Pookal Pookum Tharunam

ᴛʜɪʀᴛᴇᴇɴ

"Devi - The divine woman"

April 9, 2019

Ajay

Talking is not such a hard job i guess!

Yesterday morning, I decided to talk to her and invest my valuable time on her as I have noone but her. I had no idea if Sreedevi was interested to talk to me but I was sure on my decision. I could clearly see her looking at me confused but some or the other way I didn't feel uncomfortable. Talking to someone other than works or unnecesarrily used to make me feel uncomfortable. Though, I talked to her only during the cooking time, I was very friendly with her. It made me feel so happy.

I never thought talking to Sreedevi would make me feel happy. It all felt new. Its been years since i have experienced something warm and happy.

Day before yesterday, I slept in my room in embarassment. Yesterday I had no heart to sleep in my room. I stood by the door step of her room while she arranged her bed. She raised her eyebrows at me.

"Illa.. Inaik konjam sooda iruku. Athaan Ac.."

A chuckle left her lips before she shaked her head and continued doing her work.

I close my eyes and act like sleeping when Sreedevi comes out of the washroom wearing a dark green inskirt and blouse covering her upper body with a long towel. Her hair was tied in a bun with another cotton towel. She glanced me and opened her wardrobe. I slightly opened my eyes and looked her. She took out a dark green plain cotton saree from the wardrobe and looked at me again. I continued acting like sleeping.

Is she going to drape the saree over here?

I can't get up and go now. She might find that I was acting all these while.

Awkward!

Ok lets sleep for real!

I buried my face on the pillow and shut my eyes. After precisely 15 seconds, I opened my eyes slightly. She has moved to the corner of the room, her back facing me. She started draping the saree standing there.

An image of my mom at her younger age draping a navy blue saree and my cousin sister crawling beside her playing with a toy flashes on my mind. I smiled remembering my childhood. Draping a saree is an art. I used to admire when my mom used to drape saree and wonder how she do it so fastly. It hardly took 5 minutes for her to drape a saree.

Sreedevi finished draping the saree and moved out of the room. I peeked outside the room and found her walking to the pooja cupboard in the hall. She opened the cupboard and touch the diety's photo praying. She poured some oil in the pooja lamp before liting it. She prayed for a minute. She then moved to the kitchen and returned after a couple of minute with cocunut shell charcoal in a long dhoop stand. She added some benzoin resin to it which brings a smoke with insane fragrance out of it. She walked around the house showing the smoke chanting some mantras to herself. She came to the room and I immediately act like sleeping.

She kept the dhoop stand near the pooja cupboard and came back to room. She sat on the vanity and removed the towel on her head and started drying her hair. Sreedevi's hair is of wavy type. Its neither longer nor shorter. She collects all her hair to her left side and pats it. Some of her hairs are stuck on her face.

I propped up on my elbow and watched her. She closed her eyes humming a song and dried her hair. The early sunrays from the window on her right side hit her face making her look heavenly. Her normal cotton saree, the slight streak of ash on her forehead, those glass bangles, those jhumkas that are dancing according to her tune, the long thali thats hidden inside her saree leaving the chain to be exposed. The sunrays hitting on the wet parts of her exposed skin made it shine.