“The very first time I met Nandini was when I was twelve years old.

One day, in Pazhayarai, my younger sister, my little brother, and I were playing with a boat in the stream that ran behind our palace. When our game was over, we got out of the boat and walked back to the palace through the blossoming grove. On the way, we heard the voice of our great-grandmother, Sembiyan Maadevi. The three of us had been raised with great affection by our grandmother. Wanting to tell her about our boating adventure, we followed her voice and entered the kodivettu house. Besides our grandmother, there were three others in the room. Of the three, one was a little girl about our age. The other two, it was clear, were her parents. They were telling our grandmother something about that girl. As soon as we entered the kodivettu house, everyone turned to look at us. But all I could see were the wide, astonished eyes of that little girl fixed upon us. Even now, when I think back, that scene stands vivid before my mind’s eye…”

So saying, Karikalan gazed up at the sky, falling into silence. Whether he saw the face of that little girl within the drifting veils of thin clouds that wandered across the heavens at that moment, none could say.

“Sir! And then? Please continue!” Parthibendran urged, and Karikalan returned to this world and resumed his tale:

“It was my sister Kundavai who told our grandmother about our boating escapade. After hearing it, the queen mother said, ‘My dear ones! Did you see this girl? How bright and lovely she is! They have come from the Pandya country to stay at our Isana Sivapattar’s house. They will be here for a few days. This girl’s name is Nandini. Sometimes, include her in your games. She will be a good friend to you!’ But I could sense that my sister did not like this suggestion. As the three of us left for the palace, Kundavai said, ‘Anna! Did you see that girl standing there? How strange and ill-omened she looked! Why does her face resemble a clay doll’s? Grandmother wants me to play with her? If I look at her face, I can’t help but laugh! What am I to do?’” The moment I heard this, an important truth dawned upon me. That is, women are born with jealousy in their very nature. No matter how beautiful a woman may be, she cannot bear to see another woman who is beautiful.

“It is well known that among the women born in our clan, my sister is famed for her beauty. Even she could not tolerate the sight of another woman who was beautiful. Otherwise, why would she speak of that girl in such a manner? I did not let my sister off easily. Just to provoke her anger, I insisted that the other girl was indeed more beautiful. We often argued and quarreled about this. Our brother