We Know Each Other

Kerala, in India, is a land of hills, rivers, small towns, beaches, temples and festivals. Tourists from many countries visit the place in spite of the dirt, poor maintenance of public places, rickety buses and trains and the disturbance caused by beggars. Local men have interactions with the Western and South East Asian tourists and some people even have the opportunity to have some fun with the visitors.

Shankar was attracted to the bikini clad white women who adored the cover of his father’s account book, at an early age. He liked open mindedness, freedom of expression and uninhibited attitude to sex. He disliked the hidden ways of the people of his place, Kerala.

Shankar read English novels voraciously and watched all the Western films screened in his place. As a Brahmin, he was obliged to perform temple rituals and study the Vedas. But his mind was not only in the West, but westernized countries of the East like Singapore, Japan, Korea, etc. He wished to live in a country where there will be brothels, night clubs and casinos. He decided to contact as many people from those countries as possible, through the pen pal web sites.

Shankar did not get many replies to his letters. One day, he saw an email from Sweden for the first time. Annike showed interest in him and he was so happy. He wrote to her.

‘Dear Annike, I cannot explain how happy I am. Here in my country, everything is hidden and there is no freedom. We, teenage boys do not have the freedom to roam around with our girl friends and people are so self centered and all people believe that only money and money only can fetch our needs. Our life is just a small limited frame work and everything outside it is considered wrong. We fear our society and we have no way to express ourselves. It is because of this reason that I need your support and I want to know how you live in Sweden. I have heard that there are night clubs, parties and merriment and all such things are approved by the society.

Annike was very intelligent and she was a real scholar besides being a happy go lucky lady like her compatriot friends. She liked the frankness of her pen friend and replied to Shankar.

‘Your letter was nice to read, though I got the notion that you think everything is so free and liberal in the West. Of course we are very expressive and we have more freedom than people from countries like India have and we enjoy our weekends very well. We have the freedom to choose our boy friends and girl friends at an early age and most marriages are decided by the boy and the girl themselves. I know that in India the social set up is different and you seem to be a different Indian. Write to me often and I will be glad to respond to your mails’.

After a few years, Shankar got the happy news from Annike. She is going to visit India and Kerala. She will be in Kovalam for three days.

Kovalam is the most popular tourist destination in Kerala and it has a very beautiful beach and the waves of the sea is very soft. Maintenance of the place is very poor, as in many parts of the country, but there are private beaches too. Those places are ideal for sunbathing and Western tourists flock the place between November and March. There is a rumor that middle aged ladies from the West come here to share their bodies with local youngsters. Shankar must have such ideas in his mind.

The day came. Annike reached Kovalam and took a room in a deluxe resort. Shankar had given his phone number to her and she called him. With hoped galore for a grand period of enjoyment, Shankar reached her room.

Both of them had no problem starting to talk. They talked about Annike’s journey, Shankar’s efforts to find a job and life in general. Then Shankar asked.
‘Isn’t sex between consenting adults legal in Sweden? In India it is so, but society will not approve.’

Annike had read about attack against foreign women in India and she sensed the hidden motives in Shankar’s mind.

‘It is so, but we are also very discreet and girl and boys decide to do things only after thinking a lot about it. Why do you ask about this?’

‘If you think it is all right to have some fun, I will be so happy.’

No sooner had Sankar finished saying this that Annike raised her voice and shouted.

‘I thought you were a sensible Hindu. Haven’t you read the Bhagavat Gita and the Puranas? You cannot simply indulge in sensual pleasures unless and until you do your duties thoroughly. We in the Western world indulge in our work before deciding to enjoy worldly pleasures. You wrote to me that you are a Brahmin and I know that your duty is to offer worship to the lord in temples. Once you achieve your career goals and earn some money and be independent, you try to approach girls. That doesn’t mean that I will be ready for your fancies.’

Shankar gasped. ‘ I did not mean to hurt you. I just believed that your people were more liberal and will be happy to get into relations. Sorry if I hurt you. Any way, I am glad to be your friend and will continue to be so and will not broach this subject again.’

‘Okay, do not worry. You relax and go home and pursue your career goals. I will write to you whenever I get time.’

Humiliation, disillusionment, new awareness. Shankar returned to his home with some changes in his line of action, thought and behavior.