Do you know her???

The four years of graduation was a period of great enjoyment for me. Being at Government College of Engineering we studied only for exams except for few exceptional classes which we liked or for which the Profs and Lectures were extremely good at. During those days we went home almost all weekends. Though it took only one and half hrs to reach home I enjoyed those Friday trips .It was during one such journey that I met an old lady from Palaghat. That Friday we didn’t have the last two hours so I started my journey home quite early by about 3.00pm. It has been three years since but her words remain afresh in my mind.
She came rushing towards the running bus, the driver stopped the bus, and the conductor pulled her up the footboard. I heard him saying “Manushane menakeduthan oronu vanum kayarum!!” he was cursing her for the trouble old people create while catching the bus. Finally she settled next to me; greeting me with a sweet smile. She would have been above fifty but looked younger to her age. Her Cheeks were shining in the mid-hot sun and her eyes had the color of the stones on her traditional ear rings. Her fair skin was almost the color of the kerala sari that she wore. Truly a lady of high birth most probably a Brahmin I thought. She took ticket to “Muriyanthode”. I knew the place very well; it was 2kms from my place but in villages you will know people even 10kms away. It was a Muslim predominant area with little Hindu’s and absolutely no Brahmin’s I have heard off. I wondered what she would be doing there. May be some newly settled people.
I was in my world of thoughts that she started talking to me. She was extremely happy to learn that I would be with her almost the entire journey. Then she started her story. She was a Brahmin lady (My guess was right) from a famous illam in Ottapalam. She never set foot outside her house without somebody accompanying her. She had three sons (number not sure) and a daughter. Her husband died long back and she was on her way to Guruvayur. I was quite surprised. If we consider alphabet ‘Y’ and start from lower end; the way to Guruvayur was on the right branch and our route on the left. Did she get in to the bus by mistake? If then why did she take ticket to “Muriyanthode”? Seeing me confused she began to clarify. On first of every month (based on Malayalam calendar) she goes to Guruvayur (all alone) and stays there for three days. It started long back when her husband was alive and even now she continues to do that. Probably it was the only freedom her wedlock allowed her. Her daughter had eloped with a guy who was at their house for some painting work (or some carpentry –not sure of that).They stayed at “Muriyanthode. She said her son-in-law was not worth; of low birth, low education and low esteem; “but what to do?” I could see the desperate mother in her. Her sons had turned away their face from their dear little sister. They performed the ceremony “Padi adachu Pindamvekyal” (That means after that ceremony you won’t consider that particular person to be a member of your family and you will not have any association with him/her in future). Her daughter was her youngest and she loved her dearly. She traveled all the way from Palghat to an unknown place (about three and half hours) to see her daughter. At least Guruvayurappan has blessed her that. This was her second trip. The bus had been halted at some stop for quite a long time. By this time we completed half of the journey and I had all the characters of the play in my mind.
As the bus began to move she began to narrate about her first journey. She said she reached Thrissur by 5.00pm. That means it was some 6.15/6.30 when the bus halted at Thriprayar. She knew “Muriyanthode” was some where near that place. As she was enquiring about “Muriyanthode” and about her son-in-law a man came up and told that he knows her son-in-law and as it was dark he will take her to their home. He was very friendly aged about thirty-thirty-five. He said the place was very near (“Muriyanthode” is about 5kms from Thriprayar) and it would be ideal to take an auto. As the auto turned to the pocket roads his mannerisms changed. He began to move his hands towards her body. She shouted at the top of her voice. The auto stopped. The driver asked them what was going on. He said the lady was mad and some rubbish. She tried to speak to driver but the man’s hands sealed her mouth. Looking to her eyes something inside the driver told him that the lady had nothing to do with this man. He was strong enough to pull the man out of the auto and took the lady safely to her home. She didn’t tell anything about this to her daughter nor to her son-in-law and of course not to her sons and relatives. I was the privileged or the unprivileged to learn it. That’s why she started her journey early today. She had to say thousand lies to convince her son’s why she had to leave early that day; more over she had to get a direct bus so that she needn’t get down at Triprayar. Now I know why she was happy when I told her where I would get down. This time she knew she won’t lose her way.
As I picked up my bags she bid me good bye and said she would pray for me. I smiled back wondering if I would ever pray for her. As I got down I told the Conductor to help her get down at “Muriyanthode”. He nodded his head; I could see him mocking at me behind his yellow teeth.
Walking home my head was full of questions. I was wondering about “MY LADY’S” sons and daughter. Have they ever thought about her? Will her son’s ever know that their mother was dying to meet her daughter? Will they ever know that their mother ate and slept in their brother-in-laws poor house? Will her children ever know that she was harassed? Is “MY LADY” the only women who suffer all these? No, there will be hundreds of “MY Lady’s”. I don’t say that love is a crime or you should not have your esteem. But do take time to think of a womb which caressed you nine months, the dark sleepy eyes which spent sleepless nights so that you could have sound sleep. Do take time for her. Love her for she loved you selflessly.
By the time I reached home my head was saturated. I saw my brother running towards me took my bag and went to house. He was asking something, I didn’t hear. I was thinking of “MY Lady”. Hopefully she would have reached home, to all the goodness left in me I prayed to lord for “MY LADY”. I saw my brother standing before me. “You are tired, have this tea”; he gave me the cup and went to play. Someday I would write about this I thought and sipped the hot tea.