Translated into English by Saravanan Karmegam
***
Chapter
36: Thangaiya
The Tonga stopped in front of
Thangaiya’s house. Pandian got off the carriage, climbed onto the steps and
knocked the door.
“Please come in”
He pushed the door and went in.
“You are very late”
“I had some work in Madras
Straat”
Thangaiya rose, called out to a
boy from the adjacent house and sent him to Calcutta Straat to get them coffee.
He sat in front of Pandian.
Rajarathnam’s Thodi Raga telecast from Singapore radio was wafting through the room.
“One must listen to Rajarathnam’s
Thodi Raga in the midnight sitting in front of Karaikudi Ananda Madam”
“Why midnight? Why Ananda Madam?”
“Midnight, when the whole town
sleeps, is the best time to enjoy Nagaswaram. During Karaikudi Chithirai
festival, when the procession reaches Ananda Madam, it would be almost midnight”
“What I know is all about only
Subramaniya Temple Marimuthu’s performance in Nayanam and Samithurai Annavi’s concerts.”
“Have you heard of Marimuthu
Pillai acknowledging while listening to Rajarathnam’s gramophones that the
latter is essentially a little precocious though very young aged?”
Thangaiya looked up at the
ceiling and laughed his heart out, and then asked, “Is Thillaimuthu writing you
letters? Had I known that he was in Taiping, I would have paid a visit to meet him.
Why had he gone there?”
“Both his elder brother and
younger brother are settled there and he might have moved as he had got a good
job there. I received a letter only once from him after that. That’s it.”
“What is his elder brother doing
there?”
“He is a senior clerk in
Mathewson estate. Very influential fellow”
“Thangaiya, I am planning to
leave Medan”
“For your home? When?”
“No. Going to the jungle. I am
going to one of the camps of Indonesian Independence Army”
“Have you gone mad? Or become
something else?”
“I have made up my mind to live a
life in jungle from tomorrow. A guerrilla force is getting ready in Dumas
Forest areas. If we get an opportunity, we can show the Dutch army who we are”
“You have gone mad for sure. No
doubt. What will your army do with the broken guns? Your help in arranging them
weapons by smuggling and getting them trained in warfare are just enough. Now
pack yourself up for your home. Or just keep quiet blowing out your whistle”
“You better wait and see what
Dumas forces are going to unleash”
“Please have a thought about the
strength of Dutch forces. How many aircraft, tanks and cannons under their
possession! You know it”
“Courage is all about winning
someone stronger than us. Right?”
“Listen to me. It doesn’t matter to us whether
this country is ruled by the Dutch or Indonesians. Why should we invite unnecessary
troubles?”
“Unnecessary troubles and useful
troubles are one and the same. Mignali conquered Punal Nadu. The people
of that country seek the help from Aye Eyinan. What did he do? He gave them
succour and sped to the battle field yelling ‘fear no more’.
“It is alright. What happened to
that ever-happy king of kings, Aye Eyinan for risking his life in the battle field shouting ‘fear no more? He was lying on the top of Parambu hills under the
scorching sun for days, keeping the remnants of his breath and died finally”
“But it is a martyrdom. A death
with indelible fame” Pandian’s right hand rose above, and said, “Death is
inevitable through the ages. One who lives today will die tomorrow. Will there
be an end to what is called glory? As long as the Sangam literature thrives,
his glorious name will never be erased”
They drank coffee and lit
cigarettes.
“Pandi” Thangaiya cleared his
throat and resumed his coaxing, “I am not going to ask you to change your mind.
But I have one thing I must say. I just hate falling into these illusionary,
fancy ideals called Independence- equality- brotherhood and thus inviting
unnecessary troubles”
“Fancy ideals! They are a beautiful
structure anyway. Without fantasy there is no life. No more ideals. No more society.
If there is no fantasy called chastity, will there be a structure called
family? Will there be an ideal family without this fantasy?”
“Human society has to march on
the way based on true knowledge without fantasy is what I am saying”
“Good. Which is the path based on
true knowledge? No one can say it in definite terms. According to the level one’s
knowledge, truths would be perceived differently. If everyone acts upon his
findings of truth, there will be chaotic destruction everywhere. To prevent it
to happen, a fantasy called singularity of society was set as a boundary to one’s
knowledge. A knowledge which aims to attain knowing things cannot be termed as knowledge.
Knowledge is something which could discern good from bad. Nachinarkiniyan says
‘knowledge is to understand good things in good and bad things in bad”
“Which is good? Which is bad?”
“Anything that has been
prescribed by the society as good and bad having the common welfare of everyone
in mind”
“So, just to ensure we shouldn’t
cross the boundary, humans should accept anything even if it doesn’t fit in the
frame of knowledge. Shouldn’t they?”
“The unfettered knowledge and
little knowledge are same. A knowledgeable man who doesn’t like to become a
fool must set a limit to his knowledge. It may have different names. For
Thiruvalluvar it was the path of morality. For Manikkavasagar, it was the path
of devotion. For Thayumanavar, it was the path of moral conduct. Ordinary
mortals like us, it is the moral codes prescribed by our ancient learned men”
“Don’t we have the right to
re-examine what is good and bad in what you have named ‘moral codes’ prescribed
by our ancestors?”
“Definitely you have. Why don’t
we murder? It is just to prevent others from killing us. Why shouldn’t we tell
lies? It is just to make others believe in us. Why shouldn’t we lust after
other women? It is just to make our women not to lust after others. But we
can’t explain some moral codes so easily as this.”
“Ohoo! If crabs are known to have
noses, we have to accept it because it is told by a learned man. So, even if I
don’t understand something, I have to accept it anyway. Right?”
“What else to do then? The
learned man is Tholkappiyan. The one who interprets is Perasiriyan. We are just
kindergarten kids in front of them. When we have doubts, it is convenient to
rely of the codes designed by the powerful men”
“So, you mean to say we can fall
into the canal if it was dug by powerful men?”
“Yes…either to swim or die in
that canal with a powerful man to push us all into that. What else would this
herd of human beings expect of life? Just a canal dug by a powerful man to jump
into. The question is not who that powerful man is? Lord Buddha? Fuhrer Hitler?
Jesus Christ? Or Comrade Lenin? The basic question is whether he is really all powerful
man or not. Is he capable of making others accept his terms? If the one
dictating terms is really powerful, people will then be ready to fall in any
canal he shows them. That said, it seems the rule of this world that every man
and woman must fall into such canals invariably one day. But the nature of this
herd is that it just leaves the canals and the time of them falling into it to that
powerful man’s discretion. Neither are we shown the celestial land of pleasure called
heaven nor the worldly land of pleasure called earth. No one had ever seen it.
When someone is confident enough to climb onto a podium to yell at everyone
that he is capable of showing the masses any one of those lands of pleasure,
the multitude of people would be ready to stand behind him waiting and follow
whatever he dictates.”
“Isn’t there any way to escape
from those tricksters who keep the masses under their spell claiming themselves
redeemers and make them believe whatever they say?”
“No…it is impossible. Even if you
escape falling into a pond, you can’t escape falling into a bog. Now listen to
this announcement from one such redeemer:
“Triton- Wonderful Triton algae nectar. Skin
Kiss. Superb soap that gives flawless skin. A rare, magnificent combination of items.
This is the only soap in the world that contains Triton Algae nectar. It is
Skin Kiss, the soap that offers you beauty and delight together. About hundred
doctors in Harley Street of London do recommend this. About a thousand
actresses in Hollywood are using Skin Kiss soap for bathing. Skin Kiss. Read it
from either side- from right or left, it remains Skin Kiss. Wonderful beauty
soap that contains Triton algae nectar. Here are the superlative words of
appreciation falling out of fruit-like lips of the famous actress, golden
skinned damsel Kumkum Lola whose measurements stand at whopping 38”-24”-38”.
Listen to her words:
“It is Skin Kiss soap that I rely
on for taking bath three times a day to maintain my silky skin. How do men find
me out no matter wherever I go hiding? It is because of the pleasant aroma of this
Skin Kiss soap. Even if I am far away, why does everyone, no matter younger or
older, seek pleasure thinking of me? It is nothing but Skin Kiss soap’s sweet
dream. It gives you pleasure and happiness of kisses both in and out whenever
you rub it onto your skin. If you love to have a skin like mine, and to feel
the pleasure of kisses, buy Skin Kiss soap today itself. Never miss a day
without Skin Kiss soap while bathing. Now you have listened to the Skin Kiss
experiences of the Cine Actress Kumkum Lola. Now listen to what the ‘Light of
Dance’ Jiljil Bala says about Skin Kiss!”
“So, down with turmeric! Hail
Skin Kiss” Thangaiya’s right hand threw a punch on the table. His eyes
glittered. He said, “Your beautiful voice fits doing fantastic business”.
“May be due to my closeness with
doing business in the market. It might be true that turmeric gives you glowing skin
while the Skin Kiss soap causes itching, drying out your skin like a sun dried
hide meant for making sandals. Ordinary people especially the fools in the
upper strata of the society like no good for their body, rather they like only those
so- called novelty, very often praised by scientists who are good at using
attractive words with the backing of some pseudo - scientific proofs. They like
novelty, novelty, novelty and nothing
else.
“This is the new model Pig-faced
car introduced this year. There were only four doors in the earlier Tiger-
faced model. But the Pig-faced model introduced this year has five doors.
Remember! It is five doors. This new facility which is not available in any
other model has been specially designed keeping your comforts in mind. Don’t
forget! It is five doors. Now here lies freshly introduced triangular,
colourful bear faced wrist watch! This is the only watch available in this
world that shows today’s date and day along with yesterday’s date and day.”
“Stop…stop…I feel that I need
that watch now. Dumping some unwanted stuff on someone’s head is also a type of
social service anyway. The business will flourish. Won’t it?”
“Ah…a saint wondered at seeing
huge number of unwanted stuff being sold in the market Street”
“As long as dupes are around,
there will always be experts in duping people. Let us keep this herd-human
beings aside. My question is simple. Can’t man, with his six senses, lead a
noble life in a world of nature without these complicated fancy codes of
conduct?”
“In the life in Nature, man is
perfectly a guileless animal. It is only in this fake society, man becomes an
animal hiding himself with clothes. Sooner the fantasy about clothes came in,
it was certain that fantasies about chastity, property, and deities would also
come in. If there is no fantasy, there will be no specific character assigned
to society.”
“Let us suppose there is no
fantasy about gods. Will there be any loss because of it?”
“How to control the monkey called
mind which swings on the rope of desire? How to attain mental peace? Desire
doesn’t have limits. Thayumanavar sings like this: “Desire knows no bounds. Even
if they rule over the entire world, they would still like to sway their power
over ocean. Those who are richer than the gods, still like to learn alchemy to
turn everything into gold. Those who enjoy fame that would stand for ever shall
still like to have the nectar of immortality”
“Fulfillment of one’s desire is
not depending on one’s ability and eligibility alone. It is why the fantasy
about god had stipulated a limit to the vanity about human talent and efforts.
It is a boundary set to limit the limitless space of mind”
“We don’t have time to discuss
and sort out the issues of these divine fantasies. We can do it some other day.
I would like to know what had actually prompted my friend to fall on Aya Eyinan
and Parambu hills”
“The fantasy which has charmed
our Chinna Mangalam Pandian is nothing but a noble character to help the less
powerful who fight against more powerful enemies. It is sweet fantasy which
fictionally talks about ideals like masculinity that helps to cut open the
yokes of slavery. No in-depth research, to dig out the facts whether Eyinan and
Mignali had any conflict on women and land, is required now.”
Thangaiya picked up the cigarette
box lying on the table as he laughed at it.
“It’s alright. What is the use of
coaxing a man who still fantasizes about knowledge, morality, seeking of truth
and sins?”
“Thangaiya, there is no such
great stupidity than indulging in discussion that has no end. There is no limit
to it. Confusions would result in destruction. What is the truth behind
man-woman relationship? What was the basis on which the exemptions we find
today were made? Pharaohs of Egypt married their own blood related sisters and
daughters to get children. Cleopatra’s husband arranged by her father was her
own brother”
“The social customs and traditions
would take different shapes according to the needs of society”
“Yes. You are right. But if the
moral codes take such different shapes, there will be a chaos, unbridled chaos.
So did come the standardization of moral codes”
“Ohoo…it just means that there
are some codes of morality for sake of society’s good. It means they are just
fantasies. To be very precise, they are just plain lies. Right?”
“Both are acceptable to me
anyway, be it fantasy or lies. What we mean by it does assume significance. If
we don’t have a strong belief in something, we will lose our grip in life. As
you grow older with your faculty of discernment getting stronger, you are more
prone to develop dislike for your relationships, belongings, skills and
accomplishments. Which is permanent relationship? Which is our belonging? Is
there anything called undying talent? Or accomplishments? Nothing…nothing is
ever lasting. So, there are a lot of beliefs to attain permanence in an
impermanent life”
“Fake fantasies”
“I am not worried about how you
call it. Why do you believe that the earth rotates in an axis and revolves
around the sun? Did you see it? Or just believe it what other had said? It is
just a truth based on belief occurred in someone’s mind that first appeared as
a fantasy. Do you know the equipment and the calculations it made in order to
arrive at the finding that light travels 186000 miles per second? Both
equipment and calculations were made of measurements assessed in one’s
imaginations. Weren’t they? Listen to this verse.
I saw a peacock dancing in the
sky.
The peacock became a cuckoo.
The Peacock became a cuckoo.”
It is just a plain imagination
that occurred in one’s mind. But isn’t a better scene in every sense than the
ones in the plays of schemes enacted by liars and the iron dolls dancing in puppet shows?”
“So?”
“We can’t differentiate fantasy
from truth”
“Will of God and notions of rebirth are plain ideas based on imaginations. You, I, Atlantic Ocean, and Australian continent are conclusive truths from knowledge”
“Ohoo…There is a guy from Patha here. He has neither known anything about Madurai nor seen it. What is Madurai to him now? Is it a truth or just a lie?”
“The existence of Madurai doesn’t
depend on the guy from Patha. He can very well ask people to know about it or
can go to Madurai in person if he prefers to know about it”
“O.K. What about a person who
doesn’t know about the Mount Everest?”
“Everyone can’t scale the Mount Everest
to know about it. He has to believe in others’ words saying they have seen it”
“What about the planet Mars?”
“There is no way other than
believing in what those scientists sitting on earth say, probably with their
guess-works”
“So, there are different ways to understand
different thigs. Right? Judging something as not-existing if you don’t know
about it and passing it as a lie if you don’t understand it, are fundamentally
wrong. Right?”
“You try to get me confused with your
flair for argument. You try to make a point that path of knowledge is wrong.
Don’t you?”
“No. I mean the knowledge which
is not controlled will kill mankind one day. Like a whore who would offer either
truncated or generous service according to the amount she gets, knowledge would
also adjust the human whims and expectations. The path of knowledge has always
helped to prove right the decisions sprouted from the seeds of one’s desires.
The path of knowledge which had once helped prove the mental inferences of
powerful people that the earth is flat, spherical, and elliptical will remain
prepared in future as well to prove any other contrary notions about the earth
being box shaped propounded intrepidly by any powerful person. As long as the
decision makers and the ones proving it right are the same, and tools for
proving it are made by those who prove it right, it gets easier to prove
anything.”
“You are just distorting the path
of knowledge. Ok. Leave it for now. Why do you poke your nose into the conflict
between Dutch and Indonesians?”
“We, the descendants of Aya
Eyinan, hold a moral stand to help the wars fought against tyranny, no matter
where it is. Don’t we?”
“So, you are going to fight the
tyranny of the Dutch so as to bring in sovereignty for Indonesians. Right?”
“Truly speaking, it is my
personal choice. Of late, I have grown bored. I will have some peace of mind if
I could change my place and work for some time.”
“I don’t appreciate your
decision. Do revisit your decision again and decide”
“I will let you know. May I take
leave now?”
“O.K. Come back soon, fully
contented”.
***Chapter 36 “Thangaiya” ended***
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