A POPULAR LEADER IN AN AUTO-RICKSHAW

Auto-rickshaw was a new concept to the natives at Kumbalam. Jacob and I were going to the church to participate in the Holy Mass. Just then we saw a lot of ‘Nair’ ladies stood in a procession to receive their popular leader, Shri. Mannoth Padmanabhan from Perunna, Changanassery. All the ladies, in their festival attire, with sandal paste round their forehead, held silver or brass vessels wherein we saw half broken-open coconut in which a lamp was kindled in ghee, rice and flowers were spread around it. This was a ‘Dakhina’, an offering, to their leader. They were waiting for him who was expected to come by a service boat running from Kollam to Ernakulam with a break at Mattancherry. We didn’t see him therefore we walked from one end to the other end. There we saw ‘Nair Madambis’ with sandal pasted foreheads. Suddenly in an auto-rickshaw we spotted the popular ‘Nair’ leader, Shri. Mannom, a ‘Thejassi’, a halo around him. Seeing the autorickshaw was a great experience for us as we had never seen one before or even touched one at Kumbalam. This maiden arrival of the autoricksahaw got us really excited. Our trivial childhood joy!

We ran back home to narrate the events to ‘Ammachi’. We were curious to know why they donned sandal paste on their foreheads. She replied, “It gives coolness and peace of mind.” She further explained, “Some of the Brahmins like Ayyankars believed that the world was once destroyed by fire.  Therefore they applied vermillion vertically on their forehead to gratify the God of Fire.” “Ayyar, another group of brahmins, who believed the world was once destroyed by water apply sandal paste horizontally on their forehead, chest and upper arms.” She added, “Ladies put “Sindhoora Kuri”, vermillion, on their forehead to show that they are married.”

Excerpts from

MEMOIRS

An autobiography

by

Joseph J. Thayamkeril

Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.

josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com

josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com