Kausalya supraja rama purva sandhya........
With the soothing ,lilting melody of The Suprabatham in the background,Thangamma was lighting the kuthivillakku...Seated at the far end of the spacious living room was Kumarasamy,Thangam's toothless consort.Stretching his head out of the newspaper,he called out to his dear wife..."Adee Aye Thangammma.!..Where's my coffee ? Married for more than fifty years,the couple were forever at loggerheads.
Unperturbed,she walked silently towards the old man and placed the davara tumbler on the side table and walked away..
It was a busy morning..Earlier,at dawn,she had gone to the garden to pluck the Yerkam leaves..It was Ratha Sapthami on that day,the year 1964...
Kumarasamy called out again.." Thangamma...Our son-in-law has come.Please serve him breakfast.".Thangam's daughter Gnana lived close by and it was practise for the daughter and mother to exchange goodies especially sweets,bakshanam etc..On his way to work or back home the son-in-law Ramanthan would also drop in for a brief visit almost everyday...
"Chinni came yesterday from Calcutta.She will be here for a month..he said...
It was summer time as always,Chinni was at her parent's house in Secunderabad for a vacation...
Thangamma was overjoyed..."Please tell my granddaughter,that I will be coming to pick her up today eve..I am planning to attend a Sundara Kandam Parayanam..Please ask her to be ready by 5PM ," she added.
Saying that he would do the needful,Ramanathan left....Meanwhile Thangamma was busy.She went about the mundane chores in routine fashion.
Earlier in the morning,after taking a bath with yerukam leaves ,draped in a nine yard kanjeevaram,with diamonds as accessories,a big round vermillion on her forehead,she had prostrated in front of her husband Kumarasamy...Kumarasamy was stunned..He had even remarked..." THIS OLD WOMAN IS GOING BONKERS !
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Short and slightly plump,Thangamma was fair complexioned and very beautiful...That is what everybody who has seen her have to say about her....
As planned,she was ready for the Sundara Kandam parayanam by 4PM...She informed Kumarasamy...."PaarunGo..I am going to attend a Sundara Khandam today evening.Please have dinner and go to bed.I will be late."...so saying she had left...
In five minutes,she was at her daughter's place...."Chinni ! she called out...Variya ?..ITHO AMMa varen,"Chinni came out beaming...She loved her maternal grandmother so...
Thangamma handed over a steel tiffin box to Gnanambal...Gnana..."I made Mysore Pak specially for you.Why don't you also come with us ?"
Gnana : ILLAMMA ,I have a lot of work to do...Saying Gnana stayed back...
The hall in Keyes High School was the venue for the Ram katha.Slowly Thangamma and Chinni managed to find a place in the front ..
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The katha began and the viewers listened in rapt attention..Thangamma was elated and she closed her eyes...Chinni was happy too..The parayanam lasted for nearly three hours..
The mangala aarathee had just begun when Chinni patted on her shoulder and called out." Thangamma...Its nine PM..Shall we go home ?"..Thangamma was still seated with her eyes closed...Chinni called out again.." Chella ThangOn pogalama ?
There was no response..A panic stricken,Chinni held on to her with both her hands ,shook her and then Thangamma's head drooped down....
By then a crowd had gathered around the two...Sensing the situation a doctor present in the hall arrived..He checked the pulse of Thangamma and declared her dead...
The world had crumbled in front of her eyes..Chinni was very attached to her grandmother.She was inconsolable...
An hour later,with Thangamma by her side,Chinni reached home...Kumarasamy was fast asleep...He was shaken up from slumber and news was broken to him....He said in tears "Why is this woman prostrating to me early in the morning,I had wondered..he said his voice choked ......Thangaammma You have left me alone in this world..How will I survive without you ? he had cried and then slowly withdrew into a shell,,,,,,,,so says Nayaki's mother Chinni...The ever growling .Kumarasamy died a couple of years later...as a silent forlorn and a helpless recluse...
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