THE LAST HOORAY

The 13’th day function was over atlast.As the last pair of his intimate relatives were leaving by the 22.15 Trichy Express he wished to accompany them to the car parked in the fire force station and infact walked behind Raju mama and Janaky chithy carrying a light luggage , a lump formed in his throat for the 1’st time since That January 13’th morning 10.30 to be exact and Suklapakshathu panchami as per the Panchankom announcing the Siva loka prapthi of his father.He had controlled all his emotions,rather he had put them in the remotest part of his mind cum heart and even put three knots to be sure and smiled all around joking ,applauded Sachin century and discussed the down trend in the Indian bourses and what not every thing except grieving for that grand old man.the great DON.
The rituals took over and he had no more time to weep[the grand old man had boasted that he had never shed a tear in his whole life,which he believed knowing the stuff he was made off ].Was the rituals meant to divert his attention elsewhere,if so hats off to those wise men.He bathed twice in the temple pond every day for 10 days and with the wet clothes gave the customary ellu and water to quench the mad thirst following the Dahana Thapa of the Pretha as per the manthras he intoned and offered the Pinda and coconut water to the stones implanted near the temple pond[Thataka kunda] and another in the central room of his home[grihadwara kunda],representing the Pretha .Had he ever given water to his father,he never remembered .,and the last three days were hectic and amidst manthras dhaanaas and lean Brahmins he enjoined the three pairs of pindas placed vertically with both his forearms ,he in his crawling mode,representing the immediate ancestors waiting in Pithru loka to receive his father there ‘Harippattu Mani Vanthachu’ they said in awe and Pithru loka is never going to be the same anymore.
The darkness of the night with its shadows was lightening his self imposed embargo and the knots were loosening and from the farthest corner of his heart and the shellified emotions began oozing out , once the mind was realizing the fact that the last pair of support were leaving him alone; to stand alone and take care of himself; now that he was alone like a boy afraid of facing the world with out the security of the great banyan tree .He felt the nothingness within him thundering and the leaking emotions crushing his heart and the acute discomfort encompassing the body and working their way to the lacrimal glands stimulating them with a bang.The single tear which burst forth spread all over his eyes and evaporated at once,not enough to trickle down,but enough to form the lump in his throat and his voice stammered a bit as he said bye to his uncle.Did his uncle knew? As he stood exposed like a naked child waiting for a pair of firm hands to embrace him so that he could weep with gay abandon..The second stopped for a second infinitely and then resumed its wild journey as before and he lept back to his shell and slowly trudged back longing for that lost SECOND. His grieving was finally over.

THE LAST HOORRAY