THE SUMMER OF 76

Was it a Sunday in the summer of 1976 when a proud doctor just delivered from the medical school from Kottayam,I , mean , me for sure landed in my uncle’s[Raju mama’s] house at Nagercoil for a short stay after a hectic period of internship .I always enjoyed my stay there and we used to spend quality time with him and his friends most notably one Veeramani who excelled in satire and card playing. More about him later.After about a week[time flew like never before] Raju mama announced “ Kanna! I have a surprise for you .I am going to take you to a house. Guess whose? No let me keep it a surprise”

Off we went in his Lambretta through the bylanes of Nagercoil until we reached a street filled with the customary 3 room houses stretched in a lane with the adjoining single wall. Mama after stopping the lamby a little afar took me aside and began to give a peep short history of the house before entering the house in question. He told me “hey I don’t want to surprise you any more. I don’t know whether you will remember the lady of the house. Most probably you won’,t ,but she remembers you and made me promise to take you to her at any cost. In Alleppey when you were a 2 year old your parents lived near a Thattan’s house and a girl of 18 ,his daughter,Santha used to look after you for nearly one yr before you all shifted to Cochin . I met her 6 months back and she asked about you and I promised to have you at her house when ever you land in Nagercoil. I am telling you all this as not to embarrass you in her presence. Shall we go in now” . I was really embarrassed and was at a loss how to face her whom I never remembered at all and the whole situation became unsahikkable. O.K I replied and praying to all gods known and unknown to give m enough courage to deal with the tricky situation that my uncle presented to me in the name of surprise.

The door was opened by a obese middle aged lady probably in early 40s,fair skinned with a round face. The room lit up with her beautiful smile of innocence as she recognised my uncle. Do you recognise him, Raju mama bluntly asked her pointing at me. Her eyes feasted me for about 10 seconds. Recovering from a blissful incredulous shock as the time stopped, leaving us both in mid air.’ “Its my Kannan,isn’t it not? Sir,am I right,she pleaded to my uncle. Off course you are right,he replied. She drank me in for a few seconds as if her eyes were cheating her.Then she flew to me and hugged me in a bear hug strangulating me and soon I felt two drops of transparent saltish nectar from her ocean like eyes as it caressed my face. I was drowning in an ocean of love, so was she ,and LOVE in its pristine form dissolved us both. Releasing me from her bosom she knew not what to do as the time restarted. She was running here and there calling her four kids “ I told you no, its your Kannan anna and he has come to see me .I told you no ,he will come to me one day and God is great,she mumbled on and on and the kid’s with their noses running stared me in admiration . She scolded at her husband who was standing in the shadows “Hey what are you staring at, go and get some sweets for my Kannan.He looks famished.Aren’t they giving you anything in the hostel.You are a doctor now,no. I was telling my kids your Kannan anna will come and cure me of my heart disease. Won’t you Kanna.”. She came back with her medical records which roared MULTIPLE VALVULAR HEART DISEASE WITH RIGHT HEART FAILURE a virtual death warrant. After a steaming cup of coffee and few sweets later,we said Bye and she my obese sweating MOTHER caught hold of my hands and whispered “will you come back to see me later?” I looked back at her,my eyes cloudy and my heart savouring in the unblemished,unconditional LOVE that oozed out of each atom in her that I never believed in before or after. I have MET my MOM AT LAST. The lamby took its own time winding back the bylanes to Krishnancoil.