Vada sutta pAtti returns

My sincere apologies (in advance) to the crow (kAkA) and the fox (nari), if in case this post going to hurt them either mentally or however.
...
Long long ago
not more than eight months ago

I landed at CN Annadurai international terminal, Chennai for my New Year vacations. I dragged my bag all way outside. After a typical bargain for 5 minutes and saving 10 rupees, i got in a auto rickshaw. The auto set itself in pace in the airport road toward my friend’s place.

“Chennai has changed a lot” I commented, while looking carefully outside.

He spared couple of second to turn back at me and gave a athu-eppdi-da-foreignla-irunthu-vara-pasanga-ellam-sollicha-maathiri-orey-dialogue-solluringa look at me.

That look didn't stop me, I continued with my ostentation and he was either ignoring them or giving irritated response.

The auto took a sharp turn from the main road to relatively less traffic road and passed what it seemed like some 300 odd meters...

“Stop Stop Stop” I cried in high pitch.

“For what”

“Look at her” I guided him with my index finger, there she was, wearing a pale brown saree, had a graceful look and a square shaped spectacles bordering her eyes and was sitting beneath a tall aala maram, banyan tree.

“So”

“Anna, It’s been quite some time I had proper south Indian or Indian breakfast. So let me have some vada from that pAtti” I jumped out of the auto rickshaw without waiting for his response and rushed to the pAtti’s vada joint beneath that aala maram “I will pay for you too anna, consider it’s my birthday today”

"Better that the world would have end yesterday, 21st December as they were saying rather taking saavu graaki like this for safari (ride) today” he disgusted as he squat in front of that wooden display counter and carefully picking vadais of each variety.

I raised my goggles to my head as I could see nothing clearly; she gave a look why-do-these-guys-need-sunglasses-on-a-December-morning at me.

I ignored her look, as I used do with such insults and concentrated on the vada.

By now, I had in a kerchief sized piece of leaf supported with a cheap plate beneath two paruppu vada (the dal version), an uzhuntha vada (the regular version) and a vengaaya vada (the onion version).

Thats when, a dark coloured kAkA, crow flew swiftly across, suddenly lowering its altitude, plucked a vada with its beak and reached top of a nearby veppam maram, neem tree all seemed like a single action and happened in fraction of seconds. I continued with my mission of giving more business to her, carefully cornering and spitting those green chilies, yet watching all these.

I must confess, I missed out observing what was the pAtti’s face reaction like when the crow stole her vada.

Within next few minutes I heard a BGM ascending rapidly. I looked up, guess what, you won’t believe what I saw then. I saw a blurred image moving forward with its four legs; as the dust was settling down gradually, the image getting clearer every second.

Finally, when I could see a clear image, it was a nari, the fox; it stood for a second, shook its neck either side and started walking towards the veppam maram.

The same old unanswered question, which I forcefully buried deep inside years before, cropped to the top.

« Inga oru flash back; a flash back here»

A small town
An English school
A moral class
Under some tree
A Thamizh vAthiyAr (teacher)
And a fat boy

“Saarr, what actually is the moral in the ‘moral story’ of kaka and nari” the boy asks innocently.

“What moral you want”

“Saarr, I have been hearing this story since my pAlvadi (pre school) years, in fact, the time I started hearing stories _”

“So” he makes a firm face

“_ in the climax of the story for the first few years (as I heard) the fox ran with the vada and then later the crow ‘over smarted’ the fox. But saarr, with all due respect you saarr, saarr, where is the moral in this story; when the vada is actually a property of the Patti and her daily bread and butter, kanji & vadai to be precise depends on it” the boy adds.

“adhigapirasangi” the saar gives a i-am-strict-you-know look at him and walks away.

Reaching back home, the boy asks the same question to an elderly lady at neighborhood and she simply replies “what would the pAtti do with a kaka kadiccha vada (crow bitten one)” and cut shorted the conversation.

An latest item number broke my flash back, and no brownie point for right guesses; it’s the crow singing carefully holding the vada in its leg; the nari was actually unfazed but was preparing for its counter move.

“The same old story; isn't it” I expressed my disappointment.

The auto anna by my side said “now do you understand where did they pick story for some famous movies, especially the robbery plot ones”

Ha… I was least interested in reviewing any cine stories; so, I shifted my conversation to another person in the scene “pAtti, pAtti, I guess this happens often, may be from days of your pAtti’s too”

She tossed the latest round of vadais from the ennei satti, the blackened frying pan to a colander and in less interesting tone asked “Are you trying to make a point here”

I with all enthusiasm in this planet (as finally I got an opportunity to tell how I wish the story to end) said that I wish the story should go like this:

“while the crow making all sincere efforts to keep the vada; it spared a thought – it actually made an introspection of what it is trying hard for - it asks itself all these to keep a stolen vada, which is actually not its own – that black crow feels bad for the pAtti, who had made all effort and physical strain to make that vada and to who it actually belongs – it picked the vada, dropped back to her – flies off”

The auto anna was now wondering if something seriously wrong with me or I am wrong seriously.

The pAtti was about to say something.

I predicted it and hastily “Honestly, I don’t have solution if you ask what you would do with kaka kadiccha vadai; but pAtti, let us change the story line here & now and somebody in future shall rewrite the story again in a better way what you (pAtti) did wisely with a kaka kadiccha vadai” I was quick to say this, due to previous encounter which shut my mouth.

“dae kaalaiyilae mokka podama, give the money for what you ate and leave” she said in an annoyed tone.

"But its your vadai"

"Sorry"

"your hard work, pAtti"

“Sorry sir, you must belt up & seats upright please; landing in 20 minutes” the pAtti who transformed into a dark young lady with a shinny scarf around her neck spoke through her bright red inked lips and she moved to front row repeating the same.

I said myself “Knowingly or unknowingly, we were taught to be immune against immorality; that’s the moral I see”

 

Completely agree with you, RGS. Thanks for the welcome and appreciation!

 

Glad to know that you enjoyed it, honeybee

enakku theriyala, neenga yethunaa kandupicha sollungo.

Have a nice week ahead!