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Devadasi
Chapter Listing
Chapter XXVIII
EPILOGUE
(1939)
Ramaswamy Udayar was lying on a bench in the front room of his ancestral house
in the village of Achipatti. His head was propped against pillows. A shadow
from the doorway crossed his dim eyes.
' Who is that ? ' he demanded. His voice was still firm in spite of his eighty-
five years.
' It is I, Meena,' the shadow replied. It was an elderly, but sprightly little
woman who had entered the room.
' When did you come Meena girl ? ' he enquired. His voice had acquired a
tenderness unusual for his age. ' Did Kuppan bring you ? '
'Yes.'
' He is still the best bullock cart driver,' Udayar said. 'Here come and sit
down and tell me all your news. How is your family?'
Though it was just as much his family as hers, he always referred to her
children and grandchildren as ' your family'.
' They are all well,' she replied. ' Naga is expecting her first child. But
otherwise, things are the same as usual.'
Naga was their youngest child, born in the autumn of their love, and
consequently, his favourite.
' Fancy ! Naga, that little girl expecting a child ! ' he mused. We are getting
on I suppose. But I will never see her again.'
' I can easily bring any of the children to see you if you like,' she replied.
' Chinnamma has asked me many times to bring them. Next time, I will bring one
or two of the grandchildren,' she assured him.
' Here, come next to the window where I can see you properly,' he told her.
She came and stood near him in the light and her wrinkled but still beautiful
face had a young smile.
' That is better,' he said as he peered at her. ' By the way, have you sold
your tobacco crop ? '
' Yes.'
' How much did you get for it ? '
' I got eleven hundred rupees,' she said.
' That was for four acres, wasn't it ? '
' Yes, the crop was good, but it got some blight towards the end.'
' Two hundred and seventy-five rupees per acre,' he calculated. ' Not bad. I
suppose that son of yours is quite an experienced farmer now.'
' He does his best,' she smiled. ' How have you been keeping ? ' she changed
the subject.
' As you see, helpless and useless,' he cried. ' Lying here day after day, just
thinking.'
They were silent for a while as old people are won't to be when they are
ruminating over their past.
' I have brought you some halva,' Meena interrupted their silence.
It broke his reverie. ' What is that ? Did you say halva ? I hope you didn't
touch it or anything.'
' Do you think I have forgotten your orthodoxy after all these years ? ' she
asked. ' No, I did not touch it. I bought it from Krishna Iyer's coffee club
that you used to like. The brahmin himself placed it in the bullock cart and
when we came here, Chinnamma took it out.'
' That is all right then,' he said. ' Ask the old woman to bring me some now.'
His wife Chinnamma, who had been standing behind the inner door listening to the
conversation, now came into view. 'You are a youth of sixteen I suppose; only I
have become an old woman,' she grumbled as she went in to bring the halva.
' We are all old and it is no use denying it,' Meena mused. 'We have nothing to
look forward to except our children's happiness, and perhaps a peaceful death.'
' Children's happiness ! ' Mr. Udayar nearly exploded. You should talk to my son
some times; May be he will listen to you.'
' I hear he is doing well in business,' said Meena.
' I don't understand all this business of his,' the old gentleman complained.
' And what I don't understand, I don't trust. I earned whatever I did by
charging a reasonable twelve per cent interest, so why can't he do the same.
But these things that Kumaraswamy is doing - factories and machines and
foreigners - it is not within our power to control them. As if all these were
not enough, he has now gone and bought a motor car. One day, these things will
lead him into trouble.'
' We don't understand these things,' Meena said. ' But may be, he does. After
all, he went to a high school and learnt English.'
' Just because he has learnt a few crooked letters, it doesn't mean he knows
everything.'
The coming of the halva interrupted the conversation. He ate it with relish as
Chinnamma stood over him with a glass of water. ' Halva is the only sweet I can
eat now. Even my teeth are gone, so I can't chew anything.' Mr. Udayar complained.
After eating the halva, he slowly got up to wash his fingers and walked towards
the door. Chinnamma tried to help him. ' I don't need your help,' he shouted.
' My legs are still firm It is my eye sight that is bad.'
The effort of eating the halva and walking to the front yard to wash his fingers
seemed to have tired him and he closed his eyes. Just then, his granddaughter
Kamalam rushed in. 'Meena ! Meena ! ' the little girl shouted. ' You promised to
bring me your ankle bells. Have you brought them ?
' Yes, dear, I have brought them.'
' They are teaching me dancing at school and if I could have a real dancer's
ankle bells, may be it will improve my dancing.
' Ankle bells ! ' Udayar suddenly came to life again. ' Why do you need ankle
bells, Meena girl. You gave up dancing a Iong time ago.'
' But I have kept my ankle bells all these years,' Meena said. ' I am glad that
at last they are being used again.'
' Useless things ! ' Mr. Udayar muttered.
' You remember the steel trunk we bought in Sri Rangam, the first time we went
there,' Meena asked.
' What steel trunk ? I don't remember any steel trunk.'
' I was cleaning it out the other day and I came across these bells at the
bottom of that trunk.'
' I know you were always buying things,' Mr. Udayar said. ' All women are the
same in that respect.'
' Do you remember the doll we bought, the doll Kaveri that caused all the
trouble ? '
' How do you expect me to remember everything you bought in all these years ? '
' This is what happens to the deepest and the most precious of sentiments,'
Meena thought regretfully. ' With old age, they all disappear into the oblivion
of forgetfulness.
Chinnamma brought the ankle bells. ' They are beautiful !' Kamalam shouted.
' These are real bronze; what we get in the bazaar are made of brass and they
don't have this quality of sound.' The bells jingled as she waved them and
danced away.
' In my time, only devadaasies were allowed to dance. A girl from a respectable
family wouldn't dream of wearing those bells. Now they teach them dancing in
school.' Meena said to Chinnamma.
'Yes, the whole world is upside down,' Chinnamma agreed.
' The costume I had made for my farewell performance was a moth eaten. There was
regret in Meena's voice as she said this. And I had to throw it away last week.
It was exactly sixty-two years ago. Only, it doesn't seem so long some how.'
' Come Meena, let him sleep. We will sit at the back and have a chat,' and
Chinnamma took Meena with her.
The two ladies settled down on a mat in one of the back rooms, pounding betel
nuts and leaves together and chewing.
' How has he been keeping ? ' Meena enquired. ' He seems rather grumpy'
'Having been a busy man all his life, he finds it hard just to sit and do
nothing,' Chinnamma replied. ' Losing his eye sight has been a big blow, because
it makes him feel helpless Further, his memory is not what it was.'
' I thought so. When I mentioned the steel trunk, he didn't seem to know that I
was talking about.'
' Was that when you wanted to throw yourself in the river?'
' Yes, I didn't know you knew about it.'
' I myself have felt like it a few times in my life, but I suppose there have
also been compensations.'
' On that first trip, we quarrelled over a doll. But I bought it in the end. I
still keep it. Silly sentiment ! '
' Yes, one gets attached to things like that.'
' I wish I could look after him,' Meena said changing the subject.
' I can manage easily,' Chinnamma smiled. ' He is a child in many ways.'
' That is not what I mean,' Meena paused before continuing. ' I know you can
look after him without my help. What I mean is, every time he has been sick,
whenever he has been helpless, and now in his old age, he has relied on you. I
have not been able to do anything for him. He has only come to me....for his
pleasures.'
' Kumaraswamy wanted to bring a doctor to see him,' Chinnamma said. ' But he
said " No ".'
Meena was in a reminiscent mood. ' I wonder which of us is the luckier one,'
she said.
' We have both been lucky; we have had as good a life as any woman has a right
to expect.'
They talked about the old times, about the ups and downs in their lives, about
their children and about the man who was the lord and master of both of them
and who now lay helpless in the front room. They laughed and they shed tears,
but on the whole, they were contented and happy. They had had a fuU life and
could look forward to their death without regret or remorse.
The sound of a motor car interrupted their quiet chat. ' That is Kumaraswamy
arriving, I had better go and see if lunch is ready,' Chinnamma went into the
kitchen.
' Hello, Meena ! How are you ? ' asked Kumaraswamy he came in and saw Meena.
Everyone in the house always called her Meena though she was always respectful
and used the honorific plural form to address all adult members. 'You have not
been in for six weeks and because of that, father has been in a grumpy mood.'
' What with one thing and another, I have been busy.'
' Too many grand children? that is your trouble,' he laughed. '
'He is just like his father when he laughs,' she thought.
' What have you been doing ? ' she asked.
' You know I have started a new factory, don't you? '
' So I have heard.'
' You should invest some of your money in it,' he said. ' It is called a limited
company, so anyone can invest. It will do well and make good profits. From the
point of view of industrialisation, the war has been a great help. With the
stoppage of goods from Europe, it has been possible for us in India to establish
factories and textile mills. In fact, I am in the process of planning a mill
now.'
' That is why you need the motor car I suppose.'
'Yes, would you like to have a ride in it ? It will take you to Palayam in
fifteen minutes.'
' I have managed with a bullock cart all my life and so has your father. I
don't want to change my habits now.'
' But the whole world is changing.'
' May be, but we are too old to change,' she said and added 'All these factories
and things must keep you in the city a lot.'
' Yes, they need a lot of attention,' he admitted. ' That is why I have taken a
bungalow in Madurai. It is also useful for Kamalam and Ramu to go to school.
These village schools are no good'
'And you neglect your family and your lands,' she pursued her own train of
thought.
' The family are all right here and the lands can be run by anyone, but
factories involving a lot of money need my personal attention'
'Your father is not happy,' she said.
' He doesn't understand things,' Kumaraswamy replied.
' Let us hope all these newfangled ideas will not land you into difficulties,'
said Meena. ' I suppose there is a lot of risk involved in running these
factories.'
' There are always risks,' Kumaraswamy shrugged his shoulders. ' But one takes
them provided there are compensating advantages. Even in lending money, there
were risks. But father took them.'
' Yes, he was a brave man for his time,' Meena sighed.
' You know, Meena, I can tell you these things and make you understand, but no
one else in the family does.'
' Yes, everybody tells me things,' she admitted. ' That is because I have no
power. I have always relied on love and everyone understands and appreciates it.
When you have power, then there is conflict and bitterness.'
' You are a wise old woman Meena,' he laughed. ' It is a pity I couldn't find
some one like you.'
' But you have been searching often enough,' she said. ' And that is not a good
thing.'
' You know everything, don't you ? '
Janaki, Kumaraswamy's wife came and announced that lunch was ready. They all
ate, first the men, then Meena in the outer room - as a lower caste woman, she
was not permitted in the kitchen - and lastly the ladies of the house. At three
o'clock, Chinnamma brought her husband, his usual cup of coffee while Meena
stood near her.
' Where is Meena ? ' he asked.
' I am here,' replied Meena as she came forward. ' Come here where I can see
you; don't sit at the back and gossip all the time.'
The hot cup of coffee seemed to revive him. He asked her in greater detail about
her family, about her farms and about the people he had known in Palayam. The
conversation was interspersed by silence in which they enjoyed the peace of
quiet companionship, knowing that each liked the mere presence of the other.
Finally he asked, ' Did you speak to my son ? '
' Yes, I spoke to him,' she replied. ' We mustn't forget he is a grown up man
and has a sense of responsibility. He is also educated. He knows what he is
doing. If we dont understand everything he does, it is not his fault.'
' But he neglects his wife in preference to all those women he sees in the city.
That is not a good thing, is it ?'
' No, but which of us is perfect? ' Meena asked him. ' Did your uncle like what
you did ? '
' Old age is a terrible thing; there is no going back on it.'
' We have had our time; let the youngsters have theirs now.'
' I suppose so,' he agreed reluctantly.
' The sun is going down and I should be leaving if I am to get to my village
before dark,' she remarked.
' Meena ! ' he spoke almost in a conspiratorial voice. ' Why don't you ask
Kumaraswamy to take you in his motor car. I haven't got into that thing myself,
but you may enjoy it.'
' I think I will stick to my bullock cart.'
' Yes, perhaps it is more reliable.'
Suddenly, Mr. Udayar got up. ' Ramu ! ' he shouted. ' Ramu ! that young scamp
is never here when you want him.'
' I will call him,' Meena went to the back of the house.
The old gentleman got up, picked up his stick and moved step by step into the
central hall where he had his safe. Meena came back and tried to help him, but
he brushed her aside saying, ' I can manage.'
He sat in front of his safe, took the keys from round his waist, felt for the
key hole with his fingers and opened it. ' Ramu, where are you, boy ? '
' I am here grandfather,' he came forward, full of mischief in his laughing
eyes. The old gentleman took out a bundle of notes from the safe and asked the
boy, ' What are these ? '
' They are hundred rupee notes.'
Mr. Udayar put them under his right foot. He took out another bundle. ' What
are these ? ' he asked. ' They are ten rupee notes,' the boy replied. He put
them under his left foot, ' Now run along boy,' he cried.
' You have forgotten the money for my sweets grandfather,' the boy reminded him.
' Here, take this; now run along, run,' the old man shouted. ' What a terrible
thing it is to lose your eye sight and have to depend on a little boy even for
identifying money,' he said to himself. Then, he called for Meena. ' I am
here,' she said.
He carefully took two notes from the right foot and five from the left, counted
them twice to make sure and handed them to Meena. ' Here, take this. Don't go
throwing it around; if you have to spend it, spend it on something useful.'
' There is no need for you to give me any money; thanks to you, I am amply
provided for.'
' Don't be silly; take it.'
She took the money. He carefully put the bundles of notes inside the safe, the
hundreds on the right hand side and the tens on the left hand side and locked
it. He moved back to the bench in the front room.
Chinnamma, who had been watching the whole thing from behind the door came
forward now. ' How much did he give you ? ' she asked.
Meena showed her, Chinnamma remarked. ' Two hundred and fifty rupees; last time
it was only one hundred and fifty. He must be feeling more generous.'
'No,' Meena said. ' It is because I haven't been here for nearly two months.'
' Meena, how about some commission for me? ' Ramu asked. ' After all, I helped
grandfather to give you the money.'
' Here, you naughty boy,' she gave him ten rupees and a big kiss.
' I have found out why grandfather gives you money,' he whispered.
' You will be like your grandfather when you grow up. I can see it,' said Meena.
She said her goodbyes and departed.
' Tell Kuppan to drive carefully. And don't be too long before you come again,'
was the old gentleman's parting remark.
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