Shame You All

I risk losing your attention by beginning with a cliché. But, that’s how fights start in my village these days.

It’s either with the groan “It all started when… ah! …that idiot doctor…” or the growl “On that dark night…who…damn you…wrote that…” Opinions predictably turn into accusations, names of strangers are confused with that of relatives and friends; sometimes within a minute, usually extending hours; these fights had to happen.

If it has to enter history books, for once let it be facts.

In May that year, Dr. Jose joined the Census Panel which was preparing the questionnaire for the census. Along with the customary questions regarding sex, age, property, profession, income, virility, religion, caste and family, question number 11 asked, “Have you ever been treated for mental illness?”

The census was completed before Onam. It took three weeks for the panel to study using computers extensively for statistical analysis. They released a report which included the line, “One in each generation of every family suffers from mental illness.”

The immediate response was to quip “As if we didn’t know.” Someone then pointed out some similarity with the plot of a late 80’s movie called Thaniyavarthanam. People familiar with that movie raised the concern, “But, that was for a family, that too only the male and they made him mad, right? Here…?”

Reports indicate that at least four families shifted from the village before November. By late-November, seven marriages were cancelled. In one case, the marriage vows were exchanged but the feast was cancelled. A scuffle broke out between the well-wishers of the bride and the bridegroom. The bride suffered severe concussion following a blow to the head and the marriage was annulled.

In early December, a reliable source revealed that question number 11 was due to Dr. Jose, also adding that Dr. Jose moonlighted as a psychiatrist. New Year’s Eve celebrations were subdued that year and during that night, unknown persons pelted stones and certain unsavoury items at Dr. Jose’s house.

To add to the woes of the village, the incident of the nasty writing happened around then.

In the village, the temple and the mosque are situated, side by side, opposite to the fish market and the church is situated to the right of the market - somewhat like Palayam, Trivandrum. There is a small space in the middle where a board has been placed for pinning important notices (such as the census report). It was definitely a dark night when someone wrote on that board, in crooked and barely legible bold letters, “shame you all”.

The morning after, a large group gathered in front of the board. The majority did not know English and classified the writing as gibberish. Then, a learned person in that group muttered, “Tchah! Who…is making fun of…our institution…insulting our sentiments. Damn!”

People, depending on their affiliation, felt that their religion or their market had been defiled. The riots that followed that incident lasted only a week. The intermittent fights that followed the riots understandably injured and killed more.

Those are the facts.

Some claim that Dr. Jose has a Ph.D. in Chemistry. He tried to incite further trouble by asking, “Who isn’t mad here?” He’s left the village.

An unconfirmed source has revealed that the police are working on anagrams and that they suspect Shankunni. He’s the ten year old son of Soman, the rubber trader.

Suspected of being influenced by outside elements, Shankunni has been dismissed from the village school.

Those who spied on Shankunni’s notebooks found more hurtful stuff.

“shame you all”, “a seamy hullo”, “my halal esou”…“omallahyesu”… this had to stop.