“ Pati… are you done?” Alamelu yelled from the room next door.
“Yes Kanna… I am ready “,
responded Meenakshi , firmly closing the
suitcase. She had managed to squeeze in the packet of mint powder that her
sister in law had given her for gas in the tummy.
She mentally went over the contents
of the box…. Rasam powder, gooseberry
pickle….
Tamarind chutney…. Tapioca
pickle….jack fruit jam…chutney powder….instant idli /dosa packets,……ragi papads….
“Pati… please
come here and help me with my packing…” Alamelu’s impatient voice forced her to
go to help her grand daughter.
Alamelu had
her clothes strewn around and she sat amidst piles of blouses she had got
stitched by Sundari maami next door,
readymade petticoats, Underclothes and stacks of Kanjeevaram sarees.”Kanna…. I
have only seen your pictures in some terrible looking pants…. Are you really
going to wear all these?”
“ Yes Pati… I am getting married
remember? See this blue one? I will wear for my ‘jaanavasu’ this orange for the wedding and this brocade for the
reception. I hope you are carrying your nine yards sarees pati……”
Meenakshi nodded but silently smiled at her own plans. For over sixty
odd years, she had wrapped herself like a mummy in nine yards of ordeal. She
was just fifteen when her son Kittu was born. After that, her mother –in- law
(a cantankerous woman) had insisted on her wearing nine-yard saree. Her view
was that a mother should be responsible and wearing a nine yards saree was a
manifestation of that. Imagine carrying those cumbersome streams of silk to San Francisco! No way. She had other plans but Alamelu need not know that now.
The girl was all excited about her marriage. Poor kid…little did she know that
excitement of a wedding was far removed from realities of marriage! Let the
girl have her dreams, sighed Meenakshi
As she helped Alamelu put away her
trousseau, Meenakshi remembered her own
wardrobe. But that sufficed as the
only outings were to the temple close by and the small grocery shop down the
street. And now, here she was- all set to cross the seven seas (a deadly sin
according to her 80 year old mother – in- law). The old woman was jealous of
her going to America where she said white men and women walked naked on the
street, Meenakshi wondered where she had got the idea.
“Don’t listen to her pati”--- Alamelu
had consoled her….’ She must have seen Baywatch on the TV”! It was so sweet of Alamelu to
insist on her going with her to America for her wedding. She had even bought
her ticket! All because she adored her “pati”
who had brought her up since she was barely three when her parents died in an
accident. Meenakshi wiped a tear stealthily because Alamelu would chide her
like Rajesh Khanna and say “Pati….I hate tears”!
Luckily, her sister-in-law, a dour faced
shrew, agreed to take care of mother-in-law (all because the crotchety old
woman had three gold chains and a diamond nose ring which she could swindle
from). Ever since her husband died when she was expecting her first born, Kittu
(Alamelu’s father),Meenakshi had lead a Spartan life.Here was her great chance
to change her destiny.Nine yards be hanged! She did not intend taking any of
her sarees. She had other plans.
The bumpy ride to the station, the
train journey to Chennai and the long drive to the airport left Meenakshi
little time to think of her future. Alamelu, God bless her, was an efficient
young lady who handled all the formalities and at last, they were on their
flight…away from the small town Srirangam to San Francisco.
* * *
“Pati…here we are. This is my apartment. See
how clean I have kept it. Aren’t you proud of me?”
Alamelu was really a sweet child. Her love and concern
overwhelmed Meenakshi as she took a quick look around the small but tastefully
furnished apartment. What a change from the low roofed, dingy house she had
lived in for over six decades! Girls these days have a better deal she muttered
to herself and walked towards the small mantap
with Lord Krishna’s idol that she had given Alamelu, when she went to study in
America four years ago, warning her to stay away from the real life Krishnas!
“ Pati, let us open this MTR ready to eat rasam rice-I am famished”…said Alamelu,
reaching out for the packet from the suitcase of goodies
“ No…no..Alamelu”…protested Meenakshi,”why don’t you order a
pizza?’
“ Pppppati…..pppppizza?” stammered Alamelu, shocked-”what do
you mean?surely you won’t eat that!”
“ Ofcourse I will child.. I am sick of rasam and rice. I want
to eat all that nice stuff that I have seen on TV…I am loving it”
Totally zapped by this new avatar of her pati, Alamelu
ordered a deep pan veg pizza and went to the bathroom to shower. Coming out in
her bathrobe, she asked Meenakshi to wrap her saree around and wear it in the
room, as the bathroom was tiny.
“ No saree child, give me a robe like yours. That is more
convenient”
With her mouth open in amazement, Alamelu gave her a bathrobe
from her closet. After an hour, Meenakshi stepped out of the bathroom, her wet
hair framing her face and the gown hugging her figure. Alamelu had never seen
Pati look so young and lissome!
Meenakshi tucked into the luscious Pizza while Alamelu
watched in awe.
“ Pati…you are cool!, she squealed,”Sudhir is going to love
you.You know what, I am going to pay for the SUN TV channel for you as a
treat!”
“No…no…child”, said Meenakshi vehemently. ” I don’t want to
see all those women sobbing and scheming and the men slapping and shouting. I
want to watch Oprah Winfrey”
“ But Pati you will not understand the progarmme, it is in
English”
“ Ofcourse I will! I used to get up at 5 and watch her shows
every morning while your great grandma was asleep. I bought a learn English in 30 days book and know
to speak and write! Wanted to surprise you because I knew you would bring me to
this country sometime!”
“ Pati..you are a dark horse! Who would have thought that you
would be up to all this”, gurgled Alamelu with glee. She was going to have fun
with this new grandma.
“Yes child. I have come fully prepared to be a new woman,
leaving behind the old Meenakshi in Srirangam.”
“ Pati.. Let us go shopping and get you a pair of trousers
and shirt. What the Dickens…if you want to change, let us go full hog! I will
get you a new hair cut and color and give you a great make over as Oprah says”,
chirped Alamelu.
“ I am loving it” ,Meenakshi said mischievously
Rrrrrring…Alamelu went to answer the doorbell.
“ Hi Mel…lovely to see you back”, gushed Kathy giving Alamelu
a bear hug ” and this is your grandma? Wow, she is awesome.”
“ Yes” stuttered Alamelu, still recovering from the shock of
her Pati’s makeover plans.
“ Hello grandma… I am Kathy, Alamelu has told me so much
about you but I had a different image of you! Can I also call you Pati?”
“Hello Kathy”, Said Maeenakshi in her carefully cultivated
American accent,”Call me Patty”.
The evolution was complete!!
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