Kunjachayan was
the youngest brother of vinay’s mother. He rarely smiled and had a sober face
always. He was the first one who got married among the 3 siblings and that too
a love marriage. Naturally, his daughters anitha and anjali were elder than
nisha, vinay, sajeesh and sangeetha. Kunjachayan’s house was just 15-20 min
walking distance away from chackochayan’s house. Yet there were a lot of
differences from chackochayan’s family. Like chackochayan, Kunjachayan also
took care of the rubber plantations around his house and also used to go to an
automobile workshop as well. On Sundays, he took the role of the principal of the
Sunday classes at the same catholic church where chackochayan and family went.
His wife ponnamma never worked anywhere until she got a job in a footwear
production company one year before her elder daughter anitha got married. One
sad and unlucky situation in the house was that, kunjachayan’s youngest
daughter anjali was blind and the entire family was very much concerned and
worried about her future. But by god’s grace, she was happily married to a
college lecturer in the later years.
It was vinay’s
mother’s decision that they were going to kunjachayan’s house for the coming
Christmas vacation that year. She always called him “kunjumon” and vinay could
see her infinite love towards him in that word “kunjumon”. He was very dark
with curly hair and ponnamma and kids were fair. Like chackochayan, his house
was also tiny, small and without electricity.Vinay felt kunjachaayan always had
a different approach towards Vinay and Nisha. He used to behave in a stiff
manner towards them and towards other few people.
Onnammachi was
aware of his character. She used to tell that, “Kunjumon had changed a lot after
his marriage. May be because I neglected him for a while as he married to
ponnamma against my wishes”.
Sometimes vinay’s
mother used to tell, “Why kunjumon had to marry so early and had to face
problems in life?”
Vinay and Nisha
always got irritated hearing the weird jokes cracked by the entire family of kunjachayan.
But his mother used to enjoy it without any reason and would laugh at it
always. Vinay felt that laugh so clumsy and improper.
Vinay still
remember the day on chackochayan’s new house warmimng function, he along with
Nisha, mother and father was entering through the main door and they hugged
chackochayan who was standing near the dining table. Kids could not notice
kunjachayan who was standing the opposite side and watching them.
Seeing this,
onnammachi came to vinay and whispered in his ear,”go and talk to kunjichayan also
or else he would feel bad”.Kids did comply with it.
After the house
warming function, vinay heard through someone that kunjichayan was complaining
to a relative that, “I always knew that ousechayan and annammechi has a soft
corner towards chackochayan. Otherwise why would they construct a house for
him? I know that I was the one who got married against everyone’s wish and who
gained aversion from everyone”.
One more incident
increased vinay’s dislike towards kunjichayan. One day, Vinay was having dinner
at his house sitting down on the paaya (mat) along with the rest of the kids
and accidently he swallowed a fish thorn and got it stuck in his throat. He
started choking out of pain as he was finding difficulty in swallowing and
asked for a glass of water in vain.
Vinay's mother quickly moved towards a glass
of water. Just then, kunjichayan intervened and said, “No need, it would be a
small thorn and just swallow one hand of rice. Then you will be fine”. He said
grimly.
Tears were
dropping down from vinay’s eyes and silently he tried swallowing the rice for a
relief. It was of no use. The thorn was still stuck in his throat. The poor
child suffered the uneasiness and the irritation for the next 2 days. Finally,
when vinay was brushing in the morning, he poked his fingers deep in his throat
and puked out the thorn.
When vinay grew
up, Vinay was wondering why his mother hesitated to say a word against kunjachayan
when he stopped her in giving a glass of water to her own son. He knew she was
elder than Kunjachaayan and she had the complete right to ignore what
Kunjachaayan had said. Vinay just asked himself whether kunjachayan would
behave the same way towards his daughters.
In the future,
Vinay’s hatred towards kunjichayan increased considerable, when he saw him
shouting at his mother asking to return his money which she had borrowed. Vinay
as an adult at that time came in between and asked gently to kunjichayan not to
shout as everyone would hear.
Kunachayan just
could not tolerate his behavior and replied,” don’t teach me anything”.
“I am not
teaching any one. I just asked not to shout”. Vinay replied dauntlessly.
He then just
stared at vinay and walked out of the room.
This incident
happened when vinay’s family was financially struggling and his mother was
finding difficulty to return the money she had borrowed from her own brother
whom she called with so much of love as”kunjumon”. Later vinay came to know that,
the money which kunjuchayan had given to his mother was the savings he had for
his elder daughter anitha’s marriage. Vinay and nisha understood the change in
relative’s attitude when they were financially struggling. Anitha and anjali
started ignoring vinay’s mother and began to behave rudely towards her. In
childhood, vinay and nisha used to see their mother keeping rs 100 and rs 500
notes in anitha’s and anjali’s hands while returning home after the vacation. They would clinch the note tightly in their
small fists.
After few years,
anitha also happily got married but unfortunately, vinay’s famiy could not gift
her anything. Vinay was surprised to see that on the wedding day anitha took
numerous photographs along with many kids and relatives who had come for her
marriage. But she never asked vinay, nisha or annammechi for a photograph with
her. After a year, anitha was blessed with a baby boy whom vinay and family had
never seen.
Nisha narrated
to vinay about another incident that happened at chackochayan’s house exactly
41 days after onnammachi’s demise. Kunjachaayan raised his voice and said
bluntly to vinay’s mother, “just get off from here. Let me go inside”. Vinay's
mother was sitting in the middle of the hall and was praying for onnammachi’s
soul in the middle of the hall on the 41st day after Onnammachi's demise . Kunjachayan reacted as if his elder sister
annammechi was obstruting his life or obstruting his right of movement in a
small house. Anyways, his behavior was an insult for her and she cried in
between the prayer. After all she was offering prayers to one who was
kunjachayan's mother as well.
The incident was
a like a hard whack on vinay's mind.
Vinay was wondering whether a woman loses
the importance of being an elder sister when they grow up. Why they are being repressed by the younger
brothers when they took up the responsibility of the family.Or is it natural
that they have to be sabotaged by men when they are helpless.
Even vinay was
helpless as he was not financially sound to pull back his mother and his family
from debts.
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