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But Pushpa stayed silent, head bowed, looking at the pavadai-davani……..
"Is this what you have learnt in all those fancy schools you've been to? Maybe Lalithakka and I have lived all our lives here, but don't think we are fools. We have seen Life. What do you know? You read a few English books, and you think you know everything? So arrogant! How do you get on with everyone at this rate?"

Tell her, Amma, tell her that I have a nice set of friends; my teachers like me. Tell her that I am a good student, first in my class, that I win inter-school prizes for dramatics and elocution…….. I am not arrogant. I read only because I love books. I am no different from Vidya. You and Appa, Arjun and I….we all have such fun talking, sharing views…. I have always been allowed to speak my mind.

And Pushpa kept silent.
"And if you are so stubborn? What will you do tomorrow when you get married? How will you behave with your in-laws? People are already beginning to ask about you. Will you drag our name through mud? Remember, you are a girl…..a girl must be adjusting….."

Tell her, Amma…..tell her you will not stand by while she talks to your daughter like that. Tell her that I will make a good wife and a mother simply because you are doing your best to bring me up as a good human being, with dignity, with self-respect, and belief in oneself….and that's all that one needs ……

"Ah yes, a girl has to get married", smiled Lalithakka, "But who knows what is waiting for you? People might look at you, the way you are, and get scared to approach us.", she cackled. "Let's see, maybe you'll get a husband who'll beat you and keep you in your place! But before that, Pushpa, you should see about fattening this girl of ours up a bit. It is a pity she is so thin and dark…. she has not taken after our family for colour. Look at Paddu, even today…..", and she stared hard at Pushpa's nut-brown skin.

Meera looked at Lalithakka….just looked at her for one terrible second, and all the images of specially cooked food, doll making, and mardhani, turned a dirty colour-with-no-name.

And Meera's mother kept silent.

Meera swallowed. Lips trembling, she began on a half-sob: "Amma, can't you….?" and it was then that, for the very first, and very last time, in both their lives, Pushpa swung towards Meera in pure anger, lips drawn back, teeth on edge, hand raised. Meera, never having been given any reason to learn to cower away at any point of time in her young life, stood still, looking at her mother in utter incomprehension.

Then Pushpa looked at Meera with eyes gone flat and blank, slowly lowered her hand, and said: "Do you want to hear some more or will this do? Take all this, get dressed, and come soon. Lalithakka is waiting. If you are not ready by the time Vidya comes, let her get her hair done first. And Chinakka has also got her gold 'kasumala' from the safe….you'll wear that for the evening."

Meera couldn't look at her anymore.

You forgot to tell me I have to change for a few weeks every year, wear a designed-for-Rampuram-skin, just so that things go smoothly for you, didn't you?!

She quietly gathered the stuff and disappeared into the newly built "attached" bathroom.

Vidya and her mother came in while Meera's hair was being done. Long rows of jasmine were being braided along with her long, black hair, topped off by a circular creation of jasmine and kanakambaram.
"Lalithakka, there is no one to beat you in this." Vidya's mother exclaimed. "I can't understand how some girls can say "No" to this…..you look lovely, Meera. Vidya was so excited about this programme, she has talked of nothing else whole day. Did you know, Meera, that last year, at the fancy dress event for Annual Day, Vidya went as a "korothi", and Lalithakka only dressed her up. She got First Prize!"
Was it deliberate…..?
Meera was no longer sure of anything….or anyone.
Vidya smiled right through.

Both the girls knew that from that moment on, something had changed forever between them.
Of course, they would always be friends, and they would remain so till the very end. They would never talk about this day, about their silent recognition of the fact that there had a strange re-arrangement of particles in the atmosphere around them.

That night, after the ebb and flow of ladies and girls in all their finery had finally come to an end, after all the songs had been sung by the same women who were "coaxed" to sing every year, and a frugal dinner (after all that pigging out on sundal and sweets, how could anyone be hungry?!) was over, Meera quietly slipped into the darkened garden at the back of the house, and settled down near the parijatha tree, on the little raised wall leading nowhere, protecting nothing. She stared ahead, thinking, wondering, realising, understanding….and not liking most of her new knowledge. Arjun found her there, and sat down next to her.
"Did she use all her sarcasm at you?", he asked.
"She did", Meera replied quietly, "And Lalithakka did her bit……", her voice trailed away.
But neither of them could talk, would talk about what they really wanted to understand.

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