Krishna’s father told him to go with servant ponnappu when he was going to the rice flour mill with a gunny bag full of rice paddy.This was the first time a rice flour mill got started in the village slightly more than two kilometres away and had to cross a small river by an open boat which usually takes around eight people with some luggage. It took roughly fifteen minutes to cross the river and reach the other side which is like a islet covering all four sides with water. Krishna was reluctant to do the job for that will consume two to three hours and he was just about seventeen years old and was at home just on two month vacation having come from the college hostel and hence wanted to spend the full time for enjoying things he liked and with his friends.
The normal practice was two or three times a month three maids did the job through a process, the paddy thoroughly boiled in a big ‘kathan chembu’ [large vessel] then put it on the yard for drying under sun a day before beating it in the ‘Nellukuthupura’ [shed for beating paddy] using ural and ulakka [ural- the vessel and ulakka- the wodden rod to beat and segregate the rice from the paddy]. It was indeed a hard job for those ladies ans the father decided to take the help of flour mill mainly to alleviate the hardships to some extent and they also had several other odd jobs around home and compound.
So every Sunday Ponnappu used to take one head load of paddy around 3’o clock in the evening and return by sunset. However there were gossips amongst servants that measure of rice is a little less, suggesting possibility of some wrongdoing. Hence, Krishna’s mother too suggested that it would be better to accompany him atleast in those two months and he might as well enjoy the journey seeing river and the boat.
Ponnappu with the head load followed Krishna and it so happened that when they were about to reach the mill it rained heavily though a bit unusual in the month of April but sometimes did. Krishna was wearing a very nice shirt, dhoti and a watch on his right hand but all got terribly soaked in water. From a short distance he saw some twenty women sitting and beating the coconut fibre which then goes to rope making. His eyes caught one girl who was exceptionally beautiful and for a moment he thought it was a film scene where the heroine took such roles. This process area was outside the flour mill space and a bit of it was also a shed allocated for making coconut oil from dried copra.
Ponnappu kept the paddy sack in the flour area close to the mill equipment and Krishna was given a chair to sit; its cloths were drenched in water. In a minute time the girl whom he noticed earlier came with a clean dhoti and towel and told him to change to that and give her his wet cloths so that she will sqeeze them and put them in the drying line. She added that she brought it from the owners home and Krishna may change it again while going back and the rain will be subdued by then. She said her name was Razia and stared at him without shifting her eyes and smiling beautifully a little while; her smile was a sumptuous feast. She went back to her job just outside the wall where he sat and there was a fairly long window. All other women were a little more grown women and in anyway Razia couldn’t be above seventeen. All of them started mocking at her in low voice, she intermittently looked behind to see him and Krishna reciprocated every time and every at gesture. He only wished if the rain lasted longer and the next Sunday came sooner.
Many times one’s wishes and desires get manifested which could be sooner too. It happened to Krishna – the Sunday came too fast. He got up, early took his bath, had breakfast and got ready to go to the mill and enquired where Ponnappu was which might have given a little surprise to many at home but he just quipped ‘ It is better to take care of our goods well then doubting others’.
Ponnappu and he left for the mill, he felt the distance was more, and when they were about to reach his eyes wandered to see Razia and yes, she was there and it appeared her eyes too were quiet eager and her friends started nudging and joking at her. And later all of them facilitated them to stand and talk in a little corner agreeing to share her quantum of work. Razia looked ravishing, an epitome of beauty, the smile was entrancing, her eyes were wonderful and the voice was melodious, indeed a treat for years. Two more Sunday’s this got more or less repeated giving abundant thrill and joy. All other women workers were mere facilitators and supporters for both, never the less they enjoyed it too, did everything what they could with a missionary zeal. Then a students’ group convention was forthcoming at cochin and he had to be there for two days which was Saturday and Sunday. He informed this to Razia and asked her what he could bring for her. She merely said the Sunday after he comes to the mill, planed for a little longer time and not to bring anything. But when he insisted she said that he could fetch her some glass bangles and she would cherish it.
During his two day convention in Cochin, he took time the very first day itself to buy some bangles of different colours and two good silk blouse pieces which he had to very secretly hide at home or else it would be disastrous. But unfortunately the following Sunday and the Sunday after there were two weddings in close relations and he couldn’t make it to the mill. So on the next Sunday he hurriedly proceeded with Ponnappu to the mill hiding the small gif t packet somehow in his shirt. The mill atmosphere was dull and all women workers were busy in their work but lacked the old joy and enthusiasm. Razia wasn’t there and her place was vacant. None came forward so he approached the next lady who immediately cried and informed him that previous Sunday she got married to a forty five year old man from a far area and mood out; all those three Sundays she was desperate to see him for a last time because in that local community the women usually do not come back home until she gets a child. Krishna felt miserably, wept like anything especially thinking of her sorrow and plight of not able to see him for the last time. While returning home when crossing the ferry he threw the gift packet into the river discretely . As he reached home he straight away went to his bedroom upstairs and wept for a long time. The college was opening next week and he returned to the hostel which perhaps was a great relief to Krishna.
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