The Project Grandparents-VMKC-4

Who does not like ice cream as kids.Damayanti aunty would make it and call us.We will cross the road and speed across the short cut and enter through the back door and be ready to eat.

In those days,Damayanti aunty was the go to lady,as she was foreign returned and knew everything.My mother never ventured out.It was Damayanti aunty shepherding us to the doctor etc..She looked elegant in her saree,with sunglasses and big basket like purses.

Come Onam,Valliammachi would ask Aunty to make Onakodi for all us cousins.She would buy the same dress material for all of us and stitch it for us.I remember the pink blouse and green and pink floral print skirt even today.We all looked as if in uniform.

Now, in Kerala, during Onam times there is a "Kaduvakalli".People paint themselves as kaduva etc and come during night times and perform at each house.They are given a token of appreciation.This was all fun filled days.

During Deepawali we burst crackers and enjoyed .

We enjoyed Karthika by lighting lamps and eating underground stuff on that day.

Now Ammini aunty and family just stayed across the road.Uncle's parents stayed at Kovalam.So,once in a way,he used to take us with them.

The only bus would stop in front and we would all troop in,have fun in the bus.The bus used to stop at their doorstep on the way to Kovalam. We would excitedly run out, meet his mother,,younger brother,eat something and then stroll around .

We used to go to the beach ,cross cutting all fences and the abandoned palace .On the way ,we used to collect all chodaku ,come back have lunch and by evening come back home.We had no one telling us don't do this,don't do that,or anyone chaperoning us.

There were times when Sadashivan uncle took us to the movies.I just cherish all these memories with cousins.

We took turns carrying Sarsi to Vadayakattu Vaidyan for treatment when she was a little kid.Lucky correctly pointed it out in whatsapp.

Oh!sometimes,Poojapura Valliammachi would come and we would go and spend few days with her .She was our granny's sister.Her husband was IG Prisons then.

So, we had a good idea of Trivandrum Central Jail.They stayed in a palatial official residence ,where we enjoyed playing around and making noise.With him threatening to put us all behind bars.

I had a first hand information ,of how convicts were made to do work etc at close quarters.Infact ,we had the opportunity of knowing and understanding many things.Though, we were not very old then, walking across the huge parcels of land with the accompany policeman chatting ,I understood many things.

The zoo was another place for us to visit.

The Varambaseery temple that you see today,was a small ,wooden ,dark room where everyday lamp used to be lit. It was on the right side ,as we climbed the steps to our house. To go there either jump the wall or climb the steps to their house.Our Valliammachi 's cousin Sumathi Valliammachi stayed there.We used to go wash the villaku and kindi or draw water from the well for those chechi s, pluck chembarathi flowers, sometimes light the lamp also.

Today ,it looks so different.

Our days at that time,were very packed.We never felt bored.

The Project Grandparents-VMKC-3

Now, Valliammachi, like all granny's of olden days, kept everything under lock and key.In the dining room, there was a mealsafe and as kids ,our eyes were on that always, waiting for an opportunity to pounce on the goodies or the coin change in it to buy 'annagund muttai or kapalandi  muttai ,which was one paise and five paise respectively.She used to lock it and keep the keys under some bowl or plates.

Her afternoon siesta ,was the time for us to explore for the keys ,to open the mealsafe. This used to be mostly Dilip and me.

Now Valliammachi had a shingadi tailing her always.Since she had shaved her head we called her mottachi.I don't get her name.

She was not older than us .Maybe ten years old.In those days, it was considered normal, to shelter a child from hunger and a safe roof above their heads till they come of age.Mottachi's job was to only to tail Valliammachi and run small errands for her like getting her glasses, murukan box etc.

So, we used to butter her up, to get the keys. She knew where the keys were placed .She was 24/7 with Valliammachi as her shadow.Ofcourse ,we shared with her also but when we got caught put the blame on her.This was our regular routine.

With the spoon ,full of horlicks or ovaltine in our mouth, we used to run and hide, to eat in peace.Sometimes,choking on it ,cough and smear it all over.It was fun because we would look like ghosts.

If we managed to get five paise or ten paise ,without any ones knowledge run to lakshmikuttyammas shop and buy sweets and sit on the side mudwall and eat.

We cousins always shared and ate and stood for each other.

The Project Grandparents -VMKC-2

  Now ,glamourwise ,my valliammachi had an aura or charishma around her.She was on the darker side.She had a heart of gold,not very literate but very good at management. All her nine daughters ,with a gap of one or two years between them ,addressed her as ammachi.

Even if I wished to hug her  my hands would not reach the full circumfrence.She was solid stock woman.We use to see  her bhadrakali avatar also, though not very frequent.

Oh! she loved us so much inspite of us being brats to the core.(please excuse Meena and Sarsi not in the brat list).

Now my sister resembled her, so perhaps my parents thought it apt to name her Meenakshi after her ,though my sis loves to be called Meena without the kshi.

Every Saturday or Sunday I forget ,it was a routine ritual to oil our heads to the scalp and run the 'payncheap' and comb out all the louse.No use crying out in pain, her grip was solid and after the episode ,we looked soaked in oil.Next run near the well at the back and have a good bath, with that cut piece of red lifebuoy soap.

For evening snack, there was huge murukuu, if the old man selling murukku came, with the big basket on his head full of it .She would buy and give us one each and no more.We happily played with it as a bangle, as it would reach our shoulders before finishing it off.

If it was jackfruit season, then she would ask Saradamma ,the kitchen help ,to cut equal pieces and give each one of us a JJportion.Unlike today ,where we take out the cholas and remove the kurus for our kids these days,she never spoonfed us.Management lesson 1.

We were supposed to eat the bulbs and return   the seed,chagini and the outercovering back at the kitchen.It never mattered where we ate. Management instructions skills 2.If we didn't ,then we would have a earful of swear words.These days, it would be treated as Verbal abuse under Child protection act

If the lady selling kappa mangoes came, which was ten paise for a big one then we got one each.After eating it was our usual game of throwing away to the farthest distance.or Dilip would yell my name. When I come running 'andika koot pogavu' he would ask and I would get pissed off.

Once in 45 days ,Benny,the dark, handsome ,sinewy ,coconut plucker would come .He was my valliammachis righthand man.After plucking and bringing them to the kitchenside ,we would be treated to tender coconut if she was in a good mood.

So Sundays used to pass off very actively.

The Project Grandparents -VMKC-1

These few episodes are for those few cousins ,who had little interaction with our momside grandparents.I thought of taking you on a tour through my beautiful memories.

So the Varembaserry Meenakshiamma Kochumol Correspondent (VMKC), writes her memories from when she was eight during her short six month stay.

It all started when I completed my 3rd std JanTo Dec school.My father,a fauji got his regular transfer order. Now some schools  in those days were fromJune to March.All that I know was ,I had to do another six months in the same class ,though I was to have joined the next grade.

Now getting admission in the middle of the year was unheard of. We were staying with my moms parents.We called them Valliachan and Valliammachi, our maternal grandparents.

We roped in,a grandfather who was the then IG prisons and man of position .I joined the already going gang,at a girls school in Hospital Junction which would have been about one and half kilometer away.

The place where my grandparents stayed was called Kunnukuzhy. I often wondered what a name for a place.We trekked up and down to and from school.

No autorickshaws/cycle rickshaws or school vans plied our way.Maybe one city bus passed that way in the morning and evening .So we had a morning walk to school and an evening walk from school.

During that time Lucky and Dilip also stayed there.So the five of us,Meena,Lucky ,Dilip,Sarsi and me. Sarsi was too small may be one or two years old.Meena was a quiet kid whereas we three were the villains.We would tear the house down and Valliachan would chase to beat us.We three would escape poor Meena used to get the brunt of the rolled newspaper, which substituted for a stick.

Mostly, we would climb the guava tree on the side roof top which was our grandparents bedroom .We would scream at the top of our voices and disturb their afternoon siesta.

Our cousins little Chitra and Lekha stayed just across the road.Further down through shortcut our cousins Kochubabuannan Meerachachi,Deven and Suresh stayed . Now, when all come together, you can just imagine.

Now Babu was a common name .There were three babus.Babu Mammen the eldest was our only uncle who passed away in an accident was referred to Valiya Babu .

The next in line was Damayanthi aunty's son called Kochu Babu.

The last was our Ashok Babu being the youngest of the babus was called Babu Kuttan.

Whatever be it ,inspite of the expletives hurled at us, we loved both our grandparents and they loved us to the core.

Expresso Gratitude

Gratitude is not only acknowledging but also touching and saying thankyou. I never knew till I tried it.

Now don't be confused .I am talking of trees and plants.
I have three mango trees,two guava trees and a jackfruit treein my backyard. Some grew on their own like the long ones ,others were planted by my well wishers,one by an auto mans wife,another by a security guard,one in a gifted pot.

A few years ago the mango and guava trees had  blossomed to the full.My roving eyes  took a quick scan of the going to be good harvest of fruits . I had little to do with watering and manuring them which was left to the whims of nature.

My job was  to distribute after they were plucked and given to me by the Nepali nurturer.
Occasionally if I went to the terrace maybe a guava or two fresh from the tree after whispering a quick thankyou sheepishly.

Gadget talk

Now gadgets in the forefront,
A dominating force to reckon with.
No face to face  interaction.
But whatsapp and messenger savvy.
Anything and everything under the sun,
No dearth for topics to be discussed.
No growls, no monosyllables,no eye contact .
What a scenario?

New Learnings

It was a fun filled five day week for more than a month. The hurry bury transformed the elderly to a robust young person. How soon time flies, new friends all  young making  you feel youth once again.

The huge tables  for spreading  your cloth to make the markings before cutting, the machines zooming with a gentle touch were all fun filled moments.Getting to know the fast track machines took  more than a fortnight.

Then it was imagination for making tote bags.The numbers churned out were quite a lot from small to medium to big.Jesus can all this be done? Sure we could.

Then came Shiela ki Jawani .ts. Soon it transformed to paper to cloth . There was a flutter at the table. copying down from the board the drawings and construction.Came out miniature versions of bodice petticoat and a line petticoat to kurtas and salvars.

It was really good from simple cotton materials to finished garments with total finish laced with trimmings.I personally never knew my hands could make such beautiful pieces.My confidence has leaped by bounds.

Will dreams take flight? Well lemme try this one time.History has proved that age can never be an impediment.In the process for the take off.