Waiting for Suddah

Malathi PERERA

In 1940s – 1950s, the Sri Lanka was decorated mostly with thick green jungles. As you pass Pologahawela in a train towards North, and the interiors of the up country, or down South, it was one stretch of greenery. The people had never heard or seen beasts or elephants roaming near their villages. The animals were safe in these bushes, and they never came after the man’s grown crops. The waters in the brooks could be taken for use, without boiling healthy, fresh air to inhale. They never heard of dengue and all other illnesses spread by flies and mosquitoes.

In a town in Kandy, at that time, there were hardly any houses, only huge castle-like houses and some huts of the farmers. The electricity was only to the so called rich and the middle class and the poor never had that privilege. During these days, the recognized people were schoolmaster, postmaster, stationmaster and a few planters (estate owners).

Mr Rodrigo was an estate owner.

He was living in a mansion just by the side of a water fall. Left to his residence was the rubber estate and up mountains was tea and to the right a thickly embedded jungle and in front the main road which led to Matale. When the front door is opened, the two children of Mr. Rodrigo, Vinitha and Suneetha, have to walk quite a distance to the main gate to get into the bullock cart to go school.

By about 6.30 am, the heavy mist envelopes them, so that Mrs Rodrigo cannot see the children standing near the gate. In the sides of the narrow pathway, there were flowerbeds, roses, lilies, daisies and it was very beautiful.

These have been nurtured by Mrs Rodrigo and Manika. Manika was fond of going to the nearby waterfall to bring water to water the flowerbeds. In a corner of the garden about one-acre land, there were fruit trees, jack, guavas, berries, cashew and all kinds of tropical fruit trees. Even on a tiny tree in April there were fruits. The mother nature was bountiful.

After finishing household work, Manika used to wander in the area where the fruit trees are and she picked a basket full of fruits for the family and a bunch of flowers to decorate the house. Visitors, coming to this house during vacation, mostly spend in the garden. Water taps were a dream. They got clear clean water from the waterfall.

Rattaran was the driver in that family. His parents were living when he was a little boy. They were tea pluckers and rubber tappers, and in the evening they helped Mrs Rodrigo in her household work. Their small hut was near the waterfall. As both parents were dead Rattaran started driving their Morris Minor.

On a Sunday the so called big men of the area, postmaster, stationmaster and doctor get-to-gether and they go on hunting. There were no particular laws. One day when his son was playing in the garden, Mr Rodrigo saw a huge reptile coming from the upper tree. He recognized the reptile. He was an accurate huntsman. Before the reptile could cuddle and jump on the child, Mr Rodrigo’s gun worked instantly, and the reptile was broken into pieces.

A huntsman knows if he misses a shot it is dangerous. During holidays, this particular group with the tasty lunch packets made by Mrs Rodrigo, crept into the jungle to have a kill.

One evening instead of bringing a dead deer, they brought a tiny baby monkey, as white as snow. So the story starts with him. He was fondled by everybody at home and he became a family member. His name was Suddha. Suddha used to go behind Menike. When Menike walks down he jumps from tree to tree, securing Menike several times. He warned Menike when he sees a reptile. Menike got used to his body movements. When there was danger, he makes a noise. He was the guardian of the family.

One day there had been a huge snake under the sofa, he did not move from there for hours until someone came to the sitting room, and well aware of his behaviour, Mr. Rodrigo managed to chase the snake away. In ancient times they never kill snakes, they feel that it brings ill luck.

So the little baby Suddha was brought up freely in and outside of this great mansion. Little by little he became a huge monkey, and he feels that he is still small, jumped on the chandelier and broke two chandeliers, he jumped on to the shoulders of the old Mr Rodrigo who fell twice, not being able to carry his weight. So they had to put him outside the house.

Rattaran was very fond of the fellow. When he went to the market in the car Suddha used to creep inside the car and whilst on the drive, he just cannot wait at one place climbs up the car and it was a common and hilarious scenery to the villagers to see the Morris Minor arriving carrying the monkey on the top. When Suddha sees a friend of the family, without much hesitation he jumps on the shoulders of the man or the woman, through a friendly manner, which later became nuisance to the whole village. At times, from the high top of a tree, when a known figure is seen, the monkey aims and jumps on the person who is walking near the mansion. Most people fall to the ground and bruise their head and hands.

Later the villagers got-together and came to a compromise with Mr Rodrigo to get rid of the monkey.

One morning the whole family got into the car with the monkey, as usual the fellow climbed the top of the car and they drove towards Anuradhapura. With tears of everybody, Rattaran carried the monkey into the wilderness, and made the fellow wander into the woods, and came running and got into the car and came home.

On that night none of them could sleep, they were all in tears. Menike lost her appetite. So did Rattaran. The girls got married and Rattaran had to leave the house as Mr Rodrigo died and the Morris minor was sold. Rattaran was 50 and he went to his own village. He never got married. Menike was given in marriage to a farmer in the vicinity. So once a month Rattaran used to visit the mansion and Menike. They forgot Suddha.

After ten years, during Poson season Rattaran went on a pilgrimage to Anuradhapura. After worshipping and coming back, he made the driver stop the vehicle he traveled at the place where he released Suddha.

After about five minutes he started to whistle, not a minute, Suddha, now fairly old, came from nowhere onto Rattaran’s body, and he hanged on to the neck and cuddled Rattaran very tightly held him. The fellow was crying. Rattaran saw the tears pouring down from the monkey’s eyes and he could not push him out as he was tightly holding his neck. Until Rattaran took him to the lorry, he never released him and kept on hanging on to him until he arrived at his own hometown.

Once he stepped out from the lorry, the monkey obediently went behind to the house and sat in a corner and never came out of the house. Once in a way he climbed up trees happily and cheerfully but never went out of Rattaran’s garden. He must have felt that if does it he will be taken to the jungles again.

Later, Mr Rodrigo’s family got to know that people living bordering the jungles in Anuradhapura that they had seen a white monkey all alone looking at the road and they were told that he never moved about with the other monkeys in the jungle.