Nurungukal….2…contd…

     Every day sharp at 6’o clock she wakes up with a loud yawn as she scratch and arrange her hair which, was once reaching much below her posterior like a bunch of flowers of a palm tree. I have seen her managing it with great effort those days. And now she does it by a flick. As she slowly raise and staggers away, shifting her weight from one leg to another, I try to visualise  her swan walk of younger age.

By the time I get up after an extended nap the flask containing my morning coffee would be ready on the table, which I used to gulp shamelessly as a matter of right. The sequence of events that follow there after is in military precision as far as she is concerned no matter what the others do or wish. The routine is impeccably adhered.  The time slot for each activity viz. the afternoon siesta, ironing of clothes,[including mine] or stitching  is unchangeable come what may. I have never seen her in all these  45 years  enjoying an undeserved rest or interval in her daily life.

An introvert by nature, she opens herself in a subdued voice [not a murmur] when in company with her close relatives , although I am not in that list. It is always a fascinating scene, herself engaged in such moods. 

 I often used to watch in appreciation her impeccable dexterity in creating intrinsic patterns of lace work or woollen clothes. She derives an unusual joy while concentrating for hours on such a hobby.  Such expressions of excellence can  be attributed to high degree of tenacity.

 Although she has crossed 70, still pursues the above said rare qualities  to keep her engaged from dawn to dusk, without any expectation of appreciation from any corner.

 This post is only a silent recognition of all good things she stand forf.

Nurungukal….2…cotd…

             Ammuchechi’s documentation of the details of the yearly ritual conducted by her family in the Malayalam month ‘Kumbham’  is a piece of literature which I think the family can boast of. As there was no earlier written evidences about the origin of the event she had based the description on the basis of details passed on  mouth to mouth by her elders. Yet it has attained  authenticity of the facts described, because of her faultless comprehension of the order of events that took place traditionally. I would like to place on record here my appreciation and respects for her tenacity in offering even the minute details of the ritual  as in a record for reference for posterity. It is more or less like a code manual.

        The deity is worshipped in the form of Bhadrakali who is identified as a ferocious Goddess. Her Divine presence is felt at three places [ Edom,kovilakam and mohoorkappil] as revealed by astrologers in a Swarna Prasnam.  Edom is the ancestral Tharavd of Moopil Niars,Kovilakam is the place where Kottayum Raja used to camp during his sojourns in Pozhuthana and Mohoor Kappil is a sacred grove on a nearby hillock.It is believed that it would have originated at least about 2000 years ago. But the age of the existing trees in the grove was assessed by a forester as about 500 years and so we may have to either guess the age of the ritual as 500 years or has to doubt that the earlier trees might have withered by age. But Ammuchechy had put forth a convincing argument to believe the age as around 2000 years on the basis of some of the remnants of clay idols dug out at Mohoor Kappil. The materials used to mould the idols were a mixture known as  KOOTTU SARKARA which was popular in those days.

       Ammuchechy had recorded that Shree Veera Marthanda Kerala Varma Pazhassiraja had fought battles with the British stationed at the Kovilakam. And it was his practise to worship his beloved ancestral Gods viz. Shree PorkaliBhagavathy,Kirathamoorthy,Shree Dhara Sasthavu,Ganapathy etc. …contd…

Nurungukal…2…contd…

        The Kottayum Raja who was the ruler of Pozhuthana and adjacent areas was fond of hunting wild animals. He used to make periodical visits to the forest which had an abundant wealth of many animals, especially tigers,bears, elephants etc.. He used to camp here for days with his retinue of servants and soldiers. During such hunting sprees it was his custom to take an Idol of his favourite Goddess, shree Porkali Bhagavathy for conducting his daily poojas. He used to camp at the same locations  which were the most suitable for worshipping. One such place was at the foot hills of a hillock in Pozhuthana , which is known as Anomkunnu. The location  known as Anoth was ideal, serene, isolated and near to a river and blessed with a perennial water fall.The Idol was housed in a thatched shed popularly called as Kovilakam.

      There is a very interesting story told by a leader [Moopan] of an adhivasi community about what prompted the king to select this place as his base camp. It goes like this….

       During one of his hunting episodes the king got isolated from his retinue and lost the way. Those days the area was a thick rain forest intertwined by a river and marshy lands. He wandered for hours and hours and was tired. The sound of the water flow in the river prompted him to take a dip to get rid of the tiredness and quench the thirst. As he was resting on the banks happened to see an unusually long human hair floating in the water. He was sure that it was that of a lady and he guessed that she would be very pretty. Once again he tried to gain the direction and then he met with a young village damsel who was carrying a bamboo container full of honey. After introducing him,  politely requested her to part with a small portion of the honey to get rid of his tiredness. The young lady hesitated but succumbed to the repeated appeal. After taking the sweet honey he wanted to know about her and knew that she belonged to an adhivasi family living near by. As the king was infatuated in her he accompanied her to the hamlet. This tribe found their livelihood in agriculture and paddy cultivation. The king spent a few days with her. As a mark of gratitude he assigned a vast land to the family.It was during this sojourn he set up the Kovilakam for stay and praying during his future trips and as time passed this place attained the status of a place exclusively for worshipping by a prominent Nair family in the vicinity…..contd…

Nurungukal…2…contd…

    My first meeting with Ammuchehy was a few days before my marriage. She, accompanied by my sister-in-law made a visit to Ponani to fine tune the formalities of our nuptial ceremony. She was particular about some customary practises, such as offering the Pudava in a Thali etc.. My mother who was well versed with, in the order of events and their relevance while conducting a marriage, purposefully pretended ignorance and agreed to what ever the visitors wished. But she was much impressed by the knowledge of Ammu chechy in such matters. There after when ever we met I used to enjoy her company and took pleasure in gathering  interesting tips, especially in matters connected with Puranas.  

        It was from her I knew about the history of Moopil Nairs of Wayanad. This area was formerly ruled by a dynasty called as Kottayum Rajas of Noth Kerala, before the annexation by the British from Tippu. For the purpose of efficient administration the Raja maintained a number of chieftains at strategic places and they were called as Moopil Nairs and each such families were known as Edom related with the name of the locality viz. Pozhuthana Edom, Kalpetta Edom etc. In those days Pozhuthana was a very strategic location as it was very close to Lakkidy, the gate way to Wayanad on the hills of Western ghats.  The Moopil Nairs of Pozhuthana attained a special status among the close circles of the Raja and were bestowed with great extent of forest and agricultural land. The area was so vast . As a result  the management was difficult and later, during the British rule the family had to part with chunks of their domain to East India Co. on lease under the pretext of development, although the main intention of the Company was to plunder the forest wealth, timber, ivory etc. In due course of time they cleared the forests and shipped logs and logs of wood, especially rose wood which were so huge , beyond any stretch of imagination, to England. The existing road passing through Pozhuthana was made by them mainly to transport the logs to Kozhikode for shipment. The road was then known as Pandimottom road.And once upon a time bullock carts were frequenting this route……cntd…..

Nurungukal…2…contd…

      A set of actions if repeated in exact intervals year after year without fail, attain a status of a custom, which we do not wish to get disrupted. There are many rituals practised in our society over the years which gained divinity and the descendants of any family shudder to break them. I do not want to draw a controversy on the belief, yet it would be interesting to take a dive on one such activity in which I partake  almost without fail since 1970.

     Ever since I entered into  one of the ancient aristocratic families of Wayanad by marrying my wife, I was fascinated to engage in conversation with one member who had a firm grip of events that took place around her,crystal clear. She was unique in depiction and authenticity. She was a good conversationalist, with a rare flair to hold one for hours. When ever we met I used to enjoy her company by engaging into a chat , especially on devotional subjects and lo her acumen was par excellence. She is none other than late Lakshmi kutty Amma affectionately called as Ammu Chechy, the younger sister of my mother-in-law. A charming personality with a deep knowledge in Puranas. I place the next few posts before her as a mark of respect and homage…..contd…

Nurungukal...2...contd...

     My job gave us an opportunity to live in places of different atmospheres. Out of which Pondy was the best. It was unique in many ways. There was a fusion of two cultures. The influence of a French life style  was still lingering side by side a Tamilian tradition. Even the Pondy town was divided into two by a canal. On the one side there lived a community aligned to french culture and those dedicated to a life propagated by Aurobindo. Where as on the other, the native Tamilians. But both lived in perfect harmony and inter depended. If one was  on the shores of Bay of Bengal the other was at the brim of a native village nurturing an agrarian legacy. Even the fragrance of these two identities differed. The east close to the ocean sensed ozone and perfumes . The west a rustic aroma emanating from the agricultural fields. Also the upkeep represented the respective way of life. If one was orderly and silent the other was vibrant and lively. But the nature around them mingled, intertwined and coexisted sharing each other ensuring a tranquillity. We lived there for seven years without feeling any strain and the passing of time.

            The weekends we spent our time either on the sea shore or in the adjacent park and a dine out to taste the best of French cuisine. Me and my friend Sathyaraj, an officer in Madras Fertilisers Ltd.used to enjoy the shallow waters of Bay of Bengal every Saturday evening. There was one joint, run by a french pensioner which served a crab dish topped up with a bulls eye. A scoop of the egg along with the flesh of a large crab was delicious and a dinner in a sea side restaurant  enjoying the caress of the breeze and the melodious music produced  when the waves pat the shore, remain fresh in our mind. An occasional visit to the Auorobido Ashramam and nearby Ganesha temple to feed the young elephant stationed before the temple gate helped to relieve the burden. The serenity of the Ashramam premises could revitalise the energy. The efficiency of the various insttutions run by them was always a model worth emulating. Where ever my posting, it was my pleasure to stray out to the nearby farms. It, not only gave me an insight into their way of life but also, a sense of togetherness. More over it is where we can meet true sons of the soil. The greenery around a farm is always my weakness. More than a square meal I enjoyed the sight of a setting sun at the brink of a vast paddy field, accompanied by a chorus of the home bound birds,insects etc..    contd...

Nrungukal...2...contd...

    Days,weeks and months passed, I was not successful in finding a suitable accommodation to increase the capacity of the warehouse. Although Pondy was in the high light of maritime business, when French was ruling , after independence the situation had changed. Those godowns constructed during French rule were already occupied by other agencies before our entry. A dilapidated pier and some adjacent godowns remained as remnants of a past glory. Ships used to anchor in deep waters. The cargo was brought ashore in small boats and unloaded with the help of an outmoded hand operated crane. Once in a way Food Corporation of India, who had built a warehouse in the port premises used to receive wheat from a mother ship anchored in Madras port.

   My superiors started expressing concern about my delay in locating a godown. Many offered small sheds, even a car shed, which were not complying to our norms. My only hope was to grab an accommodation, already in possession with a cooperative marketing society. As a bolt from blue the society faced an issue in managing their stock. I managed to convince the secretary about our flawless functioning and he readily volunteered to surrender their rented accommodation with the consent of the owner to us. It was a big offer,because they required the entire space on a reservation basis. This gave me a boost to work still harder and convinced me that perseverance is the only way to success.

       I was , all those days fully engrossed in my official commitments and settling down in Pondy.  It was long since I made a visit to my mother in Ponani. She was alone there,aged, yet fighting to live happily without any complaint. Her eye sight was fading, yet managed to read the news paper and holy books. She used to follow a strict schedule in daily chores. First the lighting of the lamp before her favourite Goddess Saraswathy. That photo still adorn our pooja place in Ponani. Then the recital of 20 stanzas from Narayaneeyam. She had her owner tune of reciting, which even now reverberates in my ear. To freshen that I am also reciting the lines in the same way she used to do, every day. It helps me to keep her fresh in my memory always. Bhagavatham was very dear to her. Every day at least one episode she would read, after lunch. As children we used to hear it fully engrossed. But her elder sister, we call her Valyamma was an expert in narrating the stories from puranas. May be that, such exposures during our childhood had enthused us to read many classics, even before completing SSLC. ....contd...