Venba wouldn’t give in easily no matter what. Barely five years old, her logic was astounding. This was both a pain and pleasure for her mother, Seetha. When Venba had a no-nonsense approach to anything, it was difficult for Seetha to talk her out of something like you do to any other kid.
The town of Nagercoil, few miles away from Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India’s vast landmass was waking up to a rainy Monday morning. The district administration had declared a holiday for the schools and institutions on account of the copious rainfall that has been constant for the last couple of days. Both Venba and Seetha liked these surprise holidays as it gave the respite from their routine. Seetha earned the living as an Associate Professor on evolutionary biology.
Seetha tried waking Venba up, but she couldn’t argue against Venba's logic of, ‘It’s a holiday after all!’
‘If you wake up now, we are starting the movie marathon we have been planning for long’, Seetha threw a surprise. This was more than enough to get Venba to jump out of bed excitingly.
- - - -
Ghazal, an ever-curious yet calm, six-year-old girl, lived up to her name. Blessed with a sweet voice, her renditions of Bollywood and Sufi music were pleasurable to listen to. She had her fan following in the school and the neighborhood. Despite repeated advice to get her content live on YouTube, her mother Aisha had always insisted that there was no need to make her a sensation. Aisha, a great singer herself, never used to sing outside her family. She was teaching Maths in the only government school of Baramulla, one of the beautiful yet tense towns of Kashmir valley.
The schools and institutes were asked to shut down till further orders on the direction of the central government of India. The news in the air was that the central government was about to make some serious moves against Kashmir’s autonomy. This wasn’t just another Monday morning.
Aisha went up to Ghazal and started singing a melody to wake her up, a routine that she has been following for years now.
- - -
Seetha and Venba quickly finished their breakfast and started their movie marathon with ‘Pattinathi Bootham’ a Tamil classical fantasy. Halfway through their movie, they could hear nothing but a serious of loud firecrackers bursting outside. They lived nearby the district office of the party that helms the central government of India. Seetha paused the movie and quickly tuned in to the television.
‘Govt. to revoke Art. 370 & 35A. J&K to be bifurcated into two union territories’, the news flash beamed. She was engrossed and absorbed in the news. This was surprising for Venba.
‘What’s this about?’ Venba tried to reason.
‘Nothing. Just keep watching the movie’, Seetha resumed the movie for Venba and slowly walked to the drawing-room.
Seetha went close inside the drawing room and looked deep into the picture of a proud Saravanan in his military uniform, framed in the wall, hanging still. She closed her eyes and just leaned on the wall below the photo frame.
- - -
Aisha and Ghazal were used to these unusual holidays. Their fall back plans on such occasions were an informal musical retreat where Aisha teaches Ghazal her favorites. As they were immersing themselves into it, they could hear some gunshots and people shouting in the streets. Aisha quickly closed the door and rushed to her window.
‘They have cheated us. Who are we? Just Fools’ a man was running amok shouting.
‘So you all wanted the special status? We are not even a state anymore! Kashmir and Ladakh will be two new Union Territories’ another man was crying and shouting to everyone in the street.
Aisha pulled the window down and looked at Ghazal who was visibly confused and innocently asking what was happening.
‘Nothing. Let’s get back to the room’ Aisha kept it short.
As she turned back, she couldn’t help but look at the picture frame of Faizal Ahmed, hanging right in front of her in the wall, candidly smiling and looking at her. She stood still and kept looking at the picture deeply as Ghazal walked slowly to the room.
- - -
Thunderstorms were gaining pace in Nagercoil. Though it has been raining heavily for a while now, these strong thunders were an unexpected addition. If there is something that could scare Venba, that’s thunders. However, she kept herself busy with the movie as Seetha was spending some still moments in the room. With a very loud thunder the electric power went off in a flash and there was barely any light.
‘Ammaaaa’ Venba shouted. Seetha rushed to the hall. Venba just ran up to Seetha and hugged her legs. Seetha slowly lifted Venba and embraced her in the arms and hugged her tight.
- - -
More people started to occupy the streets of Baramulla. There were loud slogans, sounds of army vehicles, some shattering windows and most of all intense noise of gun explosions.
This took Aisha out of the deep gaze into the picture of Faizal Ahmed. She walked up to the hall and looked for Ghazal. Ghazal has retreated to a corner of a hall, closing her eyes and also her ears strongly with her hands.
Aisha walked up to her, took her in the arms as Ghazal slowly opened her eyes and hugged her tight. Aisha started to kiss her on the cheeks and forehead.
- - -
‘Everything will be fine. I’m with you’ Seetha and Aisha whispered in the ears of their daughters in unison.
The electric power resumed in Nagercoil.
‘The second half of the movie was the one I loved so much when I watched Pattanathil Bootham as a kid. You are going to enjoy it’, Seetha resumed the movie as she sat on the sofa, holding Venba in her lap.
Aisha held Ghazal in her arms and walked out of the corner as she started singing loudly.
Ghazal filled the air.
Karthik Selva
The town of Nagercoil, few miles away from Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India’s vast landmass was waking up to a rainy Monday morning. The district administration had declared a holiday for the schools and institutions on account of the copious rainfall that has been constant for the last couple of days. Both Venba and Seetha liked these surprise holidays as it gave the respite from their routine. Seetha earned the living as an Associate Professor on evolutionary biology.
Seetha tried waking Venba up, but she couldn’t argue against Venba's logic of, ‘It’s a holiday after all!’
‘If you wake up now, we are starting the movie marathon we have been planning for long’, Seetha threw a surprise. This was more than enough to get Venba to jump out of bed excitingly.
- - - -
Ghazal, an ever-curious yet calm, six-year-old girl, lived up to her name. Blessed with a sweet voice, her renditions of Bollywood and Sufi music were pleasurable to listen to. She had her fan following in the school and the neighborhood. Despite repeated advice to get her content live on YouTube, her mother Aisha had always insisted that there was no need to make her a sensation. Aisha, a great singer herself, never used to sing outside her family. She was teaching Maths in the only government school of Baramulla, one of the beautiful yet tense towns of Kashmir valley.
The schools and institutes were asked to shut down till further orders on the direction of the central government of India. The news in the air was that the central government was about to make some serious moves against Kashmir’s autonomy. This wasn’t just another Monday morning.
Aisha went up to Ghazal and started singing a melody to wake her up, a routine that she has been following for years now.
- - -
Seetha and Venba quickly finished their breakfast and started their movie marathon with ‘Pattinathi Bootham’ a Tamil classical fantasy. Halfway through their movie, they could hear nothing but a serious of loud firecrackers bursting outside. They lived nearby the district office of the party that helms the central government of India. Seetha paused the movie and quickly tuned in to the television.
‘Govt. to revoke Art. 370 & 35A. J&K to be bifurcated into two union territories’, the news flash beamed. She was engrossed and absorbed in the news. This was surprising for Venba.
‘What’s this about?’ Venba tried to reason.
‘Nothing. Just keep watching the movie’, Seetha resumed the movie for Venba and slowly walked to the drawing-room.
Seetha went close inside the drawing room and looked deep into the picture of a proud Saravanan in his military uniform, framed in the wall, hanging still. She closed her eyes and just leaned on the wall below the photo frame.
- - -
Aisha and Ghazal were used to these unusual holidays. Their fall back plans on such occasions were an informal musical retreat where Aisha teaches Ghazal her favorites. As they were immersing themselves into it, they could hear some gunshots and people shouting in the streets. Aisha quickly closed the door and rushed to her window.
‘They have cheated us. Who are we? Just Fools’ a man was running amok shouting.
‘So you all wanted the special status? We are not even a state anymore! Kashmir and Ladakh will be two new Union Territories’ another man was crying and shouting to everyone in the street.
Aisha pulled the window down and looked at Ghazal who was visibly confused and innocently asking what was happening.
‘Nothing. Let’s get back to the room’ Aisha kept it short.
As she turned back, she couldn’t help but look at the picture frame of Faizal Ahmed, hanging right in front of her in the wall, candidly smiling and looking at her. She stood still and kept looking at the picture deeply as Ghazal walked slowly to the room.
- - -
Thunderstorms were gaining pace in Nagercoil. Though it has been raining heavily for a while now, these strong thunders were an unexpected addition. If there is something that could scare Venba, that’s thunders. However, she kept herself busy with the movie as Seetha was spending some still moments in the room. With a very loud thunder the electric power went off in a flash and there was barely any light.
‘Ammaaaa’ Venba shouted. Seetha rushed to the hall. Venba just ran up to Seetha and hugged her legs. Seetha slowly lifted Venba and embraced her in the arms and hugged her tight.
- - -
More people started to occupy the streets of Baramulla. There were loud slogans, sounds of army vehicles, some shattering windows and most of all intense noise of gun explosions.
This took Aisha out of the deep gaze into the picture of Faizal Ahmed. She walked up to the hall and looked for Ghazal. Ghazal has retreated to a corner of a hall, closing her eyes and also her ears strongly with her hands.
Aisha walked up to her, took her in the arms as Ghazal slowly opened her eyes and hugged her tight. Aisha started to kiss her on the cheeks and forehead.
- - -
‘Everything will be fine. I’m with you’ Seetha and Aisha whispered in the ears of their daughters in unison.
The electric power resumed in Nagercoil.
‘The second half of the movie was the one I loved so much when I watched Pattanathil Bootham as a kid. You are going to enjoy it’, Seetha resumed the movie as she sat on the sofa, holding Venba in her lap.
Aisha held Ghazal in her arms and walked out of the corner as she started singing loudly.
Ghazal filled the air.
Karthik Selva
