Sshhhhh!

It was 11 30 AM. The sun was closing on at its scorching best. The air was sultry and droplets of sweat were dripping over my eyebrows. One of the thara thappattai guys had just begun his rhythm and his other partner was holding his drumstick looking closely to what his senior partner was getting at. The slick old man on the urumi was not done with his beedi yet. It had been a tiring day for me, running from burial ground to cab service to the Government hospital.

"Mama, I need to buy flowers and garlands. Amma asked me to tell you" Viji, one of Muthu's two sons tucked at my shirt. He was 6 and resembled his dad in appearance. I handed him over the smeared and crumpled hundred rupee note from my khaki shirt and the kid ran along the street towards the corner shop. I had just expired the last paise I had. But my temporary bankruptcy seemed to be nothing when compared to the loss of Muthu.

It has been 12 years since I have known him. I still remember the day when both of us were standing in front of the skeptical eyes of Ravi anna, our then area councilor and the owner of the autos we wanted to hire. He has been a pillar of support for us ever since and the one we look up to in case of any need we have. He was now sitting in a corner chair under the shamiana, clad with white shirt and white dhoti. He had lost most of his hair and weight but still held an aura that is truly his. He was rimmed by wannabes listening to him intently. I was not sure what they were talking about; perhaps, about the sewage canal project that has been in the pipeline for more than 4 years now. His eyes occasionally gazed at Akila, our area’s sweetheart. She had moved into the area with her elderly father 6 months back. She was slender and of average complexion. Her eyes more than made up for her medium height but it was her voice that drove men crazy. She had an accent and tone that would melt the toughest rogues in seconds. This, combined with her coy smile, made her simply irresistible. And Ravi anna was no exception.

The junior thappattai guy had now joined the party. They were complementing each other with their seemingly random beats as the music slowly took over. I moved my hips and neck minutely on either sides holding my chest still, taking inside the timing and pace of their music. A half of Kalyani I had gulped an hour earlier was slowly showing its effect inside my head. I remember someone removing my slippers from my feet and placing them aside. I was not in a position to acknowledge the gesture as I continued to sway slowly with the beats.

Muthu was living in a small house on a narrow road paying nominal rent. I stay a couple of streets away, although one could hardly differentiate the streets in our area. He had recently painted his house light green saying it was his wife's favourite colour. Now, he was lying there motionless, near the small grill gate under the shade of the shoe flower plant his wife was so fond of. He was encased in a glass box, his feet tied together and nose stuffed with cotton. He was covered fully with a white sheet except for his face. There were garlands all around him, a couple of incense sticks supported on a small stand taking their time to fade away. He was surrounded by women sitting in the ground, their faces swelled due to long spells of crying. Sundari, my wife, was consoling Raji. Raji had a crush on Muthu right from her childhood days and she had moved out of her family to marry him. She had never expected Muthu would desert her. She was still in a state of shock and disbelief, her expressions not very different from her 4 year old younger son Balaji. Balaji could not understand the sudden attention his home had received nor did he realize he was seeing his dad for the last day.

The urumi man was now done with his beedi. He was rubbing his stick against his melam to produce a sound akin to a raging bull as he crushed the remnants of his beedi with his right foot. As he too joined the mini orchestra, the output sound sent my blood gushing to my head. I started drawing semi-circles in air with my half bent arms thumbs up, my entire body accompanying my hands’ motion and my feet following in small unsteady steps. I could feel the rhythm building inside me. The thappatai and urumi guys surrounded me and continued to slowly increase the tempo, my body ever wanting it more. They were nodding their heads to acknowledge my dance as it started blending with their beats. Raghu anna, the owner of "Star Fast foods" residing in Muthu's street, arrived there with a soda in his hand.

Star is a special place for me. In fact, for almost every auto driver in our locality. After a tiring day of driving around, it was the place where we unwind ourselves over a couple of parottas or biriyani, chit chatting about the day's events. The adjoining Kumar wines would ensure we have a deep sleep every night. I remember in one of the days, I was furious at the other driver who took a savari who was supposed to be taken by me. Although I did not create a scene at that moment, I could not control my feeling of being a victim of injustice when Kumar wines opened my eyes. It also made me feel the strongest person in the world as I decided to take on him, a 6 ft 80 Kg hulk. Just when I realized I was going to be in for some thrashing, Muthu came to my rescue from nowhere. When both of us started to get a measure of him, our fellow drivers pulled us away as the other guy had a lucky reprieve that night. I still remember the shy look on Raji's face when she was watching all the events unfolding from her friend's house through the window. I knew she had feelings for him but whenever I tell him, he just brushed aside the topic saying it’s only my imagination. Later, when we came back to our senses, I was proud of him when I came to know that he did not even know why I was fighting with the other guy the previous night.

The thappattai guys were now competing with each other. One played a beat for about 6 seconds and the other guy responded with one for another 6 seconds. As they both were looking at each other's eyes with their hands rolling around the melams independently, the urumi guy was pitching in at the right times to add flavour to the music. Balaji, seemingly bored with all that has been happening around him, came running to me with an innocent smile in his face. He shrunk his eyes and smiled wide to create cute dimples on his cheek as he called me out "Mama" with a question mark. I was not in a position to appreciate his beauty either. My pulse was rising. I started moving faster looking towards the sky this time, tilting my head slightly above. Balaji, being the good boy he was, started trying to mimic my actions. The music was deafening enough to suppress the sudden outcry among the women in the house.

Sundari was crestfallen as she was very fond of Muthu and Raji. During our courtship, she used to get pretty annoyed when Muthu took most of my time. She was possessive to an extent that she wouldn't even say a 'hi' to Muthu when he came across to see us. Matters got worse when Muthu and Raji gifted us a silver lamp during our marriage last year. That night, she was fuming at my friend's parsimony. She made good use of that opportunity to pour her hate out. But in the next morning when I saw the new look my auto had got, with my dream speaker adorning my auto's rear, I was speechless. Muthu and Raji were smiling shyly as they stood on each side of the auto. When Muthu asked me if I liked it, I turned to Sundari who was now counting her toes. Sundari never spoke a word against my friend then on. She also grew to be a good friend of Raji, as both of them spent most of their day time together in one of our houses.

The urumi guy was rocking. I never knew one could make so many variations with that seemingly simple instrument. The three were now matching each other in skill and variation. I shook my pelvis to the front and back as I started chopping mutton in air. I could see two other auto drivers, in their early twenties, dancing their way to the act. I also peeked at Akila, who stood beside the gate looking at Muthu.

She was in a yellow saree, the one she wears every Friday on my request. No one ever suspected anything between us until the other night when ill luck struck me. This Wednesday, I took her as usual to Anna Park after her work. I never expected Muthu to arrive at the same park for a savari, that too without my notice. He had been there spying on me for almost an hour before I caught his eye. I did not know how to react, but Muthu silently sat in his auto, ignited it and sped off. I left Akila right there as I ran to my auto to chase him down. By the time I hit the main road, the traffic was too high that I could hardly move an inch. When I stood in the same place for close to 30 minutes, I grew suspicious. I was right. Talks traveled around that there had been an accident a few minutes earlier. So I got off my auto to go have a look a few hundred meters ahead. As I reached the crowded spot, I noticed a damaged tempo traveler and an auto I could hardly identify. As I walked closer, the vehicle looked familiar to me. The harsh truth then struck me. I lost my balance for a second, and then quickly ran to the nearby Government Hospital to which people directed me. When I reached the hospital, I was informed that Muthu was in ICU unconscious. He never regained his consciousness again.

The two youngsters added their part to the music with loud whistles to complement the beats as they brought in fresh energy. The vision around us was getting blurred due to the dust off our feet as we danced to the beats aggressively. I looked at the white cloth draped around Muthu's head to keep his mouth from opening. A truth buried. I took my lungi in my mouth and started flying kite now as Balaji was jumping around me.