Chapter 5

The Turning Point of My Life

May 1971. It happened when I was returning from Bombay with my friend. Our idea was to spend a few days with another friend Henry (Stanly Samuel Henry) and see Bombay city. We did not have too much talk during that dreary train journey. When the sights outside were too mere repetitions, we found it very difficult to pass the time.

That was when my eyes drifted to a girl reading an English novel 'On The Beach by Nevil Shute', in the next cabin sitting alone. Her beautiful face had nobility written large on it. At the first glance itself I had a feeling of rediscovering a long-lost friendship. As there was absolutely nothing to deter her, she was totally immersed in reading. The book obviously was not available anywhere here. We had heard about it a lot. Because she was reading such a book, I felt some respect for her.

At the age of 25, I too experienced the mental turmoil of any young man who sees a beautiful damsel sitting alone. My friend, a doctor, who could guess it, started making fun of me. Because he was already engaged, there was no chance for him to have any interest in the girl.

"Shall we go to her and get introduced?" I asked my friend. "You go, be bold," he pushed me to the front. To give me confidence he also came with me. We sat next to her. She lifted her eyes from the book when there was the unexpected interference from us. A welcome smile was on her face. Her foreign saree and the fragrance of spray were really attractive.

We introduced each other with all politeness. A nurse from England, her name was Aleyamma and her pet name Baby. She was returning home after visiting her sister and family in Bombay. She was travelling by train as she could not get the flight. She hailed from Kalluvathukkal near Paripally.

We talked for quite a long time. The drowsiness induced by the journey disappeared. When she came to know that my friend was a doctor, she mentioned the cleft lip of her younger sister. Only then I could realise why she wore a sad face. We also felt sorry when she told that her younger sister could not talk or eat food properly. Our long silence spoke of our helplessness in a telling manner.

Then, the doctor comforted her informing her about the scope of plastic surgery in such cases. He told her about Dr P.A. Thomas who was an expert plastic surgeon, promised to find him and inform her of his whereabouts.

This journey gave a sharp turn in my life. I realised that the girl whom I met in the train unexpectedly had nestled in my mind. It might be a paradox that she came to know of it only after several years.

During the rest of the trip from Bombay, I could see only her face and hear only her voice. It was only her picture that filled my mind.

It was my life's first experience of a girl barging into my mind. I thought of it for some time. Probably, all the problems of my life prevented me from entertaining such thoughts. By the end of my school days all my friends had taken different paths leaving me all alone and I was in total darkness about the exhilarating teen age which passed me by. At an age when all others were engaged in fun and frolic, I was burdened with the backbreaking work in our hotel carrying water and logs. When all others went for higher studies, I was struggling all alone to find a way out of the mire. In between the seasons passed 10 times. Without taking care of any of these, I was frantically trying to find a shelter like a lonely migratory bird stranded in an unknown environment.

I could get back my old friendships and ease out of the loneliness and mental tensions only after getting a job. That was why I planned the trip to Bombay with my doctor-friend. I was also thinking of a refreshed mind when I had the opportunity to befriend the Keralite nurse Aleyamma Oommen working in a foreign country. Nobody can stop time and tide. That Christian girl settled in my mind as if it was predestined.

Baby bid adieu at the Kollam Railway station. As she was alighting from the train she reminded us of her younger sister once again. When the train started moving she was waving her hands standing in the company of her brothers. Then it was a huge vacuum in my mind. My friend took that opportunity to make fun of me. As my mind was frigid like chilled ice, I heard nothing at all. I could not concentrate on anything, as if I lost something precious. I was like a dry leaf floating in the air and drifting aimlessly.

I was uneasy even after reaching home. Should find out the address of Dr P.A. Thomas at the earliest. Before Baby returned, her sister's surgery had to be done. I went to Dr Thomas with my friend and explained the problem in detail. When we returned we had the appointment for the consultation for Baby's sister.

My next destination was Baby's house at Kalluvathukkal. Telephones were not easily available then. It would take a long time to get a reply to letters. So the only way left to pass on the information was to go there in person. As for me all those troubles ended up a blessing later - a golden opportunity to go to Baby's house with confidence.

- a golden opportunity to go to Baby's house with confidence. So we started for Baby's house on a friend's scooter and reached Velamanoor via Kulamada after turning from Parippally. We enquired of Kunjukunju Muthalali in a wayside teashop. "There are no Christians in this area," was the reply we could get. Was the girl trying to fool us with a false address? Soon I saw a postman coming our way. He could, without any difficulty, spot the house which we were searching for.

"Is it not the house of the nurse working in England? You have to go via Pakalkuri, about two kilometres."

We travelled through a sandy, gravel and laterite paved country road. From there it was Kallumala, a hillock. It would be very difficult for the scooter to climb the hill. Vast stretches of unihabited land with cashew trees came into view. Here or there one could see thatched huts; could not see a human face anywhere around. Keeping the scooter on the roadside, we started walking.

Finally, as per the postman's direction, we could find the house. A thatched house in the middle of a vast agricultural farm stood alone. It was really shocking to me as it was far from my expectations of a house belonging to a nurse working in England.

Baby received us warmly in presence of her father, mother and siblings. They were extremely happy when they came to know that we had gone there to inform about the surgery. Her father took us in full confidence by then. He narrated his life of migration and hard work to us, the story of reclaiming a vast area across the river - the dream land possessed after fighting with wild animals. The sweat and hard work had transformed the wild area with steep hills and rocks to a fertile farm land.

Baby's grandfather was bold enough to chase a tiger and extricate from its clutches the goat it had captured. His only possession was this courage to fight with the wild animals.

It was a large hilly area known as Kattupuram (Jungle Land). Her house 'Thottathil' was atop a hillock with cashew trees everywhere. It had also a sprinkling of mango, jack and tamarind trees as well a scattering of hard rocks. Steep mountains surrounded the area. The 14 water-rich valleys had green paddy fields. There were enough produce to support a large family. The father entertained us with such stories that gave us a good picture of producing plenty from hard work. Her mother served us with delicious tapioca and fish curry.

It pained us to see her younger sister Leelamma. We then knew that we were doing a great service. She could not eat properly like others as she could not open her mouth properly. So she had to take liquid food. She also could not talk properly. Because of this misfortune of hers the entire family never enjoyed happiness at any time.

We left after promising all sort of help when they came for surgery. The miserable silence of the house and the luckless girl Leelamma were giving me agonising moments. So it was also my desire to complete the surgery as early as possible.