That was the summer
Thangam would remember as perhaps the best she had spent in the village, in a
long time. It had been four years since she had been home, what with Dorai's
maladies and Kannan, Papa and Meena's schooling. Chuppam would start school
after the vacations.
Vaithy had booked one
full-ticket and four half-tickets with berths and one half-ticket without a
berth in the Ladies' Compartment of the Howrah-Madras Express, so the journey
was comfortable. The other passenger in the compartment, was a young woman
going to Vizag, to help her uncle, who was going to Hyderabad for a cataract
surgery. She took one of the upper berths. From Vizag, the seat remained empty.
They were met at Olavakode
by Aachu mama and Nambisan, who had come in a jeep. Thangam noticed there was a
new, pucca road to the village from Aanayodi Junction, and the drive was
smoother than before. There were new street lights at Cherumukku, and Nambisan
explained that the panchayat had installed it just the month before. Some
houses in the village even had taps now.
They saw Vishalapatti,
standing outside the house, chatting to Alamelu, when the Jeep rounded the
corner at Kupachchan's general store. The children tumbled out and ran to her!
She beamed, as they flocked around her, patting their heads and cupping their
faces in her palms. When Bhagyam alighted, they wiped their eyes, and
disappeared into the nezhi.
 |
| Alamelu |
Vaithy would join them
three weeks later. By then, the children had gone native. Kannan and Pappa
would join Aachu mama, as he inspected the fields and talked to the kudiyaans
about the next crop season. They went with him when he supervised the
harvesting of coconuts, when he bargained over the price of his copra; they got
naadan-style hair-cuts from the village ambattan and bathed in the pond each
morning and dusk. They learnt to swim and to catch tadpoles. They even went to
town once.
For Meena and and
Chuppam, they were times to learn about the intricacies of making rice vadaams
and drying chundakkai. They watched Vishalapatti making chadachadaya paayasam
and chakka veratti. She would make paalada for paalada pradhaman, and her young
charges would soak it all up. The trees in the kollai were heavy with fruit. Mambhazha
kootan, manga erisheri, chakka thoran, were all to be had. They watched as
Vishalapatti churned butter, made ghee and turned out neiappams, using a
needle-point with the precision of a surgeon wielding a scalpel.
 |
| Thangam, 12 years old |
One day, Vaithy would
catch Papa imitating Vishalapatti in front of a mirror. "Koshava!"
(a potter); "kallukuDi manga!" (drunkard); and the ultimate epithet,
"shavanDi kotta!" (a brahmin who eats shraddham feasts, and takes on
the sins of the departed upon him. A necessary, but lowly function). For all
her mildness, Vishalapatti would not be crossed. She had arrived as a
14-year-old child widow, and had been part of the family ever since. Bhagyam
had no recollection of her parents. Aachu mama had moved in when they died, and
he and Vishalapatti had brought her up.
 |
| Vishalapatti |
They made longed-for
visits. To Chottanikkara and Kodungallur. This was the first time Vishalapatti
had left the village, in Bhagyam's recollection. She would forever remember the
"makam darshanam" at Chottanikkara. The journeys by train and bus
were strenuous. On the return journey, they went to Guruvayoor and Bhagyam
conducted an "aalroopa nercha" for Dorai, presenting a silver eye to
the Lord. Vaithy took Bhagyam to Ettumanoor. This time, they went alone,
leaving the children behind.
When it would be time
to leave, Vishalapatti stood outside, looking for an auspicious shakunam. At
last, in the distance, she saw an elephant pass by. Satisfied, she would allow
them to leave. As Aachu mama was sick, the embrandri's boy was deputed to escort
them to the station.
As Anthappan's
Landmaster rounded the corner, Thangam looked back. Vishalapatti was, once
again, talking to Amminikutty and Alamelu.
Text: Shankar A.
Narayan Photo credits: Ramdas Iyer and The British Library
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