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This is an English Translation of “Ravanan Kathal”,
s short story written by famous writer Thi. Janaki Raman. Translated
from Tamil by K. Saravanan. This short story has been taken from his short
story collection “Sivappu Rickshaw”. This is 3rd English
Translation in Classic Tamil Short stories Series. |
A word before reading this short story: Thi.Janaki Raman has taken poetic licence in this short
story to recreate an imagination to explain the reason behind the curse on
Ravanan why he would not touch women without their consent. Those who know Ramayana might understand what it is. He abducted Sita along with the land (as per the version
of Kamba Ramayana) where she was standing, without touching her. Till his death
he did not touch her. Interpretations could be many. The reason creatively imagined in this short story is logical and beautiful.
……
| Thi. Janaki Raman |
'Was it a lightening?'
The lightening flashed amidst
the clouds thickly gathered in folds.
'Was it a lightening?
Lightening in the white clouds?' Ravanan looked at
intently.
The lightening was coming by
walk- she was a woman. Her body was shining like a conflagration of lights. The
green sari illuminated with the velvetiness and pastiness of a tender stalk was
fluttering untidy. She was walking not being able to adjust it. No eyes of
space of emptiness! No more life! No need to feel ashamed.
Ravanan looked at her
astonishingly with his eyes wide open. It was looking like a fully blossomed
coral jasmine walking. Enviably taller; well-toned shoulders; it seemed that
the hem of her sari would slither down from the shoulders, descending her neck.
Her height only arrested his
attention first. Not only her height!...All parts of her body were developed
proportionately to her height. He intently gazed at her from head to toe. Curls
of her lock, slide of her shoulder, curve of her eyes, bend of her elbow, arch
of her back, twirl of her waist, softness of her knees, slide of her high
heels- it was a body made of slides, twirls and softness. The Creator made her
with all the known curves and tenderness available in the bright materials. For
Ravanan, she appeared like a manifestation of God’s best possible imagination,
an embodiment of femininity. She was an ultimate attempt of God who tried to
recreate beauty. As far beauty was concerned, her build seemed to be the final
word for Ravanan. Her beauty seemed to be an unattainable feeling indescribable
in words just like the truth which is beyond even the tenets of Vedas.
Stunned, stood the king of
Srilanka looking at her fully gifted body.
Her appearance even fit the
word used to describe a well-built male.
Her well grown and lustrous
body evoked a suspicion whether she belonged to the breed of Asura. But her
body was shining with light and radiance of crystals. Her appearance with the
dominant divinely daintiness among Five Elements, could be found only in
Apsaras.
Ravanan was spell
bound.
'She is meant only for the
bravest. She is meant only for the one who is courageous, high spirited and an
embodiment of masculinity'.
Ravanan reassessed his
appearance once more through the mirror of his mind. He saw his hill like body.
He saw his courage which cowed the Devas. He saw his divinely lustre attained
through the unrelenting penance which brought him the control of the Three Worlds.
Next moment, his majestic bulk
obstructed her way. She got frightened.
“Be not afraid, who are you?
“
“..........................”
“Be not afraid, tell me. Who
are you?”
“Punjigasthalai”
“Are you an Apsara?”
“Yes.”
“Hadn’t Bramha created any
other beauty after he created you?”
“Who are you?”
“Who am I! Who else can have
the power of penance to roam around this space of universe with his earthly
body, except Ravanan?”
“Oh...you are the King of Sri
Lanka!”
“King of Three Worlds...Why do
you run? Stop there. For what do you run? What is the use of running
anyway?”
There was no use in running
anyway. She stopped. He looked at her eye brows raised due to fear, frightful
eyes and palms holding each other.
Curved and shaped Hands, long
and sharp fingers, row of narrowing nails showering sparkles- Ravanan came
closer.
“Where are you
going?”
“To Brahma.”
“Why? To see whether he has
created yet another beauty like you? Do not worry. All his talent has come to an
end with you.”
“I got to go”
“Why are you so much
frightened? You carry an appearance and build of a courageous lady and this
fear does not suit you.”
“I got to go.”
“Why?”
“I am on my way to pay my
respects to Brahma. Leave me now.”
“Are you going to pay respect
to him? Or he is going to pay respects to you?”
“What insane are you
speaking?” The words of an ordinary lecher have given her this
courage.
“Do we not taste the grapes
cultivated by us? Do we not eat food cooked by us? We do not put them aside by
not tasting it just because they are our creation.”
“This abundance of absurdity
comes out of Ravaneswaran’s mouth? Doesn't it”
It was true anyway. He did not
speak all these with his sense. He was standing, inebriated, in front of her,
looking at the curvature of her ankle. The body was under fire. Eyes got dull
with lust. Sense became senseless.
“I do agree that my sense has
got rotten. What should I do?”
“Please leave me
now.”
“I stopped you just to leave
you or what? – It seems that I won’t be able to leave you even if I like. How
was it possible to blend both these softness and roughness together? Brahma,
the Great, is indeed a conjuror. “Is it possible to blend gold and flower? But
such an impossible task of art has become possible in your parts. This riddle
still perplexes me.”
His eyes pierced her like
arrow. She pulled the hem and covered her breasts.
“Why are you troubling me when
I am on my way to conducting Puja?”
“Do you really have to
go?”
“Yes.”
“You have taken me in your
control. My love is tangling now without any support.”
“It sounds silly.”
“What.”
“Your love has become a fully
grown plant from seed and sprouted in no time?”
“I understand what you say.
You say love is the similarity and unification of minds.”
“For two hearts to understand
each other, they need time. Otherwise there is no meaning in the word
‘Love’.”
“It sounds
amusing.”
“What?”
“If love is the similarity of
minds, I can love my brother Kumbakarnan who is always snoring. There will be
no need that only men and women should fall in love with each other. Has Brahma
created men and women just for this similarity of minds?”
“How can a man and a woman
live together if they don’t like each other?”
“Even if they love, why should
they live together? A man and a woman should only live together or what? It is
the carnal desire that binds men and women and makes them lovers. If love is
not about body, the distinction between male and female should not have been
made. Brahma would have got satisfied after creating a sexless being by
combining the body with life. Then what is the necessity of your feminine
grace, ascending elongated eyes, beautiful body with curves and slides,
striking nostrils, broad chest of men, well-built shoulders and courageous
appearance? In order to fall in love with a beautiful body which is beyond
words and can only be felt, you don’t require time.” After seeing your beauty,
I am besotted. If then, are introduction, friendship and time essential to fall
in love?”
“Your licentious words pierce
my ears. I have not fallen for you. Leave me.”
“My lust has got its leash of
life. My intentions have to be fulfilled”
“My intentions only have to be
fulfilled. My hatred should only be justified.”
“Everyone won’t get their
intentions fulfilled.” She started running. But the hands which conquered the
Devas got hold of her hands. Next moment, the emptiness of space became her
only dress. Her fully blossomed beautiful lengthy body which looked like a rare
breed of horse was lying on his hands. Her endless beauty had brought him down.
For him, even the resistance offered by her body seemed to be a beauty
resembling rain and storm. She wriggled as if she had fallen into the fire. The
courage which once won the Three worlds had won her now.
Punjigasthalai went to Brahma
and cried helplessly. Ravanan was standing in front of Brahma like a criminal.
But not with the bowing head. Even if I am broken into two pieces, let
it be. But never bow my head in front of any one- his natural sense of
arrogance ruled him.
“Grandpa, Why did you call
me?”
“Performance of penance is
something beyond the capability of ordinary mortals. The penance you performed
was something best among the penance. By performing penance amidst five types
of fire, you have acquired all the rare powers. You have got the control of all
the Three Worlds. I called you as I was immensely sad after hearing that the
senses of this kind of unparalleled saint have got rotten”
“My senses have not got
bad!”
“You could show your courage
you gained through the impossible penance only to a poor lady. Is
it?”
“Is it related to
Punjigasthalai?”
“Yes.”
“Why have you created Apsaras?
Is it Just to entertain Devas?”
“Only for Devas.”
“Why so?”
“They have become Devas due to
their good deeds.”
“So this pleasure is the only
gift for their good deeds. I have become the God of Three Worlds due to the
power of my penance. Hence I too have right over her. If considered in right
manner, I can only own her. These Devas are eunuchs. Brave blokes who just run
away with fear and their dresses coming out once they see me! People of
Indra who have become “Nabumsagan”. They are here to prove the proverb
“subjects are just like their king”. For these kinds of men, will the absence
of Apsaras be a matter to be worried?”
“I didn’t call you upon here
to hear your opinion about Devas. Is it true that you molested
her?”
“Yes. It is true.”
“Why did you do this
disgraceful act?”
“For why? What kind of
question is this?” Is it not a highly laughable question? Moreover, was it a
disgraceful act or what?”
“Is what you had done not a
disgraceful act?”
“How could it be a disgrace,
grandpa? The unparalleled beauty of Punjigasthalai has shown me what ecstasy
is. It enslaved the bravest of brave. Is it not a resolute proof for the
heights your art of creation has attained? ”
“Is it the way a saint like
person behaves?”
“What could my penance do in
this case? Penance offers power; Strengthens masculinity. Can it stop the mind
or what?”
“Was it not true that
Punjigasthalai did not love you?”
“I loved her. The beauty of
this whole universe has descended upon her body. I was smitten by it. It is
true that I molested her. But how could you say that it is wrong?”
“Was it not wrong? Do you say
it is right act?”
“Based on which justification
do you conclude it is wrong? I simply could not understand. What I have done is
a simple natural act of instinct. The way I got infatuated with her beauty was
completely natural. It was an obsession not owned by me at all. It was the
temptation of the beauty itself. According to the rule of nature, it was a
right act anyway”
“Is even possessing her
against her wishes also a right act?”
“Grandpa, beauty is created to
feel it. It cannot be given to Devas alone. Beauty is common to every living
organism. As far Punjigasthalai is concerned, I too have the same right that
Devas have. If you think that what I had done is wrong you should have given me
the power simultaneously to control my mind from falling for the beauty you
created.”
“So is it my mistake that I created
her?”
“Almost true.....you are
responsible for it. My penance did not help me to control my mind. This trouble
would not have occurred if I had not been perturbed by the beauty beyond the
power of my penance.
“How could your penance help
you? Controlling the mind is not purpose of penance. Controlling the mind
itself is penance. Standing without disturbed for half an Nazhikai (unit of
time) amidst all the temptations is thousand times bigger penance than the one
standing amidst the five types of fire. The way you justify your actions in the
name of nature is nothing but absurdity. The life has been given to you with
the independent faculty of discriminating good and bad. Conquering Nature is
the way of life.”
“But my penance did not help
me in winning the nature”
“Your penance belongs to an
inferior quality.”
“But you have offered me the
array of boons only for those inferior quality of penances.”
“You are still standing at the
place where you have started. What is the use of talking about it again and
again? If the creator gives everything, then what else will remain for the
created? Your misplaced sense has made you argumentative. Animals will only
justify that molestation is natural instinct. The purpose of your noble birth
has been defiled herewith. You accept that you could not control your mind. If
you, hereafter, touch any other woman without her consent with an intention of
molesting her, your head will burst into hundred pieces. Now you may go.”
The curse descended upon him
with the voice of thunder.
The accused
smiled.
“Grandpa, you have cursed me
in haste. If you give the power of controlling the mind, your creation would
end up in mess. What to do? Artistes cannot perform anything at the assessment
of reason. It is not surprising to see that even the Creator himself is a fool.
He went out with a smile.
***End***
Translated into
English by K. Saravanan
Source: "Ravanan
Kathal", short story written by Thi. Janakiraman (Taken from a collection
of short stories, Sivappu Rickshaw)
