Nurungukal contd........

                                Mother with the help of a retinue of female and male assistants  cooked special food. On days like this food was served in plantain leaves which is supposed to have some medicinal effect Thiruvonam lunch was always special as the saying goes Kanam vittum Onam unnanam. Break fast menu was different. Steamed Nenthran banana pieces and fried Pappadam.

                                We will gather at pre set places ,usually in a house where there is a big compound. Our most favourite games were Thala panth, { similar to cricket or base ball } Hopping {kochi kal},foot ball { ball made out of rags }and even hide and seek {kallanum policeum } We even ventured to watch a movie in the local CENEMA TALKIES note not a theatre. For this we used to save the small tips our elders gave, which of course happened once in a blue moon.

                                Each of them was an exclusive experience which our children missed. The dialogue we had with nature and the togetherness we felt during  these adventures can not be revived in this computer age. May be such frolics imbibed in us a social commitment.I do not know whether we lost a culture, tradition under external influence or we went behind it unknowingly. Yet we say that "old order changes yielding place to new "!! Past is past be prepared for tomorrow.