Love is blind: sex is powerful

A Namboodiri family hired a young Namboodiri to teach thirteen and ten year old girls, as they were not supposed to go to school, where they would have to sit among pupils from other castes. After classes, the older sister and the teacher used to “play and the youngest would stand guard to let them know, if anyone came. In the evening no one will come as the women will be busy praying. The result soon came out; she became pregnant.

The tutor was also only eighteen years old and was not prepared to face the consequences. So they ran away. The girl’s necklace brought some money, with which they managed to get to Kasargod. A substitute poojary was needed there. So the boy started winning. They stayed as husband and wife, as child marriages were normal in those days.

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I was attending a conference of environmental scientists in Cuttack. Young students were also invited to attend the proceedings and present their work. Among them, a boy named Aswin impressed me with his academic qualifications and meticulously studied an article on turtles. He was tall for his age and had bright, searching eyes and a high forehead. He didn’t speak English fluently, so I asked him: what is his mother tongue?

When he said Malayalam, I became more interested… But I had no information about his home or town.

After the conference, I accompanied him to his house, near the temple. Her mother attracted me because of her face: the same eyes and forehead as her son’s!

Involuntarily, I put my hand on his shoulder and said: congratulations. Your boy has been selected for investigation!

He sat up, grabbed my feet and started crying. I felt embarrassed. I also sat on the ground and wiped away her tears.

I said: today is an opportunity to celebrate. Aswin is an intellectual giant, although he is still a child. I’ll see if I get it. Sister, give me rice and sambar. I want to eat to my capacity!

Then she smiled. I sent Aswin to fetch sweets, giving him a five hundred rupee note.

In his absence, his mother became chatty.

What her name?

Sankaran.

What caste are you?

Warriar, we live near the Mahadevamangalam temple on the bank of the Bharathapuzha river. At the mention of the temple, she smiled and warmed. She was about to touch me, but she hesitated. So I took her hand and squeezed it. I asked him: do you know the place?

She avoided an answer. I continued:

My parents are in Delhi. I am his only son, unmarried and thirty years old. How old are you?

Next month I’ll be thirty-two.

So you are my oppol (older sister).

You didn’t tell me your name.

sum

When I am in Delhi, come there.

She used to write to me. Although her writing lacked order and sophistication, I loved reading it. On the occasion of Rakhi, I sent her traditional bracelet, indicating my determination to protect her, and expensive gifts.

The next winter, Sushma and her son came to Delhi and stayed as my guests. Aswin was at JNU. Sushma’s husband couldn’t get permission because he was a poojari, so it was Sushma and I who toured Agra and Jaipur. I found her company entertaining and satisfying.

The next time I went home to Keralam, my grandmother insisted that I get married. She even chose a girl as my wife and introduced her to me. She was quite pretty, albeit short, and polite. Somehow, I didn’t like the idea. Grandma was not happy.

I was on my way home. I called an autorickshaw and when it stopped a lady asked to share it. She was dark, with lively eyes and I asked her where she was going. She also went to the Mahadevamangalam temple.

I risk a guess: are you a teacher?

Yes.

Name?

Veena.

Do you know the warrior Sankaran?

I have seen him as a child. Now I hear he is a great scientist.

I’m big?

She looked at me closely and laughed. Are you that Sankaran who used to play with us? A dirty brat with snot and scabies? Oh! Me. God! How have you changed? Why this big mustache? Dislike.

By then we had already reached the temple. It was about to be closed. We had to go down a flight of stairs to get to the river. I held her hand so she wouldn’t slip and fall. I sat on the steps while she took a bath.

The crescent moon could be seen faintly over the vast expanse of fields beyond the river.

I said: there is no water in the river.

Her: Some experiments were done to “conserve water” and this is the result. I have to go to bed to take a shower.

Me: hurry up; It’s getting dark.

When we went up, the temple was about to be closed. I didn’t go in. She finished and left.

We climbed onto a rock overlooking the river and sat next to each other. Can I touch you?

She laughed: you men are like that. Can’t you wait until we get married?

So is our marriage settled?

Do you like to play with my body and leave me?

Sorry Mrs; I just wanted to hold you on my arm.

She snuggled close to me and I hugged her tightly. Then she described everything I mentioned at the beginning about Sushma’s escape. (As I was with my parents in Delhi, I never heard about it.) I screamed in ecstasy: I’m her best friend and I mentioned everything that happened in Cuttack.

Then we went to his house to inform him of the good news. The old parents couldn’t believe it.

They asked: why didn’t you write to us?

She never talked about you. Even when she knew who I am, she didn’t divulge any details about herself.

Veena suggested that perhaps she is afraid of the wrath of the parents.

I left, promising to meet the teacher at school.

At 4 pm, when the school closes, I was there with a dozen saris. We spent the afternoon in the municipal park. She was in a bad mood and she doesn’t say what’s wrong.

I asked if she is having a lover.

Then only she smiled. She shook her head negatively.

I dropped her off at her hostel.

The next day he had to go to Madras for an urgent job. In the evening, I wrote her a long letter, with lots of hot kisses. The reply, when it came, was the shortest love letter ever written!

“Dear Sankaretta,

I can not live without you.

Your love

seea”

Meanwhile, Sushma and her husband went to see their parents. I’m told they were all talked into arranging my marriage to Veena.

But my grandmother refused. She won’t find out. So I went back to Delhi, very disappointed.

Things were moving fast.

The old poojary from the Shiva temple at Mahadevamangalam wanted to retire. He wasn’t getting a reliever. Sushma’s husband was willing to do this job so that she could take care of her parents.

I came back to Keralam and the new environment was very exciting. Veena ran to my house whenever she could. Grandma became very close friends with her. Veena had given me sexual freedom and I made the most of it, since Grandma was resting in her room most of the time.

My parents came home and solved the problem by extracting Grandma’s consent for our marriage.