part-2 .....that never returns...

                                           

                                          google image

The majority of the buildings were typical village type houses, befitting and fulfilling the little-little needs of the owners. The houses of haves were mostly a ‘Nalukettu-type’ with an open large quadrangle(Nadumuttam) in the centre, surrounded by spacious verandas . These sorts of houses allowed free flow of fresh air and entry of sunlight aplenty. 

These houses had annexes-some of them were exclusively meant for the cattle and the others for piling up logs, keeping agricultural tools, heaping up manures and so on and so on. At least two bullocks, three or four milch cows and their calves regally enjoyed the special care of their masters, as equal as the children did. 

The elders as well as the children took pleasure in fondling these cattle on their forehead and cuddling the calves. In fact, they bowed before the masters in order to get caressed. So everywhere one could smell the fragrance of a bondage of affection among the inhabitants. 

The oxen plowed and ploughed the fields and cows fed the children. And moreover, goats that produced nutritious milk also had their part to play  in  village-dwellers’ health matters. They all, swinging the body, blissfully filled their bellies with the foliages of the vacant lands and pastures. Cow-herds were the ambassadors of cattle-care, whereas the duty of   milking the cows was entrusted with the Cow-men. Mother Nature also had graced the village with ample grasses and greens for her offspring to graze stomach full.

 Besides these animals, Cats and Hens proudly occupied the interior of some of the houses. Dogs watched the houses as a reward for the shelter he obtained, though he wasn’t as fortunate as today’s ones. Today the dogs are VIP’s[very important pets] and hence they lead a majestic life and their locomotion is fully like that of the inmates inside the residences.

  Coming to the person in me, who had her childhood in that paradise, telecasts now her own experiences. The visuals of the early years of my infancy are not so vivid rather a bit blank for me. As I view that of my younger siblings and  younger cousins, I assume that I had had a similar profile. Almost all the childhoods of the neighborhood buddies resemble one another in the general mode. Procuring adulthood also exhibited a parity. So mostly I’ll walk through the path of  ‘we’ not ‘I’. 

Most of the families followed a joint family system and hence selfishness could not obtain its room there. The vacations collected all the grandchildren in grandpa's residence and therefore no draught for the children's number as play pals. Since the families were not of nuclear type, the elder children, may they be siblings or cousins, took charge of the younger kids, not necessarily the mothers

 Havenot's from houses around extended their hands to help the Haves, to a greater extent, in domestics as well as child-rearings. They were not paid any cash, but they enjoyed meals like breakfast and lunch in return. 

During the main festivals like Vishu, Onam, etc. the poor peasants gifted a part of their yields, to their masters, though their petite compounds provided only a wee bit of produce. Of course, these celebrations were occasions in which some amount of money used to migrate to the labourers' fist from their master’s pockets. In general, the pecuniary circumstances owned by the villagers were not so sound, yet they were content with whatever they had.

part-1…….that never returns….....

At times knowingly or unknowingly a procession of childhood memories creep into people's minds.I am not an exemption but an example of that. And so is this write-up titled ...
 

                         .... that never returns...

        Part -1

There are a good many things that never return in their original forms. The time that we waste, the words that we speak, the food that we gulp, the objects that we burn, the money that we spend, the lives that expire etc. are a few of such things. There is one thing that everybody likes or rather loves to experience at least once more in life, but cannot, is nothing but his or her childhood. And that will never- never appear before us, once more and that is a paradox which we have to go by. Yet sometimes we wish we were children without any wish for achievements and without any chains for movements. But we can have a voyage along with our mind through the seas of our good old days of getting patted and pampered. There will be none who have not reached the shore of sweet childhood once more, without sailing in the ship of their memory. And so also no different I am, as many a time, the childhood of mine, once pedalled in my beloved village,  registers its presence in the ledger of my leisure hours.

  Yes, now I’m there at the panorama of my endearing village which is in the south of India. The southernmost part of India has a small corrugated leaf-like state called Kerala. The village with its picturesqueness steals the mind of its visitors as well as the dwellers. It was, yes, it was full of tall trees with swaying twigs and bushes with lots and lots of flowers(And now more or less concrete trees or jungles have displaced the very charm of our lovely village). Butterflies and birds fluttered by and visited their favourite nectar storage to feast themselves sufficiently. That was indeed a colourful sight. Wells quenched the thirst of peasants, while ponds refreshed them after the day’s work. Fields grew grains in abundance and trees and plants yielded fruits and flowers in plenty. They dressed up in the apparels of three crops annually, two turns of paddy and one turn of sesame or horticulture. 

 The cool breeze fanned the people in the hot sun. The sun never failed to attend to his duties and shone on all the stone pebbles and sand particles. The monsoons were real ambrosia for the villagers, as they awaited them, just like hornbills did for rains. Birds often turned to be great singers and sang melodious tunes for the villagers. They occupied their seats in branches to watch coolly the things going on smoothly in their jurisdiction. Nights also exhibited the luster and lure of her children-the moon and stars, whenever required.

 The landowners and the peasants kept a sincere bond of love and affection with each other. One could observe and feel a oneness between them. The peasants took care of the fields and cultivations whereas the masters cared for the workers’ welfare. Pretension had space seldom in the minds of both the giver and the taker. They understood the barriers that hindered each other and so they could overcome the impediments with a combined endeavor. In general, the occupants of my village possessed a light heart in hardships as well as in prosperities,which did not bless the villagers in plenty. At the same time they had no sky breaking dreams or ambitions. Innocence and earnestness ruled the minds of inhabitants, as a whole.

Preeta's Poem

             I had a loving niece, who had endeared herself to all her kith and kin by the way of both her deed and word. She was  an intellect whose thinking span was at a higher level. Her gait, looks, behaviour, manners and everything had a uniqueness that drew everybody’s attention. Alas! She is no more after the sweet age of twenty.  Though she fell into the clutches of malignancy, she left her footprints in the form of  numerous verses. Before publishing them  she had to depart from here. I would like to post some of them in the blog, as and when time permits . Most of her lines speak about love or nature. One of her poems goes thus…..[ I feel this poem is a prognostic.]

  Sarala

 

                                         A Sole Day

                                     Above is father

The heaven of peace

Below is earth

The maiden of trees

She has foibles

She faces ordeals.

But immune heaven

Has nothing bleary.

Minstrels of earth

Had much in count,

Nay, but the good

Has prayer, in spirit

‘A Sole Day’

To recline in peace

On Father in heaven

When will thee

Bestow your love?

Mine’s too an urge

A spotless day.

Preeta Nair

Osama and Obama

letter-4

God only knows if Obama{I mean the U.S}was, much before, aware of the Hideouts of the ‘Bin’ ‘Laden’[Bin Laden] with all the rubbish to inflict suffering on the innocent and helpless. Rather the U.S may even have an approach towards the outfits of the Terrorists other than Osama. When the time becomes ripe for them to exhibit the power which they desire to exercise on all other countries, they will perform some circus on the beastliness of the extremists. India easily falls into the coaxing of theirs and they take the maximum advantage out of it. Will India’s leaders wake up and work for the motherland or only pack their pockets for ten or more generations of their successors? This is what some people like us have felt, maybe correct or may be wrong. Should the affected countries truly take measures to wipe off this evil, the innocent mankind can heave a sigh of relief.
sarala