Mind your own business

Subbu was the self appointed President of Saravana Colony, by virtue of being its first occupant. This, a newly developed colony on the out skirts of the city, consisting of two parallel streets and two cross lanes - about 40 houses in all. Once the occupancy started improving, Subbu first assumed the office of its President. The other residents did not mind. Thus his position got secured.
Thereafter he took pains to convince colony residents on the necessity of having their own temple and took the initiative for its construction. Thus a small Pillayar temple next to his house - a dead end, became a reality. He could now relate with Rajaraja Chola, on completion of Tanjore Big Temple.
Subbu had worked on the location of the temple as well- so that he could see the multi coloured Pillayar, seated on the Gopuram, from his bedroom window itself.
A good omen to start the day - he was pleased with himself.

The temple got formally inaugurated with the participation of colony residents, only the previous week.
It was a small temple, like any other road side Pillayar temples. Only Pillayar's room had a door.
Otherwise, there was a small mandapam 10'x10' in front, for worshipping Him, open from all sides, with of course a roof on top.
Subbu had grand plans for the temple as well as his role in developing it in the future.
To start with he decided to get himself elected the permanent trustee / Treasurer and keep a close watch on the funds - especially the Hundi.
He was worried of the recent spate of thefts from temple hundies and made it a point to keep a watch from his bedroom window, day & night.
For all that, Saravanan Colony residents Assn had appointed two watchmen for patrolling the streets at night, subsequent to thefts in a nearby colony couple of weeks back. Still, he did not want to take chances with the hundi. Its collection was crucial for his grandeur plans for the temple.
All was fine for the first few days.

But, when he got up this morning, he was shocked to find a beggar sitting outside the temple, that too too close to the hundi for Subbu's comfort.
Subbu was furious and he rushed out shouting to himself,
"What has the world come to? The beggars seem to arrive much before Pillayar Himself.
Did I do all this only for the darshan of a goddamn beggar right in the morning?".
Once he came closer, Subbu noticed that the beggar was well built. No use shouting as it could trigger the beggar to turn physical .
He appealed to the beggar's good senses to seek alternate employment, considering his physique. The B was not bothered.
This B had perhaps seen so many Ss in his life that he ignored him totally.

When S persisted with his efforts to unsettle B, he ticked him off saying "Un velaya parthundu povaya...... " (Mind your own business) and turned the other side, puffing at a beedi.
S couldn't take it any more. The nearest Police Station was about 2 Km away.
It took S a couple of visits to the station to realise the futility of his efforts and he stopped going there.
He then decided to act on his own - shifted his bed a bit away from the window so that he could see only the Gopuram but not the beggar, the moment he got up. All the same, he ensured a direct vision to the Hundi from his bed.
But, whenever he visited the temple, he averted B's eyes. Felt as if B was laughing at him.

Couple of days later, a young woman appeared in the scene and started selling flowers from a basket, outside the temple.
There were not many a devotee visiting the temple but the woman seemed to be consolidating her position by bringing in additional reinforcements towards a permanent settlement. S was getting uneasy.
More so, he found B getting closer to the woman, being the only two in the temple premises most of the time, other than the non-communicative Pillayar.
S got scared that sooner his Pillayar koil would become their permanent residence, with a few pillais (sons) of their own thrown in.
He approached the lady not to make the temple her permanent place for vending flowers.
As its trustee, he assured, to invite her once the temple developed a bit more.
The Flower lady repeated what B said earlier - 'Can't you mind your business?'
With B also giving a dirty 'unakkellam oru thadavai sonna theriyadha' (Can’t you understand if told once?) look from his position, S quickly withdrew but renewed his visit to the Police Station only to re-realise its futility.
All the same he separately instructed the night watchmen to ensure no body sleeps in the temple at night.

A week later, an ironing chap, with a push cart invited himself to the locality.
Even though he got stationed a few houses away from the temple, S felt that he kept looking towards the temple every now & then.
Be it for looking at the woman or at the hundi - both risky developments.
Even before S could approach the ironer, he found the colony people had started patronising him with their clothes for pressing.
He realised that the colony resident's 'pressing' issue ran counter to his.
So, strategically, S in order to involve the entire colony launched a signature campaign urging the police to give adequate protection and weeding out any unknown / undesirable elements. Not many showed great interest, but signed the petition all the same in deference to S's request.
No one was ready to go with him to the Police Station on one pretext or the other.
Equipped with the petition, S once again went to the station, all alone.

The SI did not hide his irritation in seeing Subbu again.
" Ennaiya suththa rodhaniya pochchu (What a nuisense?). Idha vitta( Apart from this), don't you have any other work?" SI asked him bluntly.
"Why? I am a retired executive of a Govt Bank.... . "
"Then why don't you focus on something else other than beggars and flower woman? Why don't you mind your own business? "
" Look Inspector. Please understand that the temple hundi could be looted anytime due to the presence of such elements".
"Your temple Hundi? Don't joke. Periya Tirupathy Balajee Hundi paaru?? Who is going to bother about it when everyone knows that it doesn't contain even ten rupees," SI retorted.
"We have every reason to believe that our security is at risk. Only few weeks back our neighbour hood colony was robbed. Perhaps, such elements only provide valuable info to the crooks & robbers. If you don't take immediate action, I will be compelled to go to your higher-ups."
"Go wherever you want to - but would you go from here now please", SI closed the discussion unilaterally.
S left a copy of the petition on SI's table, kept a stone on top, with a thud and left the station in a huff.
This was the best he could do to show his displeasure at the SI's attitude.
S wished he could do something to drill some measure of courtesy in to all these police fellows' head. But felt helpless.
"Useless fellows. They do not have guts to face beggars, flower women and isthriwalas but treat retd Govt Bank Officers as 'killu keerais".
"All due to Kaliyugam. I have done my best. Here after only Pillaiyar could do something to correct them."
With these thoughts, he retired to bed.

There was commotion that night in Saravana Colony.
A gang had broken into a house but was apprehended by timely intervention of the police.
As president of the resident's association Subbu was also called to the police station in the morning.
At the station he was shocked to see that the gang was headed by none other than by the newly appointed watchmen.

"Enna Subbu Sir. Sowkyama?" Subbu turned around to see the SI coming towards him smiling.
"We suspected your newly appointed watchmen in the neighbouring colony thefts and expected them to strike in your's also soon. Only to keep a watch & catch them red handed, we had positioned our own people as the beggar, flower woman & ironing man. Are you happy now?"
"Oh, yes. Very much!! Very Much !!!"
Oh yeah! Pillaiyar had heard him and struck at last - Subbu was elated.
He rushed to the temple to break a coconut (Surathengai) - for answering his prayers.

Couple of weeks later, Subbu was felicitated by the Police for being very public conscious and 'minding his business', as the president of the resident's association, effectively. Apparently, the beggar, Flower woman and the isthriwala all had lauded his efforts in guarding the colony, no ends.

Subbu has since shifted his cot once again closer to the window, for his morning Dharshan of the Gopuram, as also to keep a watch on the Hundi.

Anbudan,
Rrg / 26th Sept '09

Rrg sir,

nice story. If more people were as zealous as Subbu, our neighborhoods would all be crime free!

dear Rrg sir,
a good one..excellent narration... could almost picture Subbu and his exasperation

Dear Mythraeyi,
Thanks for your comments.
With no FB coming for quite a few days, whether this short story was so boring, I was not sure. Going by the response to short stories in this forum, I had lost all hopes of any feedback.
In that your first comments are doubly pleasing.
All the same, I have got the message - to control the urge to post anymore shortstories here.

Cheers!
Rrg

Dear Mindi,
Welcome back.
Wish I had also met you & your family in Mumbai.
Ofcourse I was travelling and returned only on 22nd evening - still.... Perhaps, during our next visit to Malysia.

Thanks for your comments.
To face the truth one needs guts. You should have seen my exasperation with no one sending a FB for days. In that Subbu's was nothing.
Cheers!
Rrg

SIR,

got chance to read the story only today, nice one. pls do continue.

Originally Posted by Rrg

Dear Mythraeyi,
Thanks for your comments.
With no FB coming for quite a few days, whether this short story was so boring, I was not sure. Going by the response to short stories in this forum, I had lost all hopes of any feedback.
In that your first comments are doubly pleasing.
All the same, I have got the message - to control the urge to post anymore shortstories here.

Cheers!
Rrg

Oh no! don't stop posting your stories here. I always look forward to them and the humor is a nice break in the boring afternoons at work!. I guess ladies were busy with navratri so that is why no fb's for you here!

Dear Sir,

I was really wondering when/how they were going to rob the temple .. .very unexpected twist in the end . Enjoyed reading the apt tamil phrases in between.

Do keep entertaining us with such natural humor in day-to-day experiences, which everyone can identify with.

Warmly,
Grace.

sweet subbu mama !!!!!

loved the story !!!

Dear Preethi, Grace & Nandshyam,
Thanks for your FBs.
I find there are not many who are interested in reading pure stories. However, I would try to continue contributing interesting, non-fiction snippets.
Cheers!
Rrg