The Tatoo Man

(Biwi, close to his heart)

Soon after the media interaction in Tiruvananthapuram (27 July 2018), we piled into the three vehicles marshalled by Shanil Menon, the transport & hospitality handler, and headed for the southern tip of Republic of India. Yes, Kanyakumari beckoned.

I look inside the Innova we were in. Subu in the conductor seat. That's next to the driver. Shanil, a reputed tour operator with Ernakulam as his base, himself at the wheels. Ram sandwiched between Hari and myself.

The vehicle moving through the narrow two-lane highway linking the state of Kerala with Tamilnadu. The itch to ferret out input from  Subu is irresistable, but I hold back. Why?

Something struck me after the media interaction wound up. A close look at Subu's torso revealed his body as a billboard with innumerable tatoos. Acres and acres of blue ink covering his fair skin.

"our body is full of tatoos, Subu. Recent or old?" An icebreaker from my end.

"Twenty one," blurts out Subu before rolling up his right hand sleeves to present the names of several people in English and Hindi, all in upper and lower cases. His recommendation or Tatoo artist?

"Narayanan. Saraswathy. Mahesh". These are in English, one beneath the other, centralized.  Then "Aurelius. Madhura. Vel. Aadhit." These in Hindi.

Who are they?

"Narayanan and Saraswathy are my parents... Mahesh is my younger brother, now in London," reveals he.  Aurelius, by the way, is his pet dog's name. Now, no more. Om Shanti!

Madhura, his daughter. First born.

"Vel" is his younger brother and London-based Mahesh's eldest son. Artistically done. The celestial weapon of Lord Subrahmanya forming part of this tatoo and also signifying an fighting instrument.

Aadhith is Subu's wife Hema's sister Malini's first son.

The top layer on right arm tatooed with his parents and brother. These were before Subu lost his "bachelorhood". The second layer consists of the first generation kids of the family.

These tatoos were done by Manjit Singh in Delhi when Subu used to work for Hella India in Delhi NCR.

That's for right arm side. What about left?

There is a ferocious tiger on the top of left arm followed by "Aniruddh, Idhanth and Ved" in Hindi. They form part of the second generation kids: Aniruddh, Hema's sister's second son, Idhanth, Subu's second offspring and Ved, Mahesh's second son.

The mind of the systematic mechanical engineer is on display, using his own body as the canvas.

Well, that's not over yet. There are more.

Out of the blue, one sees an intricate "veni, vidi, vici" (I came.I saw. I conquered) tatoo on his left arm. Yes, the famous phrase of Julius Caesar written in 47 BC to the Roman Senate after winning a short war at the Battle of Zela.

I try to figure out whether there is any pattern in his mind's working: the tiger insignia reflects a positive and aggressive mindset. A must and desirable quality for a man with a mission: 3,600 km walkathon from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in 60 days.

"I'm the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul" reads the next four lines, written stylistically in old English style. Am absolutely clueless.

Sensing my bewildered look, Subu comes to my rescue: This is the famous last lines from Invictus, a short Victorian poem by the 19th century  English poet William Ernest Henley. What is this doing on my arms, you wonder. Right? During the incarceration for 27 years, the South African leader Nelson Mandela kept sharing this poetry to prison mates to keep their morale high. Yes, it is one of my favorite poems and must have recited hundreds of times," adds he.

This man is no ordinary chap. Well read. What do you expect from the eldest son of a English professor mother and chartered secretary father born and brought up in a small town in Palghat, Kerala? "He (Subu) was glued to books all the time. Our parents desired us to focus on studies," adds Mahesh over a long telephone interview from London.  With just one television and one rotary telephone in the entire village of 70 houses, there was less scope for any other form of entertainment, except reading.

Under this Mandela favourite lines, there is again something undecipherable. What's that? Ambigram. Never heard of it so far. "One way, it reads Subu. The other way, it is Hema... Me and my wife," explains he. Designed by himself. He has done a similar ambigram for his daughter and son as well.

All fine. How come, his wife is invisible among the tatoos? No place for her? .

Without losing a second, he pulls down the round neck of his electric colour sweat-friendly T shirt. There, it is here: "Hema" in Hindi. The best place on his torso is reserved for his better half. No better choice of place than this one! Truly she is close to his heart!

Any more?

"Wait, Remeshji! When this journey is completed, something will come up on the left calf muscle. I have kept  that space blank," says he with a wink.

A few questions remain unasked. One, why "Subu" and not "Subbu"? Is it to get perfect alignment for the ambigram formation? Second, is the name of his pet was Aurelius, a Golden Retriever breed, because the latin name meant "golden" or gilded"? Maybe. May not be. And ... why the names of spouse, first and second generation in Hindi, not in English? Will buttonhole Subu soon on these puzzles!

Still, the tatoo listing is not over. He turns around. Lifts his collarless T shirt. There in full display: the Trident with a mini percussion instrument (Udukkai in Tamil) tied at the top, associated with Mahesh or Lord Shiva, the Destroyer, in perfect alignment with his spinal chord. Just not that.

There are the most chanted two lines of Shiv Mahamrityunjaya Mantra, of course in sanskrit. Literally translated this twin lines are chanted by the Hindus in praise of Lord Shiva, seeking success, prosperity and peace in life besides beseeching his blessings at all times.

Less than two hours after being exposed to him and his Tatoo-laden torso, Subu remains an enigma. What does these signage on his body tell about him? A family loving individual. Inclusive at that. In this age of nuclear family syndrome, Subu adds a wide range of his kith and kin. Even his  pet finds a place. No human-animal divide or discrimination.  Well read, of course. Determined, of course. Otherwise, would he have dreamt of  3,600 km epic journey to promote road safety?

(To be continued)


To READ Curtain Raiser click here

To READ  Who is Subu? click here

To READ  The Subu Darshan click here