My first Guru

It was rainy season again.After the first rains the replanting of rice plants starts. The small canals in between the fields will be filled with water. There will be so many small fishes inside it .I liked to catch fish with thorthu (a small bath towel) and then let them go to water again...Workers will be busy planting saplings, and they will sing also, to speed up their work.

Achchu was going to field to give tea to workers.I accompanied him silently as I am sure that if mother noticed she won’t allow me to go.The big canal will be filled with water  in rainy season and there will be heavy flow in it. So crossing it through the coconut wood bridge during rains was a big no. When we reached, the ladies were singing a song about “makkam”, a beautiful lady, who was the only sister of 7 brothers, and who was murdered along with her son Chathan and daughter Cheeru on the instructions of her sister in laws…I felt bored as I heard the story so many times. So i started catching fish.  Suddenly somebody noticed that my grandfather was coming towards the fields. He was on a short visit to see my mother. Whenever he was around, he used to visit fields to oversee works. I become very upset. as for sure, he won’t allow me playing in water, and he will take me back home…

“So, You don’t want him here ..?Asked vayalile Mathi(madhavi, as she was coming from a faraway place called  kolathu vayal, she was called like that.) I said” no… He won’t allow me to catch fish.”

“See how he will vanish from here.”Thekkumbadan meenakshi told with a big laugh…I was not sure about what magic they are planning so that grandfather will vanish.

But all they do that was singing again, now in a louder tone…

Eevaka pennungal bhoomeelundo (is such beautiful ladies are there in earth)

Manathunenganum potti veeno,( is she came from the sky-heaven)

Bhoomiyil ninnenganum mulachu vanno,(or is she came from beneath earth)

Khithappoo  polathe niramamanappa,(her colour is like that of kithapoo-kewra flower)

Panangula polathe mudiyentappa..(Her hair flows like palm leaf)

Erambala kunki, kunchi kunki, (she is Ms kunki of Erambala)

kuliyum kazhinchu varavayi kunki…(She is on her way from pond after taking a bath)

The last two lines were entirely new ones, so I listened. The song went on like a mother persuading her daughter, Kunki to marry Erambala Koman(my grandfather!)The Mother was praising him like

Kathil kadukkan,pulinaghavum,(he is wearing  kadukkan-a stud with precious  stones ,And a special gold chain)

arraru kandalum thirunchu nokkum,(no body walk past him without having a second look)

Varam varavangu  kunnu pole, (about his monthly earnings-his earnings from field rental is like a mountain))

pattam varavangu kadalu pole,(“ his earnings from lending out land is like an ocean)

Komanu ninneyangu pothichalu,(if Koman agree to marry you)

Neeyalle nattile thampuratti..(You can live like a princess)

By then grandfather was in varambu(the walking path in between fields).As  he heard his name in the song, he also began listening the song.

Now came Kunki”s reply

Velichinga polathe kannentamme,(his eyes are like small tender coconuts)

Kumbalanga polathe vayarentamme,(His tummy is like a large pumpkin)

Padavalam polathe kientamme, (His hands are like snake gourds)

Chattukam polathe kalentamme.(His legs are like a spattle-a little spade used to take dosa from thava)

There were few more lines which I couldn’t remember now...Any way at last she turned down the proposal saying that he is not a match for her.

Grandfather became so angry and shouted “will you stop this nonsense?”. Then he  dragged me to home.

Reaching home, he scolded my mother. “Why do you allow Pappa to go to the fields? There are other children here .nobody does that. Those ugly fellows will make her bad…, uncultured liars.”He shelled out so many bad words. Mom was clue less about what made him so angry, she told me to wash my feet with permanganate solution, thinking that grandfather didn’t liked me playing in muddy waters..For sure I know that the workers were not ignorant people..On the other hand they were a treasure house of folk wisdom. They taught me so many things, like how to predict rains seeing clouds,how to recognize medicinal plants,  how to plant saplings etc etc..They told me so many stories, about so many customs, so many legends, all of which my siblings were unaware of.

Later on mother asked me about what happened in the fields, I told her about the song. Grandmother and mother had a hearty laugh. I was 8 or 9 years at that time, so marriage and lost love were beyond my imagination .Mother told though grandfather had a cousin Kunki, she was much older than him, and marriage between them was impossible. The entire story were only their imagination…And ugly description about his figure might have the reason why he become angry..But next time when I went to fields, I pleaded them to sang the full song...They didn’t. Never did they repeat it. They confessed that it was an instant parody.

The anti climax was that during his next visit, grand father taught me how to draw human figures…He might have thought that otherwise I will portray him with velichinga in place of eyes, padavalanga in place of hands. He also showed me how I can draw in the back side of calendars so that my father won’t notice. (My father was dead against me drawing in my school books… (Art was not a good thing for elite girls at that time!)Thus he became my first Guru.

                                                  

                                      website for image- www.sheelapadmanabhan.com
                                       .