Gowri Kalyanam

Gowri was the only daughter of her blind and old parents. They had a late marriage which could be because of their physical disability and they had this beautiful daughter when they were in their 40's. Gowri was of my age, we both grew up together but under completely different family atmosphere and circumstances. In spite of us being neighbors we hardly spoke or looked directly at each other. Our village - Karnapuram was very orthodox. The village had a mixture of Malayalees and Tamil Brahmins who were called Palakkad Iyers. She was a Palakkad iyer. There was nothing common between us. Nothing at all. We used to fetch water from the same well, bathe in the same pond, go to the same temple, go to the same market,but,the language she spoke was different, the people with whom she mixed were different, the looks she had was different, the food she ate was different. Everything was different.

Gowri was a very beautiful girl since childhood. Her parents being blind, not much care was taken of her. We used to see elderly women going in and out of their house and I guessed they were helping her parents. Her father was a very good classical singer. A taxi would come once a week to pick him up for the 'kacheri'. Gowri would stand beside the wooden pillar. She never wore a dress. The only dress I had seen her put was her under wear. Her mother being blind, I guess, never realized that she was growing up. She did not go to school. I used to see her playing naked in the streets making mud castles when I returned from school. She too, like her father, used to sing nicely. She was like a nightingale. Her songs would fill the whole street. Her favorite was the 'Kaanthanodu chenu melle killi morzhi suchamihavada...' from Swathithirunal. My eyes would be filled with tears whenever I heard her sing that song. She used to sing it quite often and this song became my favorite too. I used to think if she indeed had a 'beloved' whom she wanted to convey her feelings. She never met anybody, whom did she wait for? Who was that? I would forget that thought when she sang the next song and I would get immersed in her next song. The songs she sang always had great lyrics and words, words like - 'Iswarande nidhi' (God's treasure), 'Thingalam uyarnu vannu, chenkanal choriyunnu...'(Moon's soft light is like burning redhot flame). She was good in 'handi-crafts' too. She made flowers out of papers that would fool even a bee. She painted well, so well that it would put the rainbow to shame. Such was she!

One magic day, I saw her all dressed up. She looked like an angel. She was covered with 'pattu paavada'(silk skirt). The exposing body parts like her hand were covered with 'Manjal'(Turmeric). Her palm was decorated with 'myilanji'(Mehndi). Her forehead had 'sindoorum and chandanam' like a rising sun (sindoor and sandlewood paste). Her eyes sparkled like a diamond. The bangles in her hand were like waterfall. Smile like a light wave. It was her 'Thirandu Kalyanam' - the day of her puberty.

She no longer could be seen naked. She no longer could be seen playing. She no longer could be seen hanging on to her father's shoulder. Only sign of her ambrosial presence was the celestial ko-lam(colorful patterns with rice powder). How I wished I could attend Gowri's kalyanam (marriage) too. Wonder how beautiful she would be looking!!!