Those 9 Days

By Venkatesh Raghavan

The winds of change were already in place. The new generation found the orthodoxy and shackles of the earlier one unacceptable. This fast paced novel is about a south Indian youth Kannan Shivaram born in a traditional family who trains his guns on a regressive astrologer for trying to interfere in his life and make a mess of it.

The astrologer on his part is motivated by the cut he was promised in the dowry amount if Kannan was married off according to his parents wishes. Hes a wily man and is prepared to leave no stone unturned to gain his ends. Kannan and his two friends, Arun and Amrik have their own set of adventures that are harmless and delightful while combating the wile of the astrologer.

To find out who has the way in the end, read Those 9 Days It promises to be a romcom thriller.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Partridge Publishing India
• Release date: Feb 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781482844467

Venkatesh Raghavan

Venkatesh Raghavan was a crime reporter who decided to pen crime fiction. This is his second novel in which he has taken a break from the crime genre and decided to explore an interesting social theme that defies the air of authority worn by astrologers and god-men in this country.

Book preview

Copyright © 2015 by Venkatesh Raghavan.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4828-4447-4

                eBook         978-1-4828-4446-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Partridge India

000 800 10062 62

www.partridgepublishing.com/india

CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1 The Astrologer

Chapter 2 Kannan Shivaram And Friends

Chapter 3 Conflict Of Generations

Chapter 4 Deceptions

Chapter 5 Unwinding

Chapter 6 Show Down

Chapter 7 Scandal

Chapter 8 Beans Spilt

Chapter 9 Sorting Out

PREFACE

By Sonia Karandikar

Venkatesh Raghavan is a crime reporter by profession and though away from main stream media he keeps tab on crime for the crime portal desiscam.com that he is contributing to. His first novel was about counterfeit currency being smuggled into India.

He then took a break from crime novels to refresh his mind. He used a social theme that could be handled lightly and given touches of humor and sarcasm. That’s where, his current work Those 9 Days germinated. Whenever a author plans to write long term on a subject, it’s a good practice to break away from the routine flow of thought and indulge in some banter that can be gripping for the reader from a different perspective.

As Venky (that’s how people in his circle know him) started penning the novel, he realized that the novel does not have to be from the crime genre necessarily to make it gripping. In fact romance or a romcom can be made as gripping as a crime thriller, provided the right elements are in place.

The author is fast paced in his style and there are very little parts you might feel like skipping over as the focus has been on the theme. The theme that Venky chose was something he had observed over a period of years. He had observed south Indian youth born in traditional families breaking free from the iron clasp of orthodoxy and turning cosmopolitan in the true sense.

What saddened Venky most was everyone when introduced was curious to know about his native place rather than his professional background. There is so much of cultural diversity in the country. Yet people feel that they need to be insular within their communities. In this, no Indian community is an exception. This insular nature of Indian culture is something that was not to the liking of Venky. He felt that if people open up and explore each other’s tastes and preferences with a spirit of tolerance, things will rapidly change in the country.

Against this background, Venky has presented a novel that voices the aspirations of the youth, to be free to pursue their desires and dreams.

Chapter 1

THE ASTROLOGER

The curtains were rolling in the strong breeze and the sound of pitter patter on the parapet was a comforting noise for astrologer Karthik Mukund. He had made his fortune from fixing marriages and manipulating events over a period of 20 years. He had dedicated clients who consulted him for observance of time and performing of rituals that were auspicious. He was a crafty old fox. He knew that people had blind trust in him and all he had to do was to utter the word.

Karthik was medium-height, dark with jet black hair, a crooked nose, moist eyes that tended to narrow when he lost his temper which was rare, and a square face that reflected his penchant for gormandizing. The white sacred thread that adorned his body amidst the maze of blackness was made prominent by his skin color and was visible even if he was dressed in formals.

His desire was their command. Karthik was seated on the sofa of his spacious living room. His face wore a look of smug contentment. He was reading the morning papers that carried headline news about the Prime Minister pushing through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The clock on the mantle showed 7.30 a.m. Karthik’s wife Radhika yelled at him from the kitchen. Your coffee is getting cold. Please finish it fast. Karthik was in no hurry. He liked to sip his coffee cold. His teeth were not all that strong to withstand the force of warm fluids after years of chewing paan.

It was a Friday morning. He was looking forward to the animated gossip he would share with his cronies in the morning walk. He knew that all of them in the group looked up to him for advice. That gave him a sense of power. Karthik loved to think of himself as a Godfather who could settle any matter or dispute with a gesture of his arm.

Karthik was now 45 years old. His father Laxman was a renowned astrologer who had passed away when he was barely 28 and passed on the mantle to him. Their family was reputed in the community for all the right reasons. He had a 20-year-old daughter named Pushpa who was about to complete graduation in physics. Pushpa had expressed her desire to do her masters in physics from the United States and pursue pure science at the highest level. This had not gone down well with Karthik. He knew that pure sciences had very few takers and was a difficult field for earning a livelihood. He had time and again advised her to take up some professional course but Pushpa was stubborn and had refused to relent.

This at times made Karthik wonder, While the whole community regards me as a messiah, here is my own daughter trying to make my ambitions for her bite dust. Karthik was a very affectionate father who doted over his daughter. He had never denied her anything she asked right from her childhood. This had not been much of a problem for Karthik as he was showered with gifts and money whenever he made a visit to a house for consultancy purpose. His daughter had no interest in astrology and was irreverent to all rituals and religious ceremonies. She was brought up in a traditional South Indian Brahmin family. Yet her taste buds rebelled against the customs and traditions that were held sacrosanct by her father and other members of her community.

Karthik was aware of this rebellion. He assumed that when Pushpa came of age she would change her attitude and would turn conservative as rest of the women in his family circles. Karthik had very little exposure to English literature. Pushpa was a great fan of Ayn Rand. She had read Atlas Shrugged and Fountain Head. She was living in a totally different world. She loved reading the spy stories spun by Fredrick Forsyth. Her world revolved around imaginary characters to lighten up her life.

She was a tall honey complexioned girl who never had to wear spectacles. Her eyes were wide and big and resembled her mother Radhika’s. She had sharp features that went well with both western and traditional style of dressing. She was attractive to men in a sensual manner. Pushpa rarely spoke to visitors in her house. She had her own room in the house. She loved to browse through the books on Physics penned about Werner Heisenberg, Neils Bohr and Albert Einstein. She had a deep fascination for the subject and was good at it from her early school days.

At that moment, Pushpa was busy selecting the right dress for college. She was very meticulous and had a good dress sense. She clad herself in a dry-washed pair of faded jeans and a light pink T-shirt. The light color suited her dusky complexion. She picked up her note pads carefully and inserted them in the bag. She then took her library card. She had just remembered that she had to borrow a book on Quantum Mechanics penned by G Simon. She slung her bag over her shoulders and looked at herself in the mirror as if seeking to reassure herself.

Karthik barged into the room. Why don’t you wear something traditional? Today is an auspicious day. No Papa. I want to enjoy my own dress sense. I am not interested in being traditional. You attach too much importance to a trivial school of thought. I am better off without advice on this count. Pushpa banged the door and she was off.

Karthik grimaced. He had never been able to impress on his daughter the traditional culture he was known for and gloated over. After giving it some thought, he heaved a long sigh. They call it generation gap. I hope it’s not too wide to bridge, he mused to himself. He was at that point in a very benign mood. It was not without good reason.

Karthik who had graduated in commerce had given up his professional career as an accountant and taken up astrology full time when he was in his mid-twenties. He knew the ropes in the profession. He had a reputation for matching horoscopes that was inherited from his late father. For him, astrology was the know all and end all of life. People visited him at fixed hours in the evening between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. During this time it was implicit that no one in the family disturbed him. His clients included jobless students, career professionals who had been thrown out of jobs, fathers of prospective brides and grooms and hapless housewives who were bothered about their sons or daughters not performing well at school or college.

Karthik was always clean shaven with a thick moustache he was proud of. At home, he was always clad in a lungi and white shirt with a pen in his pocket. On that eventful Friday as he put on his walking shoes he had little idea what was in store for him. His dark complexion was in sharp contrast to that of his docile wife Radhika’s fair color. Karthik’s protruding front teeth was another factor that contributed to his overall ugly look.

Karthik had received his brief the previous night from Shivaram, a old school chummy of his that his son Kannan who was upwardly mobile in his marketing career had shunned the idea of a traditional marriage and wanted to make his own choice. Shivaram was worried about the rumors that were doing the rounds in community circles that his son was a Romeo who was spotted with a different girl each time at different locations.

Shivaram had good ties with one Natrajan who was currently located in Bangalore. Natrajan had a daughter of marriageable age named Shama. Now the stage was set for Karthik to brook an alliance between Shama and Kannan. He had already tallied their horoscopes and was convinced of their compatibility. Shama was a docile girl who wanted to be wedded according to the wish of her parents. The loose end to be tied was Kannan’s approval.

Karthik had already planned his moves. Shivaram had informed him the previous night that Kannan was to return from a hectic tour of Northern India and was slated for an off on Friday. Shivaram wanted Karthik to prevail upon his son to tie the knot with Shama. Shivaram had promised a ten percent cut in the dowry to Karthik if he succeeded.

Late into the night hours of Thursday, Karthik had pondered over the pros and cons. He knew youngsters could be difficult to communicate with. He also knew that their taste buds were different. However, having had years of experience in match-making gave him the confidence that he would be able to swing it right. He had taxed his mind about various details of Kannan’s life provided to him by Shivaram.

As he walked out of the house after folding the newspapers carefully and laying them on the table, Karthik was convinced that he had just the right mix of carrot and stick to make Kannan toe the line. Moreover, defying an astrologer’s diktat in the community carried a stigma. This knowledge made him all the more confident that the matter at hand was as good as settled.

As Karthik climbed down the stairs from his first floor apartment in central Mumbai, he was whistling an old Tamil tune in his mind. He had put away the thoughts of the argument he was supposed to have with his daughter for a future day. He was feeling as light as a lark.

Karthik’s wife Radhika too was in an upbeat mood. Not without reasons. Radhika was from a traditional family from the temple town of Srirangam. When her father had informed her that she would be marrying a boy from Bombay she was all excited. Her father had instructed her that her husband to be was a renowned astrologer and he was entrusting her in safe hands. He also wanted her to know that he had to pay a hefty dowry to get this match struck. He advised her to put on her behavior in front of the groom’s parents.

A nervous Radhika had decked herself in Kanjivaram saree and had worn her nose ring and other jewels chosen for her by her mother. She did not want to let down her parents. Her parents had always made her feel that she was a burden on them till they succeed in getting her married off. These thoughts heavily weighed on her mind. The 18-year-old Radhika was beautiful to look at and given a different time setting would have easily dated the most wannabe guys in college.

Radhika was tall enough for females and was fair to look at. She had pleasant features that included a charming dimple on her cheek and huge round eyes. She was very comely to look at as a housewife. She was a friendly type and easily approachable to everyone. However, born in deep south, her upbringing was different. She had attended a girl’s school and girl’s college and had not been in touch with any male other than the brothers in her family and her father. She had always had the curiosity for the opposite sex. This however, did not translate into conversations or friendships due to lack of opportunity and also conservative social settings. Radhika was well aware that males felt attracted to her. The young temple priest in her locality used to keep staring at her every time she went there for archana or pooja. She enjoyed the attention she received from silent admirers but did not report it to her parents for fear of being admonished.

When Radhika first sighted Karthik at her residence she felt a sense of revulsion. Who is this dark ugly-looking man who wanted to tie the knot with me? was her first reaction. But she dare not speak her mind to her parents. Radhika then mused to herself that had she reciprocated the attentions of the temple priest she would have had a far better looking groom to spend her life with.

Karthik instantly approved of her when she brought him the traditional cup of coffee and snack. He smiled and her eyes returned the smile.

Today Radhika and Karthik were wedded for 23 years. Radhika had been asking her husband for a gold pendant for the past six months. Karthik had promised to buy her the pendant on the succeeding Diwali. After Thursday night’s chat with Shivaram, Karthik had changed his mind. He told Radhika that he had struck a good contract with his school friend Shivaram. I will get you the gold pendant in two weeks time, he assured her.

Radhika was smiling to herself thinking of the reward that was in store for her that day evening. There was also a tear in her eye thinking of the years she had spent with Karthik. After feeling the revulsion for him, she had confided in her mother in whispers in the kitchen. Her mother had consoled her saying, Take it as destiny. We can’t argue with your father. Our family name will be at stake. We have to marry you off at the right age. One thing you can do is close your eyes when he wants to perform sex with you. At least, you don’t have to see the beast.

Ever since, Radhika had diligently followed her mother’s instructions albeit with her own imagination added to it. Whenever Karthik came to her for sex, she would shut her eyes. She would visualize the handsome temple priest’s face close to her body and allow the rest to happen. This had worked like magic.

Her initial years with Karthik had gone off smoothly with her life revolving around Pushpa. After her first delivery the doctors had informed Karthik that she won’t be able to bear any more children. She was suffering from an abdominal problem. Karthik and Radhika quickly got resigned to the fact that Pushpa will be their only child.

Radhika soon grew to enjoy the feeling of being a mother. She doted over Pushpa and kept telling her stories from the Ramayana and Mahabaratha. For Radhika, Pushpa was the apple of her eye and Pushpa’s wish was her command.

Pushpa attended convent school which had a literary club. She soon grew to love literature and science and had an intuitive feeling that literature was in some way connected to science though she could not discern what the link was. As Pushpa grew keen on intellectual pursuits, she distanced herself from her mother who was steeped in tradition. Pushpa no doubt loved her mother but she was averse to emoting on that count.

Witnessing the behavior of other children in the colony Radhika intuitively felt that Pushpa needed to be given her space. That never stopped her from doting over her daughter. No sooner Pushpa was home Radhika would ensure that a warm cup of milk and her favorite dosas were on the table. In the nights, when Puspha was busy reading, she would knock at her door and gently remind her that dinner was ready.

Pushpa on her part was very kind to her mother and responded politely to her prods. But she had a strong dislike for her mother’s traditional taste buds on how boys and girls must dress. The matter was amicably settled after Radhika’s neighbor Shweta advised her to go easy on Pushpa as most girls dressed differently than in the earlier generation.

That Friday, Radhika was eagerly awaiting the outcome of her husband Karthik’s mediation in Shivaram’s household. She knew that her husband was a respected astrologer in