I remember an incident on the island which was
shrouded in an aura of mystery. Two dead bodies surfaced on the banks of the
Vembanad ‘Kayal’. I gathered that
when the body was submerged under water, the air in the lungs would be replaced
by water. The bacteria in the digestive system and the chest cavity would start
to produce a lot of gases like, Methane and Carbon dioxide enough to bring it to
the surface of water to float as a balloon. It would take at least twenty four
hours to float.
Both the corpses seemed to be well dressed and looked
quite decent. A
whisper here, an insinuation there and these spread like wild fire. The excited local people gathered around the shore. One
of the spectators concluded that it could have been a case of suicide. They
might have jumped into the Vembanad Lake from a running train on the Venduruthy
Bridge in Cochin. A politician popped up at the scene, made his presence felt,
and vanished into thin air. A sensible person, very soft spoken, asked if
anybody informed the police. As I was curious I went to have a closer look at
the corpses. I saw the cadaver of a man lying face down in the water. I sighted
a profile of his closely cropped hair and a side view of his moustache. The
other body rested face up. It was the corpse of a woman. I saw her face up and
long braided hair floating. She wore a sari and blouse. I wondered at the way
the corpses rested. My curiosity and reasoning could not wait.
I asked Ammachi,
“Why there was such a difference scene between man and woman?” She lifted her head from
the pages of a glossy magazine flapping in the breeze. Turning towards me and
cocking her head slightly to one side, she asked me to narrate the incident. As
usual she found the answer to all of my queer questions. She answered promptly,
“It was the law of nature that made such discrimination.” She went on to
explain, “The human sexes differed in a lot of ways. The features of each of
the sexes differed; the woman is frail and inferior in muscle power and
therefore the man assumed the role of a protector of the family. The woman’s
body is designed for special purposes like pregnancy, child birth, feeding the
new born, looking after them and imparting a wealth of knowledge to meet the
challenges in future.” A woman should hold herself up with
dignity and pride on being bestowed the gift of motherhood. This is a boon of Mother Nature. I
have noticed that in palmistry, it is the right hand which is looked at for men
and the left hand for women. This is the principle adopted by the Ppalmists and
the Chiriologist. Likewise, it is relevant to note again that thumb impressions
too follow the same principle. That is, the impression of the right thumb for
men and the left one for women is taken for execution of deeds and documents at
the sub registry under the Registration Act.” In ‘Nadi Jyothisha’,
which is Thumb Impression Astrology, the same guideline is adopted. The
hormonal changes (from estrogen to progesterone) in their system make them
moody at times. This is a serious block for them to take up serious jobs.
Moreover the women might not get the safety and security of their homes in
certain other environments. No doubt, the women are best suited for certain
careers like teaching, medicine, nursing, airhostesses, receptionists and even
chefs of hotels. I often wonder why there aren’t major quotas for such category
of occupations or professions reserved for women.
However, I have come across courageous, resourceful
and determined women, who have overcome all these barriers, attained their
dreams and held responsible positions in life by their own merit.
Excerpts from
MEMOIRS
by
Joseph J. Thayamkeril
Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.
josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com
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