It was a pleasant Sunday Morning.Mala woke up early,had a nice bath and was fresh as a dew drop.She lit the lamp, said her prayers and was all ready to go out with bala.Bala had said she will come.Mala went into the kitchen asked her mom for breakfast and her mom murmured”today is sunday can’t you stay at home and help me in the kitchen, i simply don’t understand you,Mala,tomorrow when you have a family of your own, you are never going to know what to do”
“don’t worry mom, I will have a housekeeper to take care of all this work”
“let us see, there were so many people in this world, who had been talking like this and they all ended up doing nothing”
“oh, come on mom,don’t start off early in the morning, and spoil my day”,saying, she quickly gulped her food,washed her plate and was done with her morning breakfast.
Her mom was always worried about how she was going to lead her life, without learning the skills of kitchen work.Mala had other things in her mind now.
She quickly plaited her hair. She had long hair,which fell below her waist and it was quite thick, she really had to make an effort to plait them. she was now ready,she had to wear a bindi,bala never liked to see her without a bindi, so quickly she pulled out a sticker bindi, stuck it ,looked at herself in the mirror,grabbed her bicycle keys and came out of the room. Her mother looked at her and said
“What is so special today, you are all nicely dressed up?”
“nothing, i am going to meet my friend and she always insist, I wear a bindi,and says i look nice with it” smiled mala
“tell her, to tell you that you look nice with bangles on?”
“Here again...” sulked Mala
She quickly opened the door, pushed her bike out of the gate,waved to her mom and was off.
Mala was relieved that she was out of the house, quickly turned the corner and there bala was.Mala stopped her cycle removed her left hand from the bike’s handle and asked bala to sit in front , on the handle bar,both of them liked it, as it was easier for mala to bend and talk to bala, bala could whisper things on the way,these are the moments which was very special for both of them. Bala jumped in and off they went.
Mala quipped “Madam,where are we going now?”
Bala giggled
“First to Srirangam gopura vasal”.
“Done,” replied Mala.“
Bala was leaning on the handle as Mala drove.The duo were good together.They enjoyed each other’s company, the whole world was non-existent to them. Mala was lost in her thoughts,thinking about the days when Bala taught her how to ride the bicycle.Mala was desperate to learn to ride the cycle. she had always asked her father to teach her, but he had no time for her, getting desperate she took a small cycle and thinking that will help her to learn, tried riding it on her own.She still remembered the location.It was azhagiya singar temple road, where bala first taught her.As she was trying to learn on her own,bala stood there rolling and laughing.Looking at her laughing in that manner Mala became depressed.
She looked at her with a lot of desperation in her eyes and quivered:
“stop it bala, i am struggling to learn and you are teasing me”.
Bala still continued laughing waved her hand and teased:
“Look at you, you are so tall and you are trying to ride a baby cycle, it is really funny to see you” saying she was holding her stomach this time laughing.
“ I thought this would be easier to learn,” proclaimed Mala.
Bala now stopped giggling turning,
she suggested:
“your legs are long enough, why don’t you try with your father’s cycle,you can learn better “
The next day mala got her father’s cycle to the same road.she couldn’t ride them so she pushed the cycle .Bala came close to her, took the cycle from her,asked her to sit while she was holding. Mala caught hold of bala and sat on the cycle,then removed her clutches from bala and held the front bar,bala asked her to pedal along holding the handle bar.
“Bala you hold the cycle for me, ok, leave the handle bar,i can hold it”saying mala held the handle bar tightly. The cycle was not in her control and it was swaying from side to side.
“mala, hold the handle bar straight,and pedal on”
mala did as she was told, by now she had control on the handle,but the pedalling didn’t come that quick because her body balance wasn’t there.As she was pedalling she was talking to bala asking her not to leave,but after some time she didn’t hear a sound, so she turned back to see if she was there and Lo! Bala wasn’t there. and mala’s head was spinning and the next moment she was on the ground.Bala came running, looked at her and started laughing loudly.mala was so angry with her, she got up, dusted herself, turned her face from her, took the cycle and started home wards. Bala quickly jumped in front and stopped her, and said
“ok. baby, come don’t get angry, it was so funny to see you stumble that is why I laughed.”
“Ok. now I am serious, come on,now you are going to learn”saying she nudged mala to pedal,balance and then sit on the cycle.Mala was reluctant at first but soon the two girls were off once again, within two hours,mala got her balance, pedalling, with bala happily sitting behind helping mala to balance, so as you call it.
Mala’s thoughts were disturbed by Bala's yelling.
“Hey, what happened? why are you shouting?”asked mala.
bala turned towards mala ” that lady was about to fall, so I was helping her”
“Did you?You panicked her, so keep quiet now”.replied Mala.
Bala nudged mala with her elbow and squeaked“I was helping you also in the bargain, you should thank me for that”
“were you?”chuckled mala
“Bala turned and gave mala a nasty look, turned and started shaking the handle of the cycle .
“hey...what are you doing bala, stop, now both of us are going to fall” ”ok. I am sorry, my saviour, let us make peace”,saying mala put out her hand for peace, reluctantly bala gave hers, signalling the end of the argument.
Soon both of them forgot and now they were on to the main road, there were buses moving in both directions.This was the only road leading to srirangam temple and it was always busy,there were pavements on both the sides but the devotees were reluctant to walk on them,lined with houses on both sides,the houses used the pavements as their front yard to fill it with beautiful rangolis.Mala concentrated on the road, TST bus to srirangam was in front of them, bala turned and looked at mala and mala knew what it meant, mala, smiled and off went both the girls, they raced the bus,Her father had complaints from the bus drivers of that route about her racing along with the bus,he warned her not to do it,but the sudden rush of adrenaline was something that Mala couldn't give up on.They overtook the bus and bala was giggling and waving to everyone in the bus,mala’s face was flushed with excitement, Overtaking the bus successfully, both of them giggled as they did so and after crossing bala put out her left hand signalling to enter into Nehru street, and mala took a left turn and off they entered nehru’s street.It was a quiet street, with very few houses,because each house was huge with big gardens and lawns and it was surrounded by huge compound walls, which made it very private for residents.The end of the road had a small stream which gave it a very quiet atmosphere.The running water brought peace to that area and it was downhill, it was one of the favourite roads of bala.The girls were full of excitement as they drove into nehru’s street and down devan nagar and climbed on to devi talkies road which again crossed the main road,they then drove into fisherman’s market and into sathara vedhi,the flower market,notting hill of tamil Nadu.There were flowers of different varieties,ranging from,lilies,roses,oleander,safflower,and many others.There were specialists in garland making,these garlands were sent to all the temples in and around the place and some of them were also transported to different states.there were vendors crying out the price of the flowers for everyone to buy,whereas the flowers were spreading their fragrances which was intoxicating,one could never imagine the different types of them they spoke of the history of perfumes of not only of this wonderland,but also of this beautiful planet.As they passed the streets down the road leading to srirangam temple vasal.As Mala neared the vasal, bala shouted “stop....stop” “hold on”
mala stopped and both the girls got down from the cycle panting from the drive.
They looked at each other and laughed.
”That was really exciting,mala””i enjoyed it”bala seemed pleased with the drive.
“Me too,” replied an exhausted mala.
Mala and bala stopped their cycle and hand in hand, went near the vasal.
There were kids selling flowers. As soon as they saw mala,they all flocked to her to buy their flowers,mala said no and walked on.
Bala moved quickly before Mala and stopped in front of a small girl who was sitting with a flower basket. The girl was around 10 years old,she was pretty with a short hair,oiled and plaited,her eyes were closed and she was sitting as though waiting for some one.She had a big basket of flowers,with flowers ranging from sweet smelling jasmine to scentless crossandra (kanakambaram).
As soon as she heard footsteps she got up and smiled.
“chinna thayee, is it you?”,saying she stretched out her hand to touch bala.
Bala laughed “yes,sugi,it is me”.
The girl put her hand into the basket and from beneath she took out a small garland with different types of flowers, touched bala with her right hand and garlanded her. She then opened her eyes.
mala was shocked,the girl was not blind as she had thought, she looked at bala and smiled.she bent down to touch her feet.bala smiled and stood with abyam posture.Then the girl turned to mala and said “you must be mala, chinna thaye has spoken about you so much, i am glad we met”
“Me too,” replied mala.
“if not for chinna thayee i wouldn’t have got my sight,she gave me the eyes to see, so every morning I wait for her, she should be the first person whom i see every day, without seeing her, i don’t open my eyes, i do all my work with my eyes closed, i come here, wait for her to come,see her, garland her only then my work begins”
“don’t you find it hard to walk around with your eyes closed”
The girl smiled.
“I have been blind all my life, being like that for a few hours every morning,reminds me of my past and prepares me to be indebted to chinna thayee for life, it is my reverence to her, as long as i live,she will the one i look at, first thing in the morning.I have nothing else to offer her,i am a poor girl with no money or riches.what can this poor girl give the loka matha?”saying she looked at bala with loads of gratitude in her eyes.
Bala smiled at her and said “your love is all I ask for,that is the torch which you should use to search for me,i come to places which is filled with love and avoid places which is filled with noise,irritation and selfishness.
You are selfless sugi, that is why i come to you,everyone comes to the temple to see me, i come to you because of your gratitude and love,many people do not understand that, i like innocence because it comes to me naturally, i like to be loved because i am love, purity of heart is what I ask for,because it is devoid of likes and dislikes.The quality of fearlessness in a person is like a magnet which attracts me to them because when a person is fearlessness he wins the fear of death and death is the ultimate challenge of faith in mortal men.
I admire your self discipline in keeping your eyes closed till you see me,people often mistake this quality to self torture,these two are diametrically opposite,self discipline is necessary for a person to transmute material desires into spiritual aspirations, but self torture is a form of austerity which the body is subjected to.It is a means to material end.Learn to forgive,it is the might of the mighty,forgiveness and gentleness are the peace makers of the soul,when I say forgiveness it doen’t mean that a weak man should forgive a strong man if he hurts him,that is cowardice,when a weak man hurts a strong man even though he is strong and has the strength to punch the weak man, when he refrains from it then, that is called forgiveness. When we forgive,you are in spiritual consciousness. forgiving is giving your enemy a chance to gain better understanding.”
”ok, carry on with your work, see you tomorrow”saying bala moved.
Mala looked around, there were so many people around,no one seemed to notice any of this. .Mala moved quickly and close to bala .Bala walked smiling as though nothing had happened.
Mala looked at Bala with tears in her eyes,Bala smiled and asked”what?”
“nothing...” Mala shook her head.
“Then come, we have to go...”
Manamey Marakaathey.......
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