CARRYING THE MESSAGE OF LOVE

Playing cupid


During my school days we spent many vacations at the house of my great-aunt in Palamcottah (now Palayamkottai). Once when I was about eight years old, we went there as usual for the summer. Apart from my great-aunt, her daughter Promila was the only other person in the house.

Aunty Promila was staying at home doing nothing, perhaps waiting to get married. She was a rather plump and dark person, with round eyes that darted about and a chuckling laugh that was contagious. She had thick long hair that was parted in the right and worn in a plait.

Love beckons


After a few days of our arrival there I started noticing that Promila's darting eyes were mostly darting to the opposite building that housed a branch of the India Coffee House. A group of young men sat there at a table for quite a long time chatting and sometimes playing lively music on a banjo and a ukulele. One of these young men came out to the gate of the building and lingered there receiving and returning those darting glances.

One day as I was playing in the front yard, the young man beckoned to me from the verandah of the coffee house. "That uncle is calling you" came Promila's voice from behind a pillar. "Go and see what he wants". I ran across the road to the opposite building. "Thambi" he said, "Will you please give this letter to Promila aunty?" As I took the letter and started back, he said, "Don't allow anyone else to see it." I dashed back, and Promila eagerly took the letter from me and went off into another room. I went back to play.

Half an hour later Promila called me in. "Bobby" she cooed (that was my pet name). "Take this letter and give it to that uncle. His name is Mr.Kanagaraj." I took the letter from her. "And Bobby, please don't tell anybody. Please. Okay?" And I said OK and ran across the road again. Mr.Kanagaraj received me with great enthusiasm, took me to a table and ordered cakes and coffee for me. As I tucked into the cakes Mr.Kanagaraj avidly read the letter and then sat at a table and wrote a reply. I finished my coffee and ran back to an enthusiastic welcome.

This became a daily occurrence. And I had all the cakes and coffee that I wanted and more. Mr.Kanagaraj was also dark and stocky. I occasionally wondered what attracted them to each other. But then I had other things to think about like cakes and India Coffee. Promila and Kanagaraj got married shortly after and had a joyous married life.

Age approving of youth


It is said that childhood habits die hard. Even after I grew up I helped some of my friends hitch themselves to the girls of their dreams. And later, much later, when I was a senior lecturer in a college, I was called upon to help desperate lovers. One young man wanted to marry a girl with a physical handicap. His parents objected vehemently. So he eloped with her and came to Madurai. The Head of the Department of English, Dr.Paul Love was keen on helping this old student. And so was I. The lovers were well past the age of consent. So we collaborated on a plan that had the lovers married and settled. When all this was over, Dr.Love asked me: "How is it that we both get involved in such things so often?"

"Probably because we both have incurably romantic dispositions," I said.

"I was afraid you would say that," said Paul Love, laughing.

On another occasion two lovers who were in their early 30's had to elope because of parental prejudice. I was asked to transport the girl in my car to a place in the outskirts of the city. When I reached the place where she was waiting for me, I found that she had a refrigerator and other household appliances with her. Seeing my raised eyebrows she explained, "All these were bought with my salary. So why should I leave them behind?" I could understand her logic. But the logistics of the operation was all shot to pieces. I hurriedly engaged a carrier tricycle for an exorbitant rate and transported the goods and the girl. The lovers got married and are doing very well, with their own house and a good income.

Playing Cupid is sometimes an uphill task. But it has its rewards.