As the road near the Ayyanpan temple started getting crowded with the TATA 'Ratans' and the 'Jamsheds' -the 1 lac cars that had become an instant hit upon introduction in 2008,it signalled the end of an eventful first day at Chettinad Vidhyashram.Being the first day of school,most of the parents had taken 2 hrs off from their software companies/call centres and made sure that they personally picked up their wards from school.
In the sprawling parking area,which was split based on the classes,a lady in her late thirties,clad in a well-pressed cotton Saree patiently waited for her kid,as the school Siren sounded a gentle alarm.She was Indira,the mother of Kaats,who fell on the category of a typical middle class woman,but was different than the other women of her age due to her firm resolve,resoluteness and individualism.She was now a single mother of 2 ,who had managed to break away from the shackles of her despotic husband through a series of legal battles spanning 3 years ,finally endowing her with a divorce and also the custody of one her kids- Kaats.Mrugnayayi,her elder daughter chose to stay with her father at Trichy,bound by the judicial ruling.Indira,who started off her career as a call centre executive at Bangalore had managed to raise through the ranks in the past 15 years that it was fairly a cakewalk for her to get recruited as the Executive Manager of both AMD and Intel's customer service call centres for Europe,which was based at the Mahindra city,built by the late chiefminister JJ.
The 2 Katyayani's emerged holding hands together and Indira could very well see the happiness in the face of her daughter upon her first day at school.
Kaats introduced her new-found friend to her mom with full enthusiam..
"Amma...This is my new friend maa..Guess what is her name..I will give you only 1 guess..?"
Indira smiled at Kate and as she took off Kaat's school bag she said..
"hmm.Let me guess..wait..Is it Indira..my name?"
Kate flashed her close-up smile and exclaimed.."No aunty..I am also Katyayani!",which kind of startled Indira as it was the first time in her life that she had come across someone with that name,other than her daughter!
A BMW suddenly pulled near their car ,as Kate's mom - Kriti,clad in a Jean and Polo T-shirt emerged out of the car and joined the gang in their introductions.As they were leaving,Krithi suddenly called out to Kaats and said..
"Hey Kaats..I am not sure if Kate told you about this.This weekend we are celebrating Kate's birthday at our house.I shall send you the party invitations.You and your parents should attend.Ok?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was dinner time and Kaats waited patiently for her mom who had dropped her at home that evening and returned to work.She had fallen asleep on the sofa and was suddenly woken up when the universal remote on her lap started beeping indicating her mom's arrival at the gate and that it was time to switch off the microwave owen in her kitchen.
Indira rushed into the house and quipped...
"Kaats..U asleep so soon?Did Mini call already?" refering to the daily call from her daughter in Trichy.
Life since the past few weeks after their separation, had been reduced to occasional phone calls filled with emotional outbursts from both the sides.Indira ,more than often stayed resolved when she spoke to Mini but could'nt hide her agony and broke down when she heard her kids talk joyously over the phone,forgetting the reality.
Every night she went through the torture of putting herself through the acid test of justifying her actions encompassing various parts of her life.She got used to the habbit of sleeping with more questions left unanswered than what she started off in the first place , some of which traced back even to her childhood...
'Did I do a mistake in opting for commerce grp and not the science grp?'
'Was it my mistake to have been born in a Tambram family?'
'Being naturally pleasing and beautiful..Is that a boon or a bane for a woman?'
'Was I not entirely devoted to my goddess - Katyayani?'
Everytime when it came to the question of her matrimony,that was when she buried her head underneath her pillows,trying to force her into deep sleep!
As they finished their dinner,Kaats ran to their entertainment room to catch a glimpse of her fav reality show "Kaun Banega SitaPathy?",which was the latest show,hosted by Abishek Bachan, rocking India televisions,where 27 males- each from different states in India,competed to win the hands of 1 girl called Sita.
In between the show,during the commercial break,Kaats quickly posed a flurry of questions ...
"Amma..Krithi aunty..invited for Kate's Bday..U remember?Do you think we should go?I really don't want to go..What do you say?"
Before even waiting for her mom's reply she continued..
"If I go there,everybody will ask about daddy and Mini..They will make fun of me..Amma!"
Indira,who was busy working on her Hindu crossword, just nodded and let out a heavy breathed sigh 'hmmm' ,indicating her helplessness in answering the questions..
To be continued..
-Raapi
Posted by rajesh | 
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