Nurungukal…2…contd…
It was a mixed
gathering yesterday to initiate an awareness program on the relevancy of
observing a Kerala’s tradition in food habits in tune with changing seasons. There
were a few of my age group, some officials, a batch of Adivasi girls and their
elders and to set an apt mood the presence of one or two with long grey hair
and long khadar shirts and shoulder bags and many other familiar faces whom you
can see in such functions occupying the front seats. Among them I sat with a lost
face occasionally wiping the unseasonal sweat with my long towel in the dais
not knowing how to start my talk on the importance of ten leaves which are to
be included in our diet in the Malayalam month of Karkitakam. It’s a practise
which is defunct now as our tastes and habits have already been forced to be changed.
To my surprise the young Lady who was
responsible for organising the class came to my rescue and whispered that I can
dwell on any subject related to the custom but I should prolong till the
dignitary who is to deliver the main speech reports at the venue. I breathed a
sigh of relief and waited for my turn, trying to grab a string from my child
hood.
Slowly it started unfolding like a movie film
so vivid and clear and as I took the mike in my hand the picture of my mother,
in her immaculate traditional attire holding a lighted coconut leaf torch in
the left hand and in the other an old bamboo winnow in which some symbolic representation
remained to evict the evils from the house, emerged as if in a trance. My
brothers and sister took positions behind her holding long banana stalks and
ready to enact our roll. In the winnow there were three balls of cooked rice,
yellow, white and black. They were placed in the jack fruit leaves folded and
pinned at the tip. Before them six leaves pinned in the similar way was placed
with cotton threads. An old and used small broom and a ladder made out of banana
stalk found their places in the two corners of the winnow. Slowly mother lifted the winnow and the torch
to make a round motion covering the nook and corner of the room and moved from one room to another
repeating the movements rhythmically and artistically starting from the kitchen
and ending at the back veranda in a set order. While she does this we followed
her chanting in chorus poti po po po, shipothy
makkalum va va va, simultaneously beating the banana stalk on the floor to
make to
to to sound. She handedover the winnow and the torch to a lady named
Devaki who had been with our family for many years to assist mother, attaining
the status of a family member. Now it is her turn to go round the house three
times while all of us chased her shouting and beating till she escapes , in a trance
to dispose off the winnow and torch
under a bush on the banks of a nearby canal. The episode culminated when all
of us took a dip in our pond, which was filled with water during the torrent
rains received in edavapathy and earlier
nhattuvelas. This event took one or two hours before dusk. Finally all of
us sat for a prayer contending that our house and surroundings are clean and
tidy so would be our souls. Off course
the cleaning program was over one or two days ahead of the above ritual.
Next slide in
me showed the bundle of different varieties of plants and herbs placed out side
the gate on the ground smeared with cow dung. It was collected by
Chatha one of father’s assistants who was supposed to be an expert in those
days to identify each and every flora and fauna of the locality. The value and
spirit behind that collection is the best example of conservation practises and
touch and feel education about an enigmatic nature. It loudly explained the complexity
of life and its existence. I strongly feel that it is such closeness with
nature in our child hood might be a reason now to our concern about the
damage caused.
As a matter
of practise the eldest male child in the family
lifts the bundle after a pooja and carrys to the house while
all of us saying nira nira poli poli,
pathayam nira etc etc. Then inside the house it would be placed in the natumuttam . We would eagerly
wait for the moment when our mother would bring the sweet ada for the offering, to grab our share is always a sweet frolic and
for the feast afterwards with puthari
payasam. This event comes to an end when the herbs and plants are fixed in
each corner and door of the house.
I did not
know how long I took to depict this nostalgic memory. The young lady passed on
a slip of paper indicating that the time
is up. I was also exhausted and reluctantly closed my talk with a satisfaction
of giving me an opportunity to open my memory cheppu [cask].
