KUTTAPPAYI’s PLIGHT (Short Story)
Kuttappayi from Thelleekavu, a remote village in Southern part of Kerala got up in the morning to see that a notice is pasted on the front door of his house.
His Tea Shop-cum-dwelling unit has this common door facing famous Thiruvalla-Ranni Road in the West.
Not being so curious as is the case with him since political parties paste various kind of notices on the door and vanish at night time, Kuttappayi didn’t pay any attention initially, but Shanthidevi, his wife pointed out something fishy, looking at the letterhead on which the notice was printed.
On reading the contents, Kuttappayi fainted. Regaining consciousness, he murmured “poyedee…. aa kaalamaadan patticharunnedee …” (finished; that bastard had fooled us).
On Shanthidevi’s insistence, Kuttappayi narrated the contents which is clear that the unit belongs to WAQF Board and it has to be vacated soon to prevent eviction.
With the notice in hand, Kuttappayi walked straight to the jurisdictional police station. They refused to entertain Kuttappayi’s complaint. Kuttappayi sought to explain and shown all papers connected with the acquisition of the property by him from one Khader of Malappuram who happened to visit the famous Thelleekavu on a Vrichika Vanibham day on the 16th of November, to sell dry sharks and ever since he settled in the village where he was proclaimed as the first from his community. Even the left-minded village oracle has blessed Khader then for a good start for a prosperous community life over there. Khader subsequently brought few of his friends and relatives and brought lands nearby but all of them sold off subsequently and went back to Malappuram. All of them had a single resolution “we can’t settle down here; not much scope for conducting prayers, funeral etc.” . They also failed to attract few friends from the nearby Paduthottu village as they were not willing to move out to a place where their numbers were very less comparing to others. There was also this belief in and around the area that the Goddess of Thelleekavu does not like Khaders to settle down there. Kuttappayi ran from pillar to post and approached all the black coat lawyers available in and around the village, who all refused to take up his case. They all had only one answer. The law does not allow proceedings before any Court. Agitated with all this, Kuttappayi approached the Waqf Appellate Authority, who instantly rejected his case case and ordered him to vacate, proclaiming that the land was given to Waqf by Khader before sale to Kuttappayi.
Kuttappayi took KSRTC to Malappuram and started searching for Khader. He could chase many Khaders but not the one he was looking for. Finally, when Kuttappayi got a train back to Thiruvalla, while the train just started moving, a fully- bearded-but-no-moustache Koya came running from nowhere and told him through the windows of the compartment that Khader has in fact gone to many such villages, acquired propereties, and given to Waqf first before selling ultimately to greedy buyers who gets it at comparately cheaper rates. “Pidikkaan pattumel poyi pidichoda …” (Catch’m if you can) was Koya’s advise to Kuttapayi before the train sped.
During his journey back in the train’s second-class compartment, Kuttappayi had a very bad disturbing dream. A dream which appears very often these days. In the dream, a bleeding truck driver was yelling at him ‘nannaavilleda … nee … ente mole kettikkan vecha kaash aaneda …’ (you will not cherish in life; the money was meant for the marriage of my daughter). Having lost his sleep as is the case now-a-days, Kuttappai’s brain traeversed into a flash-back. The best kept secret of his life itself is becoming a disturbing factor now. Kuttappayi met Shantidevi, a girl from the remote village Cheelakkara few years back at a mess in Malleswaram and had to marry her as fate had sealed his smartness off. Shantidevi came to Malleswaram after she met with a sorrowful incident. While on a visit to the nearby Andhi Mahakaalan Temple, in the dark thin lane where hardly one person can pass through, someone accosted her and grabbed her. When she regained consciousness, she was in such a stage where she wondered ‘njaan evideya… aaraa enne porakeennu pidiche…’ (where am I now, who caught me from back). Exactly after a month therefrom, when she started vomiting, her mother, a lady of all vices, advised her brother to take her away to Malleswaram where she would act as a helping hand to conduct the mess run by him. Thus, Shantidevi reached Malleswaram and met evergreen Kuttappayi who was with all his wits living there doing odd jobs at the nearby project to construct a dam. Kuttappayi regularly ate at the mess and had an account there where the entries were made everyday in the debit section but no credits at all even on the pay-days. Having spent all his wages at the nearby ‘kallu shaap’ (toddy shop) run by another mallu, Kuttappayi had nothing left with him to pay-off at the food stall.
While in so much of debt, the mess man has decided to act smart. He befriended Kuttappayi and regularly they had drinks at the toddy shop. After a few drinks, he smartly ensured that Kuttappayi becomes friendly with Shantiddevi. It all worked and after a month while Kuttappayi returned from his work place, a huge public assemblage caught hold of Kuttappayi and told him ‘you either marry this girl, else we shall get you arrested’. Left with no choice, and after consulting his lone friend Malakal Joymon who was also working with him, Kuttappayi agreed and decided to marry Shantidevi. Thus, Kuttappayi tied the knot and decided to come back to Thelleekavu, to settle down. Enroute, Kuttappayi and Shantidevi met a truck driver who offered them ride till Kerala border. After few kilometers, the truck suddenly skid and fell into the steep forest below. The driver fell unconscious instantly with bleeding from his nose, ears and eyes. This was the moment the couple got blessed with real wealth in the form of hard currency. Kuttappayi saw a LG Asafoetida cloth bag full of money opened up and lying beside the driver. Having seen the movie Sholay four times in life, Kuttappayi explained Shantidevi that they have to leave the driver and run away from the spot, for better life. Kuttappayi grabbed the bag and with the bag in one hand and Shantidevi on the other he climbed up, with the help of smaller trees and finally reached few kilometers away. With that money, they started their journey – bought a Tea Shop cum dwelling unit in Thelleekavu and settled down. Of course, the couple had the blessings of his Kuttappayi’s parents, Parmu and Chummari. One condition imposed by Chummari Thalla, as she was fondly called by Kuttappayi, was that he should not go and drink at the local toddy shop so that his tongue does not touch looseness and public becomes aware of his booty. Kuttappayi believed the words of Shantidevi that the wealth was amassed on account of the luck of the unborn chilshe d in her tommy (whom she subsequently delivered and is named as Shateeshan, now doing IT job at Thironthoram and Kuttappayi proclaims that he is his own son). But, very little Kuttappayyi recognized that the world is round in shape where anything or everything might come back, and the past may haunt several times in lifetime.
Having now becoming a true Thelleekaaran (a person who thinks his village is the real world and outside world are full of nuts) in all its true sense, Kuttappayi did not lose courage at all even after receipt of this present notice from Waqf Board. He holds on and still occupies the property, sells tea in the shop and with a Kayamkulam sword (which is sharp on both sides) in hand, awaiting the arrival of Waqf people to occupy the property; which is the first and probably one and only of its kind in the remote village.
Though no local politicians support Kuttappayi as they are all seculars and in full praise for the Waqf Act to please the minorities, but Kuttappayi, like many others in the State, goes to the temple everyday to pray to the Goddess that somehow the Waqf Act is amended whereby Civil Courts can entertain his case and he can continue occupying the rightly-owned property.
Now Kuttappayi hates and doesn’t like to visit the nearby Erumeli Vavar Swamy (he now believes it is Vapuran who was wrongly named as Vavar by these Khaders to misguide the general public), but hopeful that Sabarimala Ayyappan will come to his rescue in this plight.
But the ordeal never ends. Children going to NSS School, Thattiyoor, kudiyans (drunkards) coming out of the nearby toddy shop after a booze, achayans going to church on Sundays, and even passengers in the Thiruvalla-Ranni-Erumeli bus yells in the same typical Thiruvithancore slang ‘Wakkappo, Kuttappayi e e e e e e e e e…’ . To this he retorts with pelting of stones.