I heard my aunt calling out aloud...and rushed into the room. Thaiba ! Thaiba !...naan vaarer, naan vaarer ...I'm coming, I'm coming, said my aunt Ava (soaratha) . "Children, please wait in here". Rizvi and I were consigned to the veranda( Rampart-street-side of our house).....Umma and Ava were standing aback... Akka was seated cross-legged on the mat...and looking at the blank wall of the room, staring at the wall as if one would look ...nowadays...at a flat screen TV on the wall.
From the veranda I could see ( peering through the barred window) into this room ...Akka was bringing her open palm and hitting her chest...hitting her chest with one open palm ,then the other... and kept repeating this action....This went on for a long time.
Umma and Ava stood there "frozen" ....and I think Ava was reciting 'Auzbillahi minna shaithaan nirrajeem, Bismillah hirrahmaan nirr Raheem...Qulhu Allahu Ahadh.......I clearly remember as a small boy, I was more entranced with what was taking place...rather than frightened. I can tell you that if I were a teenager or adult at that particular time..I would have been trembling with fear and apprehension .Even the memory of what took place that day...brings on a sense of disquiet, even now.
"Mudivu kaalam....mudivu kaalam ipper vandhudu maa... end time, is it coming now ! PO MOOZEYVI ! PO MOOZEYVI ! THU MOOZEYVI ! thu! thu! thu!
Akka was uttering these words....exclaiming these words...like a ventriloquist would throw his voice in falsetto...(.in tamil we would say 'qhieel korrell'... high pitched voice in soft volume) "Pandi..pandi...nee thoeruver, nee thoeruver !...Pig.. pig.. you lose, you lose ! Then she went on with unintelligible incoherent and garbled words...and then slowly slumped to the floor.
Then Akka laid down... flat on the mat , arms spread out,...similar to a 'crucified position'...Shelvam! shelvam! shelva kaalam! Wealth, wealth, times of fortune...Ellaamey Sharri'
Everythings alright !..with these utterences, she went back to sleep on her mat in the room.
Ava grabbed me by the arm..I cannot remember where Rizvi was..and we all went to to the lounge room..and Ava said that she will put the kettle on and make some plain tea with cardamoms...and made her way to the kitchen.
Umma was gently feeling my head, and I had no idea what was running through her mind...when
Akka walked in to the lounge where we were...She showed no trace of any effect as a consequence
of what had been happening to her in the last few minutes...She was absolutely like the Akka we knew all the time." How are you Akka ?" my mother asked...and she replied..."why,..I am alright..and she looked surprised that Umma asked her a question like this..
"Nona,....what are we going to have for dinner...there is bread,..but I can make some orrotti..(rotti)
we have some curry,...and I will make a maashi shambul , if you like..and Umma..in her wisdom..
did not mention any of the scenario that took place just a few minutes ago..and Umma said "yes, that'll be alright"..and Akka made her way to kitchen..
read about news received by Umma.. of Vadood Careem in London...in the next episode...
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