Some Thoughts

Sunday, April 17, 2011

The Ghost……my cousins met..

After partition, everyone left the main house of the ancestral home. Grandma and her sister went to stay with her children. Her brothers too stayed with relatives. The whole ‘tharavad’ was left closed for many years. Some members repaired the portions they got and had tenants living in their houses.

My father too repaired and made an extension to the house mother got. During those days the main portion of the tharavad was rented to a Mr. Warriar and family. They were very nice people and all four children had one of us as classmate and friend. But the sad, sudden demise of Mr. Warriar was a great shock to the family and they left the house.

Mr. Warriar died of heart failure and as explained by my cousin Babu, he breathed his last lying on Babu’s lap. After the Warriar family, no one stayed in that part of the tharavad. It was a long way to reach the main gate from other houses in the same premises which belonged to our family. We had to cross the main portions of the tharavad to reach the gate. Though there was an entrance at the other end of the compound, all used this gate. During the day time it was the easy route but at night it was difficult with no lights.

It was sometime in 1974 Shankarankutty ammavan was staying in one of the houses at the back part of the tharavad. Warriar died in that year. After the death of Warriar, the tharavad was left almost abandoned.

Ammavan’s eldest daughter Girija’s marriage preparations were going on. So the elders decided to clean the main hall of the tharavad and store the grocery and do the previous day’s cooking there.

The previous day’s dinner was very important and all family members would be present. In those days all the food was prepared at home and it was great fun as all relatives were involved in the preparations. So after a long silence the tharavad premises got some life….Now I feel the spirits and ghosts sleeping were awakened by the laughter and jokes of the family.

The day before Girija’s marriage everyone gathered. It is always great fun when the cousins meet.. There were too many people in the house and no one noticed when the boys sneaked out….Soman, Rajan, Babu and Unni had gone out for a long time and it was late night when they returned.

Today when I think of the house premises I feel it looked like a small forest with so many trees. These boys closed the main gate and walked in the dark through the walkway. Then they saw a figure standing far ahead and couldn’t recognize who it was. They assumed that it was one among them and wondered how he reached there so fast.

Soman had a catapult with him so he aimed and threw a small stone at the figure assuming that the person standing in front was Rajan. As the stone hit, the figure disappeared. The boys were shocked to see Rajan standing just behind them.

The boys might have ran for their life and when they explained the whole thing, all came to the conclusion that it might have been Warriar’s ghost.

Many thought it might be a thief but most of us believed it was Warriar’s ghost. Even after all these years all four cousins remember clearly seeing the ghost.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

VISHU





Keralam will celebrate Vishu on 15th of April 2011. Vishu is celebrated on Medam 1st Malayalam month. If Onam is a state festival for Kerala, Vishu is the most important religious festival of Hindus of Kerala.
The day starts at Brahma Muhurtham before sunrise with the Vishukani. The lady of the house will set the Vishukani the previous night when everyone is asleep. Kani is the first sight each one has on Vishu morning. All auspicious things of prosperity are kept before the Nilavilakku and Sree Krishna idol. The whole years’ prosperity is based on what one see at Brahma Muhoorath of that day.
Vishu kaineettam is given to all by the elders on that day. I remember my childhood days connected with Vishukaineettam. In a way we all awaited for this day to have a few coins. The charm of this day is connected with prosperity.
The golden shower tree is the state flower of Kerala. The flowers are of ritual importance in the Vishu festival of Kerala as without Konna poo the Vishukani is incomplete.
The Konna trees in full bloom during the month of April is a an eye catching sight. The flowers hang like golden bells and is believed to be the gold ornament that adorns Sri Krishna, by devotees.
The Hindus of Kerala still celebrate Vishu traditionally. Those who stay away from home too prepare the Vishukani with whatever possible things they get….
Vishukaineettam has not much importance now as children these days get enough pocket money always. In my childhood we got money only on this day. The karanavar of our family used to give 10paisa to children and 25 paisa to adults. It was a ritual that he gave kaineettam to every member of the household.
After the bath and wearing new clothes, we children would go to nearby houses where close relatives like mother’s sister stayed and would get Vishu kaineettam from them too. It was only my father who gave a one rupee coin. Usually mother would take back all the money in the promise of giving back. But we had to wait for it till next year….But those were the days when we had no use of money as we were not allowed to buy anything on our own.
Vishu ends with an elaborate feast and the whole celebration gives us a lot of happiness….
Kani kanum neram kamala nethrante
Niramerum manja thukil charthi
Kanaka kingini valakal mothiram
Aninju kanenam bhagavane
Narakauriyay aravindakshante
Cheriya nalathe kalikalum
Thirumey shobhayum thazhuki pookunnen
Aduthu va unni kani kanman
Malarvathil kanthan vasudevathmajan
Pularkale padi kuzhaloothi
Kelukelu ennu kilungum kanchana
Chilampittodiva kani kanman (kanikanum)
Shishukkalayalla saghimarum thanum
Pashukkale meychu nadakkumbol
Vishakkumbol venna kavarnnunnum krishna
Vashathu va unni kani kanan
Vaarya shreekade thukilum varikonda
Arayalin kombathirunnoro
Sheelakkedukal paranjum bharichum
Neela karvarna kanikanman
Ethire pokumbom arike vannoru
Puthumayayulla vachanangal
Madhuramam vannam paranjum pal
Mandasmithavum thooki va kanikanman
Kani kanum neram kamala nethrante
Niramerum manja thukil charthi
Kanaka kingini valakal mothiram
Aninju kanenam bhagavan