Some Extracts from my recently published novel, “Her Untamed Soul”

1. Latha’s first crush

She blushed to think about him and saw her face in the mirror as she combed her hair before going to bed. “I think I have a cute face and a dimple when I smile,” she thought. The girl observed her shining black eyes and gazed at them for long.

Indeed, they had the night’s mysterious beauty, and when they sparkle, they make tiny stars.

“Did Sir not notice them when his black eyes were drilling into mine to know how much pain the wounds caused her?” Latha thought to herself.

She smiled at her reflection and appreciated her flowerlike sweetness. She felt beautiful, and, to her, the world appeared a paradise. She gyrated and leaped into her bed when her mother shouted,” Lathaaaa! Are you still awake?”

She switched off the light and snuggled into her warm blanket. That night she dreamt…

2. Danger lurking…

Like focussed predators, they surged ahead, noiselessly guided by the light of the torch that blinked in the darkness. They entered the bush on the Pallar (Dalit) village’s outskirts, and with swift feet, they trudged along the jungle path that bent in the undergrowth. They trod on the bushes and trampled over the long grasses, leaving gigantic footprints on the soft muddy track.

They saw the sleepy village once they crossed the jungle. Glowworms illuminated the pitch-dark pale moon night. The thatched houses made of mud, bamboo, and grasses lay clustered together as if, in camaraderie. The huts snuggled close to each other as the inmates, the poor creatures in deep slumber, unaware of Death’s shadow hovering around so close.

3. Latha’s menarche amidst spring green..

It was her first day at school. She could not afford to be late. The wind was soothing and had a pleasant feel as it caressed her tender arms and legs. It blew the branches that offered the scent of the tight green buds on them. The mango trees, in particular, were laden with sweet-smelling white blossoms that spread the message of an abundance of juicy fruits in the next season.

She tilted her head toward the sunlight’s kiss. The fluffy clouds drifted across the clear sky. The clouds, the trees, the budding green leaves, the heady perfume of the mango blossoms sent her into ecstasy, which brought a sudden surge of pain in her lower abdomen. Her legs felt weak, and her face had a strange flash of anguish. Her breasts had felt heavier and painful as if wounded and remained tender for a few days.

Meanwhile, she managed to limp along for 30 minutes walk to her school. She could not speed up as the cramps intensified with every heavy step. She entered nervously into the prayer hall. Latha closed her eyes for the first time and tried to concentrate. But the growing ache in her abdomen wouldn’t let her focus.

The Headmistress, Sister Rosario’s speech seemed incomprehensible. A sense of acute pain and discomfort overwhelmed her. She tried hard to sit quietly on the second row of girls. She smiled at the girl beside her. Her eyes were kind, and she smiled back at her. Lilith, she said, and clarified that she was a Tamil Christian. Latha Vannier, she told her name. They shook hands warmly.

She made desperate attempts to deviate her mind from her severe abdomen contractions. She felt feverish while her history teacher taught them about “The Neolithic Age” in human civilization. While jotting down the main points discussed by Mrs. Iyer, she felt faint. There was a feeling of frantic pull down there in her Vagina. This feeling was unknown. something pushed out, and there was a wet discharge in her panty.

She stood up, hiding her feeling, and politely asked the teacher to allow her to the washroom.  By the time she entered the toilet, she had found blood streaming down her thighs. She was shaken but was aware of her problem. She found a few girls menstruating in the previous school. She called an Office girl who happened to pass by.

Kiyash falls in love…

That night he dreamt of Aamani, the cute pallar girl with a naughty face in his village for whom he had once developed a crush. She was a sweet girl of twelve with short curls, and he was only fifteen. He saw her running through the mango groves, hitching up her pale blue Pavadai (long skirt), and he was desperately trying to grasp her because she was heading towards the turbulent sea.

Suddenly, she turned back and smiled, and the face transformed into young Latha. He ran desperately to catch up with her. The girl eluded his grasp and disappeared into the deep blue water.

Kiyash broke down into sobs, devastated. He suddenly awakened with a blinding headache. Aamani drowned into the village pond long back, and the intensity of that sad memory had faded with time.  Why did she reappear after years? “God bless my Latha, please,” he mumbled as he held his face buried into his palms. He made himself a cup of tea and sneaked out into the darkness, cautiously closing the door. It was 2.30 a.m, and the pale moon peeped behind the tall palm trees.

The air was crisp, and the gentle breeze kissed his forehead and cheeks like a message from his girl. It soothed his aching head. He thanked Latha in the gentle wind and the softly rustling leaves. He saw her face in the white and magenta blooming bougainvillea in his garden and heard her voice even in the distant whistling of the nightbirds.

He prayed for her to the pole star, breathing her in the refreshing air. The sweetness of the night-blooming jasmine in the darkness bore her message.

Their first romantic encounter..

In a sudden impulsive mood, Kiyash held Latha’s hand. Initially, she felt a tremor, but there was an instant upsurge of blood in her being, and her heart seemed to burst out in a flood of the passion of the moment. Kiyash felt the nervy quiver in her hand and pressed it lovingly to reassure her. “Are you scared of me? “he asked.

Latha nodded her head. “Then why are your hands so shaky like a frightened dove? Why shouldn’t a good friend hold your lonely hand Latha?”

She was in enchantment and loved his manly grip. Yet, there was a fear lurking somewhere at the corner of her mind.

“Am I falling in love with his irresistible charm?” she asked herself.

Be as it may, she heard the red wattled lapwings nesting on the shores, calling out to their mates. Kiyash heard them too. He peered into her eyes tenderly, and the deluge of emotions in her eyes inundated him at that moment. Sudha observed them holding hands and took her time to return to them, calling out their names.

She was ambling towards them, giving them time. They went boating in the kallar river. It was the slack tide, but the strong winds blew their hair in all directions. The swinging movement of the boat, the rhythm of the small waves, spraying water all over them, stirred up their youthful spirit.

Drunken bliss of a simple peasant

That night Banaj returned home blind drunk and reeling as he tapped on his cottage door. He was spilling over with happiness, singing down the village road as he staggered his way to his home.

When Ratna opened the latch, he almost fell on her. She held his hand and made him sit on his cot. As she was about to turn away to bring his dinner, Banaj pulled her hand to make her sit beside him. He broke out ecstatically into an erotic song while he rested his head on her breast. His wife felt embarrassed as their son was in the other room, perhaps listening to his father’s drunken madness.

She blushed, and said “What will the boy think? You have gone out of your mind, old man.” Baanaj laughed out merrily, his eyes twinkling mischievously at his wife, and said, “Yes, Theney (expressing deep love in a relationship, dear), I am darn happy today after a long time. Are you not delighted as well, my Anpe (darling)? He said so and gave a smack on her cheek.

Ratna had always been lucky that her husband, unlike others, never abused or beat her after he got drunk. Yet, since they came to this village, she did not find him intoxicated like today. He would not let her bring his dinner that night and slept in her arm in perfect bliss after a long spell.