Nurungukal...contd....

      September third was coming to an end. It was for the first time in my life to spent a whole day in such close proximity with a girl. Ever since I tied the nuptial knot she was with me. She did not speak much but her silence and looks were enough to open her mind. So was her sister and brother-in-law. Occasionally he came to me to talk in praise of her and he wished us to enjoy a very happy future. Her sister always put up a smile and rarely moved from where she was. Even her movement was unusually slow, as if not to hurt the earth. The fragrance from the jasmine  and the smell of the new silk Saree were in a way working as an aphrodisiac in me.  A synergy was mounting in us. But the members of our family as usual, never wanted to put a stop to their entertainment and it went on and on. I think it was my brother-in-law who put an end to it, perhaps after sensing my uneasiness. We were ushered into the bed room with usual acts of fun and excitement. And once inside we were taken over by natural impulses slowly slipping into oblivion.

       I was woken by a loud knock at the door next day morning.  She was in deep slumber. Watching her in that state , although resisted me from leaving the bed, the knock at the door shattered my desire, instead forced me to gently wake her up.

      As we joined the crowd we had to face a lot of routine inquisitive  remarks. Although we tried to evade them, heart of heart we were enjoying such subtle gestures. We were expected to leave for Wayanad early in the morning, to attend a reception. They had arranged a car for the journey. My sister was our representative.

      I had visited Wayanad along with my colleagues a few years ago. It was a pleasant journey especially in the new company, except for the one or two stops en route to provide comfort to some of the members. Wayanad was lush green and the nature was like a garden with full of flowers every where. The ghat road with many twists and turns wound up the hills to enter a cool and salubrious land scape. The ravines,brooks and the gushing water at many falls produced musical notes as if from  thousands of strings. We felt as if we were on he top of the world. As I looked down I saw tiny buildings on a green carpet above which white clouds floated like cotton. On the background a blue canvas hung far away completing the awesome scenery.

        The house is of typical Wayanad style, without much aeration inside, may be to protect from severe cold. It is situated on the side of a hillock facing a s wide stretch of paddy field. There was a small crowd of her relatives and some of their estate workers in waiting. A silence prevailed. Every one talked in hushed tones. It was quite a contrast to what I have experienced in Ponani on such occasions. Most of the men were basking in the sunshine, holding their hands close to the chest and keeping their back to the sun !!. The ladies remained inside and the children like any, were playing around. A few estate workers were crouching far away around a quenched fire.

          Here also there are a few paintings of their elders and the tusk of a huge elephant in the reception room.  The roof is panelled with  wood. There are two replicas of their family temples. These are the craft pieces of one of their carpenters. The surprising piece is a dining table made from a rose wood plank. The top is made out of a single piece without joints of the size of nearly 4’x6’. I was told that there were three such pieces and one was gifted to a British officer. The second one is now decorating as a swing in her sister’s house.You can very well imagine the size of the rose wood tree from which three such pieces would have been made.

          After lunch my sister returned. In the night there was a gathering of their friends and relatives. I was inquisitive about the presence of some Britishers in the crowd. They were the officers from M/S Malayalam Plantations to whom many years ago the family had leased out a chunk of their property.

              Night was getting cooler and cooler. And we spent the second night under the warmth of a woollen blanket in ecstasy and many more there after, sharing  the warmth of each other......[part one concluded]