THE WILD FIRE

As a little boy, I was always pulled up for being naughty. The devastating power of the fire was a new experience for us. One day we were playing with a match box. I took out a match stick and kept it pressed vertically with the left hand on the Potassium Nitrite pasted portion of match box. Then I stroke it with the pointed finger on the right hand. The match sticks went little away and caught fire due to the friction on the Potassium paste. That fire got extinguished after a few seconds. A few of them even went out of the courtyard. After some time we noted some smoke coming out of the waste leave dump. We did not bother. After some time it caught fire, in few minutes it spread far and wide and was heading to a mango tree where there was another heap of leaves and that brought us back to our senses. We called out to ‘Ammachi’. The timely arrival of Thommachan Kelanthara, saved the tree by watering a few pots of water. Once the fire spreads wild it is difficult to stop it.

‘Ammachi’ told us about the digestive power of fire. She said, “The unique character of fire is that it does not get polluted in the process of cleansing other objects by its flames. On the contrary, water and air get polluted in the process of cleansing other objects.” That is the reason why the fire is used as a witness for covenants. It was also in use to prove the veracity of a statement.

Ammachi told us, “In olden times, prior to the invention of Pottasium nitrate, man used to rub objects together to obtain fire.” Fire could also be made by converging sun’s rays on a particular spot with the help of a concave lens. Fire transforms wheat into bread. I was amazed to learn that there is fire within our body. Enthusiasm, drive and urge are manifestations of the flame burning in one’s heart. Anger, vengeance, retaliation and hunger are feelings of fire due to chemical reactions within our body. Like earth, water, air and space (sky or time); fire is also a significant factor that influences human life.  

Excerpts from

MEMOIRS

by

Joseph J. Thayamkeril

Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.

josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com