Nurungukal: Nurungukal…. The silhouette of afrail and stoopi...

Nurungukal:
Nurungukal….  The silhouette of afrail and stoopi...: Nurungukal….   The silhouette of a frail and stooping figure slowly disappearing away against the receding evening sun is emerging on t...

Nurungukal….

  The silhouette of a frail and stooping figure slowly disappearing away against the receding evening sun is emerging on the screen of my memory chip as I read about the award bestowed on Thamketuthy for her  efforts to conserve a sustainable eco system  which she had inherited from the Tharawad.  Many such patches of biodiversity were maintained by our forefathers, either on a compelling belief or based on cultural conventions. But in the last few decades, especially after the demolition of feudalistic practices in agriculture or due to the disintegration of the fabric of the joint family and fragmentation of lands, to nurture nuclear families these edifices of coexistence were obliterated from our premises. 

     If I remember properly there were five such sacred groves in a row  and one by one disappeared as a result of human encroaches. In one or two there were ancient chithroda kallu, a type of stone formation to worship serpents. Even now the twin groves are well maintained in our premises, thanks to the efforts of our sister.

      My father after his great escape from Burma, in the midst of world war second settled down in Ponani, which was the native place of my mother, owning the legacy of tolerating Khilafat movement. When father purchased this property there were two sacred groves and a  dilapidated well. In the initial days when my parents settled down here they depended on this well for water. But later they had to abandon it as one day when my parents were on a pilgrimage to Rameswaram, a serpent appeared on the rope while our servant was fetching water from this well for house hold purpose, which was forbidden as per the version of an astrologer.

 As children,the grove attracted our curiosity on many occasions in pursuit of a golden snake or rare birds. Very often a Mottled Wood Owl (kuttichoolan or kalan kozhi ) used to make its shrieking calls in the dusk, ushering us to chant Narayana,Narayana, as we believed the calls were the harbinger of death or some calamity. Even very recently I heard the calls and a similar feeling rushed into me. The groves are even now the shelter for many species of birds, reptiles, creatures etc. The variety of calls they made while roosting used to provide a musical concert. I am happy to know that even now the same ambience  of coexistence is maintained. But still the Golden serpent is eluding me. My anxiety has now increased after witnessing a classic performance ( sarpathatuam ) of Methyl Devika, the Mohiniyattam exponent, depicting the enticing movements of a serpent in tune with the old Tamil song Aadu pampe …vilayadu pampe… .Yet the enchanting sound emanating from the wooden fiddle and the mud pot with the dexterous movements of the hands of a pair of pulluvan and pullothy, vibrates in me, when I think of snakes and folk songs.

     The moving silhouette, which I mentioned in the beginning was that of Mullampulli Nambhoodiri, the then main priest of Thrikkavu Bhagavathi Temple. He was an embodiment of serenity and humility. He might have been  fairly aged. With a traditional tiny knot of hair at the top of his shaven head, he moved slowly with a hunch. Fair in colour and always with a smiling face he was the most revered person in the circle of devotees. The thrimaduram prepared  by him was a delicacy to us and I am yet to taste a better one. My mother was very particular that he himself had to perform the annual pooja in the sacred grove to appease the serpents and trees. And he obliged her, despite of his age . We used to remain in waiting impatiently till the end of the pooja to grab the karolappam and palpayasam  which obviously had unique taste. We seldom meet such noble ones, except in our dreams nowadays.

       Perhaps the acquaintance with such myths and practices might have been the reason to keep us so close to nature. Although it may be difficult to seek a scientific reasoning in such traditions, it has certainly a rapport with coexistence. If you look around there are many moods in the anvil of the nature, in which we may notice the dexterity of creation.

Nurungukal: Nurungukal…. About a year ago astudent from Che...

Nurungukal:
Nurungukal….   About a year ago astudent from Che...: Nurungukal….    About a year ago a student from Chennai landed up in my farm with a quest for learning about squirrels. I was so fascin...

Nurungukal….

   About a year ago a student from Chennai landed up in my farm with a quest for learning about squirrels. I was so fascinated in her enthusiasm to take up a subject, as part of her research study which at a glance seemed to be silly. But my curiosity gradually was intensified as she narrated the exact purpose of such a tiny creature on this earth. When she touched upon the point that squirrels are instrumental in seed distribution and natural propagation of plants in our neighbourhood, my interest in her mission was aroused and became inquisitive.

    Unknowingly my mind slowly wandered into the past. Scene …..one……As a bunch of boys and girls rushing to pick up the sweet little ripe mango which had fallen in the previous night from the granny mango tree, one or two pair of squirrels raising vocals in chorus from the lofty branches, as if calling bad names for trying to snatch away their morning meal

Scene……two…..Me in pursuit to catch a squirrel which had strayed into the central hall of our Nalukettu and as I managed to get hold of its tail the furry flowery skin snatched away and it escaped safely through the window leaving me in despair.

Scene……three…Squirrels carrying bunches of coconut fibre or other similar materials in their mouth to build nests in between the gaps of the roof tiles. On many an occasion helping the mother squirrel to retrieve her offspring which had fallen from its nest.

Scene …..four….Their great escapes on to the tree tops  from the hungry clutches of  cats or dogs and the following shower of noisy abuses.

Scene…..five……A school mate of mine fondling a little squirrel, concealed in his pockets and the tiny tot running all over his body to our amazement. It was rescued by him from a fallen nest.

Scene ….six…….Squirrels in play full company with a bunch of seven sisters ( jungle babbler birds ). In Malayalam we called them chavatila kili.

         And off course, although a myth, the tiny roll of this creature in helping Rama to cross the ocean in pursuit of Sita can never be forgotten. Its effort even earned a claim to coin a phrase in Malayalam. Annarakannanum Thannalavanath. I even now can visualise the scene which my Granny used to describe with all its tenderness, while reciting Ramayana, especially during the month of Karkitakam in Malayalam era.

         In recent time my wife has started showering lots of tenderness to this animal, by way of feeding them with water, fruits and cooked rice. It has become part of her house hold chores and I am fancied more by their acquaintance at regular intervals daily in our premises. In company there are a few bulbuls and sparrows. But these guys are very alert in scaring the encroached from sharing their ration. Their agility, tails incessantly taping the floor and restless hops will attract the attention of any passersby.  May be these traits are akin to their survival techniques.

         Strangely now I shudder to think about, even touching a ripe mango slipped from the tender hands of a squirrel, because of the recent revelations that a bite by such creatures can cause virus infection. But in our child hood days we always relished to enjoy the other side of the bite and remained healthy acquiring natural immunity. The famous song from a Malayalam movie, annarakanna va poovala changatham koodan va…stands testimony to my claim.  

          Once or twice in recent years, after the deluge, their big brother mountain squirrel strayed into our tree tops. Its visit was conspicuous not only from its long leaps from one tree to another but also for the loud calls and colour. I was much interested to know about its fondness to maintain a harem and its regular visits to each fiancee daily.

          I am prompted to post this text after hearing a talk by Dr. Nandini Rajamani an enthusiastic researcher from Chennai. It was very informative and thought provoking as I could understand to what extent the existence of even such a tiny life is important to maintain the balance of Mother Earth. Each such mechanism if in jeopardy can invite a break in our safety chain. So next time if you notice a squirrel hoping around your habitat, be sure your surrounding is healthy.

         Here I would wish to place on record my humble salute for the yeoman service a bunch of young enthusiasts like Mr. Vishnudas,an acclaimed ornithologist, Dr. Ratheesh, a vet. Etc. in Wayanad have under taken under the banner Cafe Scientific. All nature lovers eagerly wait for more and more such meaning full episodes from them………