Kuzhi Ana

By the time I reached the hostel it was almost 3 pm. Too late to go to the mess and eat lunch. My room door was locked from outside. Shylaja must have gone home and Aparana must have gone out with her boyfriend. I opened the door and went inside. Even before I had a chance to close the door, Anitha pushed the door open and came inside. If I didn’t jump backwards the door would have smashed on to my face. I was so mad!
“Nina, Jomon wants to see you now”
“What?”
“Jomon is waiting for you at the canteen.”
I came back just a minute ago and Jomon already wants to see me? How did he even know that I came back? I had no intention to go and see him right now.
“I am going to have my shower. I will see him later” I replied hoping ‘later’ can be any time from then to infinity.
“No. He wants to see you this instant”
This instant? What does he think? That I am a 2 minute maggi noodles?
“I said, I will see him later. I want to take my shower now”
“He is already very mad that you left without his permission. Now don’t make it worst. You can always take your shower later”
I thought of sticking my tongue out at Anitha and tell her that I know I can always take my shower later. I don’t need someone to tell me that.
“Please Nina, if you don’t go now, then he will come after me and scold me. He would think that I didn’t pass the message to you. Please Nina, go and see him. Please do it for me at least.”
I looked at Anitha. I didn’t like her one bit. But I didn’t want to her to get in to trouble because of me. Besides I thought I will let Jomon know once for all that I am not interested in him. I marched out of my room and walked straight to the canteen. Jomon was standing near the canteen entrance
“Where did you go?” he asked
I thought of asking him who is he to ask me that? But there were other seniors around in the canteen and I didn’t want to create a scene
“I asked you. Where did you go?” Jomon spoke again.
“Home” I muttered
“Why?”
Why do people go home? As though he doesn’t know.
I wanted to say Ammeney kanan( to see my mother) instead I said
Aneney Kanan(to see the elephant)” Only after the words came out, did I realize my folly. I looked at Jomon to see if he actually heard what I said. May be he didn’t. I was about to feel relieved and he asked
Anayo?(elephant?)”
It was too late to correct. I was already Ms. Titanic. I didn’t want to be Ms. Elephant.
I nodded my head and said “Yes”
“Your family has elephants?”
I remembered the times when I was about 4 years old. Appa used to carry me on his back and I would pretend to be the mahout and shout Edathaney, valathaney(turn left elephant, turn right elephant) and Appa would obey. Amma hated it and she would grumble viddi anakku cherunna viddi pappan (like father, like daughter..Dumb)
“yes sir” I replied
“How many?”
“2”
“Wow” Jomon replied. He was suddenly lost in deep thoughts. I knew he must be calculating the total costs of 2 elephants and dividing it by four to see how much would be his share( 4 daughters, so parental assets have to divided by 4!!)
I thought of bopping his stupid head and tell him,’forget ana(elephant), I don’t even own a kuzhi ana(?)’
“But I still didn’t like that you left without telling me. If you had told me, I would have dropped you at the station on my bike”
‘Sure, what makes you think, I would want to follow you on your TVS 50? I thought of asking him. Besides, that is not a bike, that is a moped!’ I thought
“I am capable of going to the railway station on my own” I replied, hoping he would get the subtle message that I am not interested in him
“I know, but I like to take care of my wife”
I looked at the moron standing in front of me. Couple of months ago, I was the girl he was going to marry. Now we are married already? How come he didn’t invite me for the wedding? I was really getting pissed off with Jomon
“Come, let us go inside. We will have something to drink”
I had no intention of going inside the canteen
I quickly looked at my watch
“Oh I am sorry Sir, I have to go now, My dad usually phones around 5pm. he will be upset, if he didn’t get to talk to me”
“How is he?” Jomon asked
“He is fine”
“No not that, Is he a modern thantha(dad)?”
“Ofcourse” I thought of telling Jomon that my dad is so modern, he is already got a second wife. But I wan’t sure, if Jomon really would appreciate such honesty. With a quick bye I walked off. I had to find a better way to get the message across Jomon.

Life was almost back on routine at the medical college. I still struggled with anatomy, still bunked all the Preventive and social medicine lectures, still had plenty of assignments pending. Even with all that after spending months in a medical college, I started to feel that I am home. I began to enjoy the life at my home away from home.
It was a rainy November Wednesday and I was sitting at the top of the gallery and busy dreaming. Dr. Rajesh was drawing something on the black board. There is something about the rain in Bangalore. It is not at all like the monsoon in Kerala. The rain in Bangalore is gentler. You would want to go out and dance in the rain. Someone was knocking the class room door. Must be one of my classmate guys. He must have just woken up from his drunken stupor and noticed that, it is still day time and he has anatomy lecture to attend. I didn’t even bother to look at the door. From the corner of my eyes I could see Dr. Rajesh opening the door and talking to someone. At the same time I could hear a bike sound. A very familiar bike sound!
“Nina Thomas, Princy wants to see you” Announced Dr. Rajesh
I could hear a bike coming in to the campus and I was busy looking at the parking spot.
Please, please let it be Beautiful eyes. I wished desperately
“Nina” The girl next to me nudged.
“Wait” I whispered. I just wanted to see whose bike that was
“Princy wants to see you” She spoke again
“What?” I was too taken aback. I looked around. Everyone was looking at me. Princy’s assistant was standing near the door.
What is going on? Why does Princy wants to see me? I got up quickly and walked down the steps. Something has terribly gone wrong! Princy doesn’t ask to see a student unless it is a serious offence. Did Gangamma snitch on me? Did she tell the Princy that I have been hiding in my room most of the time, instead of attending lectures? Did one of my juniors go and tell Princy that I asked her to draw all my physiology record books? I looked at Princy’s assistant. His face looked grim. My hands started to shiver.
“Come fast” spoke Princy’s assistant.
By the time I reached Princy’s office, I was sweating, I could hardly breath and I wish I never bunked any classes. I wished I never asked my juniors to draw my records.
“Go inside” Princy’s assistant opened the door for me
I walked inside. Princy looked at me. His spectacles was at the tip of his nose and he pushed it up.
“Sit down” He ordered.
“No sir, thank you sir. I am fine” I mumbled
“I say Sit down”
Without wasting another second I sat down
“How many sisters do you have?”
My brain was already wired with all possible excuses for all possible crimes I had committed. It took a few seconds for me to understand the question
“I say how many sisters you have”
“2” “Sorry sir 3” I replied
“2 or 3? I say, you don’t even know how many sisters you have?”
“I have 1 older sister and 2 younger sisters”
“Where are they?”
“My youngest sister is still in Kerala sir, the other sister is studying in Chikmagalur and my oldest sister works in Bangalore”
“Hmm” He nodded his head.
Why is he asking me about my sisters? Did someone tell him that I made my sisters draw some of my anatomy records?
“You need to go to Chikmagalur”
“Huh?” I was taken aback
“Your sister had some accident. She send a telegram asking you to go to Chikmagalur immediately.”
“what? Where? How? Is she ok?”
“I tried calling the Valley view school. Their phone is out of order. If you take a bus to Chikmagalur now, you should be able to reach there before night. I will ask my driver to drop you to the bus station”
I have never been to Chikmagalur. I didn’t even know where it wass. But if my sister needed me, I would be there for her. Come what may. I checked my watch. It was already 3 pm.

Does anyone know what is Kuzhi ana in english?

16 thoughts on “Kuzhi Ana

  1. Nice suspence. I been to this blog only for one week. Since then I am addicted to this blog. It is really interesting and very good narration. You are a very strong woman. Even though you had lot of bad experiences at home, you didn’t let you down. Now also take care of your kids until your younger one go to school, after that start chasing your dreams as a doctor. Enjoy your motherhood now.

  2. kuzhiaana is ant-lion i think…remember so many times digging for them when i was small…but mom telling us to let them be if found…as it was a sin to trap them!

    btw felt real happy to read some of ur family reads this blog…hope after all these years they see all that happened, from ur perspective!

    and abt bharathapuzha do u know that there are 22 dams for hydel, irrigation, etc, etc across its 240 km length…talk abt modern technology killing a beautiful river!!

  3. mm..its amazin how u remember all this in such graphic detail re…i hope ur sister is all fine..i have waited so much only for agatha christie n harry potter..:)

  4. Hi Sara,

    You have a nice way of telling stories. I am assuming that the graphic details are your imagination and the incidents, the reality. I am eager to know whether you have found any closures to any of the issues through this blog. Are people nice enough to understand life from your perspective and forgive or apologize or regret or express one or more of the whole gamut of human feelings? Probably, one could then research the benefits of blogging as a counselling tool. I hope you will quench my curiosity.

    Keep up your excellent skill of story telling & God Bless.

    Shilpa

  5. its interesting how u found the rains in blore nicer..while i just love the rains in kerala…probably coz i go there during my hols wen im there i generally dont have to worry about goin out to wrk in the slush thts all over blore during the rains… 🙂

  6. Dear Sarah,
    So glad that Maria reads your blogs. You always end your post with suspense. My heart is beating heavily. Bharathapuzha river is still dry. I think the tears of us people were enough to flood that river. But Malayalees don’t have enough tears on their eyes. They forget how and when to cry. They cry when they see mega serials on television, and in the cinemas.
    Sarah, do you know me? I have been traveling on your time machine for the last few weeks. I don’t know how long it took me to read all of your blogs. Wow, You are gifted with good talent of writing. It has never been a plain story for me. It has really twisted my life to 180°. I want my life to be twisted another 180°, so pls write on.
    Did you visit my blog? It is dedicated just for you and I have kept a surprise for you in it.
    Pls check it.

  7. Pravaasi: Thank you.. I am indeed enjoying every bit of motherhood

    Thanu: If only I had some common sense

    Sujit: Ofcourse

    Jiby: I wish the youngsters in Kerala would do something about the environment.
    If citizens demand an EIA study done before anything is built, I am sure developers would oblige.. How many more Bharathapuzha’s ought to run dry before we see the damage done?

    Toothless: Ah!!! Chekkanu adi kollum

    Ursjina: Memories are something that is difficult to forget alley??

    Moontalk: Thank you

    Geets: My daughter wass so amazed to read about ant lion.. I had told her about catching the kuzhi ana and making it draw maps on the sand!!… She wants to know.. Why Mama is the only lucky person to have had such a wonderful childhood!!!

    Shilpa: whether people accept/reject, forgive or foget, it makes no difference. I needed to tell my side of the story. So I blog.

    Funny girl: She was ok.. But I paid more than I bargained!

    Starry: She made me travel all the way to chikmagalur for a broken bone!!

    Di: Right now.. I would do anything to be in Kerala during the monsoon period.. However there was a time in my life, I wanted nothing to do with Kerala.. including the rain.. I hated every bit of Kerala then.

    Uniikuttan: Thank you

  8. Nice post.
    But i think women should learn to say ‘NO’ when needed. If you didnt like this Jomon guy, you should have told him point blank that you dont give a shit about him. This Jomon is a total assfag! Who treats women like that?!

    Unless women say “NO”, guys will keep hunting.

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