Kalyanaththil Galatta -5 - Thailamba mamiyin thaniththuvam

Dear Friends,
Most of you would have been familiar with my earlier 'Kalayanththil Galatta' series. (Links given below).
Here is the next episode ' no:5. Unlike the other stories, this story relates to disturbance created by unwitting guest. The story was a bit unusual. So, I thought of sharing with you all.

http://www.indusladies.com/forums/snippets-of-life-non-fiction/63826-kalyanamam-kalyanam.html
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/snippets-of-life-non-fiction/77419-kalyanaththil-galatta.html
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/snippets-of-life-non-fiction/77811-neer-enna-periya-idhuva-k.html
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/s...iction/77885-mappillai-murukku-or-was-it.html
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/s...ction/77944-koora-pudavaya-k-galatta-4-a.html
Enjoy if you can,
Anbudan,
Rrg
-------------------
"Thailamba mamiyin thaniththuvam"

(Thailamba aunty's uniqueness)

“Enna, what time is the muhurtham?” My wife, Malini asked attempting to prempt my call on the state of her readiness.
“ It is from 9.00 AM to 10.30 AM. We are behind schedule. We need to leave in another 15 minutes if we are to be present at mangalyadharanam . However, if we plan to go only for lunch, we have another hour at our disposal”, I responded, indirectly reminding that she is the one delaying us .
“Podhum, podhum. (enough;enough). Oru kelvi ketta onbadhu badhila? ( If I ask one question, do you need to give nine replies)” she shot back, effectively silencing me.
“Indha blouse veray (Look at this blouse); enga amma solramadhiri, avasaramna arukkanchaatila kooda kai nuzhaiyadhu (like my mother says, when in a hurry, your hands won’t even enter a ‘ arukkanchatti’ (wide mouthed vessal).”
Just then the telephone rang. It was none other than Thailamba mami, wanting to speak to Malu. I covered the mouth piece and shouted, “Malu, Thailam mami on phone for you”.
“Enakku iruukara thalaivalikku indha thailam onnu thaan kuraicjhchal. (For all the head ache that I already have, only this Thailam was found wanting.) Pl tell her I am coming”.
It was as expected. Thailamba mami, who lives in the next street, wanted us to pick her up enroute to the marriage. Better to agree to her request than to explain our difficulties. She is capable of talking non-stop for hours together. Malu agreed in a simple affirmative word and dropped the phone. Now, T Mami became her target, an accompaniment for her dressing up.

“She has so much of money. Her both kids are abroad and earning a lot and sending her in USD. Still, look how kanjoos she is? Wanting a lift from us to save on the auto charges. What is she going to do with all the money?”
I could have replied as to what we lose by taking one more person in the free space available in the car. But, such a reply would have certainly shifted the focus of her attack to me. I kept quiet & waited for Malu to announce her readiness.

As planned, we picked T mami up from her house. Her daughters, back home for vacation planned to attend this wedding as well. But, they were to pick up ‘some nice gift’ and come later by an auto. With no further hold-ups we reached the marriage hall in time for “Kannigadhanam”.

All was fine for half an hour or so. Thereafter, T mami started getting worried about her daughters not reaching the mandap till then . They didn’t have any Indian mobile number also. No way to contact them. Slowly mami was getting frantic. She was not ready to come for lunch without her daughters. We also didn’t want to leave her in that state and go for food. After an hour or so, I decided to go out and see what could be done. Whether to contact the police or what else? I was not sure. Mami also came out of the hall with me, visibly upset. It was just then I noticed that there was another marriage hall adjacent to this, run by the same management, with similar sounding names. I took a chance and went inside that hall along with mami. She started praying for various Gods and offered ‘vendudhals’ (propitiations) of different kind, to their liking – from kozhakkattai to mottai (from modak to tonsure). To our great relief, both the girls were just then coming out of the dining hall after a hearty meal.

On looking at us they asked in unison, “Where were you all? We looked around everywhere and even checked with few of the elders here. Nobody seemed to know you. Finally we decided to hand over the gift to the groom ourselves, as the muhurtham was over and all others were giving gifts. Have you people eaten already?”

“Forget the food. You have given the gift to the groom. OMG! This is not the marriage we were supposed to attend. By chance we came inside looking for you. Ours is next doors” mami replied.

“How to get back the gift?” mami asked me. This situation was something new to me. I have seen people accepting gifts gladly. But not one where it was returned back. I was not sure whether the groom’s people trust mami’s words and give her a free hand to take back a gift from the pile.

Still, no harm trying. We looked around and found one old man ‘Siva Pazham” with full of vibhudhi pattais & rudraksha kottais, in the front row of guests. He smiled on looking at us and said, ‘Vango. Sowkyama?” (Welcome. How are you?”). We know it was a courtesy greeting of anyone, known or unknown in a marriage hall. Mami took it as a positive sign and decided to approach him for assistance.

On hearing her out fully, the old man responded,” You mean to say your daughters handed over a gift foolishly to the wrong groom and you want to retrieve it and reach it to the right one.” Mami nodded vigorously. This was followed by mami’s arguments and the OM’s rebuttals.

Finally the OM exploded, “What do you think we are? Sumbans?” (Sumban is a deregatory term used in Tanjore side for absolute idiots). You will go and pick anything you want and walk away and we would be standing around and clapping our hands.”

Mami was of a sterner stuff. “No mama. Why don’t you see the video and see what gift my daughters have given? You can allow us to take the same thing back” she replied to the point.

“Video vavadhu, Mannakkatti yavadhu. (Forget the video shedio). Don’t kindle my anger. You claim to have given a gift to the groom. If it is true, it is good. Perhaps he was destined to get it & he got it. There is no way a gift given could be taken back – only a loan could be asked back.”
“Ippo ennai enna panna solrel?” (What do you want me to do now?), Mami asked, a bit irritated.
“You wanted to give a gift. You have given. Be happy. Bless this couple. Go do the dining hall. ‘Mookappidikka sappidungo’ (eat to your heart’s content) and go home and sleep. That would be the best under the circumstances. He.., he...”, he responded with a mocking laugh & turned away.

Mami was furious. She didn’t want to leave it so easily. Also, she did not like the way the old man had brushed her aside.
‘Idhu enna adavadi ya iruku?” (It is quite unreasonable) She exploded.
“Adavadiya? Edhu adavadi? Neega pulugaradha or naan solradha?” (which is unreasonable? Your lies or my response)”, he got up in a hurry.

As these discussion / arguments were taking place in the front row seating guests, groom’s father (GF) got uneasy and came to me and enquired about the matter. Then he asked the oldman, his father, to leave the matter to him to handle. “Ekkedu vena kettup po. Enakku enna?” ( Do what ever you want to. How do I care?) was the reply before he resumed his seat.

I kept mami, who was also very much charged up, out of the discussions and asked the daughters to take her outside the hall.

I & GF discussed and decided that once the mami brings the shop’s receipt for the gift concerned, GF would get it located and hand it over to her. I was pleased with the development . Mami was eagerly waiting outside. She was clearly disappointed when I told her what transpired inside. Mami said that no way could she get the shop receipt. Apparently, it was a ‘regift’ of an item that came to them a couple of years back, on some other occasion. As it was of no use to her, mami thought of passing it off on this occasion. The girls had only bought a new gift wrapper that morning and wrapped it.
I realized this issue would linger on endlessly, if it is not ended forcibly. Obviously, I can not get back to GF once again with my new found knowledge and reopen our discussions.

“How much it would have cost?”, I asked.
“At least Rs 300,”mami replied.
“Fel l happy. Your girls are very intelligent and have already eaten for Rs 400 in that marriage. Each lunch costs around Rs.200. You have gained Rs 100. Let’s go now” I said laughing.

“Now, unnecessarily, I have to get a gift for this groom also you see, which would be a certain loss”, she murmured, thinking seriously.

Once we were back to our wedding hall, T mami made such a story & reveled in repeating it to whomsoever she came across - about her expensive gift going to the wrong groom & her desperate fight for its retrieval going waste etc., - I was only keeping my fingers crossed that some overzealous guests don’t take it upon themselves to lead an attack on the other hall to retrieve our due. Luckily no such thing happened.

Mami also managed without buying another gift. She came home, along with us, pleased with herself asto how she converted a losing case into a winning cause.
All is well that ends well.
Anbudan,
Rrg

 

Thanks Kamala for your FB. Pleased to know you liked it. .
You were not far from the reality. Mami desperately wanted to get in and pull out anyone of the gifts lying in the 'medai' and come out running. But, her interaction with the the old man in the first row had brought in some scare in her mind- what if she is caught by him. 'That musudu (short tempered person) is a "vidak kandan; kodak kandan" (tough nut who would not let anything go)' was her description of him. (As if she was not a female version of VKKK). She was certain that he would have applied castor oil to his eyes and watching. Waiting for her to return.

Instead, she looked at me for supporting her in the hour of 'crisis'. She thought that not many would be looking for me and as a male, wearing a pant, I could certainly run faster. That was the craziest and scariest suggestion I ever heard. Luckily, along with me, her daughters also were firmly against launching such 'Israeli type' counterattack - bringing a semblance of sanity in her thinking. Initially, I had dropped this portion for reducing the length of the story.

This was an odd slip in Mami's list of achievements. Indirectly, you have give prompted me for writing a seperate thread on Thailamba mamai's achievements. Let me see. .
Cheers,
Rrg

 

Dear Sashi, Mathu, Vidchakra, Coffeelover & Kelly,
I am so happy to see you all enjoying the story & narration. Thanks for the fed back. It is very encouraging.
Dear Coffee lover, special thanks to you for comparing with Kamal's MMKR. Even if it is an exaggeration, it is flattering. .
Cheers, Rrg

 

Dear All,
Some of my friends have approached me to come out with explanations for old Tamil proverbs that were being used in day to day life in yester years - like the one I had used in this story " avasaramna arukkanchaatila kooda kai nuzhaiyadhu ".
Similar feelings were expressed by some of our IL friends also in response to my thread "Oppukku Chappani .....".
I propose to write about mainly those which are not very popular today. Would be commencing it shortly. All our friends are welcome to contribute.
But where do I post the threads in IL? Presume under stories (Non-fiction) only.
Cheers, RRG