Yellow Lights of Death

by Benyamin

  ‘Today itself?’ Jijo asked.

  ‘No, another day. Benyamin, you call him up and make an appointment.’

  I called Meljo. When I said I wanted to meet him, he tried to avoid me at first, but then agreed, saying that I could meet him after two weeks.

  ‘Okay then. Let’s disperse now.’

  We said bye to Jijo.

  The Fall

  WHEN WE REACHED Valyedathu Veedu yet again. Meljo was busy with a seva. After some time, he came out with someone whose face looked familiar. I whispered to Anil asking who he was. Anil said he was an upcoming politician and reminded me of the TV discussion that he had participated in.

  After seeing him off, Meljo came to us. ‘What new problem have you guys brought?’ He was visibly irritated by our visit, but we were not bothered.

  ‘We have not come to ask you annoying questions. The other day, we got a video. We want to confirm its contents. We’ll return soon without hindering your sevas and ceremonies,’ Anil said.

  ‘We could have shown it to others and clarified it, but since we two have become close, we thought that should be avoided,’ I said.

  ‘Someone from Diego had sent it. With the caption that it was from Andrapper’s mobile phone,’ Anil said.

  ‘What video are you talking about?’ Meljo was getting angry.

  ‘About the celebration that took place that day!’

  ‘When?’

  ‘We had asked about it the last time we came here. But Meljo, you avoided it tactfully. You asserted that Andrapper was a liar and that no such celebration had taken place.’

  ‘God is not blind, Meljo. He won’t erase anything without leaving proof. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have got this video.’

  ‘If you think you can blackmail me like this, you’re mistaken. I think you still don’t know whom you’re playing with. You guys go and do something better, I’ve other work.’ He stood up and started walking towards the inside.

  Suddenly, Anil got up and held his hand out. ‘Stop, Meljo. Just one minute. You see this and then decide. You’d said this house has no secrets. That there was no celebration that night. But this camera has every visual of that night. Andrapper had shot them with his mobile camera.’

  Anil took the camera from his bag and showed it to Meljo.

  I was startled. The visuals in it could easily be laughed off as a general gathering or an evening prayer.

  But it wasn’t Anil who got the calculations wrong, but me. With Amit’s daring move, Meljo tumbled over.

  ‘I don’t want to see it. I knew that he would cheat,’ Meljo said in a worn-out tone.

  ‘Then tell me, what are these ceremonies ?’

  ‘Who all have you shown this to?’ It was evident from his tone that he had succumbed.

  ‘We have a friends’ circle. Five to six people. Only they have seen it till now,’ Anil said, about to put the camera back in his bag. Meljo quickly snatched the camera out of his hand. But Anil didn’t panic. I was surprised with the way Anil was handling the situation.

  ‘No use, Meljo. Don’t think we are such big fools that we’d come here with just one copy of the video.’

  Meljo gave back the camera to Anil, and fell back on the sofa. It was the fall of someone who had missed his last stride.

  Anil came and sat next to him. ‘Tell us, Meljo, what was it?’

  But Meljo wouldn’t reply.

  ‘We have to know about it for sure. And we’ll go to any extent to know it. If you don’t tell us, we’ll have to ask other people. Not one, but many people. From common men to historians. We’ll have to post these video in public forums—Internet, mails, blogs, newspapers, YouTube, everywhere. That means the secret that you want to hide from us will go out to a lot of people. Isn’t it better that you yourself tell us? It’s for you to decide!’

  Those words had an effect on Meljo. He slowly got up.

  ‘Tell us, Meljo. You can start from where Christy had stopped . . .’ Anil encouraged him to speak.

  ‘If you promise that you won’t show this video to anyone else, I’ll speak.’

  ‘Yes, it’s a promise. We won’t share the visuals in this camera to anyone. I swear in the name of Thaikkattamma!’ Anil said.

  Meljo looked at me. I nodded, meaning he could trust us.

  ‘If I talk about the ceremony without giving an idea about Villarvattom Swaroopam, you probably won’t understand. The same thing had happened to Christy.’ Meljo began, taking us outside to a bench on the verandah.

  Villarvattom

  ‘THE VILLARVATTOM THOMA kings were a Nasrani dynasty that has a history and tradition of about 1000 years. The estate was a vassal of the Chera kings, and it had its capital at Mahadevapatanam for a long time. Later it was shifted to Udayamperoor when the Arabs invaded the island.’

  ‘This is a myth we have kept hearing for ages. Do you have any concrete proof to show that such a dynasty existed?’ I asked Meljo.

  ‘The first proof is the Udayamperoor church which is still there, and the cemeteries of the Thoma kings. The Udayamperoor Old Church was a royal cathedral built by the Chaldean bishops, Mar Sabor and Mar Proth, who came from Persia in 510 AD. For a long time, the church was known after the Chaldean bishops, but with the arrival of the Portuguese, their names were removed since they were seen as anti-Christs, and the church came under the Catholic priests of Mar Gervasius and Protasius. Another strong proof is a letter written by Pope Eugene IV in 1439, before the advent of the Portuguese. The pope accepted this dynasty as the real Christians, and sent the letter through an envoy. Unfortunately, the messenger couldn’t reach here, but a copy of the letter is still in the Vatican records.

  ‘“To my most beloved son in Christ, Thomas, the Illustrious Emperor of the Indians, Health and the Apostolic benediction. There often has reached us a constant rumour that Your Serenity and also all who are the subjects of your Kingdom are true Christians.” That was the content of the letter.

  ‘Then what changes did the Portuguese make to the Villarvattom Swaroopam?’

  ‘Actually, the first group of Christians from Europe were cordially welcomed by the Nasrani king, Thoma. When they landed in Kochi, King Thoma received them, along with Unniramavarma Koyi Thampuran. He expressed his joy by handing over his royal sceptre to Vasco da Gama. He also helped them set up trading facilities in Kochi. It was the scholars of Villarvattom who taught Malayalam to Andrew Pereira. But when they came to know that the Thoma kings were Chaldean, the mentality of the group, including Vasco da Gama’s, changed. They wanted the entire authority of Villarvattom to be handed over to the Portuguese. Da Gama interpreted the handing over of the sceptre as transfer of power. So, in the first visit itself, the Portuguese were at odds with King Thoma. That’s how they made the trade deal with only the Kochi kings, and returned. Later on, at every visit of da Gama and Cabral, there were attempts to invade the Villarvattom Swaroopam. But King Thoma held on to his fort. When the attempts to seize the land failed, they tried to invade with faith. That’s how the Roman Archbishop Alex de Menazis was sent here. It can be said that Menazis, to a certain extent, succeeded in imposing the Catholic faith over the Malankara Chaldean faith. Except four families, including ours, everyone was a willing convert from Chaldean to Catholicism. That’s how the Synod of Diamper was held in 1599 and the Malankara church fell under the control of the Pope. At that time, Menazis tried to burn all the Malankara prayer books and literature in the Pali language in front of the Udayamperoor church. He succeeded to an extent. And he stopped all prayers and ceremonies in the Pali language and initiated the Latin system. More than a difference of faith, it was a revenge on King Thoma.

  ‘That incident ignited the anger of the Malankara king, Thoma. “I would have forgiven everything, but these Parangis destroyed the language of my ancestors. I won’t forgive that. If it’s war, let it be war.” That’s how King Thoma responded to the destruction of the Pali books.

  ‘Since then, he defied every compromise move of the Portugue
se and he organized the Malankara Nasranis against the Menazis, and declared war. An army of more than 50,000 Nasranis were his strength. King Thoma’s move succeeded in no time. That’s how in 1653, the Coonan Cross Oath, a public avowal by members of the St Thomas community and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Christians, excommunicated the Roman clergy. Without the leadership of a strong ruler like King Thoma, would the poor people of Malankara even have thought about such a fight against the Portuguese? But King Thoma could only free them from the clutches of the Romans. He couldn’t bring them back to their Chaldean faith. That’s how the Chaldean faith, which had been very strong in Kerala from the fourth to the fifteenth centuries, dwindled to a few people.

  ‘However, that ended the Portuguese’s yearning for the Villarvattom Swaroopam and they got edged out to the Kochi fort and surrounding areas. Unfortunately, the Villarvattom Swaroopam survived only for 50 years after the Coonan Cross Oath. On 9 February 1701, the last Thoma king passed away. You have already heard of what happened to his only daughter Mariam. A thousand years of rule by the Thoma kings ended with the betrayal by Paliath Achan.

  ‘Okay. But what is the relation between what we wanted to hear and this narration?’ I asked.

  ‘Paliath Achan could only steal power. But we retained our beliefs. We retained our tradition. We made sure the chain wasn’t broken. The bloodline of King Thoma’s daughter Mariam still lives on in Kerala! For us, the order of King Thoma has still not lost its power. From then till now, the first-born girl of every generation sits on the throne of Mariam and rules us. In that lineage, the latest queen was my sister Melvin! After her death, Merin took over. Villarvattom Swaroopam has transformed to become Valyedathu Veedu!’

  ‘Then, that ceremony was to crown Merin?’

  ‘Yes. That’s what had taken place that day. On the forty-first day after the death of a queen, the next one is enthroned. It’s a ceremony where only the elders in the family are invited. Every consecutive day of the year, there will be celebrations. In the generation before us, one of the sisters of my mother was on Mariam’s throne. But she didn’t have daughters. That’s how Melvin got the chance. But she was unlucky. In Thoma history, she probably held power for the shortest tenure. I pray that Merin is not that unfortunate.’

  Suddenly, Meljo broke into tears. We were baffled. From the brave and bold Meljo, we had not expected this reaction. Anil approached him and patted him on his shoulder.

  ‘I just remembered my sister. We were very close. There was nothing we didn’t talk about,’ he said, wiping his tears.

  ‘We can understand that.’ Anil hugged him. In the comfort of that love, Meljo softened. I wondered if this was the same sombre guy who had done all those nasty things to us.

  ‘There is one thing that Andrapper has noticed and noted many times. The sign of the fish that’s at many places. What does that signify?’ I asked after he regained his composure.

  ‘That’s the symbol of Villarvattom Swaroopam. It is not a woman gulping fish, as Andrapper puts it, but a woman originating from a fish’s mouth. That’s Mariam!’

  ‘There is something strange in this story. The Portuguese had tried to sabotage this tradition. Then still, why were you willing to marry off your sister to one of their lineage? Or was it because you didn’t know his bloodline?’ Anil asked.

  ‘I’ll tell you. I had inquired about his family. Though da Gama, Kubral and Menazis had eyes on the Villarvattom Swaroopam, Christy’s forefathers—Andrew Pereira and Diego Pereira—were kind to our dynasty. You were asking what proof is there that the Villarvattom Swaroopam is the truth; come, let me show you one thing.’

  He took us inside the house. We passed through several small doorways and dark rooms. In between there was a granary. Then we climbed stairs twice, and descended once. That was when I got a vague idea about the size and complexity of Valyedathu Veedu. It didn’t look so big from outside. I felt fear. From our interactions till now, Meljo had emerged as a person who would do anything to guard his secrets. Was he leading us to another of his traps? We finally stopped in front of a big room. Its lock had to be opened with four keys. A peculiar lock. Some had to be turned right, and some left. Another round of turning it twice to the left and once to the right. Another door awaited us inside. It had an ancient number lock. Like Rubik’s cube. Meljo opened it turning some wooden blocks multiple times to the left and right, top and bottom. I watched curiously as the numbers changed in the lock. I couldn’t figure out a thing. Only someone who had mastered it could open the lock.

  ‘This is the most sacred room in this Valyedathu Veedu. More sacred than the prayer room in which Thaikkattamma is invoked. This could be the first time anyone outside the family is seeing it. I’m trusting you guys that much,’ Meljo said, opening the door. We walked in to a dim light. It reminded me of the description of the room of the forefathers at Andrapper House. At the same time, it was equipped with a high-tech CCTV camera, a burglar alarm and a firefighting system.

  He took us to a corner of the room. There he opened a box and took out a rod. It was a red wand with two silver knots at the top and three bells hanging from it.

  ‘This is more than 1000 years old,’ Meljo said. ‘This was the royal sceptre that King Thoma handed over to da Gama.’

  ‘How did it come here?’ I asked, wide-eyed.

  ‘That’s why I was talking about the kindness of the Pereiras. This sceptre that went from da Gama to Andrew was later returned by Diego to King Thoma when he was the landlord. Also, some of the Chaldean documents in Pali that Bishop Menazis had tried to burn on that synod day was secretly shipped by Diego Pereira with the help of some priests at Udayamperoor church and later returned to Valyedathu Veedu. That’s his kindness. So, all the leaves and rolls and books you see in this room are all historic documents that were once believed to be lost forever!’

  I looked at them in astonishment. The documents that everyone believed were lost to the cruelty of Menazis were retained here with great reverence. I felt a mixed feeling of fear and joy about the significance of Valyedathu Veedu.

  ‘But why have you not told anyone, Meljo? Why has this been kept as your private property? Don’t you realize the historic worth of these books? Shouldn’t you be keeping them safely in a museum and not let them rot here?’ I asked.

  ‘It won’t rot here, Benyamin. This is the soul of Valyedathu Veedu! We know how to guard them in all sanctity and secrecy,’ Meljo said. ‘And there are many reasons why we don’t show them in public. Many of the Chaldean texts go against the popular Christian beliefs in our society. If this reaches a nouveau believer who has no idea about the birth and evolution of faiths, he’ll become another Menazis.’ Meljo showed the works one by one. ‘Look, this is The Book of Prahan. It says Joseph had other wives and children before marrying Mariam. This is the Gospel of Thomas, this the Gospel of Magdalene, and this one, the real Gospel of Judas. Here, you won’t find the same Jesus you find in the Bible.’

  He showed us more books, reading aloud their names. ‘Anpathu Nombinte Udir Prarthana, Subade Namaskaram, Idara, The Songs of Kameez, this is the Enkartha book, Nuhura, The Book of Vavukatte, this is Parsiman, this one Margasesha, this Yohannan vara Kaldosa—it says Christ and the Son of God are different people. Now, this is the book of the forefathers that describe the history of the Nestorian clergy, this one’s The Book of Pavizham, this is Machamoth, then you have Mishiha’s Thirubalapusthakam that describes the childhood of Jesus; here’s The Book of Synods that talks about the synods and the Malankara faith, then there’s the Letter from Heaven and the Book of Narsaye.

  ‘The rest are records, certificates and declarations. It was none other than Diego Pereira who rescued them from the fire of Menazis, a total illiterate in history. Appachan believed it was destiny that one person in that bloodline fell in love with a girl in this family and decided to get adopted to this house,’ Meljo said, walking us out of the room.

  ‘In such a great tradition, how did something like Mariam Sev
a get in? That doesn’t fit in with the history,’ Anil said as we proceeded to the living room.

  ‘One Appachan who got adopted to this house was from the Kadamatathu family. Even Kadamatathu Kathanar, some believe, was a Chaldean priest who migrated from Persia. Anyway, Mariam Seva came to his house through that Appachan. We still continue it as a mysterious ritual, which protects the hidden secrets. When people inquire about this house, they come to know about Mariam Seva, while the rest remains a secret.’

  ‘Do you believe that the Villarvattom dynasty will ever return to power?’ Anil asked while we were taking our camera, bag and other stuff.

  ‘Which royal dynasty in India doesn’t believe so? Everyone keeps announcing their heir . . . for what?’ Meljo retorted.

  We didn’t have an answer for that. That moment, I felt that India is a beauty of the night who sleeps over a pile of collated dreams. Someday, if the dreams get broken? During the return journey from Udayamperoor, that was the thought that muddled my mind.

  10

  Appendix

  The Last Thursday Market

  IT WAS THE first Thursday Market after the publication of The Yellow Lights of Death. Other than the usual discussions, it was also a book release function. It was Biju’s suggestion that the book should have a ‘private’ release. Nobody opposed the proposal. Sudhi Mashu, who was the eldest in the group, handed over a copy to Salim. Anil read a chapter of the novel. ‘We can have a discussion now,’ I said. As they were also characters in the novel, there were only casual comments. None of them came up with any major critique of the novel.

  It was Nibu who raised the issue: ‘What happened to Andrapper after that?’

  ‘It is not the novel’s responsibility to find that out, so we don’t have to worry about it,’ I said.

  ‘Maybe the novel doesn’t have the responsibility of providing the answers, that’s the author’s call. But we, as human beings, have that responsibility.’