Cheeru muthachi

KARANAVAR

  There was a wooden reclining chair with footrest in the portico. This must be were the karanavar used to sit. Janu thought. Karanavar was the head of the family. Eldest male member of the maternal line of the family holds that title. The present karanavar was her uncle, Raman, and he lives in his wife’s house. And the karanavar before him, her granduncle- her grandmother’s brother, died before she was even born. So Janu actually has never seen anyone sitting on that chair.

  Mathu had excused herself when they moved to see Cheeru muthachi saying she will give the family sometime before she make an appearance. Her mother didn’t say anything to that but merely gave instructions for Mathu to start working in the yard. Janu got the impression that Mathu somehow feared her appearance will take things from bad to worse and she will delay it as far as she can. She wondered what the actual deal was. She glanced at her brother but he just shrugged at her. But Janu knew her brother. He knows something. Her brother somehow always knows things. So she took a mental note to ask him later. She is going to live here from now. She has a feeling Mathu was also going to be a part of that life aside from Cheeru muthachi. So she may as-well know some basic things about these people.