Topic started by Pon Kulendiren (@ cpe006067779087-cm00109515b817.cpe.net.cable.rogers.com) on Wed Jan 28 22:11:28 EST 2004.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.
KARUVAL
Pon
My mother hates pets specially cats and dogs. She is of the opinion that they are very unclean and may cause Asthma. I loved pets. My father is neutral, provided I look after them well. Last year, when I came first in the class he bought me a fish tank, after objection from my mother. She argued that I will be too lazy to change the water in the tank and it will generate a bad smell in the hall. I gave a promise to my father that I will change the water frequently. My friend Karthik gave me a silver dollar and a gold fish as gift. He is well experienced in breeding different varieties of fish. Both of them have grown in size. I gave the name “Ponnan” for the gold fish, which means gold in Tamil. The silver dollar was given the name Vellayan, which means white in Tamil. At the start Vellayan did not like the proudness of Ponnan. Ponnan showed his glittering colours with a bushy tail and bulging eyes as he moved in the tank. His movements reminded me of a dancer dressed in glittering cloth and fur. Vellayan might have thought that Ponnan is proud because he is expensive as gold. Ponnan is voracious eater. At times he fights with Vellayan for the food. Soon they became friendly as they found a new enemy was watching them from outside. They were scared to see him. The enemy was black in colour
I was happy to receive a black Persian cat as gift for my fourteenth Birthday from my uncle, a Veterinary Surgeon. As per my uncle’s suggestion I started calling him “Karuval”. Again my mother did not like Karuval. One day she saw him sleeping in the sofa. That made her mad and she laid conditions for the Karuval to be inside the house. She said that he will permit him to be inside only when I am there to supervise his movements. I had an opening with small door for him to go out and urinate and pass stools whenever he felt like doing it. That served as his exit to the garden.
The corner opposite the fish tank was the favourite place for Karuval. He spends his time in the corner watching the movement of Ponnan and Vellayan. He wanted to be friendly with them. At times he will try to converse with them, but the high pitch sound he generated upsets Ponnan and Vellayan. One day Vellayan was sick, probably he would have over eaten. My uncle came for the rescue. His special care helped Vellayan survive.
When my mother returned from the temple Karuval was happily sleeping in the sofa after killing two rats in one go. The cushions were on the floor .There was blood in the carpet. The dead rats were lying on the carpet. Ammah got so angry at Karuval for polluting the area and dirtying the sofa and carpet. She is a perfectionist and gets s upset if any one in the house including appah disturbs her arrangement or cleanliness of the house. She called me at the top of her voice. I came running from study room.
“Look at the condition of the sofa and the carpet. This rascal Karuval has dirtied the place. It is all because you pet him too much. Several times I have told you not to let him into the hall”
Karuval got upset at the high pitch of my mother’s voice. He immediately got down from the sofa and ran and sat near the door ready to run if he is to be beaten. He looked at me pathetically.
“Ammah, you allways complaint that there are too many rates in the house. You kept a rat trap but could not catch a single one. The rats ate the piece of food and ran away without getting caught. Later you kept food mixed with rat poison. That too did not work. Now look Karuval has killed two rats in one shot. You must be happy about it”
Ammah was very unhappy over my support for Karuval. She diverted her conversation.
“Now who is going to clean up this place? Just now I have returned from the temple. I have not yet had my lunch” she was furious. I decided to cool her down.
“OK ammah. Cool down. You should not loose your temper after worshiping. I will clean the place up. I will ensure that Karuval behaves well.”
She did not want to reply me. She went away to her room.
“Karuval. Come here. Why did you do this? It is alright you killing the rats, but should have taken them out to the garden. See, what a mess you have done”
He replied with a MEEOW and came and licked my foot. It is one way of saying I am sorry. I felt sorry for that animal which cannot express itself.
Ammah again shouted from the kitchen. “Look again I see a rat running from the Kitchen after eating the cooked food. It has some or managed to remove the lid. It is a big rat. I think Karuval would have killed the Deputy Dada of the rat gang”
I could not stop laughing at the title given by ammah to the dead rat.
“Now look ammah. You must congratulate Karuval for killing two members of the gang that is threating the house. Be good to him. Don’t scold him. He can undersatnd you. He may not kill nay more rats if you scold him. Next time he will target the leader and the other members of the gang”
“These rats are a nuisance. I have to throw away all the food I cooked. Next time after cooking, I have to keep them in the meat safe. I left the food out as I was in a hurry to go for the Puja”
“Do that in the future. Be nice to Karuval. He will look after your enemies”
Karuval tahnked me for my support for him with a long MEEOW
******
We were invited that evening for the birthday party of my mother’s sister’s six year old daughter’s Deepa. Appah could not come for the party as he was doing overtime that evening. Before leaving the house I warned Karuval to behave well and look after the house. He did not reply me with the usual MEEOW, but was watching me with sharp look. I knew he was scared to reply me because ammah was there.
As we were about to get out Karuval suddenly ran across ammah to get out of the exit to urinate in the garden. He was in such a hurry that he did not observe that he was crossing ammah's path. That was enough for ammah
“ Oh my god. Look at this black devil crossing me as I s we were about to get out. This is a very bad omen. I am sure some thing bad is going to happen on our way”
I could not stop laughing. “Ammah this is nothing unusual. Karuval crossed my path several times when I go out. Nothing happened to me. It is all in the mind. Don’t be superstitious. We have to be at sinnamah’s house by six. Deepa will be waiting for us to cut the birthday cake. Hurry up. Don’t worry about the omen”
I knew that she is very much attached to Deepa. She has bought a gold chain for her six birthday. Hence I have used her name to divert her thoughts from karuval’s behaviour.
Half way she pulled out a question.
“Have you locked the kitchen and front door properly?” Ammah would have asked that question thrice when we were walking towards auntie’s house.
“Ammah this is the third time you have repeated the question about locking the doors. Hurry up and walk. It is time to be there”
Thank god the party went on well. When ammah is in her sister’s house meeting her school mates she is the happiest person. That too when Appah is not there to control her chatting. She is considered as the chatter box of the village. She was boasting about the pattern of the gold chain she bought for Deepa. She made sure to mention that it was made out of twenty two karat gold and consumed two and a half sovereigns. He left for other ladies to guess the price. “So expensive item for a birthday gift “ a lady in the crowd commented”
I was happy that ammah never mentioned about Karuval crossing her when she got out. My auntie’s mother in law, the most superstitious old lady in the village would have analaysed all the possible outcomes of black cat crossing the path, and would have poisoned ammah’s mind to get rid of Karuval. Before she getting into that conversation, I reminded ammah that it is time to get back home as appah may have to wait out as he does not have the keys to the house. As we were returning home after the party ammah saw Thangam, her distant relation returning form shopping with her two friends.
“Thangam when are you going to return the five hundred rupees you borrowed from me. It is almost two months passed. Have you forgotten about it?
Thangam didd not like ammah mentioning about the loan infront of his friends.
“I have not forgotten about it Acca. On my way, I was about to come to your house to return the money. Here it is. Thanks for giving me the loan” she pulled out the money from a knot in the saree and gave it to ammah.
Ammah was happy that she got the money back. Thangam had no other alternative but to give the money back as her two friends who were returning with her were watching the scene.
As we came closer to the house, I could not stop laughing when I thought about the incidents that evening.
“Why are you laughing?” ammah questioned d me.
“No ammah Karuval crossing your path has brought good luck for you. Normally Thangam never returns the money taken on loan”
Ammah went quiet. I opened the door and as we entered the hall I felt that some incident has happened inside the house. My fish tank was on the floor, broken into pieces. Ponnan and Vellayan were lying dead as dry fish. The carpet was wet with water. I looked at ammah. She was furious.
“ Adai Karuval come here. I knew it is your dirty work. I am going to kill you this time. She shouted at the top of her voice. Karuval crossing her path also added spice to her anger.
I knew Karuval will not come if ammah calls. I called him in a soft voice. I saw him coming from my room with a big Rat in his mouth. I was amazed at the size of the Rat. It was like the size of a ratton. Immediately I knew that it was the Dadda, the leader of the rat gang. Karuval has killed him. He came and dropped the rat in front ammah. Then returned to my room and brought two more rats he killed.
“Ammah look what Karuval has done. He has killed the Dada and his two lieutenants who were terrorizing you. In course of his action he must have knocked down the fish tank from the table. Poor Karuval. He sacrificed his two friends Vellyan and Ponnan in his battle with the Dadda and gang.”
I saw ammah smiling first time at Karuval’s bravery. She took a piece of Birthday cake and gave it me to feed Karuval.
I said “Ammah you feed him then only he will be happy”. I was happy to see Karuval enjoying the piece of Birthday cake with a MEEOW ntermittently.
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