Stories  
Ananda Sankaram – 3
by NS Murty

“The song was so lovely. Isn’t it?” Vijaya came to him asked. Ananda Sankaram who lost himself in the ballet. The words of VC that “fear is more dangerous than death itself’ remembered Ananda Sankaram who was about to get into his shell reflexively, and the song ‘open up your wings of courage’ was still reverberating in his ears. Now he is a different man. He opened up himself and talked freely with Vijaya. “Anand! I did what that Jonathan had tried. I developed an unforgettable relation with the children of ‘Bal Nivas’ in these two years of social work. I wish to adopt a child from them and Nandagopal does not like the proposal. He wants me to choose between the destitute children and him. I am unable to decide,” she said with a sigh of despair. Ananda Sankaram was perplexed. And the very proposal seemed to him strange. To an Ananda Sankaram who could not face a girl friend and ran away like a thief and invented reasons to cover it up, it shocked him to realize if people would think so nobly about life. He felt that the layers were slowly melting and the real meaning of life was steadily unfolding before him.

The ballet had come to the end. All other birds were following Jonathan. They were heading towards the new horizons. “Open up your wings of courage” What a great message that was! The words of Jonathan were ringing in his ears. All the spectators gave the children of ‘Bal Nivas’ a very big hand in appreciation. And Ananda Sankaram who was in a trance, forgot even to clap.

Mohini commenced her song. It was a nagma, a poem: Soughat kise pesh karoon. It was like the wetness of ice skiing down silently. And when the song was finished, the whole atmosphere was agog with claps. And a student unable to contain his excitement shouted, “Mohini Zindabad!” And the rest joined him in chorus. And bowing her head in blush Mohini expressed her thanks in lovely smiles. That song gave Ananda Sankaram an inexplicable pleasure. And when the darling of his dreams was so splendid in that gathering under the full moon, he felt a little pride and was happy that he could be her mate, at least, in his dreams.

Ananda Sankaram, who was captivated by her thoughts, was shocked to hear his name over the mike and the announcement ‘Ananda Sankaram should sing a song now’. Niranjanrao was looking at him in sadistic pleasure. When there was no response from Ananda Sankaram all the students started singing in chorus: ‘Ananda Sankaram should sing. Ananda Sankaram should sing.’

And his old comrade of fear seized Ananda Sankaram. His heart started beating fast and he felt short of breath. He recanted to himself those words of the V.C. that ‘fear is more dangerous than death itself.’ No use. He remembered Jonathan Seagull. Still no use. His legs refused to budge.

A man may be rational and kind, but a group is not. It will not tolerate timidity and excuses. A student pushed Ananda Sankaram forward. Another handed him the mike. And they were all shouting rhythmically that ‘Ananda Sankaram should sing. Ananda Sankaram should sing.’

Nobody knew what impulse had driven him and what courageousness had seized him, but he opened his mouth. “In this vast, lone serene surrounds of this palace, Jahapana, my lord, please rest peacefully!” That was a song by MS Rama Rao. He was himself not aware he knew the song. It was a song he learnt from his Telugu teacher in his childhood. He hazily remembered the tune. But it came afresh piercing through the manifold layers years. There was angst in it. Touch of tears in it. And the song suspended in the whole atmosphere like the tang of sandalwood. And the listeners felt the touch of a rose washed in tears in their hands.

Claps! Claps!! And the whole assembly reverberated with claps!!! And the simplest means man had to express his pleasure and assent are claps. And the listeners indicated how they enjoyed it by a long two-minute spell of claps.
Ananda Sankaram was suffocating with pleasure. Drying his eyes he said ‘thanks’ bashfully. And then happened the most unexpected event of his life! Like a Gandharva Woman under the enchanting spell of a magician, Mohini walked up to him in steady steps, and saying, ‘what a wonderful rendering of the song! This is a song one should covetously keep in the mind’s album. Take this little compliment from me,’ and delicately planted a silent kiss on the cheek of Ananda Sankaram.

– Continued

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