Today on the occasion of the release of the second volume of her book, "Avarum, Naanum" I am sharing with you the first chapter of the first volume translated to English ages ago by yours truly.
1
In a world where you aren’t , there’s no peace …
In a heart where your memories aren’t ,there’s no thought…
When the waning moon comes up in the sky eyes aren’t sleeping …
From the day I got to know you this girl has not slept!…
This song was playing in the radio…I stop whatever handiwork I was doing and come running to stand near the radio. This was a really fantastic song with a slight tinge of yearning from the movie “ Deivathin Deivam “
Even though the song was sung in P.Susheela’s sweet voice only I have a strange feeling for years that this song was sung by ‘him’ ( my husband Stalin) only .
Reason is this song being unforgettable in my life .
In our life ,during the first few private moments between us in our early days of marriage ,this is the song that ‘he’ sang first .
Within five months of getting married during the cruel misa period even when ‘he ‘ was in Jail and we both were seperate only this song beautifully united our young heart’s desires.
In our Gopalapuram joint family the private moments that we both get to speak with each other,when we go out with children in a gallant mindset..on our wedding anniversaries..’he’ unknowingly sings this song !..
Why ,some years back in our son Udayanidhi’s wedding ,and after that in our daughter Senthamarai’s wedding ‘he’ sang this song on the stage itself !…
When we listen to this song even our children get a smile on their lips !..’Daddy,u r singing this song thinking about mummy only na? Asking this our children happily celebrate!..For that ‘he’ will not say a word but as always he will smile a beautiful smile !…
The thing that I love about ‘ him’ the most is the heart stealing smile of his and that love !…
I always wonder ..how time tied ‘ him’ who lived in Chennai that too as a state Chief minister’s son and me who was born in some small village Thiruvenkadu somewhere near mayiladuturai poombuhar ..I will think about it and be surprised .be happy !
The first person whom I saw from his house was Thalaivar Kalaignar only.that too as one in crowd in one of Thalaivar’s programs.
That was year 1973.it was Chitra pournami day.then Thalaivar kalaignar had renovated a historically acclaimed Poompuhar city and built a wonderful art gallery and was dedicating it to the people of the nation.
I was a small kid studying in class nine at that time!..I was the eldest in my home.next to me was my sister Charumathy ( now she is settled in Chennai.. his husband is doing business).next ,my brother Ramamurthy (he completed mbbs in merit and is still practising at a health centre in Thiruvenkadu) .next sister Jayanthi (she is also staying in Chennai pattinapakkam only .her Husband is working in Ford company.) all of us children in our grandmother Gandimathi’s bullock cart got dressed and went as a family to see him thinking ‘Kalaignar is coming to poompuhar will go see him and come ’.
There was so much crowd there ! Being small children that we were they just pushed us well! We slowly to get away from this crowd got on to a house terrace and stood ..Thalaivar Kalaignar was inaugurating each arch of Poompuhar one by one .When we came near our side we waved happily at him and jumped at the happiness of seeing him shouting “see there .. see there !…He is Kalaignar ‘.
I would not even have imagined that later he only was going to be my father in law then…with the happiness of school children in a mood to enjoy the view us children saw and enjoyed that program .
Exactly two years from that day when I saw mama in Poompuhar people from his home came to see me and fix the alliance!…
Then only I had completed eleventh (there was no +2 at that time ) in Thiruvenkadu high school and was thinking about joining PUC…
Usually a lot of people ask me that .. if ‘he(Stalin) is my relative ?.
Actually he is not my relative!..Maran Anna’s wife Mallika anni is related to our Kumbakonam aunty’s family. ..Kumbakonam is Mallika Nani’s native place .Her maternal uncle Gopi is in Kumbakonam.He only has told Thalaivar’s family about my GM father .In the month of may just when my school exams had got over he had come and spoken here and my daddy had given my photo and my astrological chart to him .
I should definitely mention my father here …
My daddy Jayaraman ,a government school teacher ,had worked in a lot of cities.At that time he was working at Head master in Vaitheeswaran Kovil Government School.
Most important thing is that he is one of the innumerable people who consider Gopalapuram as Thirupathi and pray to it !I can’t say weather he likes Thalaivar Kalaignar for his writings , governance or intelligence. But so dearly ,so fiercely he loves Thalaivar! Not only my daddy my mummy’s family ,my relatives all of us like Kalaignar so much .
Though he was a teacher being Kalaignar’s supporter he would work for the party too.Imagine what would happen if such a Kalaignar’s supporter was told that ,’ to ask ur girls hand in marriage for Thalaivar’s son ,they are coming from his home …?…
Truly my father jumped from earth to sky …
What would happen if we told such a father who was that elated ,‘I want to go to college and study PUC daddy !.?
‘See how nice and beautiful my son in law is !when compared to him ,u r only average looking .Is it so difficult for u to marry him !..like this he started praising him in every word …
Also in a way to pacify me ,’ u don’t worry child ,u r going to become the daughter in law to the c.m.s house ..there will be so many servants there ..u won’t have any cooking work to do ..u can go there and study !..slowly he will pacify me like this .
They are CM house ..we are villagers !…how will those be.. who come to see us ..is how all my relatives were mostly taking about !
That was 1975 June 5th..
Raising dust with the tyres in big big cars CM family people reached our house,and all the eyes of our villagers were on our house only .
In all that crowd ‘he’ alone was not there ..the reason being .
-Durga Stalin
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