Manjadi

                                                                       

                                                                                                                                                                      MANJADI

                             Grandma, was giving pan cake in Kuttan's mouth. How sweet !! He gulped it. But all of a sudden, a crow appeared and grabbed the pancake from grandma's hand and flew away. The crow was crowing saying as if,  " Kuttan, you didn't get, you didn't get, its for me its for me.."

                          Kuttan wake up and found to his astonishment that pan cake and grandma were all in his dream except the crow.Kuttan felt that the crow was asking by swinging on a window pane, " the sun was risen, wake up Kuttan, wake up."

                          "I have waken up, crow you may go". On listenig to his words the crow flew away. Kuttan thought that the has to perform its duties and wake up all the children. The crow has to wake up childern living in the North, South, West and East.Nobody have still woken up .

                            Hello, who is this??  Is this my young sister? Did she woke up so early?? Crow might have woken her up. Is it? Why is she laughing?? Don't laugh more. Janaki, won't like that. My darling, "Don't laugh like this, others may feel jealous of you", she may start babbling like that.

                             You see, your sister is still  sleeping?? Today she got a holiday thats why she has not yet got up though the sun has risen early. Then she will start to say kuttan, "Get up, get up. Don't you have to study the multiples of two? Don't you have to study a lesson about a train?" .
Then Kuttan gets angry. He cursed the people who discovered school, multiples of  two,lessons about train etc saying that they won't allow him to sleep peacefully. Today we don't have to bother all these things, because it is a holiday.

                             "Sister, wake up, wake up." She is not ready to wake up.She whispered and turned around and slept again. "How can i wake her up?", thought Kuttan.Can i pull the thumb of sister like Janaki does Sarojini to wake up her.

                              "Kuttan, what are you doing?",I will tell mother. Sister was in a very bad mood from the time she woke up.

                               The mother asked them, have they started fighting from the morning itself. Mother was preparing to go to temple after a bath. Mother has long hair. she was hanging he hair down by putting a knot on the top. Her back is fully covered.How beautiful does she look! Both the sisters are fair like mother. Father and Kuttan are dark.Father used to tell that lord Krishna is dark and the dark childern are good.still......

                                Mother, Kuttan made her younger sister to wake up.    
                                                            
             Elder sister is complaining.
            "Its not me, its the crow that woke her up."
            "Lier!"
            "Lier!"
           
                              The mother told that she will beat both of them. "Kuttan, can't you keep quiet?Don't be so naughty.Santha, why don't you sacrifice?Why do you catch up with her?". Mother became cross.Mother is like that.Both of them will get scolding from the mother.she will not beat them. Shewill only make them fearful by saying that,she will beat.Not like father.Father, will no t scold but sometimes, father may become angry. As and how it happens.Except mother, all the others will get beatings from father that day. Nobody will go in front of father,only mother is not feared of father.Mother would stand along with father, speaking in a low voice.Then slowly father calms down.

                              When Kuttan has gone to veranda to brush, Sarojini and Janaki was quarrelling.They
 always, keeps fighting.Janaki scolds sarojini for her laziness, then she will reply her," you are lazy.You spend all time freely as in the name of look after the children.Both of them  had asked
Kuttan of don't reveal their fighting to mother.Both of them fear mother alot. So Kuttan secretly told to father.He replied by cuddled his bald head, "is it?, fighting each other? ask them not to
repeat that in future."
                                                
              Father asked not to fight each other.
       
              Sarojini had gone to clean the courtyard by shaking her head with a broomstick without replying anything. Janki:"fed up with this Kuttan! Have your sister woken up?" and gone in the house.
             
              After brushing Kuttan entered the kitchen.Then Venkidiswaran was maiking Dosa.
              "Venkidi,give me Dosa."
               Have you brushed your teeth? Then, come on. I will give you Dosa, not in the kitchen, but in the dining room.
               "I want Dosa only in the kitchen."
               "Mother will be angry, with you and me."
               "Ok then. Venkidi, i don't want milk today."
               "Then, Horlicks?"
                "No, only coffee."
                "Oh! I won't give you coffee. Your mother insisted me to give you milk."
                "You should give me coffee before mother returns from temple."
                "I can't do that. Iam here for obeying your parents."
                "Iam fed up with Venkidi, won't do anything against mother. What to do?"
               
                 Soon mother returned from temple. Mother put the 'Prasadam' on which lord krishna's statue is kept and lit the lamp and prayed.Father is sleeping. He will wake up at around eight. Sometimes, patients may reach before that. Then, has no other way than wake up.

                 Some times he will curse, "what a damn job ?, will never get peace".
                 "Have Kuttan and Santha had their milk?", mother enquired. Then she placed his  younger sister on her lap and gave milk. Often young sister will stop drinking milk and looked at her brother and smiled.Then, milk she is drinking is spill out from her tiny mouth.
   
                  "Kuttan, you leave this place.Won't you allow even give something to her?", mother scolded.

                   Kuttan went to fathers room. At that time nobody will be there.Stethoscope was lying on the table. By putting it in the ear, he searched inside the table whether there might be hearing any beat sound?,Nothing. This table is dead!

                   "Can i tie father's watch, lying inside the table? Father had agreed that he would bring, a watch like this when iam fifteen years old. How long should i wait for that? My cousin Kunju is so big even though he is only fourteen".

                While thinking so, the watch fell to the floor!! Oh ! what to do? Fortunately it didn't break. He took the watch and placed it on his ear and discovered that there is no sound coming from that.No, the watch is dead!He tested again with stethoscope.Don't know how father will react , when he finds about that. Kuttan slowly placed the watch inside the table itself.

                 On the top of the shelf lies a new bottle. What is that? It is sure that it should be  some sweet medicine. But,was unable to reach to it. When, Kuttan dragged the chair and climbed on it:" What are you doing, kuttan? I will tell your parents. My God! He is doctor Gopalan. He is a spy. I can't stand here any more. "He and His God!", he cursed.
                                 
                         Somebody was coming hesistantly, When Kuttan reached the entrance.
                         "Is the doctor here?"

                         "Not here.He is sleeping."

                          He laughed.What is there to laugh so much? can't he see that, there is no doctor here?

                          Then, father came down and began to speak happily to him.
                          "Kuttan, you go upstairs and take cigarette and match box."
                          Kuttan, went upstairs and opened the match box in the table. There was only four sticks .Yesterday, he heard complianing of father saying that, due to rain the match sticks are unable to light. He tried to light the matches.

                          Suddenly, it burned and he was stunned. How beautiful it looks when it burns! It seem like being crackers lit on Vishu.Can i try once more?

                          "Kuttan, what pranks are you doing upstairs? Oh! there is no place that mother can't reach!"

                           "you are playing with match box, aren't you? Am i not telling you hundred times a day, not to play with fire? You deserves beatings. You give that match box and cigarette to father and go for bath.Come on fast. Janaki, is waiting for you."

                           kuttan, jumped to the pond, soon he reached.Elder sister was wiping her hair stooping down, after her bath.
                    
                           "You have jumped into the pond, without applying oil on  the body?"
                          
                           "Oh! my sister's ego!How did happen to make it so nice? "
                            Janaki, brought oil before Kuttan, started to jump,in to the water.
                            "Alas! Have jumped in to the pond? What to do? Why don't you apply alittle oil on your body?"

                            When Kuttan, reached back after diving in the pond, Janaki, wiped the water on his head and applied oil, murmuring. "Is there any time that you are not infected with cold? I never had the chance of applying oil on your dry head."

                           Janaki, won't allow to swim. Still Kuttan, will return only after swimming awile. Kuttan, wiped his body and put on, trousers, soon Hari and Anandan came to play.After awhile, Johny Kutty, Naseema, Sobha and Balachandran one by one arrived.Everybody together played the game 'Police and Thief'. Elder sister santha, became angry when she happened to be a thief for three times and she quit the play.
                  
                                        
                 "Kuttan,Kuttan its time for lunch." He was running inside hearing mothers call.He fell down by knocking a stone and wounded on his knee.He felt like crying when he saw blood on his wound. Still he didn't cry, thinking that boys won't cry.
                
                  "What happened Kuttan, have you fell down", asked Santha.
                   He just made fun of his young sister and kept silence for Santha's question.
                   "you might fallen down, may i look Kuttan? What the need to be so hurry ?The wound which you happened when you fell down from the mango tree is still raw. "Why don't you walk carefully,"mother asked.What do you think mother? Did i fall down intentionally?
          
                   Father came and stood by the kitchen door and complained, "my watch is not working."
     
                   "You might have forgotten to key the watch", mother answered while giving rice to Kuttan, without giving much attention.
                   "No, no, its not. somebody had meddled with the watch.I think, it has fallen down", father replied.

                   "Then there is no question about that. It should be Kuttan.Who else other than him would do so? Mother was sure about that."
                    "How many times iam telling Kuttan, not to touch unwanted things?", father seemed angry.

                    Kuttan didn't say anything.what to say for all these things? When i say something, it may lead to more problems.Finally, the blame will come on me saying that iam not obedient.

                    After lunch kuttan entered the study room.Father had bought a box of colour pencil.Kuttan, decided to colour all the pictures.Santha was reading,'children's Mahabharata', borrowed from the library.Now she will be deeply interested in reading forgetting everything.

                    He coloured the pictures of 'Lazy Boy', in his Malayalam text book, tortoise who won the race, parrot  on the branch etc. How beautiful it looks now! Especially  the parrot's picture.The colour of the parrot was dark red, the leaves were blue and flowers were green and the beak was violet, eyes and legs were yellow.
                 
                     Kuttan, went to father's room again and brought two or three big books.Some of them had pictures.There was a picture of a man, hanging a leg like an elephant due filariasis .He painted the picture with yellow pencil.

                     Seing this Santha's eyes widened , put her hands on her head sprouted out her tongue."Kuttan!Are you painting father's book? Oh! God!He will kill when he knows it.Go and place it, where it was.Fast..."
                      Kuttan, became tensed when he saw the expression of his sister.Hurrily he kept the books  at the same place.why should father get angry when i colour on his books?Is books become more beautiful when coloured? Elders get angry even if young ones do good things.
                   
   Younger sister was sleeping in the cradle.Oh ! mother has forgotten to put Bindi on her forehead.she looks more pretty when she has put the Bindi.He took the red bottle of Kumkum and at the very moment it fell down and broken into pieces.It looked like a pond of blood.It is certain that,mother will scold when she finds it out.He suddenly saw young sister's red silk dess is hanging on the stand to dry.Can't i wipe out the kumkum with the red silk dress?more over both are red. Mother won't come to know about that.

                      "Iam fed up with this kuttan! What are you doing?"

                       Kuttan ran away when Janaki started complainig.I can go to Hari's home to play.That would be better. There will be no one to scold.Hari's mother is deaf. She will always sawing with her sawing machine.She usually does not go anywhere.Hari's father will not be there. Servant will be there in the kitchen.She will not interfere in anything like Janaki.


                       I enjoy saying conundrum with Hari.I don't feel the time passing.

                       The time is four-thirty now.Everybody were searching for Kuttan.Everybody were frightened.Oh! look Janaki's babbling. Whenever she sees me she scolds and whenever iam missing she will be worried.


                       venkidiswaran made hot 'Vada', but Kuttan couldnot eat.While he was drinking the milk, mother reached:"kuttan, have you put down the kumkum from the table and wiped it with red silk dress? Can't you keep quiet even a single minute?"
                      
                  
                       Kuttan made pranks with his young sister after drinking milk.Young sister is not like others, she likes her brother so much and start smiling at him, when she sees him.


                        when Kuttan returned after bath, mother was prepairing to go to lady's club.Father was in consultation with a child whose belly was so big. The child seemed so weak.Kuttan, felt so sorry for the child.

                         "Its ok,she will be ok soon.She will take a course of tablet twice a day after food.Don't allow her to eat oily food and child's mother brought her on her shoulder and moved slowly."

                          After cleaning the hands father said,"don't be late.We have to go to Madhavmenon's house.Madhavmenon's child has become ill again.It i s not even one week since the child is discharged from Vellur hospital.More over, we have to go somany other places.I will be late.If your chat is over you can return either with Lalitha Sundaram or with Beena Kurup's car."


                           She went along in father's car without giving much attention to his words. she was sitting in the car with hair combed, wearing green silk Saree, white silk blouse, green strapped foot wear,green hand bag and jasmine on her hair.She looks beautiful.The dress which mother wears when she goes to the temples more graceful than the dress she wears  while going to the lady's club.

                 

             Mother looks different, when she is ready to go to club.

             When the car went away kuttan approached Venkidi.

             "venkidi give me a ripe banana"

             "Isn't the banana is kept in the store room?"

             "The key of the store room is with mother.What to do, Venkidi?

             "Do you rememeber once you have shown me a magic of making sand into sugar?So why don't you make a banana out of a stone?"

             "Is your magic wand lying in the store room?"

             "Do you need the magic wand to show magic?"

             "Yes, of course!"

             "Then, venkidi you should tell me the story of a child, who had gone to the primary school?"

             Venkidi started narrating the story.Even though i had heard it several times it still remains sweeter. He started sleeping while listening the story.


              "You should sleep after dinner.Now, it is dusk."Venkidi stopped telling stories suddenly.


              Kuttan,ran to his room drinking milk after dinner.Janaki was cradling his young sister.Elder sister is already taken place on the bed, that has lied on the floor near to the wall.

              "Sister, i will lie near the wall."

              "Yesterday you had lied near the wall so today i will lie there." Santha was adamant.Kuttan pull her.She didnot move.Kuttan tried to push Santha form the wall side.Santha started  grunting.

              "Oh this Kuttan! What a boy!", Janaki started scolding.

               It is better to sleep.Let anybody tell anything.Kuttan, prayed before sleeping...

               "Had kuttan slept, Janaki?", mother asked.

                "Yes, i think so.There had a fight".Janaki should get a trashing.She is trying to  mislead mother by telling false stories,lier!

                "Kuttan's prank is unberable.It is hard to spend a holiday with Kuttan", mother complained.
                
                "You were always complainig that kuttan was a dull boy? Hadn't you thought that this would happen when you went to Guruvayur and made him scatter the seeds of' Manjadi'?" father asked. Oh! mother became angry.When mother becomes angry her face blushes.It looks beautiful then!
        
                 Father made thunderous laugh.

                  No, i could not open my eyes because, i was so sleepy.Iam going to sleep.I hope the window near my legs is opened.I feel cold.Where is my yellow blanket with red flowers on it?                   
 
     (This story is translated from a Malayalam short story named Manjadi kkuru   written by Sumangala.)