Mariamma ‘Valliamma’, a fair, cute, chirpy and
warm grandaunt, used to visit us once a year either during Christmas holidays or
summer vacation. She was so beautiful that one can visualize what she was in
her younger days. All my sisters and
brothers and I gathered around her because she used to play games with us. The
more common ones to name a few are ‘Pethan-Poothal’, ‘SAT’, ‘Kallan’ and
Police’, ‘BUCH’ or ‘Am I Right’ and ‘Thongi Kali’. She had a natural way of
becoming very popular in a children’s gathering with a whole bag of tricks and children’s stories. We used to participate in all those
games and eagerly listen to her fancy tales and intriguing stories.
In
the ‘Pethan Poothal’ game, Mariamma Valliamma
used to discreetly hide either a ‘Kawadi’,
Cowrie, or a pebble in a small sand bund having a length of about one and a
half feet. I had to guess where the pebble or ‘Kawadi’ was hidden by placing both my hands joined together on the
place of my guess. If I was right I would win the game or vice-versa. The game
was repeated and whoever got the most number of points was the winner. Facial
expressions and hand movements play an important role in this game.
‘SAT’, was a game where I, with shut eyes, count aloud ‘SAT 1 to SAT 20’. In the mean
while all the other players in the group would hide in or around the house.
Some of the lean kids would hide in the tall Chinese earthen pots buried under
soil beneath the lean-to. Those pots were, in olden times, used for storing
dried areca nuts. Then I, who counted ‘SAT’,
would go around finding them. I should find them one after the other. I would
loudly say “SAT followed by the name
of the person I found. For example ‘SAT Jacob’; I would also have to run back and
touch the SAT point. The participants
who were not able to reach the SAT point
first would be the next catcher.
‘BUCH’ or ‘Am I Right’ was generally a small girl’s game. Eight
columns (2 X 4) are drawn and on the fifth column an ‘x’ mark would be drawn.
The girl / boy who starts the game would take a broken tile or pot piece and
stand on the opposite direction of the columns drawn and he/she would have to
put the broken tile @ BT into the 1st column and then he/she turned
back and would find the exact position of the tile in the column and would move
back and stamp on it. When he/she moved backward each column she would have to
ask other participants “Am I Right.” If he/she touched any of the lines he/she
was declared OUT, if he/she finally stamped on the BT she would have to stand
on one leg (either left or right), take BT and jump, complete all the columns.
He / she would have to repeat all the columns, if he/she wanted, he/she could
take rest in the ‘X’ marked column, then he/she would be a winner. If the first
participant failed he / she would have to start and repeat the game on his /
her next turn.
‘Thongi Kali’. This game also was generally meant for the girls. It was a
physical exercise for their legs. In this game all the participants would be
moving around in a big circle and ‘the catcher’ would have to jump on a single
leg and catch the maximum number of players running around in the circle. All
the players would have to move turn by turn and who got the big number of catch
would be the winner. This was a favourite game of Pengal, my eldest sister, Thressiamma. I would be in the forefront
to cheer the participants.
My
younger sister Aleyamma and my youngest brother Antony wanted Mariamma ‘Valliamma’ to make toys for them. She
needed an ‘Ola’ (coconut palm leaf), I asked Koru Velan, the coconut
climber, to cut a nice ‘Ola’ for me
and I brought it to ‘Valliamma’.
Within a short time she made an ‘Ola Peeppi’ and she put a whistle with another piece of ‘Ola’ at the shorter end from where she
made musical sounds by blowing into it. It was almost similar to music emitted
from a clarinet. Antony was only three
years old then. He was a quiet and shy boy in a knicker and sporting a golden chain
on his neck. He was so fascinated by
this toy. Noticing his eagerness to possess it, ‘Valliamma’ gave it to him.
‘Ola Kattadi’ was the next toy she
made in a jiffy. It looked like a fan, An ‘Erkile’,
ridge of ‘Ola’, which was used to
make broomstick, was pushed through the middle of the ‘Ola Kattadi’, even at
the slightest breeze it would move in a clockwise direction. Aleyamma, my
sister was only four years old. She was a fair girl, who used to wear a frock
the waistband of which was attached at the back. She often tied a neat glinting
pony tail. She was fascinated by this new toy. Grinning cunningly at ‘Valliamma, she managed to get it from
her and was very happy with it.
Mariamma
was only a toddler then. She was fair
with a small boy-cut chirpy face. Her hair parted on the sides, she was
everybody’s darling. This enabled her to influence decisions of all the family
members. She was a powerful force to reckon with. Clad in a panty and a loose laced
top, she too watched in awe at the great marvels of ‘Valliamma’. She waited for her turn. She wanted a toy car. ‘Valliamma’
grasped her by the arm, flashed a smile and winked at her. This made her giggle
and she looked really sweet that ‘Valliamma’ gave her a kiss. She then asked me to
fetch a few ‘Vellakka’, which are very small tender coconuts. I
immediately went to our coconut plantation to look for them and brought back a
few. One ‘Vellakka’ each was poked on
either side of a six inch ‘Erkile’
forming the wheel, then she took a broad mango leaf, folded one third portion
with the ‘Erkile’ in it and stitched
the leaf with another piece of ‘Erkile’.
The other end of the leaf was tied with a jute twine, now the ‘Chakkada-Vandi’, a toy car, was ready
for delivery. I was fascinated watching her pulling it nicely. All the children
found her awesome as she was turning out different types of toys for the
different children.
My
younger brother Jacob and I were so fascinated by her feats, so we demanded an ‘Ola
Panth’ and ‘Vanam’
@ Rocket; we were sure that she
would make it for us. She was very tired
and requested us to get her a bottle of toddy to get her creative spirits back.
Noticing the shocked expression on our faces, she told us that her brother ‘Oli’
Ousepachan used to give her toddy to drink occasionally during her visits to
Kumbalam so it was nothing new. Unadulterated coconut beer was available on our
premises those days as toddy was obtained from our own trees, collected by
truthful toddy tappers. I could not visualize this ‘Valliamma’ of ours gulping down this country liquor! I substituted
it with a large cup of ‘rice gruel mixed with ‘Pulissery’ curry. Thank
God, it satisfied her. Once she was back in action, she plaited the ‘Ola’ in such a way that it became a
hexagonal ‘Ola Panth’, all in a
matter of five minutes and she threw it at me. In no time she pocked a lengthy
‘Erkil’ into a ‘Vellakka’ (a very tiny coconut) and the ‘Vanom’ (rocket) was
ready. She gave it a test run which was successful; it went up to fifty feet.
We were so happy and I gave her a tight kiss. She responded, “Naughty Boy!”
‘Valiamma’ asked me to fetch her areca
palm leaf from the plantation. I was wondering what she was going to make for
me, She cut off the sub leaves and asked me to sit on the ‘Pala’, the base portion of areca palm leaf, and she and Thressiamma
‘Pengal’, my elder sister were
getting ready to pull me. She was only eight years old. She was wearing a long
skirt and blouse. Her hair parted in the center was put into a long, neat and gleaming
braid. It reached right up to her bottoms. She was clutching her long pleated
and printed green skirt with one hand to avert trailing its edges in the mud.
She sported a broad smile showing all her teeth out. She, along with all the
other siblings went around Valliamma singing
out with the chorus ‘‘Eli…Ela..’,Eli…Ela..’. That was a
wonderful experience. I would not forget my Mariamma ‘Valliamma’, she was an endearing personality!
Times
were so serene and peaceful then. There was so much of time to spare and laze
around. In the afternoons we spread a ‘Metha
Thazha Paya’, a silky mat made of
leaves of ‘Kaitha’, on the verandah overlooking
the backwater to loll and to take a nap; the cool breeze from the Vembanad ‘Kayal’
was a natural soother to the afternoon heat. During my muddled sleep, I
listened to the door swinging back and forth in the afternoon breeze. Suddenly
a strong wind arrived and banged the window and the door opened with a moan. The
bang and the moan awakened us.
We had
another grandaunt, Thressiakutty ‘Valliamma’,
Chembalamsseril, who used to come often to visit her elder sister, Mariamma
‘Valliamma’, and us, also arrived.
They used to sit around to chat for a long time. They used to be joined in by
Ely, who was their playmate. In spite of Ely Puthezhath’s marriage with Jacob Karimpurath,
the ‘Valliammas’ did not allow her to
go to her husband’s house at Kadavanthara as they could not bear the thought of
getting separated from their childhood friend. My great grandfather forced her
husband to stay in Puthezhath, which was Ely’s ancestral house. Ely was also
very fond of them. All the three old ladies wore ‘Mekka Mothiram’, a big round gold ornament wore on top end of
their ear lobes, the lower portion was slit and made to hang, which they
believed enhanced their beauty. Ely used to pamper both ‘Valliammas’ with ‘Murukkan’. Ely
was busy pounding with a club shaped pestle to powder the betel leaves, which
were brushed with Calcium hydroxide, the areca-nut pieces with a dash of
tobacco in a granite mortar, which is supposed to have a slight intoxicating
effect. They were often seen gabbing and gossiping over their ‘Muruks’
and spitting the juice of the pan into the ‘Kolambi’,
a brass vessel used for spitting; Those days lip-stick and mouth
refreshners were unheard of. ‘Murukkan’
not only refreshed their mouth but also made their lips red and attractive. Ely
used to be abreast of all the updates in the village and she used to keep them
informed of the latest events, marriages, deaths, ‘Ammaiamma Poru’, mother-in-law’s dirty fight against
daughter-in-law, small pox toll, and chicken-pox, arrival of a new parish
priest and about new films, and latest ‘Kavani’.
They also used to admire my ‘Ammachi’s
elegant ‘Njorinja Mundu’. I too was
fascinated by it. I used to help her make the twenty two folds on the ‘Mundu’ which was ironed and then
rounded up. It was then kept under the pillow for setting it. On Sundays, it
used to be taken out and worn in such a way that the folded portion covers her waist
down ward when she goes to church. Another rare sight to behold those days, was
old ladies wearing ‘Mekkamothirams’, which
was a reachable toy for us children, the more we touched it and pulled it they
used to get very irritated with us. My ‘Ammachi’
and her generation of ladies never wore ‘Mekkamothiram’
on their ears because they felt it had gone out of fashion. But ladies
belonging to Latin community continued the ‘Mekkamothiram’
for one more generation. I have noticed that ‘Ammachi’, sometimes joined the elderly ladies and aired out her
view-points, which they appreciated. Although ‘Ammachi’ indulged in harmless small time conversations, she preferred reading books and journals.
After
the afternoon nap when we children forced the elders to join us outside for
some game, elders used to dissuade us and teach us indoor games instead as the heat
of the sun stays on till late evening. The sunlight and shadows of Payal
Mango leaves were dancing on the courtyard and the verandah. Ely had a game
called ‘Pada Poru’. It was almost similar to the game of “Chinese Checkers”
and “Chess”. These games are known to keep the brain active and to help in
keeping Alzheimer’s disease at bay among the aged people. The board has a total
of five main columns out of which one was at the center and the remaining four
are on its sides. The columns were further sub-divided into six smaller
columns. Any two objects which have a different colour, size or shape could be
used as coins for movement. Two individuals or two groups could compete with
each other. The movement of the coins would be in a straight line except where
there was an option ‘to cut and remove’ the opposite parties coin. The
movements are made by obtaining points with ‘Pakida’. It has an elongated hexagonal body almost three inches in
length. Point markings 1 to 6 were engraved on six faces of ‘Pakida’. When this ‘Pakida’ was shaken and thrown down on the floor, if No.1 is
displayed that person could start the game; all the others would have to wait
until they too get No. 1 when the ‘Pakida’
was thrown down. After getting an entry the coins were moved forward according
to one’s shrewdness and the game concluded by cutting and reaching the last
portion of the enemy column. The movement was somewhat similar to Chess game.
‘Kallu
Kali’ was another ladies game, which they were
very fond of. It could be played with
pebbles as well as ‘Kavadi’, Cowri shells.
The ‘Unjal’, swing, was another popular pass time in which
Mariamma ‘Valliamma’ took an active
participation. Appachan instructed Thommachan
Kelanthara, a defted worker, to put up a sturdy swing in the shade on the branch
of the huge Vella-Sunkiri mango tree. Whilst swinging the wind rattled the tree
branches and rustled the leaves. It ruffled our hair too. The to-and-fro swing,
holding tightly to the ropes and leaping forward was exhilarating. We used to
compete with each other to swing higher. ‘Valliamma’
joined in the competition by doing her bit, by pushing us to the greatest
levels possible by her and it was such an enthralling experience. In return, Jacob
and I would very fondly push her swing so that she enjoys the gentle sway.
That day, the sun was already low, but the heat persisted. Not a leaf
stirred. Mariamma
‘Valliamma,’ asked us to join her in
the pond; we knew she was a very good swimmer too. She used to jump into the
pond in our compound along with us. Although she was an elderly person she used
to forget her age when she was with us. Our baths were so lively in the ponds
as we jumped around and stirred the water so much so that by the time we
finished, all the dirt from bottom of pond would surface and it was next to
impossible for anybody to take a dip. A punishment for me was assured.
Nevertheless, I would not think of foregoing those lovely memorable moments
with ‘Valliamma’. Her warmth, real
and genuine, was always cherished by us.
When
Mariamma ‘Valliamma’ was in a mood to
narrate fascinating stories, we children used to squat around her. She used to
tell us a lot of stories about our ancestor Nambuthiris,
‘Oli’ Ousepachan and his brother John alias Lonan. I remember a very
interesting story about their adventure with a crocodile when they went to
bathe in the backwaters. Those days the backwaters were infested with
crocodiles; one small crocodile caught hold of John @ Lonan while he was
bathing. He caught it with his right hand and held on to it tightly; he then
called his brother Joseph @ Ousepachan and asked him to bring his dagger to
kill the crocodile. Later they chopped it up and feasted on it. I told her it
was difficult to believe the story. She said people were healthier then and
they might be good at ‘Kalari’, a
martial art. I pondered a moment and felt that she could be correct because I
had seen ‘Valliachachan’, my maternal
grandfather, confronting a bull, which tried to gore at him. He daringly caught
hold of one of his horns and put a rein on his nose the same day. I will not
hesitate to confirm that the grandparents and great grandparents of this island
were a much healthier lot than the present generation.
Another
day ‘Valliamma’ narrated the story of
His Highness Shri. Sakthan Thampuran. In
olden times, about 150 years back, her ‘Nambuthiri’
ancestors had a large number of warriors at their beck and call. He used to
even provide warriors who were well versed in ‘Kalari-payattu’ to the Cochin Royal Family. He possessed a few ‘Chundan-Vallom’ and ‘Odi-Vanchi’, swift and fancy vessels,
of his own. Jacob and I were thrilled to hear about our great ancestors and her
brother Xavier who kept the same tradition of that ancestor. He inherited a Blunderbuss
single barrel muzzle loading gun from one of his great ancestors and was a good
hunter. Xavier had married a lady,
from Valiaparambil, Vaikom. Unfortunately he had a premature death. His widow
remarried into a family in Kanjirappally. On his death my grandfather, Oli
Ousepachan gave the gun to his nephew Xavier Master, Chembalamsseril, his
sister’s son. Later it was returned to ‘Appachan’
(my father), and he too kept the tradition of being a good hunter.
Yet
another day she said, “Sakthan Thampuran who was the Kochi Raja, asked the Oli Nambuthiri whether there were any defted
young men in ‘Kalari-Payatu’ available
in Mattakkal ‘Kalari,’ a military
training school at Kumbalam. He
wanted to engage them for his personal security. Oli Nambuthiri had confidence in Balakrishna Panicker of
Thandasseril and sent him for the test and gave him necessary clues and advice.
Raja himself was present while testing his deftness in ‘Kalari-payattu’ by asking him to cut a banana plant. Balakrihna
Panicker was so shrewd that he expected some hard substance inserted into the banana
plant. Therefore, he chopped the plant with his sword in full force and
strength and cut it into two. And he was appointed as his chief security
officer. Balakrishna Panicker said to Oli
Nambuthiri, “I thought it was an iron
bar but it was only a copper rod that was inserted, and therefore, I exceeded my
force and my leg was bruised while cutting.” Later he became Capithan Balakrishna
Panicker.
Mariamma
‘Valliamma’ continued the story of
the Kochi Raja. Then Security Chief of Raja of Cochin, Cappithan Balakrishna
Panicker of Thandaasseril family at Kumbalam, a great warrior, was very close
to our family. His Highness Sakthan
Thampuran, Raja of Kochi was furious with Devarasa Kini, one of the trustees of
Tirumala Devasom and a wholesale merchant in cloth, who failed to send sugar to
make ‘Payasom’, a desert given after
lunch, for the birth day celebration of his ‘Elayamma’, Mother’s younger sister. He, therefore, ordered Cappithan
Balakrishna Panicker, to slay him and he wanted to look at Kini’s head as ‘Kani’, the first sight in the morning,
the next day. The ‘Cappithan’ and his
warriors who were well versed in ‘Kalari-Payattu’,
a martial art, and ‘Hathayoga’ who
had a special skill of ingesting or hiding a short sword / dagger inside the
oesophagus, went in an ‘Odi-Vanchi’
to Kini’s, cloth shop at Mattancherry
to buy ‘Veerali Putt’, a dark red
silky cloth. The employees greeted the ‘Cappithan’
formally and sent him upstairs to meet Kini, who was on the first floor. He
welcomed the ‘Cappithan’ and showed
the ‘Veerali Putt’. Then the ‘Capithan’ pulled out the dagger from
his gullet and swiped it across Kini’s throat; his head was wrapped in ‘Veerali Putt’ and returned to the royal
palace, where he hanged it in front of the ‘Thampuran’s
bed room as the ‘Kani’ as desired. The ‘Capithan’
was such a shrewd and efficient fellow that His Highness was very pleased with
him. As always, the ‘Raja’, King, trusted him.
Mariamma
‘Valiamma’ asked me, one day, to
narrate an event which brought about severe physical pain or agony, which was
still fresh in my mind. I remember telling her about the ‘Kari Vandu’, a big b;ack Bee, which hovers on the pea, banana and
other fruiting flowers to suck honey. I used to watch this insect very closely.
Its body is normally full of pollen, and therefore its legs look yellow. The ‘Moo…’ humming it emits when it flaps
its wings signals its presence around. One day I gazed at it entering a small
hole made by it on the ‘Eetta’, a
fragile and short variety of bamboo, sticks in the kitchen veranda which were
used to clean the cobwebs. As soon as
the ‘Kari Vandu’ entered the hole I
closed the hole tightly with my palm in an attempt to catch it. Although I felt
it sting me but I was determined to get it so I did not let go till I was
forced to remove my hand after the next couple of stings. The pain was more
severe than I could bear. It was then that I realized the heights to which
these agonizing moments could take you to.
After
Mariamma ‘Valliamma’s nap, I gave her a piece of cake and a few ripe
‘Njalipoovan’ fruits and persuaded
her to join us for a story telling session. She started to narrate the story of
her ancestors. She told us that her great grandfather had a lot of ‘Aana’, elephants. He later realized
that it was a burden to rear them as large quantities of coconut palms, Choonda palms and bamboo were needed for
its daily food, moreover there were no good mahouts to manage these animals; as
a result they became a liability and an encumbrance. To find a solution to this
problem, grandfather approached a magician and with his help the elephants were
reduced in their size and put into very tiny pits around the house. They were
made non-vegetarians and thereafter they moved backwards only. We, children,
asked her, “If she could show a few of them as we suspected it to be a humbug.”
Undeterred by this, she pointed out to a few pits around the Mana. I was asked to dig into the pits
and look for these tiny grey creatures. I found one; it was a ‘Kuzhi-ana,’ a small insect which has a
proboscis like the trunk of an elephant. It feeds on ants and other small
insects. The children laughed their heads off. She was so hilarious!
One
afternoon, ‘Valliamma’ woke up after
her nap and looked cheerful. Mani ‘Ammoomma’,
who was a local midwife, came to pay her respects to ‘Valliamma’. She gave me glances of
enquiry whether she could meet ‘Valliamma,’
and she would like a word with her. I permitted her to go and meet her. I pinned my eyes on her. ‘Valliamma’ gave her a subtle smile. She prattled endlessly
with ‘Valliamma’, who cocked her quizzical
eyebrows at Mani and listened. Mani yawned, stretched her hands and then sat
down on the steps. ‘Valliamma’ gave
her a few coins. Mani, in her early fifties,
was a well-built, striking elderly woman with fair complexion and had attractive
features. She never bothered to cover her contours of her body with any
clothing as the other women of her age did in those days. Nobody found anything
wrong or detestable in her attire, a dhoti alone was used to cover her body
below the navel. Those days it was habitual for the women to deliver only at
home and not in the hospitals. Ladies, generally, didn’t go to a hospital for
delivery as they preferred the home atmosphere to the dirty surroundings of a
hospital. Whenever, an emergency occurred a doctor would be brought from the
Kunjalu’s hospital or General Hospital at Ernakulam. Mani was an able mid-wife
who helped ‘Valliamma’, ‘Ammachi’ and other ladies of our
household with their deliveries and post natal care for both the new born and
the mother. She used to come often and have ‘Kanji’,
rice gruel, with whatever curries that was available in the kitchen, as she was
often hungry. They were poor people around, who just about had one meal a day.
I have seen other women too on my Island and also in places like Manjeri, where
the ‘Kadar’ women did not cover their
upper-parts. What stood out were the stone chains that adorned their necks.
When she left I asked ‘Valliamma’,
“Why Mani ‘Amooma’ did not cover the
upper parts of her body?” She told us, “Both men and women including the rulers
never used to cover the upper parts of their body; more because of the humid
tropical climate. Even the Maharani and the ladies of Brahmin community of this
country started to cover their upper parts of their body only after the arrival
of the Portuguese. Later Nair women too
were allowed to do so. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution (1790) to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in the
garment industry. The mechanized sewing replaced handstiching and gave momentum
to the process of stitching thereby saving time. It was the British, who
brought sewing machines to Kerala during the beginning of the 20th
century. The styles of stiching evolved thereafter. Clothing styles were
strictly regulated by class and gender status in the social hierarchy. The awareness
of the ideas of equality and freedom that cropped up during the French Revolution
(1789) prompted the people in the lower social scale to demand for varied
privileges enjoyed by the upper caste communities. The ‘Chennon’,
Shannar women of Travancore raised their voice against the rulers to give them “a
right to wear a breast-cloth.” I remembered ‘Valliammachi’,
my maternal grandmother at Muttuchira in Kottayam, narrating an incident where
these Shanar women demonstrated their protest by wearing a ‘Rouka’, breast-cloth, violating the
norms and taking a protest march through the main street at Tirunakkara in
Kottayam for their right to wear a breast-cloth. But when the procession
reached Tirunakkara Junction, the women agitators could not bear the stare of
the spectators; they were not used to wearing these clothes before and
therefore they tore up the ‘Roukas’ - the upper garment which they wore and continued their protest march. Col. Munro, who was the ‘Diwan,’ supported the cause. Later, His
Highness Anizham Tirunal Maharaja, Marthanda Varma issued a Royal Proclamation
in 1858, abolishing all restrictions in the matter of the covering of the upper
parts of the body of the Shanar or Chennon
women.
I am aware that each society has certain unwritten
norms that define beauty. Tightly laced clothing on small waisted
women is admired as attractive, elegant and graceful in most countries. But I believe that
clothing should be according to the comfort, convenience and taste of an
individual. Every individual has the right to dress in the way he or she wishes.
However, nowadays, the media and the market play a significant role in making
that choice for people.
Mariamma ‘Valliamma’ asked us,
“Have you heard of Ayyankali (1863–1941).” He
was an illiterate like other Dalits at that time but he was a dynamic leader of
the native Dalit people who were
treated as the “untouchables.” He fought against
discriminations and pioneered many reforms to improve the lives of the Dalits.
He organized the Dalits and fought for their right to walk along public roads;
the right to cover upper parts of the body of Dalit women in public places. He was in the forefront of movements
against "Manusmrithi" especially the colour system and casteism. He
passed through the public roads of Venganoor on a bullock cart banned for the
Dalits. Ayyankali demanded the right for Dalit children to study in schools. He
started a school to teach Dalit children at Venganoor. In 1907, he called for boycotting
agricultural work raising certain demands. His demands included (a) stoppage of
the practice of serving tea to the Dalits in coconut shells unlike the others
who drank tea in glasses or cups; (b) right to education for Dalit children;
(c) resting time for workers during work hours; and (d) replacement of the
system of wages in-kind by payment of cash. He was the first labour leader from
India.
The
significance of Ayyankali lies in the fact that he could spearhead a struggle
for human rights of the untouchables raising demands which found expressions in
international human rights documents well before their adoption. He pioneered a
movement for democratizing public places and asserting the rights of workers
even before the formation of any workers organization in Kerala. In recognition
of his leadership and services, Ayyankali was later nominated to the assembly
of Travancore, namely, Sri Moolam Legislative Assembly in 1910. In his efforts
Ayyankali also received the support of his great contemporaries Sree
Narayana Guru and other social
reformers. He could gather support for his cause even from the members of the
upper caste community as well as some prominent landlords who were members of
Praja Sabha. By 1900, Dalits were given the freedom to walk on public roads,
and, by 1914, Dalit children were allowed to join schools. Dalit women were
allowed to cover their nakedness in public through his efforts. It is significant to be remembered that he
achieved these before the Russian Revolution in 1917. In 1937 he was praised by
Mahatma Gandhi when he visited Venganoor, Ayyankali's home town. In April 1971,
during my maiden visit to Trivandrum the capital city of
Kerala, I visited the site of the statue of Ayyankali at Kowdiar Square, in Trivandrum and paid my respects to the departed leader,
one of the great sons of India, like Mahtma Gandhi.
One
afternoon I reminded Mariamma ‘Valliamma’ about her promise to tell us about great men and other
movements that made drastic changes in the society. She told us that there were
great sages like Buddha and Mahavira who founded Budhism and Jainism
respectively following the path of non-violence; great emperors like Emperor Asoka,
who abdicated his throne for the wars and atrocities done by him; Mughal
Emperor Akbar, who married a Rajput lady and created a new religion namely “Din-ilahi. She also talked about great
leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gokhale, Subhash Chandra Bose, Mahatma
Gandhi, who fought for the freedom and independence of our country; Sardar
Patel, who made possible a union of the states called India / Bharath with
his iron hand;
Rajaram Mohan Roy, Sree Narayana Guru, Sahodharan Ayyappan, Pandit Karuppan and
other social reformers, who raised their voice against social inequalities, led
movements and agitations and obtained the right to use public roads on the
sides of temples, even entry into temples and for the abolition of
untouchability. They were all great sons of this country. I was deeply hurt by
her stories. My heart empathized with them and I resolved to do something for
the betterment of the lower classes and the down-trodden in our society. She
further told us that Xavier Master, her nephew, who was a popular English and
History teacher of Sacred Heart School at Thevara, was well versed in the evils
faced by our society which created a chasm between the higher and lower classes.
She said that if he could be contacted, he would share his treasure of knowledge
and information with us.
One
day Mariamma ‘Valliamma’, asked us,
“If we knew to climb trees like our grandfather, Oli Ousepachan.” He used to
climb trees to get her and her sister good mangoes, guavas and cashew apples. I
replied that Jacob and I too keep up the tradition; we may even be better than
our grandfather in performing this feat of climbing trees. To prove the point,
both Jacob and I climbed the tree and plucked a few cashew apples. We shared
the fruits with all present and kept only the nuts to play a game with ‘Valliamma’.
Scars
speak more eloquently the agonizing stories which are attached to them. Mariamma
‘Valliamma’ noted a long reddish-brown
scar on my right thigh caused by a severe beating. She drew me near her;
grasped my chin with her fingers, and she slowly
and tenderly caressed my face and hugged me tenderly and inquired, “Who
did it and what was the reason?” I told her that Jacob and I used to climb the
cashew, guava and all other fruit trees quite often as we could not resist the
ripe guava, rose-apple and cashew apple which were so delicious. I was very
vigilant before climbing as I made sure that not even one of the branches snapped.
In case it did, I found another one which would be there to hang on to. I
pointed out to the cashew tree, which had a height of thirty feet. One day we
were on the guava tree, which was much shorter than the Cashew tree which I had
pointed out to her, enjoying a delicious ripe guava. It was then that ‘Appachan’ noticed us and asked us to get
down from the tree. He was so furious, his anger rose like a flaming fire. He
showed his disapproval on my thigh, Blood was trickling through the bruise. I
fell on my bed, buried my head under the pillow, and cried. Jacob also got a
beating. I had no complaint against ‘Appachan’
for inflicting injury on me and the scar left behind by that. My serious
complaint was that he asked Ayyappan to cut off the big guava tree. This was a
mental shock and it pained me. The loss was irreparable; my guava tree was lost
forever. I noticed the reaction on her face; she caressed the scars and kissed
it. She came with us to inspect the site of the slaughtered tree. I showed her
the tree stump. She took off her gold-rimmed eyeglasses; cleaned it; rubbed her
eyes; put them back to closely scrutinise the stump. Patting me on my shoulder
and comforting me, she said, “The tree is still alive.” As she gazed into my
eyes I felt the sincerity in her sublime words which was arresting. She looked
to the North-eastern sky, the abode of God Almighty and prayed to Him to
regenerate the plant. Then she said, “God had given her assurance,” she further
told us, “Since that was summer season you should have to water it every
morning and evening, you will see one of the wonders of God.” Jacob couldn’t make heads or tails of all this, he sighed.
However he too prayed each day while watering.
A week after I noticed something protruding out on the stem. Immediately, I
mentioned it to ‘Valliamma’, she came
with us to the site, She raised her eye brows and said, “God heard your prayer,
thank and praise God Almighty, the one and only eternal God, whose power
created and controls the cosmos.” You could blindly trust him. Now the buds
have started protruding out, in a few weeks time it will unfurl the green
leaves and within a period of three years you could see the same old tree.
We
used to wonder what are all the books she read to impart such good information
and narrate such interesting stories to us.
She told us that the Veda
Pathasala was closed subsequent to the conversion of Oli Nambuthiri into Christianity. Therefore, an ‘Asan’ a teacher, used to come and sit
in our ‘Pumukham’, a bower to enjoy
the breeze and solitude. It was here that he sat and taught us and our
playmates the ‘Aksharam’ (letters), Vakyareethi, (sentences) ‘Vyakaranam, ‘Amarakosam’, (Malayalam
grammer), and ‘Sidharoopam’ (Sanskrit
grammer). A little of Ayurveda was
taught to them. The ‘Pancha Granthi’,
five books, are still somewhere in the granary. Then she started reciting a
‘Sanskrit Sloka’: -
“Sambu Falani Pakwani
Kabi Kanbika-Sakhabya
Pathanthi Vimale Jale
Gulu Gulu Gugulu”.
It
means that “the monkeys jumped on the ‘Atti’,
Ficus racemona, tree and its branches
to gather the figs which fell into the water with a sound “Gulu Gulu, Gulgulu.”
In
olden times, the grand-parents of our Island had a lot of leisure time to conduct
competitions in alphabetical songs in Sanskrit and Malayalam languages. There
were competitions in schools as well. The grand-parents or a veteran teacher at
school would moderate such competitions. The modus operandi was like this: one
individual or a group/s of student/s on one side would recite a meaningful stanza
from a poem and their opponent/s or group/s had sixty seconds to reply with another
stanza from a poem with the same letter that ended by the former individual/s
or group. The children used to memorize a lot of such meaningful stanzas or
short poems which they used as a quick repartee. It was amazing to watch and listen
to such dramatic mental exercises. They
even opened new horizons for children.
After
each vacation the departure with Mariamma
‘Valiamma’ was painful. In a lonely moment, recalled and replayed my conversations, interactions and
fond memories over and over again in my head. This gave me an instant joy. Every
moment with her was lively and entertaining. She promised us more fun and games
for the following vacation. We loved her so much and looked forward to being
with her to spend yet another fun-filled vacation. Little did we realize that
it was the last one we had with her. She was gone forever leaving behind only
the fond memories which we cherished.
Excerpts from
MEMOIRS
An autobiography
by
Joseph J. Thayamkeril
Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.
josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
josephjthayamkeril@google.com
