I vividly remember that gypsies, nomadic
tribes, comprising of men and women of all age groups numbering 12 to 20, used
to make their annual or biennial visits to our Islands. I remember their leader
meeting ‘Appachan’. What they
required was a safe shelter for their group. ‘Appachan’
used to permit them to camp beneath the ‘Payal’
Mango tree on the Oli ‘Kayaloram’,
shore, for a few days. Though they speak Tamil, they were conversant with Malayalam,
the language of Kerala as well. Their travel, meeting and mingling with “Malayalis” helped them to communicate
confidently.
It was with wonder that I watched them settle down
in their new environment. In no time they put up a few tents with a slanting tarpaulin
top. The front and back of the tent were covered with cloth. With three granite stones a hearth is made. The
ladies collected firewood and potable water in the pots. By the time it started
boiling in the fire-place their men, brought the provisions. They made rice
gruel and some relish and savour. After their dinner, the women and some of
their men burrowed into the tents, they rested their tired bones and bodies on
rag clothes spread on the sandy floor in the tents. The rough and tough life
gave them immunity to resist illnesses.
Early
in the morning the men and women went to eke out their living. They carried a
chisel and hammer, the main tools they used in their granite work. They move
from house to house enquiring “Kallu
Kothanundo? Ammi-Kallu Kothanundo?” (Whether any grinding or pounding
stones to be chiseled?) Those days the modern day facilities of using a grinder
was not available in our village. People
used only the traditional grinding stone to grind their coconuts or masalas
which are the main ingredients for most of the village dishes. The stone mortar
for pounding grains, grinding stones and the cylindrical stone to grind with
are to be chiseled to make the surface rough. An annual carving or chiseling of
the stones would help the grinding or pounding easier. They would go to all the
houses in the neighbouring Islands as well.
Some of the women in their group were striking
with attractive features. They carried their children in their hips; if it was an
infant a sari bundle on their backs was a safe area to hold them intact. The
pregnant women and those others who had very small babies stayed home to look
after and nurse them on their camp site. At times these women came to meet my ‘Ammachi’. They used to request for fresh
coconut oil. They lavishly used it to anoint their hair. I
noticed a mother beside her last but one tent who lulled
her child to sleep; she was humming a Tamil song.
Those who went for their chores returned in the
evening with provisions. Both men and women consumed country liquor which was
part of their entertainment. I noticed a fat woman, with pitch-black sunken eyes,
sun-baked cheeks, and greasy sideburns her hair splattered with drippings of
sweat. Her drenched armpits reeked of
sweat and toddy.
Quarrels which ended up in fist fights were
very common. In one instance, I witnessed a drunken young man who slapped a
woman without muttering a word. I could see the raging flames in her eyes. Bending
down, she grabbed an iron rod and hit him on his head. “Damn you, to hell, wretch,”
She cried. He hurriedly ran his fingers through his hair to check out his burning
scalp. I saw his fingers dripping with blood. He quickly left the scene throwing
a wrathful glance at the young woman.
A
woman delivered a child on the second day. On the fourth day they all moved to
Arookutty by boat. I noticed that there were very few elderly women in their
group. The reason was that they don’t give proper post-delivery care for their
women.
Another
set of people came with grinders fixed on stands with a cycle-wheel and a pedal
to rotate it faster. They would scurry around the Islands to sharpen knives and
other tools. In the evening, I gazed a few of the elders gathered and they sat
comfortably down on the large roots of the huge ‘Payal’ mango tree to enjoy the late evening breeze. I noticed a young
guy with a bottle of arrack under his arm and a glass in his hand. He was
drinking it all by himself. He was so intoxicated that it was spilling all over
his beard. The excessive liquor went into his head, and
he made dirty jokes and filthy comments on the elders sitting close-by. Two of
the elders lost their cool and they had a brawl with the young guy.
At
times, a few families with small children, well-versed in acrobatics come to our
Island. They perform various acrobatics accompanied by the beat of a tambourine.
Even small children are trained so well in this trade. Very young
children walk on a taut wire with
a long pole to balance their body movements. Sometimes they get a monkey or puppy,
which are also a part of their troupe to perform a few gimmicks. At other times,
they display their talents on a bicycle. Sometimes the family would perform a
short skit accompanied by a dance performance. A lot of the Islanders gather to
watch them. To encourage them they give them some money too.
A
group of traditional Ayurvedic ‘Vaidyans’
belonging to the hill tribes, locally called “Lada-Guru,” visit our Island. Their expertise in herbal medicines
is commendable. They carry a lot of medicines made from the extract of herbs
which they collect from the high mountain ranges. All these are prepared under their
careful guidance and scrutiny. The villagers believe that these medicines were
very effective for even certain chronic ailments.
During
my travel to the northern states of India including Himalayas, I have come
across shepherds and cattle herders belonging to certain nomadic communities
like Banjaras, Raikas and Gujjars rearing and grazing sheep. They even move
their sheep or cattle depending on the climate and weather conditions. They eke
out a living by the sale of milk, wool and finally
the cattle are sold for their meat.
These
are all stories of the past. The world is changing. Now, varied electrical
grinders have replaced the old grinding stones in modern kitchens. People do
not care to sharpen their knives; they have money to buy a new one or
electrical gadgets are available to sharpen their tools. As the population
increased, cultivation and cultivable land has also increased considerably which
has adversely affected the lives of pastoralist communities. Apart from these, government
enactments like the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871; compulsory education for
children; awareness of various subsidies and reservation quotas for jobs for the
tribal communities have brought about a great change even in the remotest
villages. The amended provisions of the Indian Forest Act, 1927 and its Rules
making provision for license and license fee for keeping wild animals and Waste
Land Rules have made fetters and restrictions on their free movements. The awareness
of certain advantages under the Constitution of India made many of them settle
permanently in some areas allotted to them by the government.
Some
of the skilled, trading communities continue to arrive at our Islands. I have noted
certain trading communities from Rajasthan who sells fancy electrical fittings like
chandeliers made of cut glasses in red or blue colour on the waysides of our National
Highway-47 at Kumbalam. I wondered at yet another trading community from the
North India. They sold traditional jars with varied sizes ideal for storing pickles.
I observed yet another group from Maharashtra selling earthen pots with
attractive shapes, grooves and paintings on it. Most of them were sold at reasonable
prices.
Excerpts from
MEMOIRS
An autobiography
by
Joseph J. Thayamkeril
Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.
josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com
josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com
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