Thayir saadam, maavadu – Part 1
“Wake up Sridhar!” Amma was screaming. “It’s time for you to goto office”.
I peeked at the outside world from under my blanket. The clock was ticking by lazily, reflecting my mood. 5:00 o’clock it said. For a moment I thought I had overslept, my siesta usually ended at 4:30 when Amma brought me hot coffee and vazhaikai bhaji or bonda to munch on. Then it stuck me that it was dark all around, and the usual hustle bustle of the household was non-existent. I took a long hard look at the clock again - it was morning. And it wasn’t morning on just any day, it was THE day. I hoped it would never come, but my life had a horrible sense of humor. Suddenly I didn’t want to live anymore. I wished I’d have a seizure or advanced stage of blood cancer and would drop dead. I waited a few moments for that to happen, but it didn’t. So I did the next best thing. “5 more minutes amma” I screamed and covered myself with my blanket, hoping that I would suffocate myself to death.
“Not today! Get up fast and get ready. Your company bus will be here by 6:30”. It sounded more like your execution is at 6:30 so you better beautify yourself and say your last prayer. I was about to open my mouth in revolt, when paati walked in. “Enna da, still not ready? Naazhi ayduthu”. And when your paati says that, you just shut up, get up, brush up, clean up, dress up and eat up. So that’s what I did.
By 6:00 I was dressed as a waiter in a fancy 5 star restaurant. A boring beige trouser with a white-stripped shirt. And the tie – God the tie! I silently cursed the genius who decided that it was an absolute essential for some IT rat typing away furiously on his keyboard, who is 3000 miles away from the client, in a posh glass covered building. The reason for the tie – if the client visits us, we have to look professional. Professional my ass! I’m in Aminjikarai, not America!
I noticed amma staring at me, as I was lost in my train of thought. She was beaming with pride. “Chammathu payian! How responsible you are. See, I told you’d get into Azhagappa Information Solutions when you attended the interview. It’s such a big company with so many employees. That boy Parameshwar who cheated in the exam and got one mark more than you didn’t get in. Serves him right! Did he think there is no God and that he will let go of people who lie, cheat, blah blah blah…. and I heard another one of Amma’s famous speeches.
“Amma stop it! I got in, he didn’t! Can you please leave it at that!”
“See, now that you have a job you have started talking back at me. Oh how hard I had to struggle to bring you up. If you know the blah blah blah…..
“Aiyoo sorry. Please don’t start again. I don’t want to be late for my first day in office”
“Seri da, apparam pesalam. I’m so proud of you! Listen, I’ve made ‘getti thayir sadam’ and delicious maavadu. Your paati herself made the maavadu especially for you da. Eat it before 12 or the curd will go sour”
“What! Thayir saadam! Enna maa aachu unaku? This is an IT company, not a government office. People eat all stylish stuff like pizza, burgers, Chinese, Mexican. I told you don’t make thayir saadam yesterday. You never listen to me! I’m not taking it, that’s it!”
“Enna da anga satham” appa walked in. He had the usual stern face, with ‘vibudhi’ on his forehead after doing sandhi. As most fathers are, he was the villain in my life.
“Nothing appa”
“Parango, he is not taking lunch from home. He doesn’t like thayir saadam it seems. Oh he used to like everything I cooked before. He has changed a lot….” Amma started off, now having the support of Appa.
“It’s summer da. Don’t eat anything outside. Curd rice is very good for the body in summers. Nammaku andha masala ellam othu varadhu. Kanda kanda yennai potu samaipaaga. Abhistu abhistu”
I was so furious I was boiling like kanda kanda yennai. I screamed out “For God’s sake so many people eat masala and oily food outside, they all are doing fine! Don’t dictate where I have to eat! It’s my life! I’ll do what I want!” but the words never escaped my mouth. They dived into my stomach and disappeared in a knot.
“Seri Appa” I squealed like a mouse.
“It’s getting late! Drop him in the bus stop” ordered paati.
“Seri Amma” my dad squealed like a mouse.
It was 6:10. The bus stop was 2 minutes walk from my house. I wanted to protest again, so I walked out to wear my shoe.
“Nillu da! Go pray to God that everything will turn out good. Paatiya namaskaram pannitu po”
I silently went up to the puja room, sighed, said a couple of prayers cause I was the religious type, took blessings from paati and amma and appa and walked out.
I was trembling at the prospect of being the target on day one for my thayir saadam. I mean who carries that anymore! I though its days had ended when my parents were in school and carried it in small aluminium sambadam, having been told the same story that it was good for health, whereas the real truth was my grandfather was poor and couldn’t afford to feed him 5 children anything else. Apparently I had underestimated its lifetime, and its half-life increased with every passing year.
Appa started his old, rusty, trusty TVS scooty. I didn’t want to spoil my new clothes by sitting on the torn, soiled seat. I sat at the pillion silently, not wanting another encounter.
We got to the bus stop by 6:15. There was no sign of civilization. The few paperboys were delivering papers, and the aavin booth was stocking up on its day’s supply of milk. The company bus usually stops right at the PTC bus stop, as my father had enquired with a million friends and cross checked with the company’s bus in charge. A few small kids who were at the bus stop smiled at me, and my father gave them a beaming smile back. This was a very rare occasion and I attributed it to the fact that I was now employed, and my parents were proud of me.
“Paaru da Sridhar, you have to work hard. Respect you seniors. Be kind and considerate with you team mates. Since it’s a big company, there is bound to be lot of politics. But you should not get involved with that. Don’t waste your time. If there is nothing to do, read books or chant shiva shiva. Only then will you come up in life”
At the back of my head I thought you’ve done all that for 30 years, and look at where we are. I smiled bleakly.
End of part 1. To be continued...