Token of Remembrance

TOKEN OF REMEMBRANCE
(A short-story)

(Translated by the author himself from the original in Tamil)

K. CHANDRASEKHARAN

Finding time hanging heavy on me and not knowing what else to do, I tried to pullout my drawer to examine its contents. It was not easy to do, as the drawer was stuffed to its limit with old papers and a number of small diaries. When I just managed to pull it out, I took one of the diaries with my own notes inside for looking at what I had written there. As I casually turned the pages, my eyes got rivetted on a page, bearing the date, 8th August, 1930. Curiosity drove me to know what was written nearly forty years and more ago.

The writing writing ran thus –

“Somu’s account has been stirring my mind much. We generally believe Englishmen to be behaving slightingly towards us, without pausing to reflect how individually some of them do really possess such kindness and rectitude as would be not met with even among our own friends here. Somu’s account has only proved how much really honourable and sincere some of them bearing the marks of true culture. Yes, we do need to appreciate such persons.”

The diary contained no more information about the incident which had evoked my remarks. My advancing years and the lapse of memory combined to have completely erased everything pertaining to the occasion which made me write the note. I, therefore, passed on listlessly to another page. But suddenly flashed, as with lightning speed, memories connected with the date, 8th of August. Every bit of the account which my friend, Somu, had narrated became vivid in my recollection. Like the pictures of a movie, they all passed before my mind’s eye with no haziness at all.

Let me repeat to you whatever Somu said quite in the manner of his own words.

“My friend, how can I remain quiet without telling you what has transpired. When I dwell on them, shame and disgust engulf me.” He thus began.

I know my readers would require more details of my friend. Without, of course, knowring about him, the implications of his statements may not be fully comprehended. Somu–that is, Somasundaram–was an advocate with a fairly large practice in the High Court. He was known as an able lawyer with a powerful voice to argue his cases before judges. He could be diligent in his preparations in court and show himself much helpful so as to invite the confidence of the presiding judge in his statements. Both the English and Indian members of the Bench of those days held him in respect. He too retained dignity and hardly resorted to seek favours of judges by trying to meet them in their chambers or outside with no apparent reason.

A certain judge, named Mr. Justice Harley, used to treat advocates appearing before him with scant courtesy. He would seem carrying very little for the good opinion of the Bar. No advocate, worth the name, ever felt himself secure against his snarling behaviour, and Somu was alert always to avoid any unseemly situation in his court. On the other hand, Somu did even receive uniformly a fair treatment at his hands. Evidently he should have impressed the judge of his freedom from identification with his clients or of any obsequious behaviour in court. The Bar equally respected him. None had reason to accuse Mr. Justice Harley of having been ever partial to Somu.

Well, let me proceed with what Somu narrated further to me–

“You know well Justice Harley’s habits. Don’t you remember his falling foul for everything of the advocates? I don’t know why whenever he met me either in court or outside, he was quite normal towards me. Believe me, I never sought of him any favour.”

Once, before my wife’s death, he was freely conversing with us both at a tea-party on an evening. Later, in his letter expressing deep sympathy in my bereavement, there ran a sentence to this effect–

‘My wife has been frequently reminding me of the diamond necklace which your late wife used to be wearing. She has been pressing me also for getting her such a beautiful jewel. I do assure her saying: ‘Well, we shall wait till we have to leave this country, when we can carry as a token of remembrance of our long stay in India, a jewel of its kind. Please do not be harping on it just now’.

The judge was aware of my continuing a widower after my wife’s passing away and of my devoted attention in tending my three-year old daughter. Whenever he met me at any of the functions in the city, he never failed to enquire, with apparent concern, of my domestic life as well as of how I have been spending my leisure hours. Though I had no desire to take advantage to come closer to him, still with a restraint in my familiarity with him and at the same time with no visible sense of avoidance of his frequent efforts at meeting or talking to me on many matters of common interest, I conducted myself warily.

Mrs. Harley also had many occasions to meet me. She could not be described a beauty, though she scarcely seemed unattractive of her kind among English women. It struck me that she was a woman who would hardly show disrespect to her husband in any of her activities. She behaved even as a Hindu Sahadharmini.

Mr. Harley had served as District and Sessions Judge in many of the districts and so should have had opportunities of personal knowledge of the customs and habits of wearing jewels of the Indian womenfolk. Himself he was a good connoisseur of artistic things.

You know, it is now more than a year since my wife’s passing away. Yes, it was a Sunday, I remember, when I received a ring (on the phone) from the judge, which was conveyed to me by my clerk with great fuss, I took up the receiver with a slight disturbance of mind. Mrs. Harley it was who spoke to me: “Mr. Somasundaram, could you just make it convenient to meet us today at our residence after 5 p.m.?” I had no choice except to agree to the request. However, speculations as to the occasion for the phone call began to be exercising my mind.

As I alighted from my ear at their portico, Mrs. Harley accosted me, standing in the front verandah. She further accompanied me to the reception room of theirs. She then observed, “Beg your pardon, if the judge does not receive you himself. For it is I that really am in need of your help now. Perhaps, you are not ware of my taste for fine ornaments; I am fond of the addigai which your country women wear on their necks. You have to, oblige me by finding out a proper jewel-maker who can prepare an ornament just like the one worn by your deceased wife; can you do it for me?”

The judge in the meantime joined us and said with a slightly amused look:

“How now, Mr. Somasundaram; has my wife started troubling you? You would have realised that women everywhere are the same. You see, a particular necklace, I understand, which your late wife was wearing, that has attracted Barbara, and she has been pressing me day and night to get one like it for her. We have information that a Banquet followed by a Ball at the Government House will be taking place towards the end of next month. She very much wants to be wearing that necklace when she has to be present at the forthcoming occasion. I agreed to her request, but added: ‘What is the purpose of my trying to please you; maybe Mr. Somasundaram could be of help in the matter; we can just seek him and make enquiry of the availability of jewel-makers of the place.’ At once she had phoned to you.” Nevertheless, he himself was not against having such a jewel, for said later: “I too am fascinated particularly by the addigaiamong your country’s artistically fashioned jewelry.”

I felt no hesitation in replying to them: “It is no trouble to me. If I can, even this evening I shall place an order with a jewel-maker very well-known to me. You may require about three thousand rupees for making it.” Mrs. Harley hasten to assure me: “Please don’t worry about the money. Charlie has given me more than what you have mentioned as the figure and has permitted any expense in that behalf. Only one little further condition is to be noted as important. Whoever is the maker, he should see to the delivery of the jewel before the middle of next month, as the invitation for the Ball has notified the date. It would be a great disappointment, if on that unique occassion I should have to appear without it.”

I felt it my special responsibility to see to their getting a jewel which both of them very much appreciated. Indeed, it will be a worthy token of remembrance of our country’s fine taste and culture, when they have left this country and have had occasion to wear it in England.

Sundaramurti Aasari was an excellent craftsman known to me from my youth. Confident of his readiness to carry out any work that I wanted of him and enthusiastic to be helpful in a matter which will only redound to a good piece of art gaining publicity in a foreign country, I took upon myself the responsibility for making it. The Aasari showed no less interest in selecting the diamonds and preparing the gold setting for it in no time. He began the work in right earnest.

As I found the jewel-maker’s swift work on two or three evenings when I went to his workshop to see how much his work showed progress, slowly I relaxed in my anxiety for its completion in time. My work in courts was also somewhat heavy and hardly allowed me leisure for other interests. Just at a week’s time before the Government House function, phone calls began to be received from the judge’s house.

I was sure of the completion of the addigai and, imagining it would be getting polished about the time, I tried to peep in the Aasari’s workshop on my way from the High Court. Finding the workshop closed and locked outside, I was a bit startled. On enquiry at the neighbouring shops, it was revealed to me that the Aasari had high temperature running for the past two or three days and that the work in the factory had stopped for want of his personal supervision. At once I drove to the Aasari’s house and found him down with high fever with little signs of its abatement in a day or two. It was evident to me that he could not complete the jewel within the time. I came away much troubled in mind.

Mrs. Harley, in the meantime, had sent messengers to fetch me. I went to her to suggest a way out of the difficulty. Poor lady, Mrs. Harley looked an incarnation of despair in her seat. On seeing me, she pathetically burst out, “Oh, Mr. Somasundaram, I am completely at my wit’s end, Every arrangement has been made ready of my dress and other apparel to match the necklace; now, just at the nick of the moment, if I am to be deprived of the essential adornment, how to appear with my bare neck? Can’t you think of a way to solve my difficulty? Still, there are four days more before the function. Can’t you make him finish it and give it to me?”

I paused as if in cogitation for a few minutes, and then gently said: “I have a brain wave. My wife’s addagai has been lying idle in its velvet case for a very long time. You can wear it for the occasion at the Government House and return it after use!”

First, Mrs. Harley wavered a bit to agree to the suggestion, as if she would have to consult her husband in accepting it. But gradually she looked prevailed upon by my words.

On the morning of the banquet, I drove to the judge’s house with the diamond necklace in my hand. Mr. Harley was standing in the front verandah and appeared to be making ready for going out. I felt that I could hand the velvet case to Mrs. Harley after the judge had left his residence. But strangely enough, his penetrating eye detected the thing in my hand and he asked “May I have an idea what is the thing which you so carefully screen from my sight? Ah, I see; ...has the necklace been made ready? Let me have a look at it before my wife wears it for the occasion; let me just feel it with my hand.” He extended his hand also to receive it from me.

I could not further remain quiet without handing it to him. He seemed slightly intrigued on seeing the velvet case looking old and so taking out the addigai he could not restrain his surprise, saying: “What is this! It is not polished even. Mr. Somasundaram, I need enlightenment a bit. Please tell me, why both the jewel and the case are alike lacking freshness.”

Mrs. Harley who had by now been trying to interpose, said breathlessly, “My dear, Mr. Somasundaram is a very resourceful gentleman. He has kept his word to us by bringing me his surprise, wife’s addigai, as the Aasari has been laid up with fever and not able to finish the work. If I have agreed to this arrangement, it is because you would yourself not be much happy to have me with you with a bare neck, at the grand reception in the Government House.” But before she could finish her sentence, seeing the change of colour on Mr. Harley’s face, she was a bit taken a.

I followed her by adding: “True, it would be rank betrayal of confidence if a given promise is broken; so, my mind was easily contemplating this kind of arrangement.”

I noticed the sudden change on Mr. Harley’s countenance. He assumed a seriousness combined with a sternness of look which to those appearing before him in court was a familiar sight on occasions when he was determined to decide against the person arguing. I felt much disturbed at this unwelcome change in him.

He did not wait much to address his wife thus: “Why did you not hesitate to give your consent to this arrangement, darling? Should you like to wear a thing worn by his dear wife?...Mr. Somasundaram, I know, must be cherishing greatly her memory after her passing away. Is it not to keep her ever in his heart that he has not thought of marrying again anyone! Could he really reconcile himself to any other woman adorning the same jewel which his dear wife had been wearing? Just think of it. May be he will not feel it so disagreeable if his own daughter wears this when she is grown up. Not only you happen to be another’s wife, but are a foreigner too. It is a very objectionable thing for you to have it on your neck. Much rather stop away from attending the banquet at the Government House than appear there with this jewel on you.”

Decision was pronounced in his voice. Mrs. Harley did not utter a word afterwards. I returned home with the necklace. Yes, I became deeply remorseful within, that having kept my wife’s memory so much unpolluted all these years by never thinking of any other woman, I should have so callously thought of parting with a thing so much belonging to her. What an utter folly to which my mind gave way!