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This is an
English Translation of “Gnanakooththu”, s short story written by Ma.
Aranaganathan. Translated from Tamil by K. Saravanan. This is 25th
English Translation in Classic Tamil Short Stories Series. |
The following were the excerpts from the letter
written by Siva Sankaran alias Sivam, who is presently residing in NewYork west
Side Avenue, to his father Muthu Karuppan.
*
It is always better to telephone after half past
seven. Mother should be available at that time.
*
I prefer walking. I feel good. If I travel by train, I
need to spend one dollar. No difficulties in walking anyway.
*
There is a temple here. I have gone there once.
*
It is probable that I may get transferred to a place
called Salt Lake City. I mean- all the persons who are working in our computer
division will be transferred.
*
As such, cooking is not difficult. Everything is
available here. Tender egg-plant and lady’s fingers are easily available.
*
I can read a lot, if I like. But not interested like
earlier.
*
Thiru Arutpa 1 and Thirumanthiram 2 are
kept under my safe custody.
*
I have got an opportunity to get acquainted with a
lady reporter working in New York Times newspaper here. She is very well
experienced and well-read including computer science. She has travelled
throughout the world. She had been to Chennai also once and knows a lot about
the streets of the city. She categorically says, ‘If someone lived for another
hundred years, he would be reading only two books- ‘Alice in the wonder Land’
and Thirukural 3. Her name is Ms Lavula.
The proficiency level that you have got in English is
more than enough to run your day to day life here. I was not also not
comfortable in the beginning. Now I am accustomed with it. The people around me
are also just like me. They say ‘We also know only this much of it’.
*
Only fruit juices in the morning- I have got
accustomed with bread. The friends who are staying with me eat different
varieties of food.
*
Need to shell out eight thousand rupees for the
telephone charges.
2
It was a letter, addressed to Muthu Karuppan, neatly
printed with a letter header “Muthu Kumarasami Pillai (I.A.S), Joint
Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat”, on a smooth paper except the word ‘Retired’,
written by hand.
“I came to understand through our Association that you
are searching for a bride for your son. My ancestors were from the South and our
family is traditionally vegetarian. My Chithappa 4, has retired from
the government service. At present he is residing at our place and he knows your
father well. Once he accedes to this proposal, his word will be final. We
respect his words.
She is our only daughter. She has passed M.Sc. We own
a house and four kottai 5 of arable land. Here, in Chennai,
we own a house in Ashok Nagar. All these properties will be in her name. Since
she felt that her science education shouldn’t go waste, she is working in a
college.
It is quite surprising that we don’t know each other
in spite of living in Chennai for the past forty years. Even though I do not
know you and your family, this alliance seems to have been fixed with the help
of blessings from our ancestors and the assistance from our Association. All is
because of the blessings of Lord Shiva!
Looking forward to your letter…
3
After the school hours, Saraswathi Ammal returned to
her home only after 7’O clock. Muthu Karuppan was sitting on an easy chair in
the balcony. On seeing her, he said, “I thought you would come late today. You
know that he was sad last time”
Saraswathi washed her face. While she was making
coffee, the telephone rang.
“Please attend to the call. I will speak to him after
sometime” she told.
He heard someone talking on the other side. After a
while, Sivam came on the line.
“Am I speaking to Appa? Mother isn’t there today too.
Is it?”
“She’s here. You have informed that you would be
transferred to some other place. Any update?”
“I will come to know about it only on next Saturday. Probably
I may have to go there. All, four of us, have to go”
“It is very far. Isn’t it?”
“Yes…The Company will look after everything including
accommodation. I will get five hundred dollars more there”
“I hope your health is alright. Isn’t it?’
“I am fit as fiddle. Give the receiver to mother”
Sarsawathi received it.
“Dear Son! How is your health? You are taking oil
bath. Aren’t you?”
Yes...everything is fine here. How is everything
there? Anything important? If the house needs any repair works, we can do it
immediately. I will send the money. How is father’s health? Tell him not to
strain himself in the hand pump to take water from the Bore well.”
“Your father told me that you would be transferred to
a new place. Wouldn’t it?”
“Yes. It may happen. I’ll inform you”
“Can I give the receiver to your father?”
“It’s already late. Let me hang up. I’ll inform
everything in letter”
Sarsawathi Ammal kept the receiver down. She wondered,
“How clearly it is audible as if he is speaking sitting beside me.”
4
Respected Shri Muthu Kumarasami Pillai,
This is Muthu Karuppan. I am indeed very glad to have
your relationship. I have told my son also about it. You know well that any
arrangement we make should be as per the wishes of our children. Don’t you?
You have told that you know about my father and my
forefathers through your Chithappa. I also feel that I need to tell you some
details about me.
My father, Siva sankaran left on pilgrimage to visit all
the six abodes of Lord Murugan. He never returned home after that- till date. My
mother kept waiting till her death, wearing her Thali 6 . People
still say that her death was not natural.
As I couldn’t pass the school examinations, I came
here and settled with a job. My elder brother- he is now sixty five years old.
He is living in his wife’s house. His son is said to have be mentally retarded,
but it is benign they say. My younger brother- he is forty five years old. He
has just passed his S.S.L.C examination through coaching in private tutorials.
He may get promoted to Lower Divisional Clerk after five years or so. The
children of my younger brother are living with their mother.
When the Freedom Movement was in its full swing, My
Periyappa 7 went Vedaranyam to see his daughter and grandchildren.
While buying salt 8 from a grocery shop, he was beaten by the
police, imprisoned. Later, when he was on freedom fighter pension, he died. I
was with my Periyamma 9 at her home. They had four or five milch
cows. I was looking after them. It was a holiday during summer, and due to my
carelessness one of the cows was missing. Without informing anyone, I came to Chennai.
I must tell you about my maternal uncle also. He is
still living in my native place. Ever since I was seven years old, I knew that
he used to steal coconuts and sell it. Now the assets of Amman Temple are under
his custody. I almost forgot his face.
When I was working in Chennai, I got married. I went
to our caste Association to invite them for my marriage. The secretary of the Association
told me nonchalantly, “You have to invite the government not the Association”
There was a truth behind his insinuation. The woman whom
I married was from Adi Dravidar 10 Community. I didn’t invite
the government for my marriage.
Presently I don’t know anyone in our Association. But
it is good that our Association is helpful in many ways.
5
“Your reply should be sent only to him. Shouldn’t it?
Then why are you sending a copy of it to our son?”
“Isn’t the reply about him? He must read it.”
“Inform him that when he comes here on Pongal 11
we need to finalise all the arrangements one and all”
“Yes…I have included this in the letter.
“One of my colleagues in the school told me that what
we would do if he marries a woman at his own will”
“What will you do?”
“Haven’t you seen in the letter? He has mentioned about
some newspaper reporter. What are we going to do if he developed relationship
like that and brought a white lady here?”
“We can’t be that dead sure about it”
“Why can’t it be?”
“She wouldn’t be necessarily a white lady. Even black
people are also living in America”
Muthu Karuppan sat on his the easy chair comfortably.
The wind was breezy. He inhaled the air
deeply, closed his eyes, as if he was experiencing clean air for the first time
in the city.
***End***
Note:
1.
Book
of hymns written in praise of the God by Vallalaar.
2.
The Tirumantiram
or Thirumantiram is a Tamil poetic work, written either
in the 6th century by Tirumular Tirumantiram's literal meaning is “Sacred
mantra” or "Holy incantation"
3.
The Tirukkuṟaḷ (shortly the Kural) is a classic Tamil language text consisting of
1,330 short couplets of seven words each. The text is divided into three
books with succinct teachings on virtue (aram), wealth (porul) and love (inbam) respectively. Considered one of the
greatest works ever written on ethics
and morals.
4.
Younger
brother of one’s father.
5.
It
is an archaic unit of land measurement. One Kottai is roughly equivalent to 1.5
acres of land.
6.
Sacred
thread worn/ tied around the neck of a woman during marriage. She wears it till
the death of her husband.
7.
Elder
brother of one’s father.
8.
During
the Freedom struggle in India, Mahatma Gandhi followed a novel way of protest against
imperialism. He started a Salt Satyagraha, a symbolic protest against tax
imposed on salt. Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu was one such place where this protest
against Salt tax became popular.
9.
Either
the elder sister of one’s mother or the wife of one’s father’s elder brother.
10. A scheduled caste Community in India.
11. A Tamil festival in the Tamil month of ‘Thai’ (In the
second week of January every year)
Translated from Tamil by K. Saravanan.
Source: Ma. Aranagnathan’s Short story “Gnana Kooththu”
