“Chandra, I heard that you are visiting
Bengaluru on work and may visit Chennai also by month end. You never tell me
anything,” grumbled Singaram to her son.
“Who told you? It is not yet finalized”
replied Chandra
“Your son Nattu told me and that he
would also be accompanying you. In case you are going, it is after a gap of
many years. I wish to ask of you a favour. It is not that I wish to accompany
you. There is nothing there for me after your father disappeared years back
leaving no clue about his whereabouts,” replied Singaram.
“Yes, Amma, I promised Nattu to take him
along as he evinced keen interest in visiting India. I will have to hurry now
for a video conference. Can we discuss this leisurely over dinner?” he said as
he left.
It was in the evening around 7pm when
the family was in the living room, Chandra asked, “Amma, what was it you wanted
from me?”
She kept quiet for a while lost in
thought and when prompted again she started with a long sigh, “It is several
years since your father mysteriously disappeared after he visited his village
home near Kumbakonam. His ancestral house was there and he had visited it
earlier a couple of times. There was no hassle till your grandfather was alive
staying with us. The earlier tenant who lived there was remitting without fail
to the bank a small amount as rent. The rent was collected more to ensure that
the ownership was not disputed at a later stage. There was no thought of
disposing the house till your grandfather was alive.
When that tenant who was a single died after
your grandfather’s demise, I suggested to your father to dispose of the very
old house as we had already sold away all the lands and keeping the house
served no purpose. Your dad was averse to selling as it was the only remnant
connecting him to his roots though all his relatives had sold away their homes
and lands and shifted to distant cities and even abroad.
Adamant as he was by nature, he fixed a
new tenant without verifying his antecedents or got any reference. Your dad, a
gullible man, just introduced the new tenant to the elderly village head but
had no written rental agreement made out. For six months or so the small rent
was remitted regularly by money order and then received at irregular intervals
till it stopped completely. Besides reminding the tenant about the rental dues
by post cards, your dad did not visit the village from Delhi where we were
residing. The amount was too small to take the long trip and he was postponing
it. Meanwhile he learnt to his dismay the village head had passed away.”
She paused for a moment, when Chandra
intervened to say, “I know all that and dad’s disappearance, Amma. Tell me
quickly what is it you want me to do now.”
“Please do not be impatient. I was
explaining for Nattu’s benefit also and I will be done soon. You had moved long
ago to US for post-graduation and got settled here in US on a good job. After
your father’s retirement, we continued to reside in Delhi. You had also chosen
your classmate as your partner and married her with our consent. Life was going
smoothly till your dad suddenly decided to visit his village to evict the
tenant and dispose of the house. When he asked me to accompany him to visit the
nearby temples, I had foolishly declined.”
“What happened thereafter, grandma?”
asked Nattu.
“Listen carefully. He presumably went
alone to his village, where he knew none, to accost the tenant with a view to
evict him. When there was no message or call from him after once from Chennai
and my calls elicited no reply save the auto message that the phone seemed
switched off, I got scared. I requested my cousin at Chennai to visit the
village to find your father’s whereabouts and make a police complaint, if
necessary. He left the next day itself and met the tenant only to be told that
your father had not visited him. The tenant also expressed his concern about
his missing and wondered whether your dad had changed the plan. My cousin met
the new head of the village only to draw a blank and both of them went to lodge
a complaint with the nearest police station. After some enquiries, the police
informed after a month that there was no evidence of your father having visited
the village or met anyone and was not traceable. They were still trying though.
Chandra, I have a strong suspicion the
police have closed the case. Till this date we have not heard from them or your
father. He is not a spiritual person to renounce the family and to take to
forests or mutts. I think something amiss must have happened and we have no
clue.”
“Is the tenant still continuing and what
about his eviction?” asked Nattu.
“When my cousin spoke to him a year or
so back about our wish that he vacate the house after paying the dues, he got
the curt response from the tenant that he owed no dues and suggested that the owner
can contact him in person. In the circumstances, I want you, Chandra, to visit
the village and get him evicted. Pray, do not go alone. Take someone from
police with you. I remember his name is Varada kutti,” concluded Singaram.
“Surely I will visit and try to get him
evicted. I will also sell the house at whatever best price we get though there
may be legal hassles when dad’s whereabouts are not clear and we do not have
any documents.
It was about three weeks later when the
work at Bengaluru was over, Chandra met by chance at Chennai his old classmate
who had joined civil services and was working in state government. With his
help, it was arranged that an inspector of police from Kumbakonam would
accompany Chandra to the village.
On the second day morning, when Chandra,
Nattu and the inspector got down at the entrance to the village that hardly had
three lanes and was looking for someone to guide them to the main lane that
housed a small temple. The ancestral house was the fourth house from the
temple.
It was then Nattu suddenly spoke with
excitement,” Appa, I think I know the place as it is very familiar. It is close
by on the road to the right,” and started walking ahead of them.
Angered, Chandra shouted, “Stop there,
you idiot. This is the first time you are visiting this country and you are
blabbering about your familiarity.”
“Appa, what you say is true but strange
as it is something makes me very familiar with this place and I wish to run to
the house. Sorry, my mind is clouded with vague memories that I cannot restrain
myself and there is a hot flash all over my body,” the boy replied.
The inspector intervened to say,” Mr.
Chandra, we will know in a minute if what the boy is telling is true. Let us
ask him to guide us. Please do not restrain him. I will discuss about this more
later.”
They followed the boy who walked
confidently and turned right to see the main lane with a dilapidated small temple
at one end. Most of the houses were tiled and in poor condition. There were a
few new constructions. They went to the temple, a very small structure with
only one room doing the duty of sanctum. A lamp was burning outside the locked
and broken doors. Both Chandra and the inspector stared at each other
meaningfully at Nattu’s inexplicable familiarity.
They walked to the fourth house and the
main door was open. When Chandra knocked the door, a tall middle aged man of
about 50 years came out. His height was contrary to the suffix kutti (small)to
his name.
“Are you Mr. Varada kutti? My father is
the owner of this house. After he came here several years back, he went missing
and has not been traced till now. I wish to talk to you,” said Chandra.
As Varada kutti saw the police inspector
in his uniform, Chandra could discern a streak of fear flash through his face.
He deferentially invited them inside the long hall. While they sat in cane
chairs, Varada kutti sat on a wooden swing (oonjal). He asked the boy to sit by
his side on the swing. The boy looked at him in an unfriendly manner and sat
over the lap of his dad.
Chandra explained the purpose of his
visit and asked him to vacate the house within a week as he was planning to
sell the house before his return to US.
“A week is too short a time. I can
vacate in two months. If you are planning to sell the house, I am willing to
buy at whatever price such old houses are being sold,” replied Varada kutti.
It was then Chandra and inspector heard
a shriek from Nattu from inside the house. He had obviously gone inside
unnoticed by all the three of them. The inspector rushed inside to the
courtyard adjoining a kitchen to see the boy highly agitated with his eyes shining
animatedly and jumping at one corner of the courtyard.
Chandra shouted at the boy scolding,
“Why are you behaving like a mad cap and possessed since we came here? What is
bothering you? Come away from that place.”
“Appa, I felt a hard blow on my head by
a hammer and hear recurring noises on the ground,” bewailed the young boy even
as he was jumping with a faraway look.
Chandra with a worried look dragged the
crying boy after a tight slap away from that corner.
“Mr. Chandra, do not be rash. Let me
handle this. This is a serious matter not to be ignored. Please be seated. I
will talk to the boy,” he said and turned to Varada kutti to tell him in stern
voice,” Do not leave this house till we are finished and be seated with
Chandra.”
He took Nattu to another side of the
courtyard and putting his arm around the boy gently said, “I am inclined believe
you. You can freely tell me anything else relating to this matter freely.”
“I am scared to be here but I am sure some
mystery underneath there where I stood. I know the entire house and nothing has
since changed except that corner,” the boy replied.
“What else you remember? What were the
noises you repeatedly heard on the floor? There is no evidence of any digging and
re-flooring the corner,” asked the inspector without any leading question.
Looking at him vacantly as if he was in
a trance and with the body sweating heavily, the boy explained to no one in
particular, “My memory is hazy but I distinctly remember the heavy blow on head
with a blunt object and the faint sound of earth being dug out for long time
before everything turned black.”
“Whom are you referring to when you say
I? You have never been here earlier,” gently prodded the inspector.
“My mind is confused. Can I have some
water?” asked the boy.
“Surely, finish quickly expressing the
thoughts passing through your mind before it becomes blank,” said the
inspector.
When he saw Varada kutti getting up on
the pretext of getting water, the inspector pressed him down.” Do not stir.
This my order,” he admonished the tenant and turned to Chandra to get the
village head there immediately.
As he waited for village head, he
stroked the boy gently and said, “Have no fear. We will find out the truth soon
if you are pretty sure.”
“I am confused about me but am positive
that something mysterious under the place where I stood,” he said
When the village head came, the
inspector took him aside introduced himself with his card and briefed him about
the suspicious disappearance of the owner after a visit to his house to get the
tenant evicted and the unexpected prescience of the boy about some assault and possibly
burial under the ground.
“He
seems familiar with the village and guided us to the house correctly on his
first visit to this village. I have heard cases of a few young children make
statements of past lives. I learn the boy is very bright and has had no mental issues
or hallucinations earlier. Since there has been no clue to the owner’s
disappearance after a purported visit, I need your help in getting the place
dug out. Keep also some men on the front and rear side to prevent the tenant
from attempting an escape.”
In an hour, the cat was out of the bag
when they found the skeleton of a body with shreds clothes on it and a broken
mobile without any sim card.
When the inspector pulled up Varada
kutti by his collar and asked him to explain the presence of the skeleton amid hostile
stares of all the men around, he broke down and fell at Inspector’s feet owning
up the crime in his greed to acquire the house. The man was taken into custody.
I will skip the details about the
subsequent events like last rites, the taking over the house and letting out
the house free for a primary school after repairs. Chandra also donated some
amount for the upkeep and maintenance of the temple.
Though the outcome turned sad for Singaram, the family decided not to broach the subject of past memories to Nattu and allowed them to be forgotten over a time.
