KRISHAPURAM

Story When we retired from service , we had no home . I was staying in my father’s house in Bombay . But my wife liked to settle in Keralam and so I enquired from my friends and relatives . All had the same story- the land mafia has bought all land! My wife said she knows a place called Kodumunda which is cut off from the world by the rail line in the East and two rivers on the other side, leaving some land inside the triangle , where her relative lived :”Why not go there ? She will be happy and we can enquire about some land for building a house” Only one local train stops there. There is a small cabin which is the railway station. There is no platform. The ground is cleaned and passengers , if any , stand there . When we got down there , we were alone . My spirits evaporated quickly but wife became enthusiastic She almost ran along the trodden path through the rice fields and I followed her . On the way there was a pond full of lotus flowers :”Please pluck some ; we shall offer to the Krishna temple .“ I removed my pants and carefully entered the water. Mud came up . Somehow , I managed to pluck many flowers , as the water was not deep. Wife was happy.”I told you to wear mundu; here pants are cumbersome.” I washed my legs and she gave me the pants. “How longer have we to go?” I asked . She laughed. A woman came and crossed us:”I have not seen you. Who are you? Where are you going ?” I grumbled in English but she patiently replied to the woman. “The people in the village are curious and like to know everything. We must be patient “ After another half an hour , there was a small river:”This one is a tributary of the main river “,wife explained. There was a coconut tree trunk placed across the river as a bridge. Wife ran over it like a goat and I stood hesitating. She laughed “Should I come and hold your hand?” Seeing my plight , she came back and held me tightly and we walked slowly . At last we reached our destination. It was near the temple . she went and knocked the door. An old woman came out. Wife:”Is Ammukutty here? I am her relative. “ Presently , a beautiful lady appeared .”Oh! Saudu.How have you suddenly appeared , as from the sky?” The two embraced and kept smiling . Then we all went inside . They went on talking . The elder woman brought tea . It was a small house with a permanent tent with thatched roof ; there were chairs there for guests. “You must be hungry ; I shall make fried pokodas”. After wards we talked about our intention to build a house. “If you like a ready house, there is one very near the temple” . “ Let us see”, I said . We walked only two minutes. I did not like the appearance. “The owner has constructed a house on the other side of the rail line . Now no ne wants to buy this . You may get cheap.” She obtained the keys from the neighbor and opened the door. The house had several rooms with small windows . Wife seemed satisfied:”We can rebuild it afterwards.” That evening we took bath in the cool water of the temple pond and went inside the temple with the lotus flowers. The poojary was happy . We were introduced to all present there . The next day we went to see the owner of the house . He was really glad of our offer but declined to reduce the price. I said:”You see , we have to rebuild it. We are interested in the plot only. The price I have mentioned is the maximum we can pay. We will enquire on this side of the rail. Here it is ideal” That decided it . He agreed for one lakh! On our return , Ammukutty congratulated me. :”I did not know you are such a good tactitian! Saudu , you are lucky!” “We must get some carpenters and masons and start demolishing the old building immediately. I am a civil engineer ; I can supervise the work. We must build a cattle shed and buy some cows. Next , we must collect signatures for a representation, one for a panchayath road to the temple, another for a railway level crossing , to be submitted to the DRM, Palakkad. I will meet him.” While I supervised the works, Ammukutty and Saudu went from house to house , collecting signatures. The whole area became alive. People came to me and expressed their willingness to support my efforts .I told them:”The road work can be discussed with the owners of the rice fields. Can we organize a meeting?” The meeting was held in a week. We arranged tea and snacks. When I explained to them , they readily agreed. Some helpless women owners were given cash . In short , the road was ready soon. “I am casting a concrete slab . It must be placed over the rivulet , to make a bridge”. The day the bridge was ready, turned out to be a festival there . In another six months ,the sanction of DRM was received for the level crossing. In the next Panchayath election, I was unanimously elected the President. Ammukutty became ward member. We two became too close for comfort. I asked:”Where are your husband and children?” “He is in Dubai ; children are in convent school” “You are young and ravishingly beautiful . I love you . Will you mind…. ?” She smiled warmly and pressed my upper arm. Some anonymous letters reached my sons in Bombay. They sent it to Ammukutty and Saudu. They only laughed! My sixtieth birthday was near. The rail crossing had become a reality. The Panchayath decided to celebrate it. My children came to attend it. All agreed tht I could not have located a better village to settle!