Don’t know whether true or fictitious, but the story of the ‘Madhaviyamma’ could keep on revisiting my memories. I first heard this story when I was studying in my Upper Primary school, of which I would tell you more in another chapter.

This story was told to me and my classmates by our favorite English teacher Biju, addressed as Bijusir. By practice, he used to tell us stories in order to keep all of us attentive and bothered about the class. This one was striking.

Golden ornaments were such a weakness to Madhaviyamma that she wished to get buried along with her ornaments. Belonged to a respectable family of affluent means, her husband and children could not resist to this wish of hers and that was how she got buried with all those golden bangles, chains and other heavy ornaments. She died at the age of 55 due to some heart-related ailment. As per the tradition, she was buried in the nearby cemetery and a mourning family came back home.

The day died like a lamp snuffed out. And the night came, spreading darkness in the cemetery which did not have any lights. In fact, why, who would want to spend time in a cemetery in the night, other than those lifeless bodies which are dumped there! But that wasn’t right at all, as the darkness along with it, brought two thieves to the cemetery. They came sniffing the big loot awaiting them in the graveyard of Madhaviyamma. They had noticed the golden gloss on her corpse.

Silence benumbed the whole setting. They went near the tomb of Madhaviyamma, making sure that no one was spying. Slowly, they removed tomb-lid and peeped in avariciously. The coffin was not seen as covered by earth. With hands, they removed the warm earth and there came the pricey coffin box, gilded by golden drapes. One of them opened the coffin and what they saw was unbelievable. The corpse of Madhaviyamma was lying, with golden ornaments all over the body. Greedily, one of them caught hold of her hand but in the next moment, something unthinkable had happened; Madhaviyamma opened her eyes. She stared at the thieves as if confused. She wasn’t dead. The thieves, who couldn’t understand anything, tried to gesticulate something but failed to convince each other. One after the other, they lost their consciousness and fell alongside Madhaviyamma.

Early next day, someone who came to look over the cemetery, found the ‘dead’ Madhaviyamma embraced by two young men who were lying asleep on her sides. Heard that, later Madhaviyamma opened her eyes and the story was unfolded. The thieves were released as regards to the vice-turned-virtue.

From the way things happened, this is what I can presume now; Madhaviyamma would have become some Human God beatifying devotees, and the thieves would have become some Panchayat Presidents or MLAs somewhere in Kerala.