The nomad's unfailing prediction (825 words)

Ramalingam was a worried man these days. The condition of his wife who was ailing with a serious heart complaint for some years had deteriorated suddenly. She had difficulty in breathing and was unable to exert even a little. The doctors had said that nothing could be done to arrest her progressively worsening condition and that she should just manage with medicines and rest as much as possible. Though the couple never spoke about it, they knew the end was not very far, maybe a year or two or even less. They were living alone in their flat with their sons living abroad. Ramalingam spent long hours daily praying to God to give her a long life. They were a loving couple and were averse to living with their sons in foreign countries.

It was one early morning around 5 am they heard a kudukudupandi (a gypsy like tribe) at some distance on the road making a loud noise with his rattle (udukkai). These gypsies are generally attired in a black coat like a sherwani often tattered and stitched at several places with dozens of small bits of clothes in different colours on their shoulders. They have a big red dot above a black line drawn with a khajal between the eyes. They generally sport a long moustache.

They follow the rattling with predictions of the events likely to befall some of the residents of the small street. The one today on the road invoked the names of Demi goddesses “Oh Jakkamma, Oh Makkali, Oh Bhagwati.” The couple fully awake trembled with fear as they heard the approaching kudukudupandi. They pretended, however, to be asleep with their eyes closed each wanting the other not to hear the forecast. Although afraid of any adverse tidings, they still could not resist the temptation to listen. They waited for him to approach their apartment. They sharpened their ears to listen to the predictions with rapt attention.

 As he came near the apartment complex, there was a brief silence followed by a long rattling of the rattle( udukkai) before making general statements of good times to come (Nalla kalam pirakkudhu) for the residents before turning to specifics. He said one prince would be born to a girl within a week, one man would turn a sanyasin and run away from the house and one death of a female would occur within three days in the vicinity. Usually, superstitious people were apprehensive of this tribe as what they said usually occurred.

Their lifestyle was shrouded in mystery and what they did during the day was unknown. It was believed they spent the nights in burial grounds doing occult practices to gain the skill to predict correctly. They usually come again after the day break and collect alms from the households. Most people out of fear that he would curse never refuse and even turn generous giving away old clothes besides rice and money.

Ramalingam and his wife unknown to each other listened to the prediction of the imminent death of a female. Both never spoke about it to the other though anxiety and fear were writ large on their faces. Ramalingam did puja that day for a longer period and went to a Ganesh temple nearby.

 The old lady knew her end was near but was unwilling to leave her husband alone. She knew his adamant nature and aversion to staying with sons. That night she heard dogs bark incessantly, not a good sign, as dogs have the power to see Yamadhuthas and ghosts. This accentuated her fear. Ramalingam made discreet enquiries about an old woman in the adjacent complex who was unwell with typhoid. To his dismay, he heard that she had recovered well. The second night Ramalingam’s wife had a dream of ugly and grotesque faces that were scary. She remembered her grandma saying that such faces appear before death signifying the awaiting hell. She also spent the day in silence and prayer  like her husband. In the evening, she gently told him that if anything were to happen to her, he must not stand on false prestige and live alone. He chided her asking her not to talk rubbish and that she would live longer than him. She fell silent thereafter.

It was the third night. Both could not sleep. He put his arm around her as they were sleeping. She snuggled close to him. There was an amalgam of apprehension love, concern, warmth, and gratitude in those moments. The night passed away smoothly with nothing untoward happening.

It was 6 am. A greatly relieved Ramalingam hurried to get milk from the milkman in the adjacent compound to make hot coffee for his dear wife. When he neared the shed, he heard a loud wail of the milkman’s wife and milkman. It transpired that one of the cows had died the previous night while giving delivery to a calf.

The nomad’s prediction has after all come true.