17 December 1971, India was celebrating the formation of Bangladesh after the largest surrender of armed personnel since the Second World War. The news reached wide spread across the country through the morning 7am radio news. The entire Indian country was in joy but one young girl Puspha was very sad. Not because she was in the extreme southern tip of the country but because of her loneliness. Puspha was the only daughter of wealthy parents in that coastal city. She was born in the beautiful coastal city Rameshwaram, the city where the former president of the country Dr.Abdhul Kalam was born and sold newspapers in the morning. Puspha’s father was a big shot in that city and everyone listens to him and have respect and a fear over him. A rich man with a poor heart. Due to that, there were no friends for Puspha. She felt very lonely having no friends. Often she used to walk along the seashore with sadness. Most of the evenings, she would sit in the seashore and would ask the waves “Will I not have any friend in my life, who can take my loneliness?” The waves sees her sitting alone in her banks and kisses her feet and comforts her.
Puspha did not anticipate even little that a lifetime friend is travelling in the train to Rameshwaram that evening. She went to home and slept with the hand woven doll, to whom she often talks. Next day, one young girl Kayal and her mother approached her house for help. Their family had shifted from another city in the state as her working father had a job transfer. Kayal’s father was a very honest man and the rewards for his honesty are always his frequent job transfers. But he never worries since he wants to be true to himself and not to the world. A poor man with a rich heart. This time the transfer city was Rameshwaram. They had got a house next to Puspha’s house. They were seeking help as they reached in the night. No jewels adored Kayal’s mother. Puspha liked the simplicity of Kayal’s mother.
They helped them with water and food for the night. Next day Puspha visited their home to check for any other help to offer. She was greeted with Rasam “The Poorman’s coffee”. She liked their hospitality and the simple way of leading life, yet being happy. Puspha took Kayal to the beach and she showed the city. Slowly they became good friends over the period of time and fortunately they were in the same school. Puspha would bring Chapatti with coconut chutney and share it to Kayal as she loves them and it is not prepared at Kayal’s home since it was a rich man’s food for their family.
Kayal always gets a clay hundial from the market for her home and drops coins as savings and breaks the clay hundial when it gets full & having no sound and use the money for family expenses.
Friends in school told them that promises which are made in temple or church would not be broken. They went to a Church one Sunday and took promise that whatever happens in their life, they would remain as Friends till their death. But the dark clouds outside in the sky was laughing at them, not knowing what fate has to unfold in the near future.
They were about to complete their final schooling and they were reading in newspapers about the Ethnic war that was going on in the neighboring country Srilanka, just few kms away from the mainland. Puspha was not in favour of the Tamil Eelam struggle whereas Kayal was in favour of the fight to liberate and was admiring the young boys and girls fighting against the regime for the right to equality. Both had contradictory views but still they kept that difference of opinion not impacting their relationships. Oneday they were discussing about each side’s view about the war and all elders of the street were watching their arguments. Later realizing that they were being watched, they laughed off.
Television slowly started entering into the homes of the country. Kayal always goes to Puspha’s home to watch television. Again Puspha liked the Pandavas fighting in the epic Mahabharata war and Kayal liked Karna fighting in the Kaurava’s army. Kayal could not sleep after watching the episode in which Karna being killed in the battle field with all resources being taken away from him as virtues. Though they had opposite views in life but the love for each other and relationship never dwindled.
As time progressed, age related disease took away Kayal’s mother. Puspha helped her a lot for the cremation by giving money and Kayal took that money with the condition that she would return in the years by her savings. Kayal had grown seeing her father as a very honest man and naturally the traits had passed onto her.
One evening, Kayal’s father reached home sad saying he got a transfer to another city. Kayal was totally dashed as they have to move out of Rameshwaram. Kayal and Puspha cried a lot and went to the church again and said they would keep up the promise by being in touch with each other.
Puspha and Kayal departed each other with tears. Kayal and her father went to the next city. Puspha and Kayal communicated through Inland postal letters. In the monsoon that year, the coastal city Rameshwaram was ravaged by the cyclone. Many lost their home and lives. Puspha too lost her parents and was luckily saved by her uncle. Fate had its last laugh, Puspha got married to her uncle. Kayal did not get any letters from Puspha as she left that city. Fate teared apart as Kayal’s father got the next transfer for his honesty. Kayal and her aging father moved to the next city. The letters Kayal and Puspha wrote to each other got redirected to their own address since both the addressee have left the place.
Years passes on and hairs turning white, in Puspha’s home at least once in a week there is chapatti with coconut chutney remembering Kayal. The mud hundial adores Kayal’s home as she saves money to repay the debt to Puspha oneday!
Note-The images given for representation in this blog are taken from Google / Unsplash Images. Many thanks for Google & Unsplash
I was scrolling down to see the last paragraph. I felt like a last paragraph is missing probably the moral, always the best part of your story. I liked the story.
Thank you Biswajit for the review comments. It is a beautiful story of relationship between two girls, though fate separated them, still a invisible string is attached between Pushpa and Kayal.