Bala en Chellam

தமிழ் ஆடியோ

It was a bright sunday morning, Mala was relaxing in her garden with her thriller novel which she had just brought from the library. She has accounts in two libraries from which she can take a maximum of 3 books and in all 6 books per week sometimes she would finish all of them mid week and wait for the next week to exchange the books. Her mother would scold her for reading too many books so mala would hide two books in her bag without her mother knowing it and pretend she had taken only 1 or 2 books.

As she was cozily seated in her easy chair, the book in front of her suddenly a head popped from above the book, she jumped and the book fell from her hand. Bala was smiling in front of her.

“ Bala you scared me”

“Did I? I think you would be the only person in this world who would think that” saying she laughed.

Mala put her hand round Bala's waist pulling her close to her and said “ chellam, you always do, because you come when i least expect you” saying she held bala even closer.

This girl always has so much mischief and love for everyone. Mala has grown up with her, she never missed having a sibling or a friend. They were almost like identical twins, this had its own disadvantages. Sometimes bala would replace her and people would have had conversations which mala would not know and when she is caught she would become red faced. One such incident is with Swaminathan mama. Mala never had a clue about who he was until this incident happened.

Swaminathan Iyer was a true Bala devotee. He lived in brima theerthakarai which is near akilandeswari kovil. One day, he had a dream in which he heard Bala’s voice telling him “ I lost one of my anklets in your house, if you find it, keep it, i will come and take it”. Swaminathan woke up from his sleep, sweating, his wife who was sleeping nearby also got up and asked him “ what happened?” He narrated his dream and was sweating all over. His wife Parvathy ammal got him some water after which he couldn’t sleep. In the early hours of the morning, he quickly got up, had his bath and sat in front of Bala and asked her for her guidance in finding the anklets. The couple had no children, they considered bala as their child, they searched the house completely. The house was an old fashioned house with a front porch, once inside the house had a central open space with a tulasi plant in the center. The house hasn’t seen paint in many years, but parvathi ammal had kept the house clean and tidy, every piece of furniture was in its place. Be it an old long handle easy chair or a study desk, even a small stool had its place in that house. The ancestral photos were all up on the wall neatly labeled with the year of birth and death. Swaminathan Iyerval was a retired headmaster from the local school, so everything should be in its place. His study table was also neatly arranged with a set of pens neatly kept beside a notepad and his favorite book by gop[alakrishna bharathiyar. Daily newspaper on another side of the table .

Swaminathan started searching the whole house for that single anklet.After few hours he became tired and asked parvathi ammal for a glass of water. Parvathy ammal brought him a glass of water. Parvathy ammal looked at his desperation and said “ Bala is testing your patience, take some rest and look for it, she must have kept it in a place where you would never go and search”.

Hearing this Swaminathan Iyer’s face lit up , he got up and now he knew where Bala would have kept the anklets. He closed his eyes and said “ Balamma, I know you are testing me, guide me to the place where you have hid the anklets” saying he went straight into the pooja room and looked behind Bala’s photo. There it was. A small anklet shining in the dim light. He took it with hands and beaming he came out calling parvathy ammal’s name. She came running and she looked at it with amazement.

Overjoyed, Swaminathan Iyer took the anklets and placed them at Bala's feet, he heard a voice “ Swaminatha, very good, you found it, now wait, I will come and take it” Then there was silence. Parvathy ammal took the anklets and put turmeric and kungumam on it and kept it in the pooja room on a piece of silk cloth. The couple waited for Bala to come.

The next day, Bala entered Swaminatha Iyer’s house as a young girl with a knee length skirt and a short blouse with long hair with jasmine flowers. Her forehead with a tilak, her eyes glittering with mischief, wearing a bright smile, stood in front of Swaminatha Iyer and parvathy ammal. The two fell at her feet and when they lifted their head they found only one anklet in her leg. Iyerval’s eyes filled with tears, he got up, wiped his tear filled eyes, ran into the pooja room and came out with the red cloth holding the anklets in both hands. Parvathy ammal made Bala sit on a chair, quickly in all anxiety ran here and there to get manjal, kumkum for her nalangu.

Bala smiled and said “ I will be here for some time, I will accept your pooja swaminatha, take your time. Swaminatha sat in front of Bala as tears rolled down his cheeks, he didn’t want to blink an eye fearing to lose that moment would be lost in not seeing her. Parvathy ammal sat in front of bala sang as she put nalangu and applied manjal on both her hands, then on both her cheeks and tears of joy flowed and the whole house was electrified with bhakthi.

Bala smiled as she sat there and when parvathi ammal finished her nalangu bala said “ parvathy, enkey in pal payasam?”

Parvathy ran into the kitchen and came out with the payasam she offered it to Bala with much reverence.

Bala took it and drank it all in one go and then said “ ok, maybe you could have added a little more sugar” saying she giggled.

Parvathy and swaminatha iyerval were in ecstasy, the words were ringing in their ears but could not take it in full measure.parvathi ammal took the anklets, lifted bala’s leg and placed it on her lap and encircled the anklets around bala’s ankles.

Bala took leave of them while they still were drenched in this flashy episode.

Meanwhile, one day, Bala told Mala that she will meet her in the temple, so Mala dressed up, took her pooja basket and rushed to the temple to meet Bala. As she entered the temple, she saw a couple walking in the opposite direction towards her. On seeing Mala they stopped, they were wonder struck, Mala didn’t know why, she turned her eyes away from them and moved on, but now they came towards her and stopped her.

They held Mala’s hand and said “ Amma nee ya? Now it was mala’s turn to be shocked.

She looked at both of them, pulled her hands from them and asked “ yaar neego?

The couple stopped and looked at Mala. “ Sorry ma, we thought of you as Bala?”

When they uttered the name Bala Mala knew what had happened?.

She took the couple aside and said “ I am sorry, i haven’t seen you before, that is why i was rude, tell me do you know Bala?

Now the couple sat down on the stone nearby and in a trance narrated the whole story and concluded by saying, she came to our house in your form, so today we thought it was her.

Now it was Mala’s turn to be embarrassed. She apologized to the couple once again. Bala had gone to Iyerval’s house as her, now it is clear as to why they came to her and in all familiarity took her hand.Mala was moved by their love for Bala and she agreed to visit them very often. Mala was drawn more and more towards the couple and they took her as their daughter as Mala reminded them so much of Bala…

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