Granny’s own Paro

“Parooooooo…………………..”

Paroo’s train of thoughts got red signal by her granny. She was sitting on the stairs of the pond , and dreaming. This time   she was  Lochinvar’s love, and she was almost lifted up by the great knight on to his White Horse, her granny’s call came! 

Paroo climbed the stairs two at a time in haste.Her beautiful black hair swayed left and right.It flowed down like a black cascade, with the nurturing of her grandma.She made a special oil with God only knows what roots and leaves.But Paroo liked its fragrance very much.Do you know why coz it has the smell of MT’s (noted pen pusher in Malayalam) female characters. 

“Ammumma”, Paro hugged her granny from behind.  

“Naughty child,don’t you know its time to lighten the lamb at the Nagaraja’s place?Go to bath and come fast” her granny ordered her. 

“ juz a minute Mathukutty” . Paroo replied with a kiss on her granny’s feather soft cheeks. 

Every Summer holidays Paroo’s parents send her to her grandma’s house.Paroo loved it a lot.She liked it most because , this is the only time she can be with her granny with out accompanied by her sister Malu. If Malu is around every one’s attention will be on her. All the servants ,neighbours and even sometimes granny too gives her more attention.Paroo did not like it.So she will be more happy when she is alone with her granny so every body’s attention will be on Paroo. 

Paroo is a girl of nineteen and was doing her degree.Her first love was Literature but due to uncompromising parental  interests she had to take up maths .But she never give up her first love.When ever she got time she spent it for reading. But she lived in a world of illusion.A dream land she created with the character’s she read. 

After bath Paro  took the diya to the Nagarajas and prayed.  

“ Oh the king of all the nags please appear before me , I am an ardent devotee of yours, Oh Lord please do appear before me” 

Paroo opened her eyes and looked  around , she could see no trace of Nagaraja at all.She got angry and went to her granny 

“Ammumma, why do you lie to me , I prayed and prayed but Nagaraja did’nt turned up”? 

“ Oh , my dear he will appear before you one day, he is testing you, don’t give up, one day he will give you darshan” granny replied. 

Paro did her prayers and went inside her room.She looked around, she could see the character she had read before all sitting before her.Anna Carinina,Destimona,Othello,Arjuna,Karna,Seeta all where present.She started talking to them. Her inner voice asked her

”Paro whom you wanted to be today ?”

“ I will be  the stern uncompromising and engrossing Anna Carenina today”

 “O.K carry on Anna, her inner voice told her” 

Paro started transforming herself in to gorgeous Anna. 

“Parooooooooooo”, down came her granny’s call,  

“What you are doing there alone, come down” 

“Here I am “, Paroo rushed down with disappointment. 

In the night paro slept with her granny. Her granny used to chew betel. Keeping it inside his mouth she used to tell her lot of stories and how girls must grow up and a lot more.

Paro  liked  the story of “Gandharva” most.She used to dream about Gandharva too.Granny

told her that he will come down to earth on Full Moon days and there will be strange fragrance of “Pala flower” and he will attract young ladies and when he leave he will take them also with him and they will be never send back to earth.  

“ Paroo,never go out in full moon days in odd hours, you are such a lovely child,that gandharva will fall in love with you as soon as he sees you”,her granny warned her. 

But paro want to see Gandhrava,and when granny goes to deep sleep she used to peep through the windows but she never saw any one under the Pala tree.But she never give up, she thought,one day I will see him and ask about all the ladies he had stolen from the earth. 

Paro started the count down, few more days left with her to be at grandma’s home.Two days after her parents will be coming with her younger sister to take her back to city which she never liked. 

“ This time also I will miss Gandharva and Nagaraja” paro thought 

Her granny was also so unhappy about  parting her.

“ Paro,stop your studies after this, and stay with me here,I will tell your father about it this time” ,her granny said. 

Paro also wanted to be with her granny,granny loved  her a lot, kept Paro on her lap, stroked her soft fingers inside her think black hair sung a lot of songs she never heard before , and made tender mango pickles and jack fruit jam specially for her. One more day left for her in the house ,Paro felt an ache inside her, she will be missing all the splendors  of the village till next year. 

Paro lit the Diya at Nagaraja’s idol.Closed her eyes and prayed as usual. This time tears came down from her eyes. She opened her eyes and to her surprise she saw a golden coloured  Nagaraja on the idol. She was overwhelmed with happiness, oh god how true it is, he is here before me she couldn’t   believe. Nagaraja stood there with his head spread and up with proud. 

Paro kept her hand near to him; he licked her lovely hands fondly 

In a flash of a moment Paro’s inner voice asked her  

“Paro whom you wanted to be today” 

Paro had no hesistation ,she said  “O.V Vijayan’s…*Ravi………” 

Paro whispered to Nagaraja “Come on , byte me”

Nagaraja hesitated

Paro became angry,she shouted at it “Come on I said” 

Nagaraja could not help it, he came and pressed his sharp teeth on her tender hand. 

Paro closed her eyes,she could feel the blue venom passing through her vains, then into her  blood and finally towards her beautiful heart. 

“Parooo  , where are you my dear girl its going to be dark, come fast” 

Her grann’y sound dissolved in the bluish sky. 

*Ravi  was the hero of O.V Vijayan’s famous novel Khasakkinte Ethihasam.In the end of the novel Ravi accepts himself  a death by snake byte.