ஊர்வலம்

Translated from the original Tamil short story ūrvalam (ஊர்வலம்) from the 1964 collection of short stories titled akkā (அக்கா) by A. Muttulingam. The original collection is available at noolaham.org. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact ez.iniyavan@gmail.com.

This Facebook post provides some context behind these translations.

“Speed it up a little,” said Namasivayam. His wife Parvathi ran inside to find someone else who can do the ālatti with her.

Raghavan clasped Santhini’s hand. It was as if he wanted to wrap his hand around her slender flower-like hand to announce to the whole world that she is now his.

Santhini’s fingers didn’t speak to his. There was no liveliness nor emotion in them.

For whatever reason, she stood there like an emotionless piece of wood.

Amidst the waves of humanity, that colorful car, decorated like a swan, was crawling slowly. It was beautiful, very like a swimming swan.

Santhini gently cast her eyes to the right. Raghavan’s appearance was delightful. He looked very handsome in his silk vetti salvai, just as she had imagined. Although the kadukkan in his ear made her giggle a little, she really liked how he looked.

She couldn’t really see him earlier at the maṇavaṟai through all that ōmam smoke.

Nevertheless, somehow she was not exactly bubbling with excitement. Now she felt like she could have done without the very procession that she had been looking forward to so eagerly.

Even the morning before she was racked with worry. She was dreaming about all the different ways as to how she should walk or sit next to her husband!

The groom got into the car and sat down.

Santhini, too, got in and sat down next to him, barely touching him.

Following them, as is customary, all the village tots crowded into the car asserting their rights for equal treatment with the bride and groom. Namasivayam had such a difficult time, my goodness! They were little devils, not little children.

Somehow, with the grace of God, the newlyweds began the procession, struggling to breath amidst being crushed all around.

The driver proudly stepped on the gas pedal. The gigantic procession started inching forward.

Here comes the first corner. This is the house of Kamala; Santhini’s best friend.

Santhini’s eyes lifted up gently and scanned the row of poṭṭus along the fence. That was where Kamala would be waiting. Doesn’t it take a thief to know one? Santhini’s eyes shone momentarily.

But then they went back to the same lifeless stare.

At the university, Santhini thought Raghavan was just a friend. She didn’t at all expect that their friendship would blossom into romance leading to marriage.

More than Raghavan himself, she loved his intellect. But now Raghavan himself is hers — her property.

The sound of laughter. Santhini lifted her head slightly. Maniyannai was teasing them. But her gaze drifted to the peepul tree ahead. The same peepul tree. Then there was only a lone Piḷḷaiyār statue under the tree, not a small temple like there is now.

At this very temple, ten years ago, she and her cousin Manikkam had played house. Now — .

“Chee! What a thought? It was just silly children’s play a long time ago. It shouldn’t …”

“What? Children’s play? Why? Even two years ago, when you came home for vacation from the university, your cousin, that postman cousin, came to see you.”

“When he stood apart as though there was no connection between him and you, you dragged him into a conversation!”

“Why are you silent? Just because I went away to study, does it mean I have forgotten you?”

You did say “call me ‘Santha’ just like in the old times. I won’t like it at all if you start behaving differently with me”. Was that stupidity or what?

“Santhi, how long does the groom have to wait for you to get out of the car? You are drifting along in some dream world!”

Santhini jolted herself out of her reverie, and got out of the car. Raghavan glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and smiled.

She beseeched the same peepul tree Pillaiyar to bless her with a strong marriage.

Untypically she kept thinking of her cousin. Why have such thoughts when her loving husband, her husband who shares her joys and her sorrows, was right next to her?

She pushed that thought away.

They walked around the Peepul tree.

As she circled the sacred tree, she resolved never to give into the same thought again.

But her resolve was tested right away.

When she turned the third corner of the peepul tree, her blood froze.

On the base of that peepul tree, which was illuminated in patches by the gas light, the letters “Manikkam — Santhini” came into view clearly.

She read the letters. She felt as if her body was falling apart. Her hands were shaking. She pressed her chest hard.

She remembered that incident. Manikkam had carved only his name and came running to drag Santhini to the tree to show her.

When she saw the letters “Manikkam,” she had started crying, demanding that her name should be carved right next to it. But as soon as the letter “Sā” was carved, his pocket knife broke.

My goodness! She had thrown a fit. Unable to withstand her nagging, Manikkam somehow procured another knife and carved the remaining letters.

What joy did she feel then!

`Chee! Do I have even a hundredth of the gratitude that this peepul tree is displaying? It is still faithfully showing every letter that was carved so long ago. What can be said about the words that were uttered that day … …’

‘My God, my god, the same thought, again and again?’ … …

Something plopped down on her back. Startled, Santhini was turned to look. The gang of tots in the car had started to fall asleep. It was Raviyan who had fallen on her.

Raghavan laughed, asking “did you get scared?” Does a bride respond verbally? She used this as an excuse to cast her eyes down.

The car stopped at the junction. It was a major junction. Would the procession command respect if they didn’t stop at this junction to deliver an excellent “performance”? Maniyam aṇṇai made sure every single thing that Santhini had requested the other day was carried out to perfection.

But did Santhini really need all that now?

First the nadhaswaram started to explore the rāgas.

The nāttaikurinji rāga came piercing through the stem of the nadhaswaram. How did this rāga acquire such a sense of sadness? The player is squeezing all the world’s sadness through his instrument.

After all, should he really play such heartrending music just at this instant?

She turned to her husband. But he was very quietly enjoying the music with joy.

Her heart missed a beat.

Do we diverge even in this little matter?

“Let us finish with the thavil quickly. It is going to be eleven soon”, Maniyam aṇṇai said.

She wanted to thank Maniyam aṇṇai profusely.

Sleepiness. Everyone walked a little faster. Santhini lifted her head gently to look at the sky. It looked like it might rain. Stars glittered here and there.

She wondered where the Arundhathi star was. During the ceremony, when it came to the point where the priest had to point out Arundhathi to the couple, he had merely pointed to the roof.

“There comes my school at a distance. This is the path that Kamala, Manonmani, and I took to go to school, barely managing to lug our heavy school bags along. Is that sand dune still there? That was where my cousin and I used to sit side by side, doing sums, drawing, or playing house.”

“Can we play like that again?”

Suddenly her heart began to feel heavy. In that pitch darkness, her cousin’s form appeared before her. “Santhini! Ten years ago when I lamented that I didn’t understand math, didn’t you wipe my tears with your tiny fingers and say ’I will teach you’? How many times did you try to teach me math? But nothing went into my brain.”

“Then you would hug me and say ‘Aiyō! You are a dummy!’ Where did that love go?”

“What divides us today? Your B.A. degree.”

“Why would you remember this poor postman?”

What is this? This procession is turning onto Maniyakkara road? What? Is it really going that way?

Santhini’s heart sank.

When the procession turned the corner, she looked to see if the thatched roof and the broken gate came into view.

“Chee! Why is he standing there? He refused to come to the wedding. Did he want to see the grand sight of me walking in the procession in the middle of the night?

As the car passed the cottage, her heart fluttered. Unable to quell her curiosity, she turned to look. She froze to the core.

It was her cousin indeed, standing against the pillar, staring intently at her haughty self without self-awareness.

It passed in a moment.

Still, she thought she saw two tiny teardrops glittered in those eyes.

Suddenly, a cobra started to strangle Santhini’s neck. Startled, she looked down — no, it was just the garland she was wearing. She bent her head downwards to hide the tears.

But Raghavan already noticed it: only the tears.

“Why! Santhini, is the gas light hurting your eyes? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” He chided her gently .

“Velu, take this lamp further away,” he commanded with the authority of the groom.

How much he loved her!

As the gas light moved away its buzzing increased.

She couldn’t bear that buzzing.

“Chee! What illusion is this? Where is this buzzing coming from?”

“Perhaps perhaps, is this is my cousin heaving a great sigh?”

She couldn’t even imagine.

Her heart felt heavy. She grasped her chest.

Her fingers felt something.

That was the brand new thali that Raghavan had tied around her neck.

The transliteration uses the ISO15919 notation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_15919.

Glossary

aiyō An exclamation that can express several different emotions including exasperation, fear, or a scream for help.
akkā A respectful way to address an older female. Literally, ‘elder sister.
aṇṇai A respectful way to address an older male. Literally, ‘elder brother.
ālatti: A ritual where a lighted ceremonial lamp is waved to invoke blessings. They are used in various settings including weddings, house warming ceremonies, and other celebrations, as well as in daily pujas in temples. Also known as āratti.
maṇavaṟai The decorated ceremonial porch under which Tamil weddings take place. Literally ‘wedding room’.
ōmam a medicinal herb that features prominently in Hindu rituals. It is used as incense, especially in traditional hindu weddings.
poṭṭu An opening in a fence to facilitate short cuts. Not to be confused with the homonym that refers to the mark worn on foreheads.
rāga A melodic structure in Indian classical music. It has no equivalent in European classical music

Transliteration guide for proper names

Places

Maniyakkara maṇiyakkāra

People, Things, and Expressions

Namasivayam namacivāyam
Parvathi pārvati
Raghavan rākavaṉ
Santhini cāntiṉi

Manikkam māṇikkam
Maniyannai maṇiyaṇṇai
Maniyam maṇiyam
Kamala kamalā
Manonmani maṉōṉmaṇi
Velu vēlu
Arundhathi aruntati (the wife of sage Vasishta. They are considered an ideal couple. One of the Hindu marriage rituals is where the star representing her is pointed out to the couple as an exemplar.)
Pillaiyar piḷḷaiyār (The elephant-headed Hindu God who removes obstacles. Also known as Ganesha).

Kadukkan kaṭukkaṉ (Ear ring worn by a Tamil male.)
Nadhaswaram nātasvaram (A traditional wind instrument played during festive occasions like weddings.)
Thali tāli (A ceremonial necklace that the groom ties around the neck of the bride during the wedding ceremony. Also known as mānkalyam.)
Thavil tavil (A percussion instrument played in festive occasions like weddings.)
Vetti Salvai vēṭṭi cālvai (The traditional Tamil dress for males. A vētti is a long piece of cloth wrapped around the waist as a garment to cover the lower part of the body. A sālvai is a shorter piece of cloth that is either draped on one shoulder or wrapped around the neck.)

Nāttaikurinji ragam nāttaikuṟiñci rākam (A raga, musical scale, popular in Carnatic music.)

Chee cī (An expression indicating disagreement, disapproval, or disgust.)