Time's Up: Every Moment Counts

by Vasu Velamur

  No one understood a word of what Vindhya said, and they still looked bewildered. Again Vindhya enquired, “Hey Excuse me, where will I get a phone signal?”

  One brave kid replied “What is a phone, we do not know it”

  “Here this is a phone” replied Vindhya, pulled out the handset from her jeans shorts and offered it to the group

  Within a second, the entire group pounced on it. They all wanted to touch and see what it was, but none of them knew what the object was. They started shaking it like a juice bottle and then looked at it. Vindhya got the impression that they did not know what the phone was. So she stretched her hands, asked for the phone back. The kid gave it back and asked, “Akka, what does this do?”

  “Oh, you have never seen this before” exclaimed Vindhya “this is the latest iPhone”

  “iPhone” shrugged the kid “what is it?”

  “A phone”

  “What is a phone, Akka?”

  “What class are you studying, kid?”

  “4th Form” replied the kid with his head high as though it’s a big thing

  “What is a Form kid?”

  The entire group giggled among themselves. They had a high opinion about the girl but she doesn’t even know what a form is. Then it struck Vindhya’s brain in a flash, she got a spark. She had heard her grandmother saying something like form instead of standard. So she asked the kid in curiosity, “Which year is it, kid?”

  “1912 October 12th, everyone knows it. It is Saturday so no school and hence we are playing here.” he presented her with a spinning top and some marbles.

  “What 1912” screamed Vindhya “are you sure?”

  The boy, taken aback, showed her a newspaper “THE HINDU”. There were scribblings on the crossword, which they knew nothing about. She grabbed the paper and scanned it on the top, which read Saturday 12th October 1912. Vindhya did not know how to proceed, but she wanted to run back to the group for answers. Yet she tried to end the conversation smoothly and asked them “Hey paiya, do you know where Pitchamma is?”

  “Oh, you are looking for her?”

  “Yes, tell me do you know or not”

  “Well, go to 2nd Agraharam street and it’s the fifth house on the left. She would sit outside only” he said and scratched his head which Vindhya noted.

  “Why are you scratching your head?”

  “While you are going there, can I play with your toy,” he said, pointing to the iPhone.

  So as a friendly gesture, she gave it to him and said that she would be back in 15 minutes to collect it. She then ran immediately to her friends and then in a totally amused voice she said, “Guys, do you know where we are?”

  “Yes, Thirukostiyur only. Where will we be now, Sweden?” replied Ranga in a sarcastic mode for once.

  “OK, but do you know when?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Which year”

  “2019, of course, you stupid” barged in Vashist “stop playing and tell us if you found about that old lady”

  “Yes, I found about her, but I found something which you cannot explain”

  “What is it I cannot explain?”

  “The year is 1912”

  “Are you serious or gone mad?”

  Here look for yourself and she showed them the paper and pointed to the top. Both the guys could not believe their eyes. They kept going over the paper front and back, not willing to accept the date at all. Vashist murmured in a slow voice, “Yes, this I cannot explain even in my dreams”

  “What did I tell you?” enjoyed the minor victory. Vindhya reached out to pull Vashist’s ears. “I am not sure how we ended here but I trust that you guys will get me back to 2019 please.”

  “Let’s see what the device can help,” said Vashist. He looked into the device screen and shouted, “What, only 7:30 hours left?”

  “Let’s move, wasting no more time,” said Ranga. He pulled both of them towards the address. “Let us discuss after and first find out how to exit this place”

  “What to find out, those are the parts that you guys should do,” said Vindhya. She wanted to wash her hands out of the current problem.

  They walked towards the temple and found the 2nd Agraharam street. They entered it and found no one there on the streets. Looking frigid and out of place, they held onto each other for safety. Ranga looked a little brave of the 3 and paced himself faster than the others. He counted the numbers to get to the fifth house while Vashist wondered how they landed up in the past. The architecture and beauty of the houses engrossed Vindhya.

  “There it is, the red building” shouted Ranga excitedly. He went towards the house at full speed and the others were following him with lots of effort. They could not match the walking speed of Ranga.

  No sooner did they reach the house, they were all in a state of shock.

  ∞∞∞

  Chapter-5

  Story Begins, Take One, Shot one

  Saturday 10:13 AM

  The house was a big and grand one that looked perfect for a modern-day heritage resort. The exterior of the house had a wide veranda which in the olden days was called a “Thinnai” in Tamil. There was a new bicycle parked in the front of the house. Dried red chilies spread across the veranda left to dry. This was not the reason they got shocked. An old woman sitting there on the veranda chewing some betel nuts.

  What was so shocking about an old lady chewing betel nuts in front of her house? Well, the fact was the old lady exactly resembled that of Vindhya’s aunt. She looked exactly like her aunt, except a little older. This lady looked like she was in her late 80s. She wore a dark orange sari and looked out at the streets for events that were happening.

  Vindhya was dumbstruck and so was Ranga, since both have interacted with Vindhya’s aunt for a long time. They were too awed by the resemblance. They also refused to open their mouths when the old lady yelled at them, “who are you, young kids? And what do you want?”

  “We are… we came from… no, we are actually” stammered Vashist, looking for a place to start the conversation.

  “What’s the problem with that boy?” asked the old lady pointing to Vindhya.

  “Patti, she is a girl, not a boy” replied Vashist, and that is when he realized as well. The person was very similar and resembled someone whom he knew. So he went close to Vindhya and whispered “Might be that I have seen this woman somewhere”

  “Yeah right, she resembles a lot like my elder aunt who lives in Velachery”.

  “Not your aunt you dumbo, it looks more like your mother”

  Then did it hit Vindhya’s brain “Oh yeah, the scar on the top of the left cheek, same as my mother. Might be she is related to me”

  “So what do I do now?”

  “Start some conversation and let us get the hell out of here. It’s freaking me by the second”

  “OK” said Vashist and then looked up, using his audacity. He called back to the old lady “Patti, do you know someone by the name ‘Pitchamma’ here?”

  The moment she heard that name, the old lady got furious and yelled back. “No one in this agraharam calls me by my name and you little rascals are shouting my name aloud. Runaway from here before I get up and come”

  Vashist trembled with fear but went a little forward and said to her, “Patti, sorry but we have to talk with you”

  “OK, come here and sit here,” she said, pointing to the opposite veranda. “And push those chilies to the corner, they are almost done drying”

  All the 3 of them calmly went and sat opposite her. There was silence for a few seconds which looked like years to Vindhya. She then pinches Vashist to talk. He pinches Ranga to start. Ranga responds “Why me?”

  “You are the one who can tell the big story short and sweet. I have some problems looking at her. The wrinkles in her forehead are very scary for me” said Vashist, “and don’t let her talk, she will ruin it”

  “OK” said a frustrated Ranga, and glanced at the lady “Patti, we are college s
tudents from Chennai. Engineering college students”

  “Where is Chennai? Which place?”

  “Ohh – Madrasapattinam”

  “Ooh, and why are you guys here?”

  “It’s because of this device” said Ranga and pulled out the electronic device from his pocket.

  “What is this? Seen nothing like this before”

  “It’s a communication device, Patti, but now does not work and only you can help us”

  “Me, this old lady who cannot even move, you guys are playing the fool with me”

  “No Patti, please listen to our story first”

  “OK, I have no work either so go ahead, I will listen”

  Ranga narrated their trip to the hill station, the helicopter crash, and how they got hold of this device. Also, he retold how they opened the password and then the location of this place with the old lady’s name. It was a very crisp story but the facial expression on the lady said it all. She never heard a word of it.

  To break the monotony and simple things easily, Vindhya jumped in. She started afresh “Patti, what is so great about this place Thirykoshtiyur?”

  “Ahh, I knew you were new to this place. Don’t even know what this place is. Let me tell you” she started. She adjusted her sitting posture to a more comfortable position. Then she looks Vashist into his eyes and asks “Do you know who Ramanujan is?”

  Vashist thought at last something which I know. So replies quickly “Yes the mathematician was born in 1887 and died in 1920.”

  “What mad crap are you? I am not talking about the mathematician Ramanujan first. Also, he is not dead. He is still living. You guys are real fools” she hits her head with her palms. Taking a break she continues, “I am talking about Sri Ramanujaracharya”

  “Ooh, that we all know” said Vashist who tried to salvage some pride in his “so what about him now?”

  “Once Thirukachi Nambigal advised Ramanuja to visit Thirukoshtiyur. It was for him to learn the ‘Sacred 8 letter hymn’. Ashtakshara mantra from Thirukoshtiyur Nambigal. First, do you know Thirukachi Nambigal?”

  This time, to avoid scolding from her again, both Vindhya and Vashist shake their heads. They tried to convey that they did not know this person.

  “OK, Thirukachi is a place near Kanchipuram. In that place, there was a sage named Thirukachi Nambigal. He was the Guru of Ramanujar” said the old lady in a little friendly manner. She continued, “He advised Ramanuja to go to Thirukoshtiyur and meet Thirukoshtiyur Nambigal. Meet him to learn about the Ashtakshara mantra”

  Now Ranga also got involved in the story and that prompted him to say “Yes Patti I know the Ashtakshara mantra”

  “Good, but the story is that Ramanuja travels to Thirukoshtiyur to learn the 8 letter hymn. But he had to return each time without getting taught the mantra by Nambigal. On the 18th time, Ramanuja arrives at the doors of Nambigal ashram and says ‘Adiyen Sri Ramanujan vanthurukiren!’.”

  “Oho I have heard my father say a lot of times, this Adiyen thing” said Vindhya “So what happened then?”

  “Do you know why 17 times rejection happened?” asked the old lady

  All the three of them shook their heads to convey a no but were eager to know why he was not allowed.

  She then continued, “In all the previous 17 times when Ramanujar was questioned at the door, who had come. He introduced himself as ‘I, Ramanuja, have arrived’. Immediately he got rejected. On the 18th time, he introduced himself in the correct form. As ‘Adiyen Sri Ramanujan vanthurukiren’ meaning beloved student Sri Ramanuja has arrived. When the egocentrism gets removed, Ramanujar gets an entry inside the house.”

  “Oh, he was such a strict officer. I cannot study under him” said Vashist cynically.

  “You little rascal, you cannot learn these things wearing these joker kinds of clothes”. The lady was a little harsh this time “Also this crazy Tamil accent. I don’t know why India is going like this. Dresses and speech degrading”

  “For this silly reason he sent the man back so many times?”

  “Boy, you will not understand this now. When you become big, you will get to know what it means” said the old lady. She then continued, “by saying it Ramanuja’s ego vanished and he got considered eligible. Then he learned the Ashtakshara mantra.”

  “Finally, Nambigal blessed Ramanuja with the mantram (‘Aum Namo Narayanaya!!’). He also asked him to not reveal it to anyone else". Nambigal warned that if he disobeyed the order, he will go to hell”

  “I guess Ramanujar disobeyed the order. Am I right Patti?”

  “You are correct but you do not know why?” the lady showed him to not interrupt her story in the middle.

  “He does not know it, it's pure guesswork Patti, you continue” said Vindhya, hitting Vashists on his head.

  “Enough of the hitting. Listen to the story first. Ramanuja climbed to the top of the temple, summoned the entire village. He then delivered the Ashtakshara mantra to all the people of that village. The act made Nambigal furious. When he questioned Ramanuja on why he disobeyed his orders. He answered that if the mantram helped many people to get moksha, he would be glad to go to hell” said Patti. She then drank a glass of water and continued. “The guru overwhelmed by this kindness bestowed the name ‘Emperumanar’ on him.”

  She continued, “What is significant in this is that event happened here only. In front of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy sannidhi.” Pointing to the west “on the way towards the Sowmya Narayana Perumal sannidhi which is there”.

  Ranga now was very thrilled at it and said “My mother always wanted to visit this place and I have come here before her. Great”

  “So what brings you here? Let me ask you once again” the lady looked at Ranga.

  “You see Patti, this device displayed your name. We assume that you have the clue to solving our mystery”.

  “What can this old lady do for you? I do not know what you are talking about”.

  “There should be something that you are looking for. We can help you find it while you can help us find our solution. So it would be nice for both of us”.

  “In that case, first you find what I am looking for then I will consider helping you”

  “Sure, Patti, tell me what it is you want?”

  “First, I want this boy to be more attentive and less fooling around,” said the lady, pointing at Vindhya

  “Done Patti” said Ranga, ready for a high-five except that the lady was not knowing what to do.

  “What is that gesture, boy, and what are your names”

  “My name is Ranga, his name is Vashist, and she is Vindhya”

  “Ooh, suitable names but very short ones”

  “In our times it’s all like that only Patti”

  “What’s your time? Not even grown like a plant talking like a Banyan tree. Your generation has no respect towards elders” the old lady complained.

  “No Patti it’s not like that. You please tell me what you want first, we are short of time”.

  “OK, all I want you to do is to listen to this story of mine and then let me know your opinion of my story. That’s all I want”