Karuppan - Part 1

Short note before u start the story:

The story mainly happens at Coimbatore.The other places mentioned - Palladam and Pollachi are just an hour or so from Coimbatore. Thermanur n Narsipuram are small villages near Coimbatore.

There are some tamil words and sentences used. There is a glossary at the end of each part.Please refer that in case of need

Part 1

Karuppan*(1) was our dog's name.Actually she was a b*tch, but we called her "Karuppa.." anyway, out of habit.By the time I realised she was a b*tch, I had been calling her Karuppa for almost two years.It was amma who had christened Karuppa as Karuppa.When I learnt to differentiate boy and girl babies, I pointed out to amma that our Karuppan should be actually Karuppi.But amma wouldn't hear of that.

She was brought by appa as a two month old puppy.Appa got her from the hospital, he was working in.He was at the Vadugapalayam goverment veternary hospital then.

Vadugapalayam was a few kilometers from Pollachi.He would come to home to Coimbatore during weekends, where Amma ,Rekha and I stayed. Weekends used to be special days then.Amma and I would go saturday morning to buy freshly chopped mutton.Sometimes we would get chicken or fish.But mostly it was mutton.Because appa liked mutton a lot and amma loved watching appa eat it.She would cook it just the way he liked, with lots of pepper.
She would smile and say "Karuppan saapidratha paaaru.."(2)*

Yes, amma called appa Karuppan.Because appa was dark,dark as a coal.Whenever she was fond of him she would call him "En Karuppan.."*(3).In contrast amma was fair.Though Amchi*(4) would exaggerate that amma was fair like "Setu" * (5) girls

Appa's colour was a sore point with amchi.She didn't want her fair gal to be married to such a dark guy.Also appa was not as rich as amma.Amchi and Appuchi*(6) were very rich and had lots of lands in Theramanur and Narsipuram.Now mama managed everything.But Appa was not all that rich.He had struggled a lot when he was young and he was the only educated person in his family.He had a elder sister and two younger brothers.They all lived in Palladam and worked in the neighbouring fields.Even now appa supported them.But amma said she would marry only appa, because appa was educated, and a doctor at that.Never mind that he treated animals.

"Your father makes money by washing animal's ass", amchi would scoff.She would often she would grumble that she brought up a lovely parrot only to give it in the hands of a cat. But amma didn't mind all that.She never complained about appa's colour.Infact, I suspect she was infatuated with black colour.That's why she called Karuppan, Karuppan..
She would say "This was brought by my Karuppan.." and hug her close..

Karuppan was great fun to be with.She was a crossbreed or something, though she looked like any other street dog to me.As soon as I came from school she would lunge hard at me.Then we would play till amma came back from work.Amma taught at the neighbouring school to KG students.When appa was in Coimbatore and staying with us, she didn't work.But now that he has been transferred to Vadugapalaym, she felt bored at home. She would take Rekha, my younger sister, along with her.As soon as amma came Karuppan had time for nobody else.She was such a disloyal dog.When amma was around,she never cared about anyone.She would just trot behind amma.

"Wherever Mary went. the lamb was sure to go..".That was how it was with Karuppan.If amma was in the kitchen, she would sit just outside the door, because she was not allowed inside.If she was in the bedroom,she would sit near the bed.On our saturday trips to the mutton shop, he would also come with us.Kandasaamy annan,the mutton shop owner, always threw a piece for him.

For some strange reason,Karuppan would never go near appa.She always maintained her distance from him.Appa tried to entice her by throwing a piece of mutton from his plate.But she would never touch it.And Karuppan would not go near amma either when appa was around.I could never understand it then.

It was more than three years since appa had been transferred and three weeks since he had come home for weekend.For the past few months he had been irregular in coming, skipping a week or so in between.But never three weeks in a row.Amma was so sure he would come this week that she had got an extra leg of mutton and made soup. When he had not turned up till noon, we went outside and rang up his hospital.Actually it was not a hospital, just a small room in a large compound, where lots of animals were tied.i had once been to the hospital, when I had gone attend a wedding in a nearby village.Nobody picked up the phone but.Amma didn't talk to me on her way back.Even when she served lunch to Rekha and me, she forgot to serve soup.When I reminded her she looked at me blankly for a minute or so before getting the soup bowl from kitchen.That evening maama*(7) came home .Maama asked Rekha and me to go outside and play even though it was getting dark and amma didn't object. By the time we went back home,maama had left.He had gone without saying goodbye.Amma hadn't even called out for us for studying, as she usually did.When both of us finallyw ent back home,she was sitting next to Karuppan stroking his back.


Next day we all went to amchi's house and stayed there for a week.And ofcourse we took Karuppan with us.Throughout our stay Amchi kept yelling and shouting at Karuppan for no reason whatsoever.Poor thing!.When we left back for Coimbatore, maama told amma that he had arranged for everything and that machan*(8) should be transferred to Coimbatore anytime next week.


Amma left her job and stayed at home.Two weeks later appa came home.He had got transferred to Coimbatore.But nothing was ever the same.Amma rarely spoke to appa.Even if she did it was just a word or two.All the communication was through me.We did have mutton on weekends.But we didn't go to the shop to buy it.Amma had it delivered home.Appa invariably came late and often drunk.He would vomit on the floor sometimes and amma wouldn't go near it.It would remain there stinking like hell till the maid servant came next day to clean it.He would yell at amma calling her names and shout obscene words.Amma would just stand there listening to him rave and rant until he tired himself to sleep.She would not cry nor would she yell back at him.She would stand there with the loyal Karuppan by her side.Karuppan would growl now and then at appa, which would infuriate appa to no end.He would throw at him with whatever he could lay his hands on.

On one of my visits to Amchi's house, I learnt from athai that appa had a thoduppu-a mistress- at Pollachi and that's why he was not coming home regularly.And that maama had ensured through his contacts that he get transferred here.Athai asked me if appa still went to see his thoduppu?I was too bewildered to answer.

From that day I lived in constant fear.

I hated the changed atmosphere at home.There was always a unseen tension in the air when appa was around.I would move around fearing that it would snap whatever it was and the whole thing would come crumbling on my head.Most of the days I would cry myself to sleep.Amma hated it when I cried and would say that girls should never cry.It was a sign of weakness according to her.Nevertheless I cried .It made me feel better and I thought it would be a lot better if amma cried too.Because I knew that that was what appa wanted.He wanted her to cry, to beg to him, to plead with him.But amma would never do that.She was strong, too strong for her own good I thought.She was always adamant about what was wrong and what was right!.She would not forgive father for what he did , neither would she leave him and go to amchi's house.It would mean admitting to amchi that her choice had been wrong.


Glossary:
1) Karuppan: the dark/black one
2) "Karuppan saapidratha paaaru.." - "Look at Karuppan eating"
3) "En Karuppan.." : "My Karuppan.."
4) Amchi : Amma's mother.
5) "Setu" girls : North Indian gals
6) Appuchi : Amma's father.
7) Maama : Maternal Uncle
8) Machan : Brother-in-law