This was the mid 90s. Dad was in Thiruvananthapuram on a work related trip and was staying with his sister and her family. Their mother, my grandmother was also living with Aunt Ratna at the time. Grand mom was well into her 80s and had retired from her worldly duties after many decades of legendary service to family, community and society. She now spent her time on spiritual pursuits and T.V. viewing. Both activities were equally close to her heart.
T.V. was a big part of her life. She would watch it for hours in a meditative state. None would dare disturb her when she was communing with the TV in this manner. This arrangement was agreeable to the family as it kept her out of their way and distracted her from unleashing her tantrums on hapless souls that crossed her path.
One evening Dad returned from work and was changing in his room when he noticed Grand mom standing by the door. Her demeanor was changed. Her frame was small but she always exuded the confidence and authority of a matriarch. Even in her much advanced age she was capable of evoking fear and reverence in members of both family and community. But that day her body was bent, her eyes were downcast and looked swollen on closer examination. Dad was taken aback. Grand mom was not one to indulge in feminine frivolities such as shedding tears. He knew something had gone seriously wrong for her to be this emotionally distraught.
He asked her what the matter was. She entered the room and began to tell him the heartwrenching story of Janardhanan and Shivanandan . It went like this:
Janardhanan and Shivanandan were brothers. Janardhanan was older and they had a sister who was the youngest of the siblings. Misfortune and misery found them at a very young age. Janardhanan was still a wiry boy in half pants when both parents passed away, leaving him to care for his young siblings.As is often the case, when calamity struck the family, they found themselves completely alone. Relatives turned the other way and friends disappeared from their lives. Young Janardhanan swore to work himself to the ground to provide a decent life for his kin. Years passed and Janardhanan's sacrifice paid off. Both Shivanandan and the girl grew up as fine human beings. Shivanandan found a respectable job and the sister looked after home and hearth.
However, their happiness was short lived. Shivanandan came under the influence of bad elements and got himself into serious trouble. When Janardhanan intervened to correct his brother's ways, he turned against him. Janardhanan was heart broken on being scorned by his beloved younger brother.
This, however, was not the end of his woes. Their sister was diagnosed with a near fatal illness and was advised immediate surgery. The surgery would cost Rs. 50,000. Janardhanan had no means of raising this much money. For the sake of his sister, the self respecting man who never sought help from anyone even as an orphaned child, went knocking on the doors of relatives and acquaintances asking for help. They all turned him away. He was completely crushed.
At this point in the story, Grand mom paused. Emotions overwhelmed her. She took a few moments to collect herself.
When she spoke again she said, "If I had the money, I would gladly give it to that poor boy. He has seen far too much misery in life. But I have no more than a few thousand. It wont help him.It will mean a lot to me if you can lend him the money. He is a good boy and deserves our help"
Dad was confused. He was unable to place the people his mother spoke of. He asked her who they were. She said, " You dont know them . They are good boys. So are you going to help them?"
Dad was perplexed. His mother was not the sort to be easily overcome by emotions. Obviously she cared deeply about these people and was touched by their plight. It struck him as strange that he had never heard of them.
He told her, he needed time to think, they could continue the conversation over dinner. She quietly turned and left the room. Dad went looking for his sister to find some answers. He found her in the kitchen preparing the night's dinner. He recounted what had transpired between him and grand mom. She was amused at Dad's obvious agitation. She smiled knowingly while Dad's confusion only grew. After a few moments she decided to give him some answers. She turned to him and said, " Dont worry abt it. She was watching a movie this afternoon. The people she is referring to are characters in the movie. You know how she thinks everything on TV is real. Since she saw the movie, she is hell bent on helping them out of their predicament". She rolled her eyes and went back to her chores.
