Writer himself is on a journey from Bangalore to Chennai in Brindavan express. Travel in first class. In Sujatha’s style of description of the environment we get to visualize the Bangalore city railway station. College age students wearing round spectacles with Hadley Chase novels in their hand surveying where young girls are seated. Bored passengers waking up and down the platform. Train needs to cross Cantonment before the coffee/tea/snacks/fast food/ guys invade the compartments. Twenty-five-year-old person occupies the seat next to him along with 9-year-old boy who takes the opposite seat. He is wearing dark sunglasses. He introduces himself to the author as Krishnakumar and that he is a blind person. Author doesn’t know how to react – should he say sorry or Oh..is it? They shake hands. He has a watch on his hand and author wonders why?

I can’t see you. I only shook your hands. Can I talk about yourself? asks Krishnakumar.

Why not? Go ahead? says the author.

Your hands are soft. So, your job is not related to manual labor. You must be working in office. Based on your voice you must be abound 35 years old. And I think you smoke.

Spot on says the author.

Author assesses correctly Krishnakumar doesn’t like pity from others. As the conversation progresses, Krishnakumar figures out he is an author, and he has read his stories. Meaning someone else has read the stories to him. In Krishnakumar’s world when he says he has seen the person it means he has touched and felt the person. He touches author’s face and feels him. Author gets goosebumps feeling. Krishnakumar says he is happy that he met (சந்தித்தில் மகிழ்ச்சி) the author. Met (சந்தித்தில்) a word from the world of people who can see (கண் தெரிந்த உலகத்தின் வார்த்தை).

Author comes to know Krishnakumar has completed his MA degree in political science. He listened to the topics, and he has someone else who wrote the exam as he dictated. While the author says that must be great Krishnakumar is unimpressed. He views it as the world who can see is using him as an exhibit like a two headed goat – something of a cruel surprise. When I read this passage, it hit me hard and challenged my currently held notions. He clarifies that this is not frustration or hatred but reality.

Then the discussion veers to colors. He asks the author to describe him the colors. Author ponders over it. Whatever words he can think of are words from the world of sight (கண் தெரிந்த வார்த்தைகள்). Since Krishnakumar is familiar with music, author tries to map the colors to swaras. Violet – Sa, Indigo – Ri, Blue – Ga, Green – Ma, Yellow – Pa, Orange – Da, Red – Ni. He says you are saying something new. I will give it a try. You try to imagine my world from your world. Train journey to me is another noise. Moving from one sound to another sound. A rhythmic shaking movement.

 Then the discussion shifts to Krishnakumar’s family. He was born blind. He talks about his mother – what he heard from others since he passed away during childbirth. A model wife. Get up early, sleep late. Take care of husband. His dad took care of him very well. He arranged an Aaya (helper) who took care of him 24/7 while he grew up. He was sent to special school for the blind. His father helped him in every step of his progress. Sent him to good college, assistants to read the lessons, tape recorders, cars to commute, etc. His father is proud of him about his MA. He wants to send him to USA. But Krishnakumar is not interested. What is America? Another country crossing the seas with different smells. His father wants him to study MLB and be a famous lawyer. That will complete his mission.

People say I look good with my sunglasses. Even some girl may come forward to marry me. What is sex? Sex is shapes I got to feel with my fingers. If I have asked my father would have arranged that too. A good Dad (செல்ல அப்பா).

Then the conversation veers in different direction. Krishnakumar feels he is better off being born as a blind child to a rich person rather than ending up as a beggar. There is some half luck there, right?

 Author tells him he should be thankful to his dad.

 Why? Because he gave me money?

  No. He got you educated. He brought you up normally.

Getting me educated is the biggest punishment I got. He could have kept me like a sheep feeding me on time without education. What education has done to me? I ended up with all kinds of questions. What is sun? What is sky? What is beauty? I will never get answers for these. But for these questions I can make up my own answers and be satisfied.

But since I got educated, I started looking for an answer for that one big question. The quest took me to talk to old relatives, doctors, read books, met my mom’s relatives, old servants. Even this Bangalore trip is to get the answer kind of last step in my Odyssey. If I hadn’t studied none of this would have happened.

Author asks: What was the question?

Why was I born blind?

What is the answer you got?

Because my wonderful dad gave syphilis to my mom. For him it is easy…3 shots of penicillin. For me, I was born in darkness…

Story ends with the 9-year-old boy saying Chennai station has arrived and dad has come to the station to receive them.

Story told in a straightforward manner. Lines are crisp and still retains the literary quality. Once you read the last sentence you get a fresh perspective on the father character. Conversation between Krishnakumar and Sujatha, the author, brings out the challenge in communicating between two different worlds. I liked how the author tries to explain the colors using music swaras. There are people who view colors when they sing the notes, a neurological condition called Synesthesia. There are many lines that are quotable. Following two stand out.

Met (சந்தித்தில்) a word from the world of people who can see (கண் தெரிந்த உலகத்தின் வார்த்தை).

Whatever words he can think of are words from the world of sight (கண் தெரிந்த வார்த்தைகள்).

Similar to his other short stories, Nagaram, Renuka, and Muran, Paarvai also leaves you numb with weird feeling in the gut 😢