Family Story – THE TSUNAMI DEMON –PART FOUR
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Everybody –parents of Raju and Ragini ,relatives and friends—felt that the gods heard the prayers of Ragini . The girl’s face brightened with joy when her doting new mother Ragini and her little brother Raghu were near. The girl developed great attachment to them. But her vacant looks indicated that she was trying all by herself to resolve the issues in her little brain.
Here we should understand an important point regarding thinking styles in the brains of little children . Such children are not little babes and start developing well organized “Relational Databases” in their brains fine-structuring the data in respect of persons and things they like. They glorify the people they like and impart special magical qualities to them. They ignore the facts about persons they dislike and even “delete” such data from their brains.. They impart extraordinary qualities and magical powers to people. The databases contain magical beings both good and bad. They take emotional and unreasonable positions . they appear to have an extraordinary capacity to wriggle out of mental dilemmas all by themselves and take quick decisions like expert judges. In short they solve the problems arising in their brains all by themselves !
The little queen wanted Ragini and Raghu to be always near her. Ragini was her link to the outside world. The depressed moods of the girl and her vacant and questioning looks created great anxiety about her health . The doctors told Ragini that such shocked and traumatized children sometimes take years for complete recovery. In the case of the little girl the recovery may be in a far shorter period because she had a strong mind and possessed good health and was receiving good treatment.
The girl meanwhile was coming to some “major” conclusions on her own. She decided by some unknown logic that the beautiful house and the streets and cars of the times prior to the tsunami were somehow transformed into the new houses, new streets and new cars in the new world of Raju and Ragini in a mysterious way. The persons who officiate as anchors in TV shows of major TV channels whether at Vizag or Chennai were the same ! The TV advertisements, the cartoon films on Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck etc were all same as those she saw in Chennai in the time before the tsunami! She could easily sing the musical advertisements but now due to some mystery she lost the power to sing.
She discovered that the pictures of Ramayana gods she saw in prayer room of Ragini were same as those in the prayer room of her mother in the times before the tsunami. Discussing all such “facts” in her little brain she came to the firm conclusion that her beautiful goddess-like mother of the time before the tsunami was transformed as Ragini. The girl had the vacant looks and unable to talk. Yet she took some “major” decisions on her own and solved her problems all by herself! Soon she started checking and discussing within herself whether her father of the times before the tsunami (the sweetest person she ever knew) was transformed by god’s magic into Raju just as her mother of the time before the tsunami was changed to the form of Ragini. But the girl’s flower like delicate mind was not permitting her to overwrite her dead real father’s image in her brain’s database with that of Raju. Two most surprising incidents cleared her lingering doubts. (The processes in her flower- delicate mind were perhaps taking place because of the most excellent medical treatment being given to her by the specialist doctors).
One day Ragini took the little girl to the TV room. All of a sudden the girl insisted and almost commanded Ragini in a vexed manner to put the big sofa in front of TV! Ragini was dumbfounded . The girl insisted and began to cry. Only after the sofa was shifted she became quiet and cheerful and put her hands round Ragini ! Ragini thought and thought questioning herself why the girl suddenly expressed such a wish. After thinking over it a little Ragini easily realized that in the girls’s house that existed before the tsunami a big sofa must have been present opposite the TV! Such arrangement might have been made then too under the girl’s strictest command to her parents to enable her and her little friends to enjoy the Mickey Mouse cartoon films ! Ragini told the matter excitedly to her husband and then to her parents and in-laws. All were surprised. But was it a symbol of progress or regress in her psychological condition, they thought. After a few days there was a more surprising experience.
While all of them were going to the supermarket in their white car, the girl noticed a bright blue car in the distance coming from opposite direction. The girl pulled at Raju’s shirt and made him stop. Pointing to the blue car with her hand she began to cry shedding tears ,“It is my car ,It is my car ! I want it”. Raju was dumbfounded. He immediately took her in his arms and caressing her told “Darling ,we shall have the car. Yes, it is your own!”. Ragini too kissed the girl and said “Nanna !—(meaning little darling in Telugu language)— We shall surely have that .”Both Raju and Ragini easily realized that that the girl’s parents of the time before the tsunami were probably having such a blue car. In two days they exchanged one of their cars for the blue car of “Maruthi” make and of exactly same model. The girl was very happy! She was a dictatorial autocratic little queen!
Still one more test (more exciting) to the new parents who were getting intoxicated with her new love. The girl liked sitting beside Ragini for long periods in the prayer room while the latter prayed to the beautiful gods .The girl too sat till the prayers were completed as the environment was so beautiful and calm. It was mainly these long sessions in the prayer room that led the queen to the conclusion that the angelic Ragini was the same as her beautiful mother of the times before the tsunami. She found in Ragini all the beauty, piety, sorrow, sweetness, love and the soft smiling nature which she found in her real mother of the time before the tsunami.
One day when Ragini was in the prayer room the queen came regally and conveyed her serious doubt through actions,gestures and half syllables as Ragini listened bemusedly. She dragged a low wooden stool beside Ragini’s seat . Pointing at it she shouted “daddy!” The girl appeared to be in a slightly angry mood. Ragini could not help laughing . She lifted the girl in her arms ,took her to Raju’s room and then smilingly narrated the incident to him. Surprisingly the girl began to cry. Her little heart trembled about Raju’s reaction.
Raju was moved and wanted to banish all her unfounded fears. He smiled and took her in his arms. With emotion-filled husky voice and tearful eyes he was unable to speak and only showered kisses on her reddened cheeks on which tears fell from his eyes . It was a moment of great emotion for Raju. He greatly feared that the child might get emotionally upset. They gave her medicine and put her to sleep. They acquainted the doctor of this little incident . the doctors assured there was nothing to worry about any emotional upset in the girl’ brain. It was clear that the girl’s dead father of the time before the tsunami always sat beside his wife daily in the prayer room and prayed to the beautiful Ramayana gods. But here in this new place Raju was not sitting in the prayer room beside Ragini !
Raju also realized that the little girl in her little heart wanted reciprocation of her affection from Raju in a big reassuring way. He felt very guilty. He understood the mind of the girl. The girl wanted that “daddy” should do whatever “mummy” did. Then only he would be accepted in her heart as “daddy”. The little girl considered Raju as very deficient in his character and conduct compared to Ragini. Now who can deny that such little girls cannot be tough judges?
Ragini (the new incarnation of her “mummy” of the time before the tsunami) daily prayed before the gods. She burned incense, lighted lamps, rang the little bells and decorated god’s little figures with flowers. Raju was not doing all this. He never entered the prayer room at all and just sat in his sofa in the living room reading fat books.The little girl’s thinking was so simple and clear. She would never change her views ! Raju felt utterly defeated by the girl’s argument and so had no other way than to obey her command! He loved the little girl as much as Ragini. Emotion overtook him again and tears welled in his eyes. Till now he was always immersed in his engineering designs, news papers and English novels.He straight away went into the house,bathed and dressed himself in special prayer room silk dress , sat beside Ragini in prayer room and started reciting aloud some Sanskrit hymns in praise of the Ramayana gods. He lighted the small oil lamps and burned incense. Every few days he followed the practice.
One Sunday evening all of them went on a long drive into the city. They visited a big temple and then went to a big garden. They visited a big mall and then took their food in a classy restaurant. They returned home at 9’o clock in the night. The girl was getting used to such trips .She enjoyed playing with little Raghu.The weak and withdrawn look in her face existing since many months was disappearing. As days passed by she became active and playful like her little brother . She just could not leave the company of her brother. She too would dance and jump like Raghu and when tired fall into arms of her parents. When Raghu went to school she would often wander into Raju’s room where she found him immersed in his books. Often he put his books aside and played with her and made her laugh.The girl was mesmerized by Raju as he drew pictures and took her and Raghu to gardens, zoo or on shopping trips. In many trips only Raju and the children would go. Ragini felt happy not about lessening of her burden but about the fact that the girl was fast recovering.
Another wonder was in store. It was Raghu’s birth day. Many children and parents came and there was great merriment and noise. The little girl dressed gorgeously in silks and wearing a little gold necklace and a small gold crown looked like a real princess. She did not participate in the shouting and playing and sat pensively in the lap of her father. But there was a great shine in her eyes.When some guests asked her name she cried out energetically “Chinna, Chinna!”. Raju and Ragini were dumbfounded as usual! They never gave her any such name before! Then it must surely be her pet name from the time before the tsunami! She appeared to belong to a Telugu speaking family just like them ! In Telugu language the word meant “dearest little one”. The guests left and the children had their food. The girl was given her sedative medicine and she and her brother were put to bed. Raju announced that the girl’s birth day would be celebrated after ten days .
The great day was just three days away. An invitation card was printed and sent to a close friends and relatives. They all went to the supermarket and purchased dresses and toys for “Chinna” and Raghu. On the “birth day” both the children wore dazzling dresses . Both children with their parents went to the big beautiful temple nearby. A special worship was conducted by the priest for good health of the girl. The function at home was simple and solemn. All the guests were informed, right at the time of invitation, about the extremely delicate health of the girl and were requested in advance to understand. The girl was in the function only for a short time. Even the cake was cut by Raghu on behalf of Chinna who sat with her father .There was no dancing and singing and shouting and clapping. The children went to the sweet little girl and wished her happy birth day. “Chinna”—it became the little queen’s name— sat with her parents with a distant nervous look. Little Raghu received the presents on behalf of his sister.
Raju blessed the girl in his heart of hearts and solemnly assured the gods that he would protect the child till his last breath. That assurance from Raju appeared to have pleased the gods. Her health further improved, indicated by her healthy laughter and a new shine in her eyes. Within a year the girl regained her normal health. We find both the children dancing together and shouting together.
At last memories of the “ferocious beast” left her thoughts and dreams never to return. At last she escaped from the clutches of the cruel and ferocious beast—the tsunami.
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