Just Another Day in Paradise

By Tom Mathews

Visualize a scenario where you are vacationing in a tropical island, away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, stresses of daily life, watching the waves reaching out to caress the shore, and you sipping the coconut water with a straw and next to you curled up is your sweetheart, humming a love song in your ear. Sounds fascinating and romantic? Of course, it is.

Have you ever thought of the lives and the miseries of the inhabitants of this tropical paradise? Have you looked into the weary eyes of the street urchins, as you walked past them to the sandy beach? Or care to know the women toiling in the rice and sugar cane fields for pennies a day and the endless abuse they are subjected to by their drunken husbands and the harassment by the rich men driving around in their Mercedes-Benz and BMW cars? If you claim you care, then read Rethee Devis story penned in these pages. You may develop a new insight of the torture she suffered along with half-starved women whom she defended as their attorney in Kerala State, India, also known as Gods Own Country.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 27, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493168576

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Copyright © 2014 by Tom Mathews.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 02/26/2014

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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CONTENTS

Introduction

In Appreciation

In Memorium To Rosemarie Thariath

Cast Of Characters

PART I

JUSTICE DELAYED …

Chapter 1

Chapter 2: The Age of Innocence

Chapter 3: Love in the Midst of Studies

Symbiosis

Chapter 4: A Blooming Romance

Chapter 5: A Friend Named Kamala

Chapter 6: Hardships and Road Blocks

Chapter 7: An Unwelcome End

PART II

JUSTICE DENIED …

Chapter 8: Dirty Politics

Chapter 9

Chapter 10: A Tragic Turn of Events

Chapter 11: A Personal Loss

Glossary

The Author’s Note

INTRODUCTION

V isualize a scenario where you are vacationing in a tropical island, away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, stresses of daily life, watching the waves reaching out to caress the shore, and you sipping the coconut water with a straw and next to you curled up is your sweetheart, humming a love song in your ear. Sounds fascinating and romantic? Of course, it is.

Have you ever thought of the lives and the miseries of the inhabitants of this tropical paradise? Have you looked into the weary eyes of the street urchins, as you walked past them to the sandy beach? Or care to know the women toiling in the rice and sugar cane fields for pennies a day and the endless abuse they are subjected to by their drunken husbands and the harassment by the rich men driving around in their Mercedes-Benz and BMW cars? If you claim you care, then read Rethee Devi’s story penned in these pages. You may develop a new insight of the torture she suffered along with half-starved women whom she defended as their attorney in Kerala State, India, also known as God’s Own Country. Thanks.

Tom Mathews, New Jersey. December 2013.

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Rethy Devi

Retheedevi Lexmi <[e-mail]>

To: RETHEEDEVI RAMGOPI <[e-mail]>

Mon, Dec 2, 2013 at 8:05 AM

My Statement

In my life-long dream of working for the defenseless and the destitute of Kerala State, I have never sought publicity and praise from anyone.

Now, as per request from my friend and novelist, Tom Mathews,

New Jersey, I have agreed with his idea of writing a biographical expose on my trials and tribulations as an attorney, upholding human rights.

I hope this narration will shed light on the miseries of the minority population that needs our immediate attention and to motivate the youth to pick up a line of professional life that is redeeming. Tom has fictionalized parts of this story to bring drama to the fore.

I thank him for his efforts,

I remain

Rethy Devi,

Chicago,

November 22, 2013.

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The pride of Mathews family

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Sons of Joseph and Arlene Mathews, Florida.

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Jane Joseph

IN APPRECIATION

I t is a profound joy as well as pride when the author and protagonist in a novel are your close friends. For an aspiring writer like me, the opportunity to introduce them both is a rare privilege. I was fortunate to cross paths with both Tom and Rethy Devi as fellow travelers of Malayalam writing. Along the way, they both have become my mentors and well wishers.

Tom is among a rare breed of American writers; proficient in both Malayalam and English prose. It’s perhaps his background in psychology that Tom handles complex human relationships and social issues through his writings with relative ease.

In this book, Tom portrays the life of an attorney whose real life is stranger than fiction. Rethy Devi, as Lakshmi is the quintessential social activist who embodies the term activism in her every breath. Through her speeches and her own novel, Adima Vamsam, Rethy has become the spokesperson for the oppressed, namely the women. It’s a responsibility, she leads with courage and passion, while defending her fort from the bastion of a male-dominated society.

Let’s congratulate Tom for this difficult venture of balancing the creative process, while giving justice to a real life character. On a personal note, I praise Tom for inspiring young readers to take bold decisions and speaking out for the weakest of the weak.

Just Another Day in Paradise is bound to take readers on an interesting voyage through a not so familiar path. This book is a great read and strongly recommended to all book lovers out there.

Jane Joseph,

Austin, Texas

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Rosemarie Thariath

IN MEMORIUM TO ROSEMARIE THARIATH

A rosebud full of grace and beauty,

Rosemarie was plucked by cruel fate in her prime

Plunging us into deep despair and darkness

Ere’ she could blossom and enrich the world.

Death honors no one’s pledges to others

Nor does it let fulfill promises people make

We grieve for you, Rosie, our sweet love

We’ll meet again soon, we hope and pray

Born: January 5, 1985

Died: April 6, 2013

Inserted by Jessie Thariath, Mom

Rethy Devi, Friend.

An Excerpt from Rosemarie’s Favorite Poem

Who’s got my back now?

When all we have left is deception

So disconnected

So what is the truth now . . . ?

Whoever has eyes may see this . . . whoever has ears may hear this

That’s all a mother can say . . . umma . . . baby . . . umma.

In Loving Memory of

My valiant brother, Joseph Purackal (Mathews)

who fought for family honor and stood by me

when times were tough.

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Joseph Purackal (Mathews)

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Lakshmi: Attorney. Defender of the underprivileged

Pandit Sankaran Thampi: Lakshmi’s father

Parvati: Lakshmi’s mother

Mallika: Lakshmi’s elder sister

Prakash: Lakshmi’s half-brother

Raj: Law College lecturer, Lakshmi’s first

love interest

Anand: Cousin

Rajesh: Activist, Lakshmi’s lover

Kamala: Intimate friend of Lakshmi

Viswanathan: Secret lover of Kamala

Subramaniam: Viswanathan’s father

Savithri Ammal: Viswanathan’s mother

Meenakshi: Lakshmi’s childhood friend

Minor Characters: Inspector Alex, Madhavan Kutty, Gowri, Chellappan

PART I

Justice Delayed…

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CHAPTER 1

T he news of her dear mother’s sudden death reached Lakshmi while she was developing legal strategies to defend a poor homeless woman charged with prostitution, resulting in her jail internment. Lakshmi took the first state run transportation bus to her native town of Alleppey in Kerala State and was met at the bus station by her stepbrother, Prakash. Lakshmi broke down at the sight of Prakash and cried incessantly, as she loved and respected her dear mother immensely. On their way home, Prakash narrated the details of their mother’s sudden illness and her death on her way to the district hospital.

She went straight to where the pyre was set up. According to Hindu faith, deceased people are placed in a pyre and the pyre is set ablaze by the eldest son in the family. Their ashes are then collected and in many cases immersed in the holy Ganges river that flows to meet the other holy rivers to form the Ganga Sagar.

Lakshmi knelt in front of the pyre and reached out to touch the oil-soaked wood where her mother was laid out. She remembered her days with her mother and the glorious time they spent together, wherein her mother had imparted worldly wisdom to her. She had received instructions how to conduct herself in public and in private circles. She advised her to devote her life to the service of mankind, especially the suffering women in the poverty stricken areas of the state, where their husbands and the police abused them. Lakshmi’s mother, Parvati, had experienced indiscriminate abuses from her own husband on many occasions. He, Pandit Sankaran Thampi, was a womanizer and often left Parvati to spend time with the courtesans in town, and come back and tell Parvati the gory details. It seemed he did not care or respect Parvati’s feelings. Like any duty bound Indian wife, Parvati kept her silence and vexed privately.

Many family members had gathered on the veranda of the old house, Lakshmi’s grandfather had built to view the funeral. Some of them called out to Lakshmi to come back to the house and view the funeral with them. However she refused to comply and yelled back to them, This is where I want to be. I was near my mother all my life. This is where I want to be in her death, near her.

Her father’s brother motioned to Prakash to light the pyre and they started singing the Hindu Vedas and prayers. Prakash approached the pyre and with a flaming pole lit the fire and then he withdrew. Come on, sister, let’s get back to the house. Lakshmi pretended she did not hear him and continued staring at the burning pyre.

She suddenly saw a vision, that of her mother rising as a spirit above the intensity of the fire. Lakshmi called out to her. Mom, I want to join you. I have no desire to be alone in this world. To which Parvati seemed to say. Go back to the company of those whom you serve. Your mission is to help the helpless and thereby carry out God’s plans for you. Your destiny is predetermined by all the gods. Go back!

Parvati’s apparition then