Ritu Siddharth
Kutty ran after a yellow butterfly. It rested on a shoe-flower. 2½ foot, 6 yr old Kutty could not reach however much he stretched or jumped. His playmate, Engu, as he called him, brought down the shoot and caught the insect. Kutty clapped hands, peered curiously at its wing. Venkat tried to hold it tight, pulling off its wing in the attempt. It lay on the ground trying its best to fly with one wing. Kutty knelt down and touched it with his index finger; jerked away as the crippled butterfly tried to crawl onto his hand. Venkat stamped it and put an end to its life. Kutty wondered why it was not moving or flying anymore. His face reflected a sore expression.
Kutty was an epileptic and retarded. He was abandoned by his 48 yr old mother, who had 3 children older than him, when he was 3 yrs old. The child slept on the pavement and ate what the well-to-do discarded in the disposable plates and cups on the road side. People disliked his Somalian-like form..hollow cheeks, sunken eyes, round skull covered with thin scalp bearing spiky spare hair, chest showing visible ribs that could be counted effortlessly from a distance, match-stick limbs…He was ready to consume anything that was given to him. Sometimes he picked up from unattended food material when he was hungry and was thrashed in reward.; poor boy would only wail aloud till the neighbors shut their ears in discomfort.
Kutty fell, face down, with fits in a pool of water while trying to drink water from a tap. While most pedestrians just clucked and exclaimed ‘poor boy’ and went about their chores, an old lady hurried to him, lifted him to an elevated ground away from moisture and thrust her iron key into his hand, as was the belief that iron thwarts fits. His mouth frothed, eyes twitched, limbs flung in rhythmical spasms. The fits stopped in 2 mins; he passed excreta in the episode. The old lady cleaned him; he sat up and blinked around, chewing his empty mouth.
Sarasamma, as the old lady was known, turned to her work; she sold timber for firewood, had a 12 yr old orphan, Shanmugavel, for assistance. Kutty stood holding the indigenous gate of her depot. “Didn’t go home?” she asked him. He blinked at her as if she had no form. She thought he was deaf. She repeated her question in signs. He made a sign with his head and brow, ‘what?’ Just then a series of crackers went off at a local festival. Kutty started at the sudden explosions. So he heard! She gave him idly. He ate greedily. “Want more ?” she was affectionate. He nodded vigorously; so consumed one more, and wiped his hand in his trouser. “What’s your name? she asked.
“Utty”, he answered.
The next day Kutty appeared at her gate again, on one leg, his arm clinging to the gate. She gave him cold rice that had gone a little rancid. He did not complain… he was regular to come every afternoon and effortlessly stuck to her.
Soon she understood he was an epileptic with retarded mental faculty. Seeing him wander aimlessly she resolved to feed him with whatever meal she could provide. Now Kutty ate and slept in the timber depot along with the older boy , Shanmugavel.
Kutty was very slow to learn anything new. Sarasamma taught him very patiently to wash and dress himself, to signal when he was hungry. She even taught him to lie down when he began to feel queer before the start of a bout of fits.
Sarasama had 2 grandsons, aged 13 and 16. They would visit her once in a while.
Sarasamma gave Kutty a bowl of rice gruel. Unable to handle it with one hand he dropped the bowl spilling the gruel. Her older grandson snatched him by his hair, “How careless you are! ..Oh, how careless!..don’t you know you are here for charity!” he slapped him. Kutty could only blinked at him, wondering if it was safe to wail loud. He then knelt to gather the spilled gruel, by then much of it had already been absorbed in the mud. He licked what remained in his hand and had to go without his lunch that day. “This’ll teach you”, said the older boy through clenched teeth.
The next day was worse. As he was carrying slit logs he collided with the older grandson . In a fit of rage the bigger boy punched him repeatedly. 8 yr old Kutty was too shocked at the sudden violence on him; he fell on the ground throwing fits. The assailant was taken aback at the sudden turn of events, he quickly walked into the shop and sat with his back facing the entrance as if nothing had happened. Fits stopped spontaneously. Kutty lay semiconscious for a while, he was still confused when he tried to seek Sarasamma.
Saturday: Sarasamma was observing fast for Lord Balaji. Shanmugavel and Kutty were fetching slit wood to the weighing scale. The revenue Inspector was going on raid to detect child labor, at the order of the District Collector. Shanmugavel and Kutty were fetching logs in the timber depot. Sarasamma had just returned from her house. Soon Sarasamma was taken away for interrogation and later remanded, while the boys were sent to care center. Shanmugavel was made to work more at the centre. The caretakers were abusive with Kutty and were overtly annoyed with his frequent fits; they did not want a boy who was of little help to them. He was let out; he wandered as before , before he located Sarasamma’s depot.. Shanmuga pleaded with the caretakers to let him go. When they refused he made good his escape.He found half of the timber gone when he arrived at the depot and saw the little boy lying curled on the bench. Kutty clung to Shanmugavel when he saw him and signed to him he was hungry.
Sarasamma was released from jail after 6 months. Shanmuga told her half the timber was stolen, that he sold the remains as per old rate, and handed over the sales money.
During her stay in the jail Sarasamma learnt there was remedy for epilepsy. She took Kutty to Govt hospital regularly and got antiepileptic medicine.. she taught him to take medicine in the morning and night; he had much less attacks thereafter.
10 yrs later Shanmugavel married a local girl; he left timber depot and worked as lorry cleaner. Sarasamma was beginning to weaken due to age and overwork. She sold the depot to a man and settled in making ‘sev’ and ‘sundal’. Kutty carried baskets of the snacks for sale.
Sarasamma realized she could give kutty care only as long as she lived. One day she persuaded the local politician to give a recommendation letter and got kutty into mental hospital. She told him it was his new home, and she would visit him now and then.
Kutty cried like a child when Sarasamma was not found anywhere near and tried to break away once. The doctor was kind to him, told him amma would visit him regularly. Kutty was finally pacified; the doctor used him as one of his personal assistant..kutty began to accept his new environment.
Kutty would stand near the gate everyday expecting her arrival, sometimes when she came he was overjoyed.
Gradually the gap between her visits widened, but Kutty never stopped his habit of looking for her every evening, his chin resting on his arm on the gate, shifting on his legs when they ached.
…Concluded