Memories....

“Oh, you got leave for 4 weeks? That’s too much!” She blurted. She was slightly annoyed at this news from her friend and co-worker. The leave meant she would have to mentor someone as replacement and take additional work load for herself. She knew it was coming anyway- her co-worker had been planning her wedding from a long time now.

She sighed and looked out of the window of her 4th floor office. The coconut tree leaves were swaying lazily in the breeze- without a care in the world.  She was mesmerized by the rhythmic dance of the leaves and stood transfixed.

Her mind went to a day in her childhood vacation in Chennai. She was 6 years old and was playing in the thread and plank swing. Despite numerous requests from her grandparents to be careful, she was doing acrobatics. She took off the plank and started climbing the rope. Halfway through, she lost her grip and fell. She was hurt, but didn’t care.

But her grandpa, known for his quick temper, came running and shouted,”Evalav sonnalum keka maatiya nee- veshamam jaasti. That’s it; I’m pulling down the swing”.

Angry tears sprang to her eyes and she retorted, “Naa appa te poren, bombay poren”.

She staged packing a small bag, and making sure to be noisy with her anklets, went out the door. She went till the gate, opened it loudly and waited. Nobody was coming out! She would teach them a lesson, she decided. She hid behind the big coconut tree in the garden. She stayed there for a while and soon fell asleep. She suddenly woke up to find herself in the bed, and ran out to the hall. The swing was back up! She smiled happily at her grandpa, and started swinging.

She couldn’t stop her mind from going to another day, in the same place. She was excited- her best friend in Bombay had had a baby brother! She put on her slippers, dragged her mom to the coconut tree near the gate and said, “Mummy, Bombay polam- tambi papa ve pakanum ippove, vaa polam”. Her mom smiled and promised they would soon go back and visit.

She now smiled at the memory. Ah- the innocence of a kid! She had truly believed her friends brother to be her own- what was her friends’, was hers too. Where did that innocence go? Now her happiness for her friend’s wedding was actually reduced due to stress of work!

The memories persisted. Funny how the sight of a coconut tree was leading her to so many memories, stored away in the recesses of her mind.

She remembered the day when she was 9, when her best friend was going to shift homes. Her friend would no more be in the same building as her. She herself was far away in Chennai that time, but had wept near the tree.

She soon had another best friend - with whom she shared many pre-teen secrets and moments. But, the tree was to bear witness to another tribulation of her life. In 4 years, she would weep again- for losing her best friend to death. She had been sitting alone in a daze on the terrace. Unbelieving. Yet Mourning. And the breeze blew the coconut tree leaves down- grazing her head, as if in blessing. As if telling her to be strong.

Life moved on yet again- as it had to. Soon, she was rejoicing her marks in standard 12. She ran up the terrace in jubilation- she leaned on the side and playfully pulled the tree leaves towards her.

Strange that she had witnessed some of her best and worst moments in the presence of a coconut tree. And stranger that it took her 2 years to notice the beautiful coconut tree in her office. It seemed she had changed, grown- she wasn’t innocent or simple enough anymore to be rejoicing or mourning with a tree.

She knew that the world was the same- people loved, hated, fought, were born and died just the same as always. The coconut tree swayed now, as it had back then. The view outside was the same. But the lens with which she saw the world had changed.

Translation:

Evalav sonnalum keka maatiya nee- veshamam jaasti – Wont you listen to repeated instructions- you’ve become too naughty

Naa appa te poren, bombay poren- I am going to dad- back to Bombay

Bombay polam- tambi papa ve pakanum ippove, vaa polam- Lets go to Bombay, to see baby brother, come lets go.