Itipahan (Burly Lamp) Chapter -8

By Sumithra RAHUBADDE

(Translated by Ranga Chandrarathne and edited by Indeewara Thilakarathne)

"I am a lamp burning on both ends

Known well that I cannot pass the night

Yet

See my friends

Foes

How powerful light

Burnt

To dispel the darkness"

Sirinatha left the village to take up a job in Colombo. Soome who was not intimate with anyone else in the village or Sirinatha felt the loss of him severely. She thought that Sirinatha would send her a long letter as soon as he left the village, but he did not write. Soome could not understand why Sirinatha, who was much closer to her since childhood, spoke his heart out to her and did not keep any secret to himself, had, all of a sudden been silent. She questioned herself was it not her understanding that Sirinatha loved her, though she had not asked Sirinatha about it. She thought was it not a flicker of shadow of that engrossing love that Sirinatha and she could not keep apart without seeing each other. She recalled that it was like a melancholy painting in her mind the day Sirinatha left the village. That painting was bleak so as the hut at the edge of the rubber plantation. Almost all the lines drawn in the mind were also black. The darkness of the rubber plantation had cast on the hut. Soome tried to project the image of Sirinatha in short- sleeve shirt and pyjama sarong with combed hair, was slowly stepping into the hut as if it happened now.

Sirinatha, who was thinking as to how he should write a letter to Soome, recalled how he had gone into the hut to visit her for the last time. When Sirinatha visited Duleena had been weaving a mat. Since Village Headman's wife had sent a message asking Duleena to weave a mat for her, she commenced to weave a patterned mat. Her fingers moved back and forth on reed like a master moved his fingers on the Harmonium. Sirinatha thought that patterns were set like the music emanated from the Harmonium. Sirinatha watched how Duleena worked on the mat with interest. Soome, who sat on the corner of the same camp-bed where Sirinatha also sat, looked at her mother's work in silence.

"Duleena Akka, it is interesting to watch you weaving a mat", said Sirinatha breaking the silence. Raising her head, Duleena smiled. Silence spread over the hut for a long time. Sirinatha felt that he himself should break it.

"Duleena Akke, tomorrow, I am going to Colombo . I got a job there. I came to share the news," said Sirinatha looking at mother and daughter.

"Hamine told me. Hamine could not bear it that Punchi Mahattaya going alone.

Wait a little until I bring some sugar from kade said Duleena, rolling the mat and putting it in the nook. She then set out from the hut. Though she was penniless, she should bring some sugar. The shop keeper would give goods on credit after a long sermon of what he could give on credit. Even this sermon could be tolerated. A cup of tea must be offered to Punchchi Mahattaya who was the only companion for the girl. He would go to Colombo to take up a job tomorrow. It was Amarawardena Ralahami's family that stood by her and her daughter despite numerous rumours circulated in the village about her character. Though Nanawathi Hamine, sometimes ridiculed them, she harboured no animosity. Sriyadari Nona was a child who had never hurt neither her feelings nor the feelings of her daughter. Duleena thought that such a child could not be found anywhere in the village. Sriyadari Nona was also searching for a job in Colombo. Duleena thought that Sriyadari Nona treated Soome as her own sister. Duleena thought that Sirinatha Mahattaya was more concerned about her daughter than Sriyadari Nona. Though Duleena thought that a relationship had developed between them, she had never asked Soome about it. She would not dig into it. However, she knew that they both were very close to each other. She thought that if there was such a relationship, it would be very difficult for Punchi Mahattaya to get permission from Nanawathi Hamine to carry on such an affair. It would be good if the girl could have a good future. Duleena thought it would be better if Punchi Mahattaya could marry her before the girl could be physically abused by a useless person in this village. She thought that village folk as a kind of demons preying for her daughter. They would never allow her daughter to marry a person like Punchi Mahattaya. She lamented later thinking that all these are just mere thoughts. How nice it would be if Punchi Mahattaya could marry the girl overcoming the enemies in the village, *she thought.

"Soome, why aren't you speaking?," inquired Sirinatha looking at her.

There were a lot of things to share with Soome. He thought that it was better if he could tell Soome all what he had in his mind before Duleena returned. But Soome looked pensively without any intention of engaging in a conversation at all.

"After I leave the village, Soome should take more precautions and beware of villagers", said Sirinatha summing up all what he intended to share with Soome. That was the most important message that he wanted to convey.

"Sirinatha, do you think that I am ignorant of that? I know that villagers are preying on me. I have done no harm to them. But I know they are angry with me ", said Soome with a tone mixed with disappointment.

Though Sirinatha knew a lot of things behind villagers' hostility towards Soome, he could not convince her. It was Duleena's fault to bring up Soome like a doll or a model statue. He thought that Duleena nurtured a kind of respect for Soome rather than a motherly love. That was because Soome was born as a child of an Englishman whom Duleena respected. On the other hand, Soome did not like to associate with the village folk. Sirinatha knew that as long as Soome distanced herself from the villagers, their animosity towards her would grow. Soome was not aware of this. Although a lot of fingers were pointed at Soome who depended on her mother's toil, she did not care. He still carried an intense pain when he discovered the secret behind the villagers' blessing for his affair with Soome.

Sirinatha recalled a discussion he had with a village boy at the junction.

"We are waiting until Punchi Mahattaya seduces the girl. Then we also will seduce her", Yasapala said unexpectedly. On hearing the words, Sirinatha's eyes and mouth opened widely.

"Why should I seduce Soome?" muttered Sirinatha. Sirinatha could hardly bear up the laugh that accompanied his words.

"We have not dragged her into the forest because we thought Punchi Mahattaya would do that for us. If Punchi Mahattaya is not going to seduce her, we will do that. We kept quite out of respect for Ralahami's family", said Yasapala adjusting his sarong and sitting again on the same spot. Sirinatha recalled that he was bewildered and thought he would faint. Still his hair stood on its end as he remembered this incident.

"Punchi Mahattaya tells lies. By now, things would have been done. Punchi Mahattaya goes there in the morning." laughed Martin. Sirinatha thought that it was only Soome and he knew that his visits to Soome's hut in the morning. But now it is a secret known to Martin, Yasapala and the entire village. Martin sarcastically described Duleena and Soome's genealogy while others contributed spicy words. All of them wanted to drag Soome into the forest. It was on that day a sympathy for Soome was born in his mind.

Sirinatha understood that it was not an easy task to save Soome from village folks. She is beautiful and she is beautiful enough to say so. Her golden complexion is like a colour a painter deliberately made and brushed on her.

Her body glows as if a body of a young girl who has been grown up in the lap of luxury though she eats jak fruit and breadfruit. The village folks want to make a scar on her beautiful body. Their aim was to make an indelible scar that would ruin her life. After that Soome's life would be virtually over. Thereafter, Soome would have to take over Duleena's chores. That is what the villagers anticipated.

"Soome, do you know the way the villagers think. They do not want you to lead a good life. Soome, you should be more careful, "said Sirinatha touching Soome's hand. The tear-filled Soome's eyes looked like shining sapphires. Turbulences, insults, humiliations and baseless allegations were the foundation to the painting of their friendship. Against such a backdrop, Sirinatha could not forget that she was like his shadow while he was hers.

She grew up before his very eyes. She often became angry when she encountered hardships. "Why has this happened? ", she asked angrily.

Sirinatha recalled that how she became an object of mockery by the entire village. Once, Soome said that Duleena's hand would not get corns because she was quite used to hard working. However, Duleena's income was not enough to supply provisions for both of them. Sirinatha knew Soome lamented as she could not afford to buy a pen, text books, exercise books and decent clothes. It was through his aunty that Sirinatha came to know, for the first time, about a letter sent to a newspaper by Soome requesting charity. It had received wide publicity.

"She must be a fool. This time, she has taken off her mother's cloth", said Aunty. Sirinatha reminded that he and his sister who looked at Aunty with wide opened mouth without knowing head or tail of the story.

A scene from the teledrama Itipahan

"When I went to the junction, there was such a heated discussion at the boutique. Soome had written to the paper requesting for financial aid for her studies. Mother has given birth to her after being cheated and she has nobody to care. Has she written in that manner about her mother who brought forth her? It is better to take off that woman's cloth after being taken to the junction", aunty asked angrily. Soome did not tell even Sirinatha that she had written such a letter. She had not told even Sriya Akka. Most of the time, Soome took decisions on her own. The story could not be concealed from the villagers who read every syllable of the newspaper after name of the village and three letters of Soome's name appeared in the newspaper.

"Everyone in the village knows that she does not have a father. Duleena's behaviour can also be watched in the night. That's not the story. She wrote all these in her letter to the paper ", one had said.

"Her father is an Englishman. He even visited the village. But who knows that she was born of that white man. Duleena would have deceived the white man," another said amidst a crackle of laughter.

"We do not care if it's Sudda's or someone else's But we should destroy this 'Loka Vinase'. Someone should make her pregnant."

On that day, it was the verdict of the village. Villagers knew that she would be highly demoralised if someone made her pregnant. There was no response to Soome's letter to the newspaper. Sirinatha thought that readers would have thought that giving financial aid to an illegitimate child would encourage more responses.

"Soome, has anyone expressed their willingness to help you? Sirinatha asked Soome. For a long time, Soome did not reply. He understood that Soome was angry.

"All those who read newspapers are civilised men and women. They would not like to help an illegitimate child like me to study," said Soome in a high pitched tone.

"It is not that. It's your fate," said Sirinatha consoling her. "What do you mean by fate? My friend, who has parents, wrote to the same paper and people competed to support her. There is not even a dog to help me. Why had I written that I did not have a father? I am a daughter of a whore. They think that the daughter of a whore should also be a whore." Soome screamed with anger. Her eyes and cheeks turned red. Instead of tears that usually filled her eyes, they were burning with rage.

"Don't shout. Do you think that your mother who toils for you is a whore? "Sirinatha questioned in a stubborn tone. Soome cried bitterly as if to put off the fire emanated from her eyes.

"Sirinatha, I will never consider my mother as a whore. If I were in her shoes, it could also happen to me. You cannot understand the struggle mother and I put up to live. My mother has never been in the wrong. But people say so.

How many of these people would knock at the door in the midnight? You do not know and you do not understand". Sirinatha recalled sadly how she wept bitterly resting her head on his knees.

It was more painful to leave the village and her behind than his aunty or sister. Her separation was heart-wrenching. The childhood and the adolescence that he spent with her, was as closer to the heart as rubber plantation, forest and paddy field. It was such a wonderful feeling that created in him as he recalled how, one day, he went into the forest with her. Because of fear and ecstasy, he could sense her breathing as it happened just today. Sirinatha thought that time had come to think whether he would be able to give protection to Soome who took his hand and walked along with him, throughout life. Even with a severe pain in his heart, he should now forget her. Though it is true that he cannot get rid of the enchanting memories of his best years spent with her, he should flee from her as a person fleeing from a leper.

Sirinatha thought that he should not inquire about her let alone get closer to her by writing to Soome. He thought that he had to be more careful of his future as he was brought up alone by aunty without parents. He could not afford to displease the aunty who had been a spinster because of the two of them. He could not hand over his future as well as the future of the family to the howling of the village.

Footnotes

Sudda- an Englishman.

kade - A village boutique

'Loka Vinase'- an idiomatic usage in Sinhala akin to destruction of the world.

Velava- meaning Time in Sinhala but used in this context as luck.