The Floral Tribute!
Govinda Kurup keeps his chair in the front yard of his abode to read a newspaper. It is his practice to sit thus under a jack tree in the yard daily. He relishes watching the sight beyond, in the expansive compound. It hosts a vast variety of trees, the branches of which cradle several birds. The trees like Jack, Mango, Coconut, Arecanut, Cashewnut etc along with the morning wind do boogie-woogie, swaying their branches rhythmically and cuddling each other. Papaya standing among them a wee bit, envy them as it is not that tall. The birds with much verve are engaged in their morning music in tune with the swirling branches.
After savouring Nature’s wonders, Kurup opens the newspaper. Suddenly he feels a slight pain in the left part of his chest. Briskly he leans to the arm of the chair, but he faints. Shankaran sees this and swiftly arrives at the scene shouting, “Uncle, uncle.” Kurup fell on the chair and Sankaran tries to make him sit erect. Kurup’s elder son staying in the neighbourhood drives him to the hospital nearby.
Nonetheless, before entering the hospital, he bids adieu to his near and dear. The younger son, who is abroad, will take a day to reach.
The twenty-year-old Shankaran has been their assistant for more than a decade. He became an inmate of that dwelling at the age of eight. His mother, Valsala was the domestic help of that house once before. AsValsala was sincere in discharging the work assigned to her, she very well won the heart of Kurup’s better half. When the children grew up, one day, Shanthamma dismisses Valsala from her job. But she was kind enough to hand over Valsala an amount of money, we can call it the gratuity.
Plants shed leaves and blooms, seasons travel on their tracks, and the sun and the moon rise and set with no flaw. Kurup’s sons, Sudheesh and Ramesh leave home on account of higher studies and then their jobs. Somehow Sudheesh manages to grab a transfer to the indigenous place, as he is placed in a government job. And Ramesh is abroad.
To everyone’s surprise, again one day, Shanthamma brings home Valsala’s son Shankaran, a ten-year-old and puts him to school. In the twelfth standard, he tries three or four times to pass the examination. Eventually, he surrenders with his arms before the failure. And by now he turns to be a full-time assistant of Govinda Kurup, who owns a vast area of agricultural property. The couple likes the boy, as his humble way of behaviour has earned him love and concern from them.
A fresh plantain leaf is kept, spread on the floor in the front sit-out and the body of Kurup is being laid on it, after giving it the final bath. The rites of Kodiyidal(placing a new cloth over the body) followed by Pushpaarppanam( the Floral Tribute-each one of the kinfolks sprinkles flowers reverently at the feet of the body) takes place. The final announcement from the ritual guides: If any more person is there for Floral Tribute, please come forward.
Shankaran quickly takes some flowers in his hand and as he nears the body, a thunder of words bursts out from the elder son, Sudheesh, “ Shankaran, put the flowers back, you have no right. Only the kin can do the floral tribute.”
Poor Shankaran gets startled and goes behind the house, biting his lips to stop the tears. Though Shanthamma is mourning vehemently, she sympathetically asks her son to bring Shankaran to offer flowers to her better half.
Every formality of the cremation is over and people are retrieving to their shelter. At night before accompanying the sleep, the younger son, Ramesh, who is humane, “Why did you scold Shankaran? Poor boy, he is just like a member of this family. He is the son of Valasala auntie. So sincere and loving like his mother.”
“He may claim a share of our property,” Sudheesh.
“Why, Amma(mother) gave a good amount to his mother, when she stopped coming. Moreover, she wants me to help him in some job in the UAE,” Ramesh.
Sudheesh, “Hey, Ramesh! He is our own father’s son. Illegal.”
