"Has Gita slept?" asked Perumal.
Sita nodded her head affirmatively.
"Did she go to sleep on an empty stomach?"
"When she went to Alagammai's house to play, Alagammai gave her two dosas*" said Sita. "Alagammai knows about our situation and wants to help us. But, she knows that if she offers us food, we won't accept it. Otherwise, she would have given some food for us too!" said Sita, with a sigh.
Perumal got up from his seat and told Sita, "Give me a vessel."
By the time Perumal reached the temple, after walking two kilometers, the priest Sadagopan was about to close the temple.
Seeing Perumal, Sadagopan exclaimed, "Oh! Perumal has come to see Perumal**!" and smiled, enjoying his own pun.
"Sadagopan! Every day I return home only by 9 o' clock in the night. So, I don't find the time to visit the temple. That I need to walk two kilometers to the temple from my home is another reason why I don't visit the temple often" said Perumal.
Perumal and Sadagopan had studied together in the primary school in that village. After completing their schooling, both settled down in that village.
"How is your business going?" asked Sadagopan.
"As you know, the profession of being a cattle broker is tough. Somedays, I earn well and some days, I earn nil. Today was a bad day. Hope you have been getting enough income by way of contributions from people who visit the temple" said Perumal.
"Well, most of the days, I am alone in the temple, with only the Lord giving me company. Since this temple is situated at a place far from the residential area, the temple attracts only a few visitors. It is good you have come. Have a good vision of the Lord."
Sadagopan lighted a camphor and held it close to the face of the deity.
Perumal had a good vision of the deity's face, brightened by the glow of the camphor flame and paid obeisance to the Lord.
As Perumal was about to leave, without asking for help from Sadagopan as he had intended, Sadagopan told him, "Today, a devotee had arranged for offering of food to be made to the Lord. As per his wish, I prepared pongal and offered it to the Lord. The devotee didn't take the offering with him, since his family members were not home. He asked me to distribute the offering to the devotees. But since no one has visited the temple today, I have not been able to distribute the offering. With my wife and I being the only people living in our house, I have been wondering what to do with the offering. Fortunately, you have come. I see that you have brought a vessel. Is it for buying oil from the shop? Give that vessel to me. I will fill it with the offering and give you."
Sadagopan took the vessel from Perumal's hand, went inside, filled it with the pongal offered to the Lord, brought it back and gave it to Perumal.
Perumal was overwhelmed with emotions. He was not sure whether wat he was feeling could be called happiness, astonishment or gratitude.
Earlier, he had paid obeisance to the Lord in a mechanical way, but he now worshipped the Lord heartily, with a spontaneous feeling of devotion and gratitude.
He then took leave of Sadagopan.
Sira looked at the vessel handed to her by Perumal and said, "Your friend has given us a sumptuous quantity of pongal."
"Yes, It will be enough for both of us. If Gita can be woken up, we can feed her too."
"She is asleep. Let us not wake her up. Anyway, she had taken dosa and would have been satiated" replied Sita, and then transferred about half the quantity of the pongal to another vessel.
"Are you keeping aside some quantity for tomorrow?" asked Perumal, puzzled by her action.
"No. We don't have a fridge in our home, after all! This evening, your elder sister came here. Her family has also nothing to eat for the night. She wanted to borrow some rice from us. But our rice container being empty, I couldn't oblige her. Her family members will also be starving. So, I will give this food to them and come back. Her house being in the next street, I will be back soon. In the meanwhile, you may please start eating, without waiting for me to return, since you are very hungry."
Sita left home with the container of pongal, without waiting for his response.
* dosa, pongal - dishes often made in South Indian homes. Pongal is one of the preferred offerings made to Hindu Gods.
** Perumal - Vishnu temples are usually referred to as Perumal temples, Perumal being a popular name by which the Hindu God Vishnu is known. With the protagonist having the name Perumal, Sadagopan makes a pun on his name!
Section 2
Cherishing One's Kith and Kin
anna nIrArkkE uLa.
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