A Namboodiri family hired a young Namboodiri girl to teach girls of thirteen and ten, as they were not supposed to go to school, where they would have to sit among pupils from other castes. After school, the older sister and the teacher used to “play and the younger one would stand guard to let them know if anyone came. At nightfall no one will come as the women will be busy praying. The result soon came out; she became pregnant.

The guardian was also only eighteen years old and not prepared to face the consequences. So they ran away. The girl’s necklace brought some money, with which they managed to get to Kasargod. A substitute poojary was needed there. So the boy started winning. They stayed as husband and wife, as child marriages were normal in those days.

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I was attending a conference of environmental scientists in Cuttack. Young students were also invited to attend the proceedings and present their work. Among them, a boy named Aswin impressed me with his academic qualifications and meticulously studied an article on turtles. He was tall for his age and had bright searching eyes and a high forehead. He was not fluent in English, so I asked him: what is his native language?

When he said Malayalam, I became more interested… But I had no information about his home or village.

After the conference, I accompanied him to his house, near the temple. Her mother attracted me because of her face: the same eyes and forehead as her son’s!

Involuntarily, I put my hand on his shoulder and said: congratulations. Your boy has been selected for research!

He sat up, grabbed my feet and started crying. I felt embarrassed. I also sat on the ground and dried her tears.

I said: today is an opportunity to celebrate. Aswin is an intellectual giant, although he is still a child. I’ll see that I get it. Sister, give me rice and sambar. I want to eat to my capacity!

Then she smiled. I sent Aswin to bring sweets, giving him a five hundred rupee note.

In his absence, his mother became talkative.

What is your name?

Sankaran.

What caste are you?

Warriar, we live near the Mahadevamangalam temple on the bank of the Bharathapuzha river. At the mention of the temple, she smiled and warmed. She was about to touch me, but she hesitated. So I took her hand and squeezed it. I asked him: do you know the place?

She avoided a response. I continued:

My parents are in Delhi. I am his only son, unmarried and thirty years old. How old is he?

Next month I will be thirty-two.

So you are my oppol (big sister).

You didn’t tell me your name.

susma

When you are in Delhi, come there.

She used to write to me. Although her writing lacked order and sophistication, I loved reading it. On the occasion of Rakhi, I sent her her traditional bracelet, indicating my determination to protect her, and expensive gifts.

The next winter, Sushma and her son came to Delhi and stayed as my guests. Aswin was at JNU. Sushma’s husband couldn’t get permission because he was a poojari, so it was me and Sushma who toured Agra and Jaipur. I found her company entertaining and satisfying.

The next time I went to my home in Keralam, my grandmother insisted that I get married. She even chose a girl as my wife and introduced her to me. She was quite pretty, though short, and polite. Somehow, I didn’t like the idea. Grandma was not happy.

I was coming home. I called an autorickshaw and when it stopped, a lady asked to share it. She was brunette, with lively eyes and I asked her where she was going. She also went to the Mahadevamangalam temple.

I risk guessing: are you a teacher?

Yeah.

Name?

Veena.

Do you know the warrior Sankaran?

I have seen him as a child.. Now I hear that he is a great scientist.

I’m big?

She looked at me closely and laughed. Are you that Sankaran who used to play with us? A dirty brat with snot and scabies? Oh! My. God! How have you changed Why this big mustache? I don’t like.

By then we had already reached the temple. It was about to be closed. We had to go down a flight of stairs to get to the river. I held her hand so she wouldn’t slip and fall. I sat on the steps while she bathed.

The crescent moon could be seen faintly over the vast expanse of fields beyond the river.

I said: there is no water in the river.

Her: Some experiments were carried out to “conserve water” and this is the result. I have to lie down to take a bath.

Me: hurry up; It’s getting dark.

When we went up, the temple was about to be closed. I didn’t go in. She finished and left.

We climbed on a rock overlooking the river and sat next to each other. Can I touch you?

She laughed: you men are like that. Can’t you wait until we get married?

So is our marriage settled?

Do you like to play with my body and leave me?

Sorry Mrs; I just wanted to have you in my arm.

She snuggled close to me and I hugged her tight. Then she described everything I mentioned at the beginning about Sushma’s escape. (As I was with my parents in Delhi, never heard of it). I screamed in ecstasy: I’m best friends with her and I brought up everything that happened in Cuttack.

Then we went to his house to tell him the good news. The old parents couldn’t believe it.

They asked: why didn’t he write to us?

She never talked about you. Even when she knew who I am, she didn’t divulge any details about herself.

Veena suggested that she might be afraid of the parents’ wrath.

I left, promising to meet the teacher at school.

At 4 pm, when school closes, I was there with a dozen saris. We spent the afternoon in the municipal park. She was in a bad mood and she doesn’t say what’s wrong.

I asked her if she is having a lover.

Then only she smiled. She shook her head negatively.

I dropped her off at her hostel.

The next day I had to go to Madras for urgent work. In the night, I wrote her a long letter, with many hot kisses. The answer, when it came, was the shortest love letter ever written!

“Dear Sankaretta,

I can not live without you.

Your love

Veena”

Meanwhile, Sushma and her husband went to see their parents. They told me they all talked you into arranging my marriage to Veena.

But my grandmother refused. She won’t find out. So I went back to Delhi, very disappointed.

Things were moving fast.

The old poojary of the Shiva temple in Mahadevamangalam wanted to retire. He wasn’t getting a reliever. Sushma’s husband was willing to do this job so that she could take care of her parents.

I came back to Keralam and the new environment was very exciting. Veena ran to my house whenever she could. The grandmother became very friendly with her. Veena had given me sexual freedom and I took full advantage of it, since Grandma rested in her room most of the time.

My parents came home and solved the problem by extracting Grandma’s consent for our marriage.