‘Remember, cattle from a specific place have special features that make them stand out them from the rest? In the same way, she was a goddess from Andhra. Her beauty was known not just around the neighbouring villages but the news of it travelled wide. That itself became her bane.

‘You should have heard her sing! When she began to hum, the universe would stop spinning and fall silent, not a leaf or a flower would dare to move. It was like every sorrow in this world was slowly slipping away and we were flying in the air, as light as a feather. Our hearts would sing along, like the brimming water in Perungkulam.

‘She had a rare laugh too, which made you almost beg for more. Actually, how many different kinds of smiles she had!

‘A smile that grew just in the eyes.

‘One where the eyebrows would join the dance.

‘A smile that stayed in the corner of her eyes alone.

‘A smile with a straight, stoic face; a grin thrown to the floor; a laugh where her eyes would twinkle and swirl high up, like a bird; and sometimes a smile that merely widened her nostrils!

‘Any smile on those lips made that mouth even more beautiful. When she tried to control her mirth, her lips would redden like a young sparrow’s blood.

‘There was a pearl that dangled from her nose ring worn on the nose tip, which ran in constant competition with her teeth when she smiled openly. Just imagine the artisan who fashioned the nose pin so that the pearl would dangle right in front of her teeth!

‘A few days after she matured, they decided to buy rubies to make a necklace for her. There were a few gems at home. They needed more and that’s why they’d come to that town—to buy rubies, not sell.

‘Chennadevi’s father was in the market looking for rubies. First he showed them the ones he had. The gem merchants were floored by their wonder. “Where did you buy these?” they asked amazed. The father denied any knowledge, as the gems were hereditary.

‘The merchants fought hard to stop looking at the gems. The place seemed to be flushing with their glow. The merchants were busy handling the gems, taking them out to look at them in better light, smiling in delight, arguing about their value among themselves in a language only they could understand. It looked as if each one was claiming the stone he held to be more precious than the others.

‘Chennadevi happened to come by. When she observed their neat veshtis, turbans, long beard and their loud chatter, she could not control her mirth. One of the older merchants looked towards the direction of the laughter. He looked sharply, then rubbed his eyes and looked again. It didn’t seem as if he believed his eyes. Chenna was more amused by his actions. She giggled so much it sounded like pearls rolling out of sacks.