Short story: Jayakanthan's antharangam punithamaanadhu

[T.R.Gowrishankar]

This translation of Jayakanthan's short story was posted on sci a number of
months ago by Dr. C. P. Ravikumar. I am just reposting this in case someone
missed it.

-Gowrishankar

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A while ago, I had posted a translation of Tamil writer
Jayakaanthan's short story ``Tell me, what am I to do now?''
Here is another Jayakaanthan story. The Tamil title of
the story is "Antharangam Puneetha-manaDu'' and was
published in the Tamil periodical `Ananda Vikatan'
in 1967.

I am familiar with Jayakaanthan only through translations
of his work. He is a superb craftsman and undoubtedly
one of India's best short-story writers. I came to know
about him when he came to Bangalore to release a
collection of short stories. (In fact, the collection
was one among the 25 volumes of short stories called
"Vishwa Katha Kosha". These are Kannada translations of
short stories collected from all over the world. The
series was edited by Niranjana. Leading short story
writers from all over India were invited to release
the volumes : Bhisham Sahni, Jayakaanthan, Masti
Venkatesha Iyengar, ...)

I am hoping that this posting will start some discussion
about the story itself, about Jayakaanthan, and other
Indian short story writers. (I thank Umesh and
Subbarao for their responses to my earlier posting
about Karanth.)



Private Zones

Tamil Story by D. Jayakaanthan
Translated to Kannada by H.V. Narayan
English Translation by C.P. Ravikumar

``Can you hold on a minute? ... May I know who is calling?''

He bit his lips and said, ``I am his son, Venu!'' In a
couple of minutes, he heard his father's voice on the
telephone. ``Hello, this is Sundaram speaking.''

Venu could not control his emotions. His voice shook
as he said, ``I am Venu here, Appa. I want to speak to
you ... alone.''

``Fine. I will be home soon.''

``No! I can't talk about this at home. You stay where
you are, I will join you. Give me ten minutes.''

``That's fine too.''

He thanked his father and kept the receiver down. He
wiped off the beads of perspiration on his forehead.
His heart was pounding. He tried to collect his thoughts.
What was he going to say?

``I must do this. It's my duty to protect my family.
God, what a shame ... can't he understand he is behaving
shamefully? What a role model for his own son! I must
make him realize he is on the wrong side. I am sure he
will try to deny it all. I must carry the proof with me.
Yes, the love letter which I found in his draw. He will
be mad at me for finding this -- He will ask me,
how did you open my draw? He will accuse me of theft.
I will say, look he is talking! There is nothing wrong
is stealing a letter to expose a scandal such as this ...''

Then Venu remembered how he had found out his father's
secret. That was day before yesterday. He had gone to
see a late night film show, and whom did he see there
tagging behind a young lady?

When Venu came down the stairs, he bumped into his
mother. Ramani Ammal was leaving for her Ladies' Club
meeting. She had noticed a change in Venu's behaviour
since the past three days. His face looked pale. He
had grown a beard, and dark circles had appeared around
his eyes. He looked depressed.

``He is fully grown young man. I should not get into
his private matters," she thought. She tried to be
cheerful and said, ``Where are you off to, Venu?''

``Nowhere. I had some work to do,'' he replied in
a serious tone.

``Is there something the matter? You don't have to tell
me if you don't want to. But let me know if I can help.''

``No, thanks.''

``Before you leave, drop into the kitchen. The cook has
prepared something special today.'' And so saying, she
looked at her watch and hurried. Venu stared at his
mother as she left. Appa is such a jerk, he thought,
he is cheating on his unsuspecting wife behind her back.
Then he thought of his mother. She seemed to have trouble
accepting her age. Look at all the makeup she wears,
her lipstick, her sleaveless blouse, her manner of
speaking English in a high-pitched voice ... Venu felt
sick in his stomach.

He met his two younger brothers and his younger sister
in the living room. They had just returned from school
and were taking off their shoes. Looking at them, Venu
felt a sense of pity and despair. ``My irresponsible
mother and my sinful father ... they are destroying the
future of these kids!'' He thought. But what could he
do to prevent it? He had no idea. ``But I must do something.
It's my duty. I am not just a boy anymore ... I am twenty one.
I am an adult.''

For no reason he thought of his grandparents. They had
raised him since he was a baby. Thinking about it, he
felt thankful. ``It's good I didn't have to grow up in
this rotten house ...''

2

Sundaram and Ramani Ammal were married for twenty five
years. They met each other in college, fell in love
with one another, and tied the knot against the wishes
of their parents. Theirs was an inter-caste marriage.

Ramani Ammal had done all her schooling in a Christian
Convent. She was very westernized in her outlook. That
perhaps was why Sundaram felt attracted to her. After his
marriage, Sundaram's parents cut themselves off from their son.
But when Venu was born, Mr. Ganapathi Pillai and wife Vishalam
could not wait to see their grandson. On his sixth birthday,
his grandparents expressed their wish to take Venu home.
Venu grew up in his grandfather's house. He only visited
his parents occasionally during the summer holidays.

Mr. Ganapathi Pillai was a learned Tamil scholar and
a very orthodox man. His wife Vishalam was made for him.
She would not even open her mouth when her husband was
around. When Venu visited his parents, he was aghast
to see their different lifestyle -- his brothers had
no restrictions whatsoever. When he returned from his
summer vacation, he often had many funny stories to tell
his grandparents. As he grew to be a young man, Venu
began to compare his parents to his grandparents.
He thought of his grandparents as an ideal couple.
They represented for him a better culture.

Not that he did not love his parents. Only he did not
respect them much. After he finished his high school, Venu
went to College in the nearest town. Modern education
did not change his views about his grandparents. He
had arrived into Madras only a few months ago after his
graduation.

``I don't have to look for a city job ... Our country is
in this shape only because all the educated people go
to live in the cities. I will stay in the village and
look after our farms.'' He tried to argue with his grandfather.
His grandmother liked his idea. But Mr. Pillai would
not hear of it. Addressing his wife, he said,

``How can you join him in his youthful rashness? Do
you remember how hurt you were when your son decided
to leave home? Is Venu's mother any different?
We have kept Venu here for all these years in the
pretence of his education. It's only fair to let
him go.''

``But I don't want to go! Besides, there is no one
there who misses me terribly!''

``Venu, one one will be more happy than we if you
stay on. But as I said, it's only fair for you to
live with your parents. Why don't you give it a try
for some time? Think of it as a longer vacation. It won't
be any easier on us when are gone ... But give it a try,
it's the right thing to do.''

Venu had no other choice. Reluctantly, he came to Madras.
He was bored within two weeks of his arrival. He found
a lot of things unpalatable. His parents ate their dinner
sitting in front of the dining table, talking and laughing
during the meal. His mother would sleep until eight in the
morning. His wife would often bring her morning coffee to
her. None of these were acceptable to Venu. He would compare
his mother to his grandma, an old lady in her sixties. Grandma
never failed to get up before the break of dawn. She would
have finished most of her household chores by eight.

``My father is a real ladies' man," thought Venu. ``Look
at him, he does not question where mother goes in the evening.
She is off to the cinema today, off to the ladies' club tomorrow,
no one to stop her. And she does not know what he is doing
either. Geez, what kind of a marriage is this? What a
life to live! But I have nothing to lose. I will stay put for a couple
of months more and then go back to grandfather's house.''

But an incident occurred that upset Venu's plans. It left
him shaking in anger, fear, and contempt. It must have been
eight in the evening when the telephone rang. Venu answered
the phone, since his father was in his room upstairs.

``Hello ...''

``I am Vatsala speaking. I thought I will meet you in College
today, but you had already left when I went to the department.
Apparently today is the last show of Sound of Music. Shall we
go for the nine o' clock show? ... Why don't you speak? Hello?''

Venu could not understand the conversation. A wrong number,
he thought. But the caller mentioned something about the
college and the department. A wave of suspicion was born in
his mind. Unsure of what to say, he placed the receiver down
and hurried into his room. He sat down and tried to collect
his thoughts.

Who was this Vatsala? She seemed to be so sure she was talking
to his father. Within a minute, the telephone rang again.
Venu did not get up. After several rings, he heard his
father's voice in the living room. ``Hello?''

Venu tiptoed to the wall that separated his room from the
living room. He could overhear the romantic conversation.
``No, I was in the room upstairs!'' He heard his father
say. ``Don't worry, it's all right.''

``...''

``It must have been Venu, my eldest son. There is no
other adult in the family.''

``...''

``Well, I will take care of it. Don't worry.''

``...''

``Nine thirty, you said? Fine.''

``...''

``I told you not to worry. Pretend like nothing happened.
Okay? ... I will see you later. Bye Bye!''

After that incident, Venu avoided seeing his father
face to face. He would make up some excuse and avoid
being in the house when his father was in. He waited
for a good opportunity before he could break into
Mr. Sundaram's room. Using a duplicate key, he opened
his father's draw. He did not stop to think whether
he was doing the right thing. He was sure he was
doing the right thing. `I have nothing to be afraid
of!' he thought. `If any one must be afraid of something,
it is my father! I must confront with proper proofs.
I must bring this up to him very tactfully and make
him realize his mistake. I owe it to my family. But
where should I talk to him? Not at home, I don't want
my mother to know about this. I must meet him outside
somewhere. What if he does not listen to me? Well, I
will cross that bridge when I come to it ...'

After spending a sleepless night, Venu finally decided to
do it. `What is there to be afraid of?' he thought.
`I am an adult!'

3

Mr. Sundaram stopped his car on the newly constructed
road right next to the sea shore. Venu got out of
the car and looked at the stretch of water. He didn't
know where to start the conversation. `Father may
have wronged, but I must not cross the limit of decency
when I bring up the subject.'

Mr. Sundaram took off his coat and placed it on the
front seat of the car. He rolled up the window
and came towards Venu. He looked at his watch and
said, ``It's only five o' clock!''

``Yes, that is why the beach is not crowded yet.''

The father and son silently walked towards the water.
It was hard for a stranger to make out they were
father and son -- they looked more like brothers.
There was an unmistakable family resemblance. Venu
was somewhat taller than his father and had a
thinner waist line.

With each step, Venu became more and more emotional
about the situation. He bit his lips to control himself.
Mr. Sundaram looked at his son with affection. He
cleared his throat to attract Venu's attention. When
Venu looked at him, Mr. Sundaram smiled reassuringly.

``Shall we sit down here, Venu?''

Without answering the question, Venu sat down.
Still unsure of what to say, he spent some time drawing
lines in the sand. Mr. Sundaram knew very well what his
son had in his mind. Especially after Venu had avoided
seeing him for a whole week after the incident of
the telephone call. Looking at his son, Mr. Sundaram
realized what a lot of pain Venu had been going through.
But he did not wish to start the conversation.

Suddenly Venu broke the silence. ``I am sorry. This
is a very shameful thing to talk about. Do you know
what I am talking about?''

Undaunted, Mr. Sundaram replied. ``Yes, I know.''

Venu was enraged at his father's cool attitude. He
raised his voice and said, ``I had no idea you were
like this, Appa!'' The blowing wind had ruffled his
hair. His bearded chin, and blood-shot eyes added
to the picture of confusion that he was.

``Venu, don't be silly! You are not a boy any more.
Think calmly.''

``Yes, I am not a boy any more! I am an adult and
understand these things! Ever since I answered that
telephone call, I have been watching you ... I had
no idea my father was a womanizer! Did you ever think
of your family before chasing after other women? Does
this role fit your position in the society? Do you realize
you have been cheating on your innocent wife?''

Mr. Sundaram, who had been calmly smoking a cigarette
throughout this outburst, suddenly stopped Venu.
``Please! Let's leave your mother out of this! You
can tell me all you want to say and I will listen.
But keep your mother out of it. I know her much better
than you do. And she knows me better than you do.
Remember, we have been married twenty five years.
We will remain together for the rest of our lives ...
Now, go ahead.''

``You can't cheat me the way you have been cheating my mother!''

``I have no need to cheat you!'' Mr. Sundaram said with
a half-laugh.

``I didn't jump to any conclusions ... I overheard you
talking to that lady the other night. Then I followed
you to the Cinema theater. I even saw you with her.
But I still didn't want to take any chances. So I
entered your room today and looked through your things.
This is what I found there ... there is an entire
file of these!'' Venu threw the letter which he had
usurped from his father's draw.

His emotional outburst was too much for Venu. He looked
away to hide his tears. His voice choked.

The beach was beginning to attract crowds. Blue neon
lights were now glowing on the street. A group of people
were approaching them. Venu and Mr. Sundaram sat quietly
until the group had passed.

Venu spoke again. ``You are my father, and I regret that
I had to give you this sermon. I hope you will correct
yourself in the future.''

Without knowing how to continue, Venu fell silent. Mr. Sundaram
did not reply either. He gazed at the sky and sighed. He
was thinking of what not to say rather than what to say.

It was Venu who spoke again. ``Grandpa tells me you and
mother fell in love and then got married. I wonder if all
love affairs finally end up like this ...'' he said in
a sarcastic tone and looked quizzingly at his father.

Mr. Sundaram continued to smoke his cigarette and think.
He sighed and looked at Venu. He opened his mouth to
say something, but did not speak out his mind. Instead,
he asked, ``Tell me what is bothering you about all this.''

Venu was outraged. He also felt pity for his father. ``Appa,
you are a college professor. You were born in a respected
family. You are the father of four children. It does
not bring credit to a man who is as old as you are
to go around chasing women! It will ruin the family's
name. Do you think I should not be concerned with
this affair? I am not a child any more, I am an
adult.''

Mr. Sundaram was staring at his son as he spoke. Since
the sun had gone down, there was insufficient light
to see his face, but Mr. Sundaram could make out that
Venu was avoiding eye contact.

``Venu, you call yourself an adult, but you don't
behave like one ... First of all, I don't see why
I should be discussing my personal life with you ...
I appreciate your concern for our family pride. Let
me tell you I am more concerned about it than you
are. Let me assure you that I will fight for
keeping up the name of our family, if for some reason
a blemish were to appear ... I don't know how I could
convince you about this, nor do I see why I should
convince you about it.''

Mr. Sundaram's voice was firm and serious. He spoke
in such a matter-of-fact tone that Venu was a little
shaken. For a minute Venu thought he had made a mistake
by accusing his father. But he was overcome by anger
the next minute. Look at this man, how articulate he
is, how absolutely undaunted in spite of his adulterous
relationship to another woman!

``Do you want to know why you should convince me
about it? I will tell you why!'' He retorted. ``Because
I am your wife's son, that's why! You are cheating
on your wife, remember?''

``Hmm ... Did my wife come and complain to you about
me?'' Mr. Sundaram asked, without losing his cool.

``No, but ...''

``Then why are you interfering in our marital life?''

``I am your son, it's my business to do so.''

``That's where you are wrong, my boy! It's none of your
business. It's no one's business, as a matter of fact!''

Venu bit his lips. He thought he was going to cry.
He had an urge to call his father names. He wanted to
walk away, never to see his father's face again.

Mr. Sundaram looked at his son and guessed the turmoil
which Venu was going through. He felt sad for his son
who had involved himself in matters that did not
concern him. He held Venu's hand in his own. Venu jerked
his father's hand away. Once again he thought he
was at the verge of bursting into tears. Trying to
compose himself, he said in a pleading voice : ``Why,
Appa? Why should you be doing all this!''

``Venu, you are a grown boy now! Surely you understand!
... I understand how you feel about this and I know
your intentions are good. If you think badly about me,
please bear with me ... In due time, you will know right
from wrong. I will forgive you for what you have done,
because you are my son and I love you. Think about it,
is it not shameful for a son to get into the personal
life of his own father? If I was in your position,
Venu, I would live in shame for the rest of my life!''

Mr. Sundaram got up to leave. Venu did not know what to say.
Why was his father forgiving him? Why should he feel
any shame? ... But Venu did not speak his mind. `It's
a waste of time,' he thought. `I can never convince him
what he has done is wrong, let alone correct him.'

4

``Amma ...''

Only Venu addresses his mother as Amma. Her other kids
call her Mom.

When Venu called her, Rukmini Ammal was comfortably
seated in her arm chair, reading Julius Huxley.
Venu could see the title of the book. Knowledge,
Morality, and Destiny.

``Amma, can I interrupt your reading?''

``Of course you can! I am your mother! Here, come to me ...''
Rukmini Ammal said in an affectionate tone. Venu pulled
himself a chair next to her. He did not know how to begin.
Rukmini Ammal looked at her grown son with a sense of pride.
He sat there silently, playing with the ring on his
finger. She thought he had come to her for advice
regarding a personal matter. She felt important
and happy about it. She waited for Venu to initiate
the conversation. But seeing that he was hesitant, she
said. ``What's it Venu? Are you bored here?''

``Hmm ...'' Venu lifted his head and looked at his mother.
``I can't say I am bored, but I don't like this life style.
After all, I am the village type. I don't like the ultra
modern life style that you folks live up here ...''

After a minute's silence, Rukmini Ammal replied. ``I don't
see your problem, Venu. I think we have been living more
or less the same way ever since you were born ... nothing
ultra modern about it ... can you be more specific?''

``I wonder why I came to live here ... I feel I am in a
stranger's house. I cannot understand the relationships
in this family ... I think these relations are all
too flaky ... too artificial. I am thinking of going back
to grampa's house.''

They both remained silent for a few minutes. It was
afternoon and the household was silent. The silence
seemed more poignant than ever.

``I don't understand why all of a sudden this is a
problem to you ... I understand that we live differently
than your grandfather and grandmother. But, at your age,
I would have imagined you find their lifestyle boring.
But likes and dislikes are what one acquires. But
Venu, this is your house too. Who is stopping you
from living the way you want to? Whatever we are
and however we live, one thing is certain -- we are
all free to live the way we wish, and no one here
has the right to question the independence of the
other ... I don't know if you remember, your grandparents
visited us when you were a little boy. You insisted
that you will go with them to the village. I respected
your wish and sent you along. I respect everyone's
independence, even my childrens'. What's stopping you
from living here the way you want to?''

Venu returned a blank stare. His mother smiled and
continued, ``So the only inference is, there is
some other reason why you want to leave. Am I
right?''

``Yes, you are right ...''

``Then why don't you say so? Instead, you say our relationships
are flaky! There must be some reason why you came to
that conclusion ... do you want to tell me what that is?''

Venu took out his hand kerchief and wiped his face. He
spoke with a great deal of hesitation. ``Amma, I don't approve
of Appa's behaviour.'' His mother did not reply. Venu
continued. ``I was not going to tell you this. I was afraid
it will ruin this family. But hiding the truth won't help
matters. It may only delay the inevitable. Amma, he is
cheating on you. Appa has cast a blemish on the pride
of this family. That is why I don't want to be part of
this family anymore. I tried to talk to him and correct
him ... but to no avail. If you can talk sense into him,
please do. I am leaving ...''

He spoke incessantly. He wanted to blurt it all out and
disappear before his mother had a chance to question him
any further. He was afraid of facing her interrogation.
She might make a scene. That won't be pretty.

``Venu ...'' Rukmini Ammal stopped him. Her voice was
calm and devoid of any extreme emotions. She motioned
Venu to sit down.

``I thought you were going to tell me your problems.
But you have brought up something related to your father.
This is indeed interesting!'' said Rukmini Ammal with
a smile.

``Do you mean to tell me you already know about all
this?''

``Let me put it this way. I was not interested
in finding out anything. Tell me, Venu, is it not
true that your father is a college professor, a
scholar, and an important person in society?''

Venu remained silent. She continued, ``Instead
of feeling proud about your father for what he is,
you choose to worry yourself sick about something
that you don't understand completely.''

``I understand completely, and that is why I had
the courage to speak to you about it. I have
proofs. I can establish it beyond any doubt.
First there was this telephone call. Then I
saw them together in the cinema theater. I
even discovered a bundle of love letters in
his draw. What more do you want?''

``Shame on you, Venu! Proofs, he says! He has
proofs! Even yellow journalists have proofs when
they write trash about big people. If they didn't
have proofs, people won't call it yellow journalism.
Why do you think respectable people stay away
from yellow journals? Because they publish about
baser values and instincts. Instead of saying something
about the greatness of a human being, they write about
the person's weaknesses. What you have done is nothing
different from yellow journalism. I pity you, Venu.
You should be ashamed!''

Then she asked in a quivering voice. ``Did you really
go and look for proofs, Venu? Oh, how you have belittled
a big man!''

Venu was thrown off the balance. ``Amma, I was only trying
to help. I was concerned about the family prestige.''

``Venu, I am deeply hurt. Not about your father, but about
you. How could you, Venu?''

``Do you realize he is cheating on you? Are you not
upset?''

``It's my problem, Venu! What right do you have to poke
into our marital problems?'' Rukmini Ammal said in a
raised voice. She then continued in a more composed
voice. ``Listen, Venu. Your father and I have lived
a happy married life for twenty five years. We intend to
live that way for the rest of our lives. We are not going
to let anything ruin our happiness. About your accusation,
yes, I did have my suspicion. Why, I admit that I am
deeply worried about it. But I say, so what? I know no one
can replace the position he has for me in his heart ...''

While she spoke, in spite of her determination, Rukmini Ammal's
voice broke down. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She took
off her glasses and wiped her tears. She stood up and
walked towards the Verandah. She returned after a couple
of minutes, having regained her self-control.

``Venu, life is not as simple as you think it is.
It is very complex, and at times confusing. It is an
art to lead a peaceful and happy family life
in spite of these confusions. Love and affection don't
make sense without patience and understanding. If I
turn possessive and want my husband to be under my
control, I can confront him. What would that bring,
Venu? Insults and injuries to all of us. It may
destroy the family, for all you know. I don't think
it is wise for me to be selfish and destroy a happy
family ... I admit that I have been worried about
it. It is not easy to be free of worries. But I
must think of the consequences before I talk
to your father about it. Moreover, there is such
a thing as upbringing and culture, Venu. What does
it mean to say that I respect your father? It
certainly means that I respect his privacy.
I can only get so near to him. What does it mean
to say I love your father? That I am willing to forgive
his weaker points and like him for his better
qualities ...

Privacy is sacred, Venu. It is barbaric for
a stranger to enter the private zone of another
person!''

``But Amma, you are not a stranger, you are his wife!''

``So what? If I misuse my rights, I stand
the risk of loose them!''

``Does he respect your privacy like you respect his?''

``Yes, he does ... Husband and wife and children,
we are all related to one another. But we are also
individuals at the same time. Each individual has
his private zone, and we must learn to respect it,
Venu. When we respect a person, we must be very very
careful about how we deal with his private matters.
I don't know what you have said to your father ...
it makes me weak even to think about it ... What
have you done, Venu! But your father is a strong man,
he will survive this. He is perfectly capable of
overcoming his weaknesses. And I am certain that
he will overcome them. You must understand this,
Venu. Here, read this book. It may help you in
expanding your vision.''

Venu didn't know what to say. He was confused. The
only ideal marriage he had seen was that of his
grandparents. He could not accept his mother's
explanations.

5

A few days later, when Mr. Sundaram returned from
work, Rukmini Ammal brought him a letter from
Venu. This was the first communication from
Venu after he had suddenly disappeared from their
house. Mr. Sundaram read the letter a second
time. ``I left because I can only live as a grandson of my
grandparents. If I have wronged by questioning
your lifestyles without understanding them,
please forgive me. Your son, Venu.''

Mr. Sundaram returned a meaningful stare to his wife. He said
with a smile, ``Traditionalists don't have to be over 70.
Your son is only in his twenties!''

Rukmini Ammal stared at her husband for a moment. Tears
welled up in her eyes. Trying to control herself, she
smiled feebly and said. ``You and your humor!''
Her voice shook. Mr. Sundaram came to her and embraced
her in his arms. What happened next is private to them.

[M.P.Premkumar]

> ********* AN INTERESTING STORY DELETED **********

That was an interesting story. But the moral of the story bothers me. What the
author implies is "There is privacy in everyone's lives and it should be respect
-ed". Fine. But the moral, "Privacy should be respected more than family bonding
and relationship" is what that bothers me. That philosophy is the Western philos
-ophy where individualism is more stressed than family bonding. Does the author
want the Indians also to embrace that philosophy ?

Personally I wouldn't want to do that. And I think most of the Indians wouldn't
want to do that. Our family bonding and relationships are last vestiges of our
Indian culture and tradition. If we lose that too then it won't take much time
to lose our identity as well.

Most of the people in India and as well as Indians in the US think they have to
live like Americans/Westerners. As one of my friends said,"We have to ADAPT not
ADOPT" referring to the western culture. If at all we have to learn anything
from the Americans/Westerners we have to learn from them their patriotism, the
sense of entrepreneurship, their involvement in the society/government/politics
and not their family values. And particularly not when their family values are
questioned by themselves. Problems like teenage violence, brittle marriages,
drug addiction of teenagers and numerous others are mainly due to the fragile
family structure of the Americans.

Like in the story many families[mainly upper class people in cities] in India
are aloof. Children grow up calling their parents "MOM" and "DAD" and end up
listening to Rock music and addicted to alcohol and drugs. Well not all families
are like that. But I have come across significant number like this. These famili
-es consists of parents[like in the story] who are educated and "MODERN" and
live like Americans. Fathers are LIONS/ROTARY club members and mothers are LIONN
-ESS/LADIES club members and they go to umpteen meetings talking about developme
-nt and modernisation of our country. And they don't bother about their children
and the children end up in the dumps. The parents think their duty is over after
they admit their children in school/college and buy them a bike/car. We can find
such AMERICANIZED Indian families in India as well as in the USA. Whenever I
see such people I am reminded of this song from a MGR movie:

"kaN pona poKkile Kaal pogalaama ?
Kaal pona pokkile manam pogalaama ?"
.......................................
"Puriyaadha sila perku pudhu naagarigam"
........................................
munnorgaL sonnaargaL adhu naagarigam"
[BTW can some one give the complete song]

Sincerely yours,
M.P.Premkumar