Kanapathi Iyer was lying on the veranda of his house
Kanapathi Iyer was lying on the veranda of his house
Kanapathi Iyer was lying on the veranda of his house. It was past nine o’clock at night. His house was like the one where Pillayar had driven to the temple.
The evening puja was over in the temple, and the doors were locked at seven o’clock at night. It was the month of May. The gentle breeze blowing through the leaves of the big neem tree standing nearby was pleasant. Iyer knew that only by lying on the veranda could one enjoy the comfort of that breeze.
From somewhere, the sounds of four-wheeled vehicles were heard. In the distance, the sounds of shelling could also be heard intermittently.
These sounds were commonplace these days, and Iyer lay stretched out, ignoring them. Iyer had not yet fallen asleep. Later that day, when he had gone to Moorthy Master´s house, Elango and his wife Vadilagi had arrived there.
Iyer was thinking about the many things he had talked about there. In between, the atrocities that ‘Army’ had been committing for a few days also came to Iyer’s mind. “Child, you have to decide all this,” Iyer thought, and then he fell asleep.
Iyer’s eyes widened slightly and he heard someone running. Iyer sat up in shock. His heart was pounding.
From the dark side, Roach took the light in his hand but did not turn it on. When the pounding in his heart calmed down, Iyer called out, “Who is it?”.
Two figures were silhouetted through the darkness. Iyer’s heart was filled with fear. However, he managed to control himself and turned on the light while asking again, “Who is it?”
Two figures were standing nearby. They were wearing long trousers and shirts. “Sir, don’t light the lamp. It’s us. Don’t be afraid,” said a young man.
Iyer immediately turned off the lamp and said, “Who are you?”
“Sir, we are the movement. I am the son of Muthaiah Sellaiya. He is Sundaram. The army comes and chases us. We will be here in a moment. If the temple is opened, we can go into the inner street and hide in the carriageway…”
Part2
Iyer was silent for a moment. Then, taking the opening key from the door, he walked towards the temple gate saying, “Come in.” Opening the front door, the three of them went inside. Muthaiya and Sundaram walked towards the vehicle road from the southern road. “Come in, brothers! If they come and search for you, you will be caught and left. Come in,” Iyer said, walking into the temple. The youths also turned and followed Iyer.
Iyer opened the main door and said, “Brothers, you have gone inside. If you hear the door opening by chance, go to the side of the Swami and stand on both sides in secret. Pillayar is there. Don’t be afraid.”
Muthaiya took his foot to go inside. Sundaram held his hand and whispered something in his ear. Muthaiya said, “Hey, come on,” and dragged him inside.
“It’s really dark. Hey, brother, put on this light too. Don’t make any noise in the dark. I’m coming,” said Iyer, closing the door behind him, and went out to bed where he had been lying before. His chest was pounding, and he couldn’t sleep anymore. Iyer tried to lie down as if he were asleep.
Muthaiya and Sundaram were locked inside the temple. Sundaram said in a low voice: ‘ ‘ I have something to think about. “
“Why? ”
” Didn’t you have an argument with this Iyer a few days ago?
A few days ago. At that time, it was festival time in that Pillaiyar temple.
It seems like Iyer was going to have a sermon every day for the festival.” said Muthaiya
“Oh. The story of the Ramayana. Sivakumaran will continue to speak. He will speak well,” said Iyer. If he spoke, it was the story of the Ramayana, right?” Has Manison told Kambar how to live?”
“Good story. I didn’t come to tell you otherwise, Iyer. But isn’t that the story about the Aryans from North India destroying the Dravidian king Ravana from Sri Lanka?”
Sir laughed. Then he started to tell the story of the Aryans being defeated because I was a Brahmin…, but Muthaiya interrupted.
“No sir? All the Brahmins in our village are Dravidians by the thousands. You don’t even…”
Part3
Muthaiya tried to say something again, but Sundaram interrupted him and said, “Muthaiya, why are you talking about all this stuff at the temple? We can talk about it somewhere else, on the stage. Come on!” He dragged Muthaiya and left the place.
When he came out, “Why are you talking about all this stuff with Iyer? He will think something is wrong,” Sundaram said.
“No, you don’t know anything about Iyer. He won’t think anything wrong,” said Muthaiya.
Muthaiya, who was in the locked room, remembered the argument he had with Iyer that day and said, “Sundaram, don’t think unnecessarily. Iyer won’t take any of this seriously.”
“No matter what you say, Iyer will still have a grudge against us. That’s not all. I think he knows me too. He was born in a caste that is not allowed to enter the temple, now he is going to go to the original temple, he will have a lot of money. This is what the religion of the Iyer has shown.
“Hey, you always have a low mentality. Don’t tell stories about the Vishaka. What does it mean to you that Iyer is not such a person?”
“Not only that, if they come and knock on the Iyer’s door twice, Iyer will leave you alone. We will also lock ourselves in a locked room.”
“Sundaram, I am a spoon. Just think about it. The Iyer will not be in any danger. Even if they beat Iyer, Iyer will not show us. I know the Iyer well” said Muthaiya.
Ganapathi Iyer, who was lying on his mat and sleeping, woke up with a start as if he had thought of something. He went towards the temple gate and touched something with his foot. Then, saying to himself, “Stupid brothers”, he took the two pairs of sandals that were lying there and left them hidden between the chariot and the chariot’s door. After a while, Iyer lay down on the bed again, and for a while, he heard a vehicle coming from afar. Iyer’s body began to tremble slightly. He said to himself, “Pillaiyar,” and he strengthened his mind, saying, “Let´s see what´s coming.”
Part 4 – Final
The sound of the vehicle was heard. For a while, the bright light of the vehicle fell on the front of the Pillaiyar temple. The vehicle was stopped and four or five people got out. One of them raised his gun and aimed it at the temple. When Iyer, who was watching everything in the light of the vehicle, saw them approaching, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
Someone tapped Iyer on the shoulder lightly with the tip of the gun and woke him up again, saying, “Oh, oh, wake up, wake up.”
Iyer woke up from his “good sleep” and woke up with a start.
“Two people came this way, where are they sleeping?”
Iyer said with an innocent expression, “I didn’t see anyone. I was sleeping.”
One of them turned on the flashlight and looked at both sides of the temple. The front door of the temple was locked, and a large tortoise shell padlock was put on it.
“Is there anyone inside the house?”
“My wife asked.”
“We want to see inside the house. “Get up and go!”
Iyer got up and opened the door of the house. Iyer’s wife, who had woken up a little while ago after hearing the noise outside, lit a lamp and stood behind the door. Iyer went ahead and took the lamp from his wife, and a soldier followed. He asked her to open the room and checked the light. He also went into the kitchen. There was no place in the house where his shoes had not touched.
Iyer’s wife was worried, thinking that the whole house should be washed and wiped the next day.
After completing the test, the soldier and Iyer came out.
The soldiers felt confident that the people they were looking for were not there. “Okay, okay, you go!” They told Iyer and the soldiers went towards their vehicle. After a while, the sound of the vehicle revving was heard. The light that was pointing towards the temple turned to the other side. The vehicle quickly drove north and disappeared.
Iyer lay in bed for a few minutes. He was sitting.
The sound of the vehicle had completely disappeared.
Maybe someone had sent the vehicle and was standing here? A doubt arose in Iyer’s mind. He sat on the bed for a few minutes and scanned the place where the vehicle had stopped with his eyes in the dark.
He didn’t know anything, he said, “Don’t stand there like that. They must be scared too.” He opened the outer door of the temple, thinking clearly.
He went inside and opened the main door and called out, “Brothers.”
There was no sound.
“They have gone, now you come,” said Iyer.
First, the light came on. He covered his eyes with his hand and said, “Okay, okay, come.”
Muthaiya and Sundaram came closer to Iyer.
“Pillaiyar has kept you safe here,” said Iyer.
“Sir! “You are the one who saved us,” they both bowed to Iyer. “Hey, what’s this? Come on, let’s go,” Iyer said, gathering them and coming out.
After telling them all the events that had happened, the Iyer said, “You left your sandals at the temple gate. What would have happened if your sandals had caught their eye?… Fortunately, I found them and put them on the side of the chariot. Go and get them.” The two of them were startled and said, “Oh..We have lost our minds in the rush.” Then the two of them went and brought the sandals.
You are very tired, go and lie down. Drink some coconut drink each and go. Come on,” the Iyer said, making them sit on the bed and go inside the house and bring two coconut.
While drinking the coconut drink, Muthaiya said, “Sir, this is the one who scared the first time I came here. I had a hope that I would not give up. I kept my faith, sir. I don’t know how to thank you” said Sundaram.
“Sir, you must forgive me. It is true that I misunderstood you.”
“Aren’t you the grandson of the little one?”
“Oh, sir. – Do you know well? You let me go into the temple?”
“Oh, sir. Humanity is above all etiquette. I am also a child of God, and you are also a child of God. In times of danger, humanity is more important than etiquette. No child would change this.” said Iyer, looking at Muthaiya.
– Varathar
– Published 1995
(Translation by Tamilpriya)
Compiled by: Tamilarasan Abdulkadhar
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