I can(not) write!

Inspired by Nandini, I decided to write a story, my own, first time, and much better than hers *hmpf*

Dasappa gazed from his bed to the dining hall, where his family had gathered for dinner. He looked lovingly at his sons Ram and Sham, 'Oh! How they have grown, it feels like yesterday when they were just small kids playing in the mud. Now they are big appisars (officers) in computer firms. Time just flies! And what a fine wife Bipasha is. Even though she is a Bengali, she has adjusted so well with our family. If sham gets someone like her I will close my eyes peacefully. Sigh.'

However, not everyone felt the same, Kalyani hated Bipasha. She felt a south Indian family needed only a south Indian dil, one who could cook bele-saaru (rasam) and palya (poriyal) and help her dry sandiges (papad/vadam).

'Aioo..raama, adige madthini antha hodlu ree, yeno alu dom anthe luchi no puchi no yeno madudhlu. Aah Savitramma-na magalu nanna sose agidre ruchi-ruchi bele saaru, soppu pachadi thinbodithu. Yella nan karma. Aah Rama yen antha evala-na love madudh-no...' She often lamented to her neighbour Mangala. (Oh..raama, she said she would cook and she made some alu dom and luchi or puchi. If that Savitramma's daughter was my dil I could have eaten delicious rasam rice and pachadi. My ill luck. I don't know how Rama fell in love with her.)

Bipasha knew she was not loved by Kalyani. But she did her best to please her athe (mil) and she searched all the food blogs for the perfect bele-saaru recipe. She tried, very hard. And believed her patience would be rewarded one day.

'Eegina kaladha hudugeer-na nambeke aagalla ree.' said Mangala on one of their over-the compound chit-chat sessions, ' ganda-na seere serugu olagade hakondu, mane yella thamdhu antha madkondu , vayasa-dha appa-amma-na old folks home-ge sersthare. A Meenakshi sose hage ree madithu. Papa avaru.' (You cannot trust girls these days. They will turn their husbands against the parents and put his parents in some old folks home. That Meenakshi's dil did the same thing. Poor Meenakshi.)

'Yene edhu saara?? Uppe illa!' (Is this rasam? It does not have any salt!) screamed Kalyani

'Sorry, athe marthu hoithu, eega uppu hakthini..' (sorry athe, I forgot, I will add the salt now)

'Uppu haka-kke marithara??' (How can someone forget to add salt?)

'Aioo...bidu amma, chikka vishya alwa?' (oh...forget it amma, its a small thing) said Ram

"....ganda-na seere serugu olagade hakondu, mane yella thamdhu antha madkondu...." Kalyani remembered what Mangala had said earlier.

'Yeno? Support jasti aaagtha ede?' (You are supporting her too much)

'Uppu hakki-la antha soft agi helbodhu alwa? Yakke avala mele raegthya?' (You can tell her gently, why do you have to yell at her?)

'.....vayasa-dha appa-amma-na old folks home-ge sersthare.....' Yes, What Mangala said was true, It was happening to her now. Kalyani could not take this any longer.

'Naanna mane alli edhkondu nange roaf a?' (You are living under my roof and you are advising me?')

'Hange illa amma...' (Not like that amma...)

'Neenu yenu heladhu beda naanu yenu keladhu beda. Get lost!!!' ( I don't want to hear anything you say, just get lost)

'Oh! Amma, please...'

'GET LOST!!!'

'Anna- athige illa-dha mane alli naanu eralla.'(I will not stay in this house without Ram and sil) said Sham.

'Hogappa, thumba santhosha.' (you also please leave) said Kalyani without any remorse.

Dasappa knew something was not right. But what could he do? That wretched stroke had confined him to his bed. He had refused to remarry after his beloved Kausalya passed away. He was determined to bring up his two young sons single handed. 'makalige amma bekku' (the kids need a mother) said his family members and they had forced him to remarry. Damn fools, where were they now? He closed his eyes tight, a lone tear trickled down his cheek.

Ram, Bipasha and Sham settled into their new flat. They missed Kalyani and Dasappa terribly but loved their independence. They could get up as late as they wished, have tea without brushing their teeth, eat breakfast before a bath....no one to question them, no one to chide them.

'I don't have to sit in a corner, like an untouchable, on those days. Thank god!' thought Bipasha.

Life went on smoothly until that fateful day,

'Bipasha yelli edhya? Coffee thegondu baa' (Bipasha where you ? Get some coffee.)

'Anna, athige yellu kanna-tha illa..' (brother, I cannot find sil anywhere)

They searched all over the house and enquired every where. No one knew of her whereabouts. They returned home anxiously, and something caught Sham's eye. It was a small red comb, the kind men keep in their trouser back pocket.

'Edhu pakka-dha mane Bimana-dhu. Avannu modhale athige na one thara nodtha eda. Avanne kidnap madirbekku!' ( this comb belongs to next door Bimana. From the start he seemed to have an eye on her. He must have kidnapped her)

'Sham!!!' yelled Ram, ' nodu Bipasha-na lakme lipstick, Maybelline nail-polish yella nella-dha mele ede, aiooo.. a Bimana-ne yeno madirbekku...' (Sham!! See Bipasha's lakme lipstick and Maybelline nail-polish is on the floor..oh-no that Bimana must have done something to her.)

There was only one person who could help them. It was the famed police official, Commissioner Hanumanthappa.

'Hello Sir, ondu complaint kodbekku...' (hello sir, I have to give a complaint...) Ram said, his voice quivering with the thought of Bipasha alone with Bimana.

Will commissioner-Hanumanthappa help them?

Did Bimana really kidnap Bipasha? Or was it Sham who did it?

Will Kalyani ever repent?

Will Dasappa ever see his family happy again?

To be continued...

Excited and proud, like a 5th standard girl who scored 5/5 on her dictation test, I went and showed my story to J. He read it and said "Oye!! Ramayana kathe na modify madithiya????" (Oye!! You modified Ramayana?)

DAMN. How did he figure that out??!!

So clearly writing is just not my forte and is best left to the experts. Maybe poetry? Hmmm.....