Chapter 11, Benny appappy’s marriage and Hindi speaking cousins.....!

                                                                                                     

Benny appappy was his youngest uncle (youngest brother of vinay’s father). He had a complicated name and his complete name was Benny Emilton Joseph.  He was very fair, he had a nice hairstyle and he worked in a Hotel in Doha, Qatar. Unfortunately he was ugly. There is a story behind his look which vinay had heard from his mother. 

On benny appappy’s first day in college, the lecturer was reading out the complete names of the students of the new batch and asked them to stand up once their names are read out. So that everyone would be able to know each other. When he said “Benny Emilton Joseph”, the entire students looked around out of curiosity. The girls saw him first standing at the last bench and they chuckled at him. Few other girls who were sitting at the last bench commented at him by saying, "ayye, Ivanaano Benny Emilton Joseph” (hey, is this one Benny Emilton Joseph?). the girls lost their expecation as they were eagerly waiting for a handsome hunk to stand up.

Vinay could remember only 3 times he had met benny appappy before his marriage. Vinay was in UKG when he came to his house in tripunithura. He was carrying a big trolley bag along with him. He came in the morning and left home in the evening. Later vinay could understand that he got a job in Doha, Qatar and was flying that night.

Second time, he met him when vinay was in 5^th standard. One night he came to his house and left in the morning. Vinay realized that he had a stiff face and never smiled. Vinay also felt that he thinks himself as so important and behaved as if he was a scientist with enormous number of rockets being launched in his head. That day after dinner, benny appappy took vinay on his lap and asked,” talk to me in English. Let me see how fluent you are in English”. Vinay was wondering what kind of question was that. Vinay could easily realize that, no doubt, beny appappy was his father's younger brother who has some mad intimacy towards english lanuage and also thinks, if someone speaks good english, he is perfect and he would be the most succesful person in life.

I just don't understand how people can have such a conservative and unheretical thought that a perosn is useless without the knowledge of English language. i do believe that english language is ineludible in the present competitive world and one must excel in it to move forward in the professional life. But, people like benny appappy and vinay's father just don't know how to make people understand the importance of the English language without any agitation. They think, they travelled littile bit around the world and learnt English language and has become a scholar. That thought is absolutely stupid and ridiculous. Finally, what had happened in their lives though they were English speakers is absolutely pitiable. Benny appapy lost his job and ended up in selling burgers in a bakery in kottayam and vinay's father ended up as a huge debtor.

i might be over reacting on the simple question what benny appappy had asked vinay, but the harrassment, the pressure and the amount of nervous excitement vinay had gone through his childhood as a poor english speaker from his father was quiet unendurable.

Let’s come back to benny appappy's visits. Third time, vinay met him just after 2 years in vinay’s new huge house in tripunithura.Vinay’s father behaved like a spendthrift while constructing it. He shelled out almost 50 lakhs for its construction.

As usual, that day also benny appappy stayed only for one night with them. But when he went back to kottayam this time, nisha, vinay and their mother also joined him as he had come to take them for his marriage. The previous day he took them for shopping and got a new t-shirt and jeans for vinay and some fancy dresses for nisha. It was a deal that they should wear the same dress on his wedding day and must send a photograph to their father who was in Oman who would not be attending the wedding.

Vinay, nisha, mother and benny appappy reached their father’s “tharavaadu” (ancestral house) in kottayam in the afternoon. Vinay and nisha always had a different view about the “tharavvadu” and the people who stayed there. Nisha and vinay never liked to go there and to some extent they were even scared of visiting that place. Their father’s elder brother whom they called “appachan” stayed there along with his son, 2 daughters and grandfather. Veliyammachi (Grandmother) passed away one year before and appachan’s wife who was a Goan was working in Jordan comes and goes in between. Appachan used to work in Dubai before.

Even Appachan’s children had very complicated names. Eldest daughter was called as bubbly and her name in records was Irene Cletus Mathew. Second daughter was called as dodo and her real name was Jane Lukos Mathew. And the youngest son had a funny pet name as tuttu. His real name was Christopher Mathew. Dodo and bubbly spoke in Hindi to each other. Tuttu sometimes.

Vinay and nisha had met them few times before benny appappy’s wedding. Once they had visited vinay’s house in tripunithura when he was in LKG. They all stayed there just for one night and left the next day. Second time they visited them in their tharavaadu when tuttu met with an accident. In these two occasions, appachan and ammachi (appachan’s wife) spoke to vinay and nisha only in English.

During veliyammachi’s (grandmother) funeral, vinay and nisha had met them for the third time. That was the first time appachan spoke to them in Malayalam and ammachi also spoke something in Malayalam which was very funny to listen.

Nisha, who was good in English, managed to get into bubbly’s and dodo’s group and got a chance to try her Hindi speaking skills also.  Two more cousins by the name sweety and dolly who had come from Mumbai also joined the group. Tuttu was busy with his gang of brats from his school and from his neighbourhood. Vinay was completely lost and felt lonely. He looked around for his mummy (mother). But, could not find anywhere. Then he looked for nisha and found that she was very busy with her new Hinglish (mix of Hindi and English) speaking gang of cousins.

Vinay somehow found nisha free and he rushed to her and asked“chechi, mummye kandaayirunno?” (Sister, did you mummy?)

She replied in English, “I didn’t see her anywhere”.

Vinay chuckled and said, “bhayankara english aanallo”( too much of English).

She just stared at him and went inside. He then decided to check with bubbly sister as she was the eldest among all the cousins of vinay and more over she knows each and every one who came for the wedding. So, vinay thought, she would be able to help him in locating his mother.

He saw her near the kitchen and ran towards her and asked, "Bubbly chechi, ente mummye kandaayirunno?"(“Bubbly sister, did you see my mom?”).

Without looking at him she pointed towards the backyard and replied in Hindi,”us tharaf” (that side).luckily she pointed her finger towards the backyard. Otherwise vinay would have been confused.

He saw his mother talking to few clumsy aunties sitting down on the kitchen step. Vinay was happy to see her. He went and stood near her.

She saw him and asked with concern,” where have you been? Sit with me. After some time the coach would come and we have to go to the church in the first trip itself”

After the marriage, sweety and dolly who had come from Mumbai asked bubbly sister,” bubbly didi (sister), how benny appapy got such a beautiful wife?”

Bubbly sister was unable to give an anser for that. She just laughed.

Just then, sweety who was sniggering alone, said,” I think she doesn’t know Hindi. When I asked her in Hindi how she was, she just smiled back at me. But I heard she teaches Hindi in her school”.

Vinay, who was listening to their conversation had understood that if he stays there for another one more minute, they would end up in checking his Hindi speaking skill as well. So he just vanished from there.