CHAPTER 15

Because we went to bed late we got up late. Only when woke up did we realize the reason for waking up. There were knocks at the back door to the kitchen. We went down.

"How long have I been knocking!"

"You know, we slept late yesterday just spent time talking." Indira said. "You keep water for tea. Nandettan might be in a hurry for tea."

Sitting at the dining table me and Vandana look at each other and smiled listening to Indira telling a lie so naturally."

"When Mummy starts a sentence with 'you know...' then we can make out that it is a lie." I told Vandana in a low voice. Vandana nodded with a smile. When the tea is over we decided to take a round in the compound, just in case we find any clues!

"But Dad, I have to complete that sketch."

"You can do it after breakfast." I said. "The morning time is ideal for a stroll in the compound. No scorching sun, there'll be vigor in the atmosphere. More over our brain will be sharp and at its best in the morning times. We need to find out certain things."

I had inkling that the exploration would yield some fruit this morning. Further I am exploring an area which hitherto I have not treaded. From the age of 13 until after securing a degree and getting a job at the age of 23 I visited the compound quite frequently. Either to help Aunty who was left alone after the death of uncle, and then when I left Indira and Vandana with Aunty, and then when aunty was left alone I used to visit home. After the death of Aunty we used to visit this place on Sundays either to get labor for climbing the coconut trees or to get the compound upturned after the rains. We used to spade the compound in the month of August and September when the earth was still soft after the monsoon, in order to loosen the earth before the dry winter sets in. But still if someone asks me to draw a sketch of the compound I wouldn't be able to do that. I couldn't say which trees situated in which part of the compound may be because I had no interest in it.

Usually in the property ownership documents there is a sketch of the compound. I looked for it. Yes it is there. I asked Vandana to make a rough sketch of it. She did it in a hurry and with the sketch and a notebook and pen we went out. We first went to the temple of the Goddess Lakshmi. I explained to Vandana that this temple was built to counterbalance the portion lost in dismantling the building. When I said this is what Muthassari had said, her eyes widened.

"What is that counterbalancing, you said?"

"That's all in the Vastu shastra, dear. That's not important. On the contrary thachushastra, i.e. Kerala architecture and carpentry, is engineering. It is mathematics. That's why this building built more than hundred years ago still stands undamaged. This counterbalancing and all are in Vastu. I don't think there is any essence in it. May be they mean to say that when the original ettukettu was pulled down partly what remains is only the nalukettu. But since part of the ettukettu was still there at the site it may not stand firmly. It might eventually damage the structure. Imagine going in a boat loaded full with things and if we remove the cargo from one side of the boat what'll happen?

"The boat will tilt to the other side."

"May be that could be the principle here. In reality the resulting damage, what they anticipate, might not happen. That's where your Dad is parting with Vastu."

"So the temple was built by the old ancestor, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Dad, I feel that the treasure must be hidden somewhere inside the temple. Don't you think so?"

"That, my child is an easy guess. Do you think that he would have hidden so big a treasure in such a vulnerable place? If it is not big, the effort we put in even for a day is worthless. We should inspect that temple thoroughly and make a detailed sketch of it."

Looking from a distance I was awe stricken by the mastery of that old muthassari, the master builder. That nalukettu and the adjacent temple together looked like a big sculpture. They were blended together to look just one piece rather than two different structures, an architectural marvel!

The small cemented path leads to the temple. The path ends at sopanam that is stone steps made of granite to sreekovil of the small one room temple. Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, is the installed deity. There was a path surrounding the temple and both sides of the temple there are pedestals with tiny roof on four round columns. On the left side pedestal Lord Ganapathy is installed and the pedestal on the right is empty. It is supposed to be the place for ancestors long dead. The ancestors were given same status as that of Lord Ganapathy. I have a feeling that the right side pedestal is built only to keep symmetry or for installing another idol, which didn’t happen. For a family temple it is slightly bigger. It is in this temple that Vandana places the divine lamp every evening, after dusk. I felt scared. The temple is not locked, and during day time anyone can hide therein. It was surprising that I never gave a thought to it before.

After creating the rough sketch of the temple we walked along. Turning back I noticed that we hadn't closed the door. I went back to close the door and noticed the idol of Ganapathy again. It was a beautiful idol. He has the head of an elephant and the trunk looked so prominent. I remembered Aunty. During heavy rains we would sit around Aunty in the comfort of a warm room to hear stories. It was one of these days that Aunty narrated the origin of Lord Ganapathy. This was different from scriptures, but was interesting. Once when Sree Parvathy was talking with her husband Lord Siva, she spontaneously rubbed her hand on her body only to get a small amount of mud. She made a small human body out of it and asked Lord Siva to give it life. Siva obliged, and Sree Parvathy took him as a son. He was very brave and courageous. Once when Lord Siva was away there was a fight there and Ganapathy fought fiercely, but he lost his head and dropped dead. After the fight is over Sree Parvathy searched for his son, but got only the torso without head. She was so grief-stricken looked for his head. Instead she got the head of an elephant lying next to it and jointed it with the torso. That's why Lord Ganapathy has the head of an elephant. I haven't read this story anywhere else and when I told Vandana she started laughing loudly, so much so that her stomach ached. She pressed her stomach.

"Dad, I am hungry. Let's go."

Her hunger is like that. Suddenly it comes as a pang. As a child, even I used to have it. But then I used to forage in the kitchen with Kuttettan and steal something to eat. When I grew up bigger problems gave my hunger a back seat.

We went back home. The breakfast was almost ready. Devi brought a vessel full of some curry. I opened the lid. It was curry made of Bengal gram. Now I know that it will be followed by pittu. When everything is served Indira said.

"Now you two have breakfast. I'll have to take bath, and then I will eat with Devi.

Thus creating endless guilt in us she sat in a chair. Devi came and stood at the table as if to serve. I knew immediately that she has something to say.

"Haven't you finished your drawing yet? For the last two days one father and daughter is moving around taking measurements and sketching. Isn't it over yet?"

I knew what she meant. If she asks Indira she will get a censored reply only. So she is asking directly with the hope that I might spill the beans. I thought for a while. If I did not say anything she might suspect that there is something strange in our affairs. So I said.

"Let me tell you frankly, but don't tell anybody." When I started Indira looked at me sternly. She thought I was going to tell her about the treasure hunting. She is calling Devi Akashavani, that is the broadcasting institution. I ignored her looks and continued.

"We want to sell this house and compound. Kuttettan has been telling us for quite some time. Not immediately, but in the near future, may be in two or three years' time. To sell such a big property these days you don't go to agents. We will create a website or a blog in the internet in the name of the house. That means anyone can find out the details of this house and compound from this site sitting at the computer in their houses anywhere in the world. Understand? There are a lot of people outside of India who likes old property, interested in antiquity and architecture. They will send e-mail to us, that is, they will send a letter to our computer. Then we will give our offer to them. They might bargain, or will buy the property at the price quoted by us. Now, apart from this there are sites that do auctions like e-Bay. We can entrust them our property for sale.

"Now to create a web site we need pictures of this house with sketches and dimensions. They should know how big this building is."

"I won't understand all this. Karunettan will surely understand. He has gone to gulf after learning computer. I understood one thing. Now, even to sell property there is arrangement in the computer. I think Vandana's computer also has it."

"Of course yes."

When Devi went to her house I said.

"Now I understood one thing."

"What?" Indira and Vandana asked at the same time.

"That I have no right in the computer upstairs."

"Why?" Indira asked seriously. Vandana started laughing.

"You heard Devi telling. All these can be done on Vandana's computer also? So it is Vandana's computer."

"You know......." Indira started consoling me. She wouldn't understand a joke that easily. "When Devi was scrubbing the floor upstairs she saw Vandana working on the computer. So she might have thought that it belongs to Vandana."

I and Vandana started laughing.

I sent Vandana upstairs to do the sketch of the temple and its surroundings and went out to the compound. I walk along with the idea that something tangible will crop up on my way. Am I nearing the treasure? At times I would feel just the contrary. We are at the same level as that of the day we got that copper chess board and the horoscope from the attic. No progress at all. What new knowledge have we had apart from some dreadful experiences? But those incidences do not give any clue at all. Each lead takes me to end of the corridor and abruptly stops. I am up against a blank wall, and no way forward.

I was walking along and suddenly got tripped. I would have had a big fall. I tripped on a red stone, which is generally used for walls, luckily saved injury. That stone was the remnant of an old column. I used to see that while playing as a boy. It was slightly higher those days. Now the stones have been removed and the only stone left is on level with ground. I had heard that there was a plastered stone pedestal, and the figure of a horse on top of it. Some ancestors had erected it in memory of his pet horse. It must have fallen from the pedestal and scattered. When Aunty came to this house as a bride there were pieces of the sculpture still strewn around, and only part of the pedestal remained. Now anyway only the bottom stone of the pedestal remains there only to trip me, or trick me into something?

There was blood oozing from my toe. I should go home, wash and apply some medicine on it without the knowledge of Indira. If she knew it she would make a big issue of that. I washed and put a band-aid on it, and then I heard Vandana calling from upstairs.

She was intently looking at the sketch.

"Dad, what is this that looks like a column and something is written under it."

I looked. Yes, in the old Malayalam script it was written. 'Horse'. I guessed it would be horse and under it is written four digits in the old Malayalam. To know the Malayalam figure script I depend on Aunty's Ramayana. Looking at its page number I can make out what it is, only to remember for a few days. Then I will forget that script. I went down to the Pooja room (prayer room) and took out the Ramayana. Now I can read the figure in the sketch. It is 1021. It must have been erected in the Malayalam year 1021. Looking at the calendar I calculated the year. It is 1846 AD, which means 160 years ago.

"Why there is blood on your toe.'"

"That......" I said with a smile. "I fell down from a horse."

"Falling down from a horse?" Vandana asked. "What happened, tell me?"

"There was a sculpture of a horse erected on a pedestal. It was a pretty old story. Now there is nothing. You can't say nothing is left of it. There is a stone belonging to the foundation. It must be that pedestal that is shown in this sketch."

I explained her how I had tripped and nearly fallen, and she started laughing.

"Good idea! Falling down from a horse that is nonexistent, isn't it?"

Suddenly I had a feeling that for quite some time I have been dealing with things that are nonexistent. The corridors and alleys in the attic, the staircase that is coming down to nowhere, and the image of staircase coming down to Ittirama Menon's room, the horse standing on the pedestal. But can we take these for an indication of something? Am I running after a treasure that is nonexistent?