had got offloaded from his mind as if he got his neck relieved
of a heavy weight. The flood of his miseries did not breach its sluice gates to
throw him into utter despair. He reconciled to the fact that the woman who had
till then shared her life with him as his wife had got indeed relieved of her pains.
But we shouldn’t
come to a hasty conclusion that Brahma Nayagam had become an ascetic without any
familial bonds while seeing him behave as a mature man and not shaken even at
the shadow of death. We must understand that his father was not an enlightened
soul like king Suthothana to bring him up with a fencing around his mind,
protecting him against all worldly desires and finally take him till “Bothi”
Tree. His father was just an ordinary mortal who had also faced three facets of
life - poverty, disease and death.
If we assume
that Brahma Nayagam Pillai might have seen many ups and downs in his life,
all those small “ups” he somehow managed to ascend, were nothing but the
blunders of the “downs” that had kept descending perpetually. When he realised
what life actually meant, he had anyway set off his journey from the
“ups”.
Brahma Nayagam’s
father was such a rich man who owned just a piece of land fetching him some
income to look after his family’s yearly requirements. If that piece of land
was to be divided among his heirs, it would necessitate a division into
fragments which would just be enough to feed his heirs from going hungry. Brahma
Nayagam Pillai was his fourth son. As he was comparatively better at
studies, his father got him educated leaving his other children with a minimum level
of literacy which was just enough for them to read and sign letters. His fortunes
helped his son to continue his studies at a distance of some five or six
hundred miles away and somewhat kept him alive without going hungry. At an
appropriate age, Brahma Nayagam was bestowed with luck of holding Chellammal’s
hands in marriage, wearing her a toe ring on ‘Ammi’ and
looking at ‘Arunthathi’ star.
After Brahma
Nayagam Pillai’s father died, the property was divided. While his elder bother managed
the family debts related issues, preventing it from becoming a full- fledged
litigation, Brahma Nayagam along with Chellammal took refuge in Chennai in
search of livelihood.
While Chennai offered
him a life without peace putting him in fire test, Chellammal gave him a
life without peace testing his mettle at home, not with her character but with
her frail health. The condition of her body became so weak. Pillai had to face
two pronged problems – persistent issues of livelihood outside and an insistent
wound that eats up from inside at home!
Brahma Nayagam was
working in a cloth shop. The shop owner gave him an amount of wages which was
just enough to keep two bodies alive. Chellammal’s disease ate up the half of
it and further spread its tentacles out in the name of debts.
The miseries that
rose from Brahma Nayagam’s heart would first become a wound, then get healed
and then become a scar. There was nothing known as date of salary. It was a
customary practice that he would get a paltry amount as and when he was in need.
It meant that he had to make a prior assessment of what were his probable requirements
in coming days, strive hard to make his owner’s mind softer, remind him daily and
beg him despite being fully aware that he would be disappointed. Finally he
would return home with the money after every nerve of his perseverance was
tested by his owner. It was how the company he worked was functioning.
This was how he had to prioritise his requirements in instalments. Most of the
times, he would spend the amount he kept for addressing one problem on another
important need that would pop up abruptly. Then, he would spend the rest of his
days using the occasional 'waterways' called instalments to irrigate his boundless
desert of livelihood requirements with the deftness of a snake trying to
swallow its own tail.
Chellammal’s body became
so fragile. Her disease along with relentless mental agonies and hunger had
made her permanently sick. Her healthy countenance in the morning would
disappear in the evening. Considering her condition and the need of being
frugal, Brahma Nayagam Pillai chose to live in a house without electricity on
city’s outskirts with lesser bustles. He would start in the morning after
filling his tummy and reach the place of his livelihood by walk with a food
packet in his hand. When it got dark, he would return to his home when other able
bodied people were sitting leisurely after dinner. His dinner would be decided
only on the basis of Chellammal’s condition that day. If the house was dark and
the outer entrance door was kept closed without being locked, then the prospect
of satisfying the hunger of two living beings would be possible only after he lit
the stove after washing his hand, legs, and completed all his rituals. While
reaching home all the shops in that area would be closed which would in turn
force him to manage his dinner with available ration at home. We must understand
‘available ration’ meant just shiny empty utensils lying there. Even during such an ordeal, Pillai’s will
power would never get shaken. He would ensure that his wife is served at least
with hot water.
Living
in penury, Brahma Nayagam Pillai somehow managed spending ten years of his life
in Chennai. At times, a spirited thought of visiting his native place did come
through his mind. However, his ineptitude would fill in, with disappointment
and helplessness from doing so. Further, his was very much frightened to think
how things at his village would be.
He used to discuss
the ways and means to come out of his problems and the pleasures of undertaking
a joyous journey to his native place with the dead body lying in front of him
when it was able to breathe but couldn’t speak. When Chellammal would develop
cracks on her already dried lips when she laughed at his words out of her occasional
zeal. Their gossip about their possible village visits served as an aphrodisiac
which rendered them forget their current problems.
2
That day, when
Brahama Nayagam stepped out of his house in the early morning with the box in
hand containing yesterday’s left over rice, he found Chellaamal moving around
in the house. She told him that she would prepare his favourite horse gram
paste and tamarind mixed side-dish for him so that he could eat sumptuously
after his return in the evening. Then she left for the backyard with the ash of
burnt chaff in her hands.
“It is only today
you could recover a bit from your illness. Don’t get your body tired unnecessarily”
Brahma Nayagam paused a while after crossing the entrance door, and warned his
wife. He pulled the doors from outside, balanced both the doors together with
one hand, inserted his finger through the gap between the beam and door and
latched the door brilliantly from inside. He pushed the door once to ensure
that the latch had properly fixed itself in the hook, came onto the street and
started walking. On his way, his mind was occupied with the thoughts that
revolved around his shop owner’s disposition and Chellammal’s ordinary worldly
desires.
During their
casual talk day before yesterday night, Chellammal told him while giving
compress for her chest pain, “For Pongal, we need to cook with the rice brought
from home. We can visit to our native place at least once. While coming, we can
bring gooseberry Adai and Muruku vathtal too”
Her words sounded commendably
praiseworthy anyway. But he thought, instead of asking it, she could have
either asked him to bring some tiger milk or learn some magic tricks from the
Lord Brahma. Had she asked these, he would have never thought that they
were impossible dreams.
“Why not! Let’s
see. Purattasi (a Tamil month) is not yet over. We need to
think about Pongal only after that. Don’t we?” he replied.
“You are right.
But if only you inform this now, they will do something in favour of you” she
explained the necessity of informing in advance. What she meant by “they” was
his shop owner Pillai.
“Diwali doesn’t
get you bothered as you will get everything from your shop. But what will I get
this year for Diwali?” she asked him.
“Whatever you
like, let’s purchase it. That is it. First, you sit straight with your head up”
Brahma Nayagam laughed.
‘What reason
should I write in the credit register to get the money for her? Old debt has
not yet been paid off! If I keep on increasing the debt, will they permit it?’
Brahma Nayagam was thinking about these all through his way. He entered the
shop, kept his food packet and upper raiment in a corner meant for his
exclusive use. “What happened Perama Nayagam? Why are you late by this Nazhigai?
Do you think that someone will come here to open this shop? Alright…alright…go
upstairs and bring the half piece of 703. Along with that, bring that bundles
of vests kept in the North corner”- the order of his shop owner pushed him into
his daily routine of the company. “One yard…Two yards…silk…dying thread….Salem…
Kollegal…. Poplin… Twill….the sounds echoed as if Brahma Nayagam was sincerely
praying to the God of his stomach. At nine, he went to his shop owner Pillai,
explained his problems hesitantly, and packed three saris in his upper raiment for
displaying as specimens. He, then, came out of the shop.
3
Brahma Nayagam
kept the bag at the entrance, deftly inserted his fingers through the gap
between door and beam with his usual expertise and got the latch released. A
dog seemed to have been swallowed by darkness was howling in slumber. Its sound
of yearning rose like a wave one after the other and faded gradually.
Brahma Nayagam
pushed the door, opened it and entered the house.
There was no light
in the house. He thought that she must have slept though the time was not up.
He took out a match box from the entrance beam and lit the small lamp kept
nearby. That lamp that emitted light like a firefly presented the darkness in
its full intensity. His shadow in its dim light was looking monstrous on the
wall.
He crossed the
hall and entered. Chellammal was lying, on her left with her left hand
supporting her head under it, on a sari spread on the floor. The right hand was
hanging lifeless on the other side. Her position revealed that she was not
sleeping. Brahma Nayagam bent forward and showed up the lamp in front of her
face. Her eyes looked up. Only a mild quiver on her chest. The breathing,
though steady, was thin. He raised his head.
While going to the
back yard, he noticed the kitchen. The food was kept prepared in an orderly
manner. Hot water was boiling in the stove.
Unconcernedly he
took some water from the tub and washed off his legs and hands. Entered the
room again, tweaked the wick of the mud lamp and lighted it. He took out a
piece of dry ginger and a match box from the niche nearby and came back to the
inner hall. He lighted the standing lamp kept near the wall, and then sat
near Chellammal. Her hands and legs were chilled. He poured camphor oil on
his palm, firmly rubbed both the palms till it generated sufficient warmth and
brought its pungent aroma near to her nose but in vain. He poured the oil in
his hand and applied it on her nose and head with a mild shiver in his body.
He, then, brought hot water in a utensil and gave compress on her hands, legs
and chest. He could not administer it comfortably as she was lying on her one
side. He turned her and laid her on her back and administered the dry ginger
smoke again.
After two doses of
ginger smoke, Chellammal moved her head a bit aside to avoid the smoke wafting
across her face. A very big sneeze that almost shook the entire body! She fell
unconscious again. Once he blew the smoke again, Chellammal spoke something
feebly, started weeping like a child and asked for water.
“Here it is…please
open your mouth.” He brought hot water in a glass and tried it on her mouth.
But her teeth were clogged. Again, she fell unconscious.
Brahma Nayagam
used this time tested treatment that he learnt through his life-long
experiments once again on her. She opened her eyes, mumbling something
inaudible. He looked at him imperceptibly as if asking questions where she had
actually been.
“When did you
come? Where is mother? How long would she be waiting for you after cooking?”
she asked.
Brahma Nayagam was
an expert in giving soothing replies to such questions coming out of one’s
misplaced consciousness and setting it right. It was not mandatory on his part
that he had to give perfect answers to such questions every time. It was just
enough if he could manage with some replies whenever she asked.
Suddenly,
Chellammal caught his hand and shouted at her high pitch, “Maa! Maa! Let’s go
to our native place. If that wretched fellow comes here, he will tie me up
here. Cheater! Cheater!”. Her voice became shrill. Brahma Nayagam wet a cloth
in cold water with his left hand and put it on her forehead.
Chellammal started
gibbering again. She could not understand who was sitting in front of her.
“Maa! Maa! When
did you come? Did he send the telegram?” she asked.
“Yes…just a while
ago…I have just received a telegram. How is your health now?” asked Brahma
Nayagam mimicking her mother. It had been five years since Chellammal’s mother
died. When she blabbered like this in sickness, she would develop an illusion
that her mother was still alive.
“Maa! Please give
me some water. He is always like this ma! He used to go to shop leaving me
alone at home very often. When can we leave for our village? Who has tied my
legs and hands? I will never ask you sari anymore? Please don’t tie me up. I
can go to my village by crawling slowly. Aiyo…please leave me…What wrong have I
done to you? Can’t you release me from this? Let me go to my place to meet my
mother. After that, you may tie me up as you want.”
Chellammal fell
unconscious once again.
Brahma Nayagam
thought of calling the doctor. ‘How can I leave her just like this? It is far
from here. Is it?’ he thought.
Once again, he
administered dry ginger medication.
Her pulse rate was
steady but slowing down.
Slowly, the fear
of her death had started looming in Brahma Nayagam’s mind. Neither was there
the mental agony nor the pain of sorrow of disregarded words in that fear. Only
were there a bitterness felt by the tongue of a sick person and a peace of mind
that was deeper than it. Added to it, an exasperation of facing futile
results despite working hard!!
Chellammal mumbled
something and turned her body other side.
Brahman Nayagam
turned towards her head leaving compresses he was giving on her legs and asked
her to ascertain whether she needed anything as he didn’t hear what she had
uttered. It was when he saw her breath turning normal. She started sleeping
after being released from the clutches of unconsciousness. The signs of disease
found across her face were now faded and left.
It was not even
ten minutes since she slept. Chellammal was awake again. She tried to
reconstruct her scattered memories, scrutinizing her body as to why it became
wet.
“My head is
aching.” She said indistinctly.
“My body is
paining inch by inch” - she closed her eyes slowly.
“Don’t get your
mind bugged up. Sleep peacefully. You will be alright in the morning” he said.
“mmm” she murmured.
She got up and said, “My tongue is dry…I need some water”
“Please don’t get
up. You might fall down” he supported her back, gave a glass of hot
water.
She touched the
glass, and told him, “I don’t need this. Give me cold water. Tongue is very
dry”.
He tried
convincing her not to take cold water, telling her it was not good for health
in her condition and only warm water was good for her. As she did not heed his
words, he decided that it was better to give her cold water than making her weaker
by furthering the argument. He gave her cold water and made her lie down gently.
In seconds later she
closed her eyes, she opened it again, and asked him, “I am asking only you.
When did you come? Have you had your dinner?”
“I have eaten. You
better sleep now. Don’t bother yourself with unnecessary thoughts one after the
other” Brahma Nayagam said. His reply fell into her ears, not into her
consciousness. Chellammal then slept.
Finally when
Brahma Nayagam settled on the Coco grass mat spread on the floor pointing
towards the entrance, with a yawning, ‘Muruga’, he heard the crowing sound of
rooster indicating dawn. The world had come out of its slumber. But it did not
give a space for our Pillai to sleep for a while. He was sitting there holding
his knees together. His mind was wavering from one place to another thinking
about the past events unrelated to each other.
It was dawn.
The distinct clatters of women who were carrying ‘summadu’ on
their head for selling vegetables and those who were selling vegetables in
their push carts which they could purchase as their business did well, chased
our Pillai away from the temple of his contemplation. He entered in, bent
forward and watched her closely. With her hands folded in support of her cheeks
and lips curled on one side, she was lying asleep.
‘Something hot
while she getting up should be given as it would help her delicate stomach’, he
thought. He went inside the hall, lit the stove and then went to the
backyard.
When he returned
with a chant of ‘Muruga’, smearing ‘vibhoothi’ on forehead, he saw Chellammal sitting
on the bed, tying her untidy hair. She looked up to him with a whine.
“How do you feel
now? It seems that you have slept well.” Brahma Nayagam said.
Slightly tilting
her head, Chellammal scratched her scalp with her fingers, arched her eye brows,
and asked him, “My whole body is so weak as if I were beaten up every inch of
my body. If I get something hot to eat now, I may feel good”.
“I am preparing coffee
with palm sugar. After brushing your teeth, have it as you like. Do you need
hot water for brushing teeth?” asked Brahma Nayagam.
“Keep the hot
water at the backyard. I will go after a while and brush my teeth.” replied
Chellammal.
“It sounds damn
stupid what you talk…have you forgotten how you were struggling yesterday? You
should not move unnecessarily. Should you?”
“I am unable to
understand what had happened to you. You have grown so brazen these days”
Chellammal collected her dress and got up. Her legs were trembling.
Gasping heavily,
she anchored her palm firmly on the wall to get up. Brahma Nayagam came forward
reflexively and grasped her shoulder.
“Take me to the
backyard. Let me brush my teeth. I am unable to stand” she told him.
Somehow dealing
with her obstinate arguments niftily, Brahma Nayagam took her to the backyard
carefully and made her sit.
After brushing her
teeth, when she came back to her bed with the persistent complaints about her
frailty, her body was found completely weak. Soon after she lied down on bed
she was overtly exhausted and she closed her eyes.
Brahma Nayagam
brought coffee after making it warm and told her, “It is now suitable to drink.
Don’t complain that it has become cold”. She could not even reply to this. She
just raised her hand, swayed it dismissively. After some time, she opened her
eyes slowly. Anchoring her palm on the floor, she rose and sat with visible
difficulties.
She dipped her
fingers in coffee in the glass and told him, “It is not hot at all. Are there
any remains of ember in the stove? Keep this on it and then bring it to me?”
“Keep it aside. I
have some more hot coffee. I will bring that”. He brought hot coffee in a
separate tumbler. She gave herself a chest compress with that hot coffee,
she started drinking it leisurely in small sips. She asked him, “What did you
eat?”
“There was some
old rice. I just had a ball of it. Please drink the coffee fast. Let me go to
the doctor for consultation” he told her.
“I don’t need any
doctor anymore. I need nothing. Nothing has happened to me. Don’t waste your
money. If I eat something sour, I may feel good. There was some fermented Dosai
batter. Wasn’t there? What did you do with that?” she enquired.
“Fermented…sour…nonsense.
Go to sleep after drinking coffee. I will bring the doctor. It seems that you
have totally forgotten how you were yesterday.” he stood up.
“Why are you
wasting that coffee? You can drink it.” Chellammal told him.
Brahma Nayagam
went out in search of a doctor and brought a Sidda Medicine expert who was
looking more like a famine hit soul. When they both entered the house,
Chellammal was not found on the bed.
The sound of Dosa
being roasted in oil was heard from the kitchen. He requested the doctor to sit
on the mat and entered the kitchen. “Whatever I say, it never gets
into your ears. Are you still a kid?” Pillai rebuked her.
Sweating
profusely, Chellalammal was busy with the task which was notably beyond her
capability at that point of time. The dosai batter was found spilled
over as her hands were trembling. One dosai was found completely
burnt. She was watching the Dosai pan along with all her other paraphernalia
such as oil, chilli powder etc with the hope that the
forthcoming dosai would come out perfectly.
Chellammal looked
at him, smiled.
“Enough of your
smile. Stop it. Doctor has come. Get up” he lifted her holding her hands.
“Let me take out
the dosai pan and then come. Wait”
“First you get up”
he removed the dosai pan from the stove with the help of a trowel.
“You may leave. I
will come myself in a while” she adjusted her untidy dress, tottered, followed
him and somehow managed to sit on the mat.
The doctor
examined her pulse. He asked her to stick her tongue out, and examined that
too.
“Amma! In this condition,
you must not walk. Your body has become very fragile as you lack strength. You
must drink only milk porridge for another three days. Once you gained some
strength in your body, we can start giving medicines. Please stop drinking
coffee for some time. Only milk in the morning and night. Porridge in the
afternoon. You must not move out of bed under any circumstances. Sir…in case if
she falls unconscious, mix this red metallic oxide with honey and apply it on
her tongue. Apply this oil on her nasal septum and temple. I will come again
after three days. He left after charging one rupee for the medicines.
“What is the need
of bringing a doctor for this silly matter with a suggestion of drinking milk
porridge? Aaiiii…I am not a sick person. Ain’t I? We don’t need a doctor to
diagnose that my body is weak. Do we? Isn’t quite common that humans will get
unconscious? Let it come…it will go the way it came.” Chellammal reasoned.
At this
time, a voice came from the entrance. “aiya …aiya..”
“O! Is it Munusamy?
Please come in. They have sent you here to enquire why I have not come. Haven’t
they? Inform them that my wife was not well yesterday; she is fortunate that
she is alive today. Tell them I would come tomorrow if possible. Munusamy! May
you do a favour for me? There is a cow shed in the opposite division. Milkman
Naidu will be there. Tell him that I had called him, and bring him here”
Brahman Nayagam sent him.
“Don’t find
excuses in my name for not going to the shop. Go to the shop and bring your
salary” Chellammal told him.
“O! I forgot to
tell you. Yesterday I brought some sample saris for you. Have a look at them.
Select one which you like. We can return the ones which you don’t
prefer” Brahma Nayagam brought that bundle in front of her.
“I saw the bundle
in the morning. I thought of asking you about it. I too forgot it” Chellammal
opened the bundle and took out those three saris, flipped them one by
one.
“I like this green
colour sari. How much does it cost?” she asked.
“It is none of
your concern. Select the one you like.” He kept the green colour sari in
Almirah, packed the remaining two in a bundle and kept it at a corner of
wall.
“I am again
warning you. Don’t waste the money on unnecessary expenses and stand helplessly
in the end. Take my words seriously” Chellammal admonished him.
He arranged milk
for three days with milkman Naidu who just came to meet him. He told Munusamy
to get fifteen rupees from the shop owner in his name and asked him to deposit
the sari bundle with the shop owner.
4
That day, the
condition of Chellammal’s body was becoming worse ever since she lay on the
mat. Body temperature shot up. As he was busy attending her in the afternoon,
the milk porridge prepared for her had become cold like a paste. Brahma Nayagam
tried to give it to her hot by mixing hot water. As she had developed allergy
due to weakness, she vomited it at once. But the feeling of nausea did not
stop. As the allergic reaction continued, Chellammal kept on vomiting again and
again. As a result, her body became weak and all the old issues started popping
up their heads.
Other than his
aching hands due to consistent massaging of her hands and legs sitting beside
her, he could find no improvement in her health. At 3’O clock, Chellammal
became fully unconscious due to excessive tiredness. Now she became anxious that
she would die at any time. At times, her nose and hands developed
convulsions and got pulled inwards.
“Something is
serious with my health. I don’t feel good. Why can’t we consult another doctor?”
Chellammal asked.
“As the body is
weak, you are feeling like this. As I have told you, you should have taken rest
without troubling your body. Don’t be afraid. Everything will be alright.”
Brahma Nayagam assuaged her.
Seeing her
condition, he too felt that something was amiss. “The milk man will arrive
shortly. After keeping the milk, I will go to the doctor and bring him here.
Should I write a letter to Kunnathur aunt to come here?” he asked her.
“What is the use
of writing to her? Is it possible for her to come here all the way travelling that
distance alone? Can you prepare coffee with palm sugar for me? This
vomiting might stop with it” Chellammal closed her eyes.
“Stuff this piece
of mango seed in your mouth. I will bring coffee in a while.” He went into the
kitchen. When he was about to make the water hot in a utensil with the
remains of ember in the oven, the milk man came.
Brahma Nayagam
kept the palm sugar coffee near her. He poured the boiled milk in a separate
utensil and went out of the house to call the doctor.
“Come soon. My
condition is getting worse I guess.” She told him without opening her eyes. Her
condition was almost lifeless. The creak sound of the outer door announced the
exit of Brahma Nayagam Pillai.
When he returned
home, it was already dusk. He was waiting in front of the house of a petty LMP
for his arrival. But he did not arrive. As his fears became many fold as they
were immensely influenced by his imagination, he kept a letter mentioning his
address begging him to come immediately and returned home.
What he saw after
entering the home left him hell shocked. Chellammal was lying unconscious near the
front yard. The coffee which she had drunk just a while ago was seen vomited,
spilled all over the place. He lighted the lamp immediately. He wiped off her
body reeked of vomit, with hot water, lifted her, and put her on the bed.
He mixed the red
metallic oxide the doctor gave, with honey and applied it on her tongue. He
applied the oil on her nose, hands and legs. She could not regain her
consciousness. Her breath was slower. He was trying to bring her consciousness
back with liberal application of oil on her body.
A rickshaw arrived
in at that time. “Sir…is there anyone inside?” the doctor called out and came
in with his hand box and poverty stricken appearance.
“Thank God…You
have come at the appropriate time.” Brahma Nayagam received him with his
endearing words.
“What had happened
now?” the doctor sat beside her and examined her hands. He tried to open her
mouth. Her teeth remained clogged.
“Bring a match box
if you have. I need to give her an injection” the doctor told.
Brahma Nayagam
ran to the kitchen, totally oblivious that one match box was available in the
entrance beam. While waiting for Brahman Nayagam, the doctor looked upward and
accidentally saw a match box kept on the entrance beam. He lighted the spirit
lamp and sterilized the injection needle in the flame. Brahma Nayagam brought a
match box with an over flown ignorant smile. He was profusely sweating. The
doctor asked Brahma Nayagam to hold her hand near the light and injected the
medicine into her body. Both were looking at her for a couple of seconds.
Chellammal started
whining, moved slowly.
The doctor kept
all his equipment in his box unhurriedly. He asked Brahma Nayagam to bring some
soap nut powder. Brahma Nayagam gave him a piece of white soap which he used
for washing his dhoti. The doctor washed his hands silently and told him, “It
seems that she is sleeping. Don’t wake her up. In case if she is awake, give
her milk. You know… it is very uncomfortable for you to keep such cases at home
sir…Better take her to hospital”. The doctor left with his medicine kit
box.
Brahma Nayagam
followed him and asked softly, “How is she now?”
“I can’t say
anything now. Come to me in the morning to inform me of her condition. Let us
consider something appropriate after that. Please give quarter of
an Ana to this rickshaw puller”- He boarded the rickshaw. The coins
he was holding in his pocket now went to the hands of that ‘human bull’. He stood
there for some time watching the rickshaw leaving and went inside his
house.
Chellammal was
sleeping.
Without making
sound, Brahma Nayagam went near to her, sat beside her. His eyes were glued
upon her, watching her with an apprehension that she might get up if he touched
her.
A fly sat on her
chest. It seemed that it didn’t like to sit on the soft cloth on her chest.
Again it went up flying and sat on her palm. Again it went up and was flying in
circle as if it got confused where to sit. At last it sat on her
lips.
“thooo…thooo”
she got up spitting it out, wiping her mouth with her elbow.
She kept staring
at him for some time.
“You don’t show
any mercy on me. Do you? How could you leave me like this? ” she scolded
him.
“When I am not
here, you should not move here and there” he caressed her cheeks
tenderly.
“It seems that I
will die for sure. So don’t make it unnecessarily grand” she told him as she
closed her eyes.
“As your body is
exhausted, you feel like that. Can I press your legs?” he endearingly stroked
her legs.
“O…God! My entire
body is aching. I feel extremely cold from inside. Hold my hands and stay with
me.” She grasped his hands with both of her hands and closed her eyes.
She was silent for
a moment and the told him without opening her eyes, “I want to meet my
mother.”
“Why not? I will
send a telegram tomorrow. What a big deal about it!” Brahma Nayagam said.
A fear began to
haunt him. ‘Has she lost her senses’?
“uumm…Don’t waste
your money. Letter is enough. She will not come anyway. Will she?” “You
please go to the shop tomorrow” Chellammal told him.
“Please don’t
think about unnecessary things. Sleep well” he released his hands from her
hands and stroked her forehead.
“It is paining. I
feel thirsty. Need some hot water” she asked.
“Hot water will
make your stomach upset. Just now you have vomited” he took her hands into his
palms and looked at her face. The gleam of countenance which was present on her
face in the morning was not present there now. Her lips became dull bluish in
colour. She licked her lips often to avoid it becoming dry.
“I feel something
palpitating faster in my chest” she told him.
“It is all because
of weakness. Don’t be afraid.” he massaged her chest slowly.
A second later,
she asked him, “I am hungry. Give me that milk. I will sleep”
“Just a second. I
will bring it” Brahmam Nayagam ran inside. To his shock, the milk was lying spoiled.
There was a dried lemon on the rack. He squeezed it in the hot water, mixed
some sugar in it, brought it to her and sat near to her. He brought the heat of
lemonade down to the level of comfortable sip.
“Chellamma” he
called out her softly.
There was no
reply. Her breath was steady.
“Chellamma, the
milk has become bad. I will give you lemon juice. Drink it and sleep.”
She moved her head
sluggishly to indicate “yes”.
He poured it in a
small glass and fed her into her mouth carefully. After taking two sips, she
bobbed her head in denial.
“Why…that lamp
is….?” She did not complete the sentence. Her whole body shook with a hiccup.
Her chest went up once and came own before subsided. Her legs and hands were
pulled inwards with spasms.
Once her tremors
got settled, Pillai gave her lemon juice. It spilled out on both sides of her
mouth.
He kept the glass
aside and touched her.
Only body remained
there.
Without taking off
his hands, he watched his gigantic shadow on the wall. It was looking as if its
big hands were digging out the life of Chellemmal from of her chest.
He tried all the
remaining medicines on her body that the Sidda Doctor gave him.
Soon he realized
that it was beyond his hands, he tried husk compress on her.
A drop of sweat
from his forehead fell on her eye lids.
He closed the half
opened eyes. He stretched out the legs fully which were crumbled due to
seizure.
He kept the hands
folded on her chest.
Sitting beside
her, he heard the sound of boiling hot water hitting somewhere in his consciousness.
He went inside,
made hot water warm enough which Chellammal usually preferred for cozy
bath.
He brought the
body. ‘Chellammal was never this heavy. But it is very heavy now. Isn’t it?’ he
thought.
The head was not
steady. It slid down on one side.
He made the body
sit on its back against his knees, bathed it with cauldron full of
water. As he didn’t know the place where the turmeric was kept, he did not
give her bath with it. He wiped the body with his towel.
He carried it
again inside and laid it on the bed. He covered it with green colour sari which
he had bought for her. He smeared Kumkum and Vibhoothi on its forehead. He lit
a standing lamp near her head. He remembered frankincense which he purchased
long ago for Saraswathi Puja. He sprinkled it on ember and kept a basket full
of paddy.
He performed all
funeral related ceremonies scrupulously he was supposed to complete, and kept
looking at her.
He felt suffocated
in the hall. He came to the outer entrance and stood on the street.
The needle like
icy wind patted his body.
Among other stars
strewn around in an undisciplined manner, the conglomeration of Trisanku star
system fell in his eyes. He did not know anything about astronomy. The legs of
the Sanku constellation were caught in the tip of a tall, black, sharp
tower, unable to rise or set in.
“Aiya...” Munusamy
called him.
He gave him some
currency notes. “Owner gave this. How is mother now?” he asked Pillai.
“Mother is dead.
You keep these notes with you. I will give you a message for sending a
telegram. After sending it, do inform this matter to the owner too. While
returning, inform the barber as well” he told him.
He spoke calmly.
There was no tremor in his voice.
Shocked, Munusamy
ran away to send the telegram.
Brahma Nayagam
Pillai came in, sat. He speckled some more frankincense powder in the
ember.
The fly once again
flew around her body and sat on the face.
Brahma Nayagam
kept on fanning slowly with a leaf fan to prevent it from sitting.
In the early
morning, a sound of dirge from double conch was heard outside, seemingly to
suppress the duplicity found in the dirge of the woman who sang it without genuine
grief.
----End----
Translated from Tamil: Saravanan Karmegam
Source: A complete works of Puthumai Pithan (புதுமைப்பித்தன் சிறுகதைத் தொகுப்பு) compiled by Vetha Sagaya Kumar, Puthumai
pithan Pathippagam.
