Au Revoir to My
Friend, guide,the unseen but forceful
Rangan
Romancing The Rangan
These 2 odd years have been quite a waltz. Unobstrusive, undemanding but directing my life with HIS very
Presence, Rangan was ,has
and will be a great force in my life. It
was a very sweet interlude ,rather
like the gentle breeze in the middle of
scorching summer ,this stay in Srirangam, a small township.
We felt the presence in HIS absence all the time, and Vice
versa in our street house , or on the streets ,in the temple or outside of it. As we ran to have a glimpse
of Rangan at Purappaddu, much like a lover running to see his /her “life” for a
moment, we felt the same rush of adrenaline as we saw HIM walk on the steps. Majestic, kingly, sometimes
stern , sometimes with a twinkle in HIS eye, HIS mandahaasa smile….it was as
our imagination suited us.
But I never imagined I would run like a possessed soul to
just stand in a corner and catch a glimpse of Namperumal. I have never liked
the crowd, or being jostled or being awakened at odd times…. HE has left me
still wondering……..
I have felt a fullness that has filled up my empty being but now I fear that fullness might be a little
bit startled.
To be very honest, I’ve never liked this place and I have had many instances to say so…I did
my undergraduation here, and was brought here innumerable times, there has been
no connection for me then. But let me
tell you that, short of a miracle, it so happened that some distant relative
called me to tell me about this house. We were quite comfortably settled in a
posh apartment in Chennai and I surprised myself when I forced my husband to
consider this option of moving here. This done, I will be failing in my honesty
if I don’t mention here that many things about this house were not all that comfortable
except that it was very near the temple.
From day 1 the temple
and Rangan have been our target. And to say that I’ve been considered a
slightly mentally imbalanced person would be putting it mildly, I know for sure
that many residents of this erstwhile township have thought me a mad hatter.
We have rushed into the temple early mornings only to return
sullen as we were late , so the next day would see us earlier only to be told
that the “ Rangan walk” was over. It took us sometime to figure out the perfect
timings and places to stand and see. Yes, it was just standing in a corner and
seeing HIM from a distance. That made it
so interesting because it lent us the freedom of imagination that knew no
bounds.
During some festivals we were there just to enjoy HIM from
different corners like enjoying the very emotion laden Veena recital in unison,
by 5 Asthana vidwans. We took our stand at a different corner each day to make
sure we had different glimpse everyday. What else could one call this but a ‘Lovers
Peek’. It was love at first sight for us, though we pretended to be very normal
beings, we have never run behind a small
idol this much and unless we have been infected by a bug or HE has been bitten
by the lover bug I don’t see how this could have happened ,because as much as
we ran to see HIM, I’m sure HE also ran to see us from behind the curtain or
from behind a pillar ,or from HIS stand on a pedestal…
And if this should be ranting and raving, then so be it,
because, I’m sure we’ve both mutually had the
enchanting experience of peeking at one another from various points, and that, my
friends , is what this interlude was all about!
HIS absence is HIS presence!
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