Believe it or not, Barack Hussein Obama with his wife and children living near my home in pinnakkanad, a remote hillside village near the temple with a 200 feet long dark green temple pool. I was on my long journey of colonization through different locations across continents and on my return journey, I came to know that president of United States has become my neighbor. To me, it was unimaginable. I feel like, I am swimming in the temple pool and resting on the pool wall with the thick green soothing algae on my head and body.
Northern Kerala was recently devastated by the intense monsoon and we felt it’s after effects through incessant drizzling . The whole country side and each reddish village roads washed off filth and sludge in the monsoon holy water. I could see all of my good old friends, gathered for an evening chat, down the unfocused brown stone floor of the mighty banyan tree. My soul was filled with the green greasy algae but I wanted to sit and share my experiences with them, I wanted to be a part of the gathering, I wanted to be one among them, but I was not in a situation to stop and talk, but wanted to meet with Barak Obama as soon.
At home, I could see everything changed, I couldn’t find my home and the green bamboos on the corner of my 0.13 acres parental property. The backyard was fully paved with costly stones and I understand I never again could see the small banana plants and tapioca tree’s tender stems in my patch. The stone’s on the pavement and plot carved on the sideways with a familiar wording ‘Made in China’. When I turned back and look uphill, I could see a large number of gentlemen silently waiting for somebody. They wore Khadi made white shirts and dhotis stiffed in rice water. I could see portions of rice flakes sticking on to it. On the left corner, there are few with multiple colors of shirts, mostly in red. They look like decent thugs, but all of them keep a grin on their brown faces.
When the bell rings, all of them got more enthusiastic and leaned towards the veranda pasted with red oxide and white forest stones on it. The house looks truly old and when leaving for my migration, I remember, this area had a whole lot of rubber trees. We went through tree by tree to clean its latex collection coconut shells with my father when he tap the trees. The day after every morning the latex collection coconut shells smells like a seven day old dead rat. We all washed our hands with ‘Chandrika’ an ayurvedic soup available for seven rupees, inclusive of state and local taxes. I was about to ask someone in the crowd about these recent changes from the rubber trees. How come this house has come up there so soon. Did they built it recently, no way, it looks like an old ‘Naalu kettu’. The algae on the side walls resembles a house made before independence. I know, some of the questions have no reasons and answers.
Until the thinly short haired colored man came out of the house, I was not believing the news of Obama’s recent move. I knew that he was an Illinois senator earlier and heard that few of my fellow villagian’s study with him at Harvard law school. They remember the then magazine editor, the first Afro-American. I was also a college union’s right wing associate, but the whole story is different and the establishment we both premeditated too was different. He smiled at all of us. Started talking about the economy, the failed visions of many countries and current and former leaders. The way he plans to built a global village, where everyone loves and helps each other was very interesting. I was on the corner of the veranda looking at one of the thugs face, his cheeks blossom, his forehead shrinks and retracts ,it sweats enormously but looked like Lenin’s wide forehead. I looked at Obama again, he was talking about the poor. The health insuranceless, about colors. I could feel his words, I could touch and feel its tenderness and sootiness. I found an increasingly matching in concepts on me with Obama. At last, I feel like we both think on a similar pattern and the crowd applauded at the end. I understand, they too think the same way. Then ‘who is against us’?. I wasn’t dare enough to utter that question aloud. I just swallow that superfluous, dissolute query of all times.
When the crowd dislodged the site, I was still thinking of the changes ensue to my parental property. The changes its going to embrace in the near future. This is the time of change. My mind listens to people murmuring when returning to their hideouts, though it was not clear enough, it sounds their happiness and understanding of the changes put forward. I was the lone spectator, who did not move away, stayed still and Obama came near me and asked, ‘Hey there, do you disagree with me? Do you have any questions unanswered?’. ‘Yes’, I wanted to say ‘Yes’, I was wishing to say ‘Yes’, but I was unable to utter a word, I was totally surprised and wondering by thinking about my fortune. Thinking about my great grandparents. I am sure this has happened only because of their deeds. I didn’t say anything, but replied by nodding ‘No’. He has invited me for a country made black coffee, made of 100% eastern kerala coffee beans, in the evening.
After the coffee in the evening, I sat with Obama. Talked with him about his future plans, I was curious on a variety of issues and unwillingly differing on certain policies, like Iran, North Korea and abortion. When we were talking each other near the horticultured coconut tree on the corner courtyard, Sasha and Maliya ran near us with a twine tied tin and put it across the walls of the courtyards. I remembered my childhood game with neighbor’s kid Lalitha of pulley and well. Meantime the tin got detached from the twine and they both came to Obama and asked for help. I just volunteered in between and get it tied to the tin more confidently. They played at the courtyard the whole day, until it started drizzling. We both find a shelter down the veranda but Obama got wet on one side. He asked me about Monsoon rains in Kerala, the tropical weather, the history of tapioca plants from Portugal and about the first elected communist government in the world.
It was sunset, when we sat near the molded plastic chairs in the veranda and having a heated discussion about the papparacys and celebrities, I saw Michelle Obama over the guest room windows and looking firmly at Obama. I understand, I am taking much of their time. He just went inside. I could hear Sasha’s and Maliya’s turn taking issues over the tin and twine. I started walking fast, past the raindrops, past the greeny algae temple pool, past the colossal banyan tree, past Iran, North Korea and Abortion.
I could hear my wife’s tiny voice now, its reaching me and getting more clearer. ‘Narayanan, did you forget the meeting this morning’, ‘oh yeah’, I got a meeting this morning, regarding the launch of our new web search engine, ‘Gling’.
‘But, where am I?’ ,‘Where is Obama’?
…………………………..
Sajan Ayathamattom
