Provision
shops were scarce on our island. The few that existed were located close to the
ferries or the mosque or the church and at the center of the island where
people used to gather often. Jacob and I used to accompany Mariakutty whenever
she went to the Mathai’s provision shop to buy betel leaves for ‘Appachan’ or little things for ‘Ammachi’. This was the one closest to
our house. Although it was a provision shop he sold a few stationary items like
pens, pencils, paper, note books, pins, locally made beedis and cigarettes like
Passing Show, Charminar, Scissors and even the top brand Berkley packets. He
also sold wooden cutlery and ladles made of coconut shell and bamboo reapers,
sometimes even a few crockery items and pottery. The locals depended on him
mainly for provisions. He had orange and lemon candies and white peppermint,
which had a hole in the middle. We looked around and noticed that every
essential items from “Uppu, (salt) to
‘Karpuram, (camphor) or Alpha to Omega was available there in small quantities. He kept small things on wooden shelves around the walls. Heavy
things were kept in bags like provisions, coconut oil and cake on the floor.
Some items were hanging on the attic. Some other items, like salt were kept in
a shed nearby since such items would spoil the cement floor. It was interesting
to watch him at his work. He sold things on a first come first serve basis and
insisted on immediate payment. We noticed that to certain customers only he
used to make a note of the articles bought in a notebook instead of taking cash
from them. Mariakutty told us that he
used to extend credit only to those salaried people. They were the privileged
few who settle accounts with him at the end of the month with few exceptions.
Some of them carried a cloth bag and a note which had a list of the required
items. After the goods were delivered to them he made a note of it in his
notebook. Those who did not have the bags to carry their goods home, he packed
it in paper and tied it with flax fiber string. He picked out little things
from every nook and corner of his shop room; while doing so he never committed
any mistake. He never used a pencil to calculate. His sharp memory and some
tricks with his fingers helped him to arrive at the total price. He used to mutter
under his breath which no one could understand. He might have been praying to
God to give his debtors adequate money to pay him back. I saw barter system
also. The poor people would bring eggs and would get salt and chilli in
exchange. We saw another man brought a ripe bunch of plantain and got his
provisions. A fisherwoman collected some provisions from him and told him that
she had already delivered some ‘Kanambu’,
Mullet, to his wife at home. I remember that on our maiden visit, Mathai
offered a few sugar candies; since we were reluctant to accept it he wrapped
some in a nice cover and gave it to Mariakutty. We appreciated his gesture and
thanked him for it.
When
we went back home, as usual, I narrated to ‘Ammachi’
about how I marveled at the way Mathai carried on his business. We asked
her, “How he remembered where each and every article in his shop was
stored.” She told us, “He might have
some order in which he had arranged them; it is a matter of familiarizing with
it.” She went on to explain how we are used to and familiar with all the
possessions in our idyllic ‘Mana’; for example the names of the household, the
various rooms, the furniture, especially the almirrah, our major weakness where
biscuits and the other snacks were stored. She went on citing examples of the
kitchen where the salt, chilli, coriander and turmeric were stacked; the shed
where the agricultural implements were kept. Even the vegetation in our
compound where there are lots of mango trees we were able to identify them as ‘Payal’, ‘Gudad’, ‘Priyor’ or ‘Vella-Sunkiri’. There are a lot of
other trees we know. In nature we are familiar with our own ponds where we swim
and play every day. We know the Vembanad ‘Kayal’ and its shore as it is our
frequent haunt when we are in the fishing mood. For a person who visits us all
these are new as they do not interact with them daily. Everything relates to
some other thing, event, context or circumstance. The faculty by which
knowledge is acquired about an event,
some people or a few things is recalled or kept in mind and when that is
repeatedly recalled it is hooked on to
one's memory. For example when a ripe ‘Payal’ mango is plucked from a
particular tree and eaten. Its colour, fragrance and its delicious taste linger
on in the memory and that tree is remembered for giving the satisfaction of
fragrance and taste. The logical interpretation of this is very true. Wherever
you see, get the fragrance and taste you could tell that it is a ‘Payal’ mango. Regarding his deftness
with numbers in calculation ‘Ammachi’
promised to teach us this manner of mental arithmetic once we get a little older
to comprehend it. ‘Ammachi’ warned us
from accepting things from strangers. Since Mathai was close to us there was
nothing wrong in accepting. When you accepted it you said, “Thanks” and if you
were reluctant you would better say, “No thanks” and that would be a better way
of showing your reluctance to accept it.”
There
was yet another provision shop owned by Paramu. It was a thatched shed close to
our house. His brother Ramakrishnan used
to cut ‘Beedi’ leaves and make
beedi. Granules of tobacco were put into
the leaf and rolled before closing the top. It was then tied with a cotton thread.
He was always engaged in doing this and he was fast at turning out a neat one.
These were the local cigarettes called ‘Beedis’
which a lot of locals used to be addicted to.
Marketing
methods are changing rapidly with modern times. The typical markets
characterized by the stench of garbage, reeking canals and dirty surroundings have
given way to accommodate the more refined market spaces of the modern era, the
Malls. They are manned by educated and disciplined sales personnel. A number of
such malls have been sprouting here and there in the city. Quality goods that
were previously available only in foreign markets are now made available in the
domestic market. This has considerably reduced the craze for foreign goods. Healthy
competition is good in every industry.
Excerpts from
MEMOIRS
An autobiography
by
Joseph J. Thayamkeril
Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.
josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com
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