A video on chapter seven of ripples roping memories

Hullo! wishing you all a happy festive season. Here is another video on chapter seven of ‘Ripples Roping Memories’.

Mom goes for shopping. The kids are a nuisance. She cannot keep them at home because they are mischievous. While walking on the road, one kid runs off leaving her hand and the other kid starts crying. Rani walks off indifferently to show that she does not belong to the family. Mother enters an oil shop and purchases oil. She cannot find her purse in her bag. Her purse has been picked. The shopkeeper tells her, ‘Maaji, don’t let the bag hang from your hand. Instead, fold and keep it in your hand.

While passing by, Rani’s dad sees a beggar shivering in the cold without clothes. Dad removes his coat and gives it to the beggar. Mom scolds dad, ‘You pothead! Why did you give your coat to the beggar? It is your wedding coat.’ Dad replies, ‘The beggar needs it more than me.’ Dad has his night duties at Silase. One night, it rains heavily. Two babes are abandoned on the station platform. Dad makes phone calls to many of the anathashrams or orphanages which do not respond. Finally, he makes a phone call to a convent in Silase. Babes are drenched in the rain and are crying for milk. Within ten minutes, the nuns come and takes the babes in their custody. Dad is happy to see that the babes are in safe hands.

Blaring music of the loudspeakers cannot be avoided especially during public functions and marriages. Fishermen’s songs in Marathi and film songs in Hindi are aired frequently. During National festivities, patriotic songs are played publicly. Rani hums Marathi and Hindi songs. She hums songs based on Carnatic classical music, sitting on a swing attached to the ceiling of the house. The song goes like this. ‘Kaithala niraikani, appamodu avalpori, Kappiya karimugan……. adipeni……. Katridum adiyavar, buthiyil uraibhavar, Karpagam yennaivinai…kadithegum’ Rani’s cousin, Akhila listens to her humming and says, ‘ The sound you made is just like the veena instrument. You can sing because you learnt it from your mother.’

Mr. Prem Singh, a close associate of dad, visits Rani’s house during festivals like Dashera and Diwali. He presents boxes of sweets to Rani’s family. He sits close to dad and whispers something in his ears. Rani’s sisters observe the way he is whispering into dad’s ears and think that he is sharing some secrets with dad. Prem Singh smiles looking at Rani’s sisters. Rani’s sisters giggle and look at each other and at Prem Singh. Prem Singh says, ‘Bahut khush hai na?’ He smiles and resumes his talk. He stays away from his family. He sends his salary to his family in native place by money order.

Selvan, dad’s friend, is good at reading horoscopes. He predicts that Rani will not be of much use to the family. She will study but will suffer from ailments which a lady suffers in old age and during old age she will have symptoms of youth. Her problems in life will not come to an end until she bows down to the serpent of Lord Shiva. The serpent of Lord Shiva will guide her and lead her to her destination. Because of Kethu (descending lunar node in astrology), her husband will be handsome, but will be much elder to her. She will face times when food will act as medicine. Hari will be a great support to the family. He has strong Mars. The position of Mars indicates that he will go abroad and earn a lot of money. Under no condition should he get married before the age of thirty seven. He will have to marry a banana plant and cut it off after one year. If this ritual is not done, he will have to keep the woman as a keep. Revathi will get a husband who will turn out to be a drunkard and Uma’s mangalya bhagyam is less. Mohan has a strong Saturn. He will be interested in snakes, birds, parrots, toads and animals of the kind. He will be married and will bear an additional child in poverty.

Selvan speaks pure, rustic and vibrant Tamil. Dad speaks of versatile Tamil poet Bharathiyar who wrote about freedom. Dad describes Arampatti, a place where he spent his childhood.

( Video can be viewed on You Tube by typing ‘Ripples Roping Memories’)