TRIBUTES 2

Parukutty Elayamma had always been a part of the kitchen;Like the large granite pot containing salt crystals sitting on an extra hearth used only when there was a feast in the house...Like the glass less wick lamp which sat on a iron plate mounted on a wooden stand called Madampi, and kept lighted from evening till the kitchen was closed....Like the small and large China pots black due to their use over the years...Like the big brass pot that contained a red decoction of various herbs called Chukkuvellam used to quench the thirst of the family members...Like the numerous pots and urns and small wooden planks meant for sitting and kept leaning against the wall when not in use...

Though the kitchen always had a dark gloomy atmosphere, thanks to the use of hearths in which wood were burnt for cooking, Parukutty Elayamma possessed a fair complexion that was a rarity, not only in the family but in the community as well. She entered the kitchen well before sunrise and remained there till it closed well after sunset. The kada kada sound of the smooth river stone placed inside the wooden pulley as she lifted water from the well was the alarm for neighbors to wake up.The only time before noon,perhaps, she came out of the kitchen was for collecting the Jack tree leaves .She then folded these leaves in to an improvisedspoon for the family, laborers and servants to drink porridge which was on the menu at nine in the morning.

In the afternoon she would get some time for chatting with some of the common neighboring lady visitors to the house.It may be someone seeking pickles like Uppumanga or Mulagumanga from Grandmother as somebody was ill at their house. Or it may be the wife of the Barber who made calls to the house on every Monday and Friday, early morning. He shaved the male members of the house sitting in the varanda of the Kulappura. But when his wife arrived, the ladies of the house mysteriously disappeared in to the darkness of the insides of the Kulappura. Her reports on various personalities and happenings of the village came out of the rooms,some times in hushed tone denoting the confidential nature of the information.Children who sneaked around despite the prohibitory orders, listening to these reports like a radio commentary wondered what is going on inside.

Or the visitors may be coming to look for fallen Areca nuts or for plucking some betel leaves from Ponnambalan's betel garden: Like Angadi Kali who was slightly out of mind and always whispered something to herself while searching for Areca nut. Her daughter also was out of mind and wept all the time talking about her son, Chami. He was working in some Government Office in Karnataka .She came to the house whenever she got a letter from her son which was to be read out by mother.The letter always contained matter about his inability to come to the village due to "some examinations". All the ladies, ignorant of Government departmental tests, wondered what these never ending "examinations" were.However the desolate mother listened to the contents of the letter with weeping eyes as always.

As dusk fell, as all family members moved to the first floor for sleeping,as Ponnambalan embarked on his nocturnal journey through the farm with his long woodden pole and a lighted lantern and as Narayanan started reciting Kathakali songs aloud, often taking steps of a character in the folk art, it will be the turn of another desolate mother to weep thinking about her daughter and their plight....

Today a letter had come from Kalluvazhi,a remote village where her daughter is married away, which mother had read out. Parukuttyy Elayamma's daughter had given birth to another girl baby,her fifth, and this had pushed everybody into sorrow.

"Ini niruthan parayeen, anchayille penkuttikal..." Mother was telling Parukutty Ilayamma to advise her daughter for adopting family planning measures as she now has five daughters. The burden of marrying off five daughters obviously weighed in her advice.

Outside the narrow and high netted window of her bedroom, night became dense among the aged mango trees.Beyond the huge mango trees in pitch darkness sat Nagathan, the serpent God.Once in a year Krishnan Embrandiri came and performed the pooja for Nagathan and Dharma Daivam, the family God represented by a self erupted mud idol housed in a small temple.Wild creepers hung from the huge trees intertwining like mating snakes. Parukutty Elayamma looked out of the window unable to sleep as fire flies made the futile attempt of lighting up the jungle. In the solitude of her sleepless nights she thought of her life journey....

Her husband had expired soon after the birth of her daughter. How did he die? I have never heard any account of his death from the house discussions. Even otherwise it is not relevant. What is relevant is life after death. Of course not of the person who died but of the survivors. After the death of her husband, Parukutty came back to live with her brothers, carrying all her belongings in a Pettakam (Wooden Box), which was given to her as marriage gift as per the custom.When her daughter attained age, she was married off to the brother in law of one of her brothers.

After wards when her brother decided to move to his wife's place, Parukutty came to live with her elder sister, my Grand mother whom she called Ammu Eduthi and we called Achamma. She carried her Pettakam of belongings to our house and it found it's new resting place in her solitary bed room; and Parukutty identified herself with the numerable items of the kitchen. There she resigned to her solitude accepting her destiny.

Whenever father, who was a school teacher, got some extra income by way of official duties, he will add a line to the Gold Muthumala of Grand mother. Like other ladies of the house Parukutty Elayamma would examine the ornament when it was brought to house, holding it close to her eyes whose sight had started failing.Delightfully.Without jealousy...lust... or any complaint to the Almighty regarding the disparity, though the owner of the jewels and herself were the products of the same womb.Her daughter and children visited the house whenever there was a special occasion. They spent most of the time in the solitary bed room talking to her but were unable to mingle with the children of the house; some thing, economical or social or something I am unable to explain, separated them. So near a relation, yet so far.....!

Years passed on in the form of sun and rain out side the kitchen window during the day; In the form of rain, darkness and moon light out side the narrow netted bedroom window during the night.Vishu and Onam came one after the other. For Karkkidaka Samkranti Parukutty Elayamma welcomed the Goddess of prosperity, Sreebhagavathy. Sreebhagavathy and Chetta Bhagavathy are believed to be sisters. Sreebhagavathy will come only if Chetta Bhagavathy is routed out of the house. Ammukutty, the outside servant played the role of Chetta Bhagavathy carrying broom and other wastes in a mud pot. Paruktty Elayamma chased her out of the house calling out "Chette..Phoo, Chette ..Phoo... Chetta Purathu, Sree Bhagavathy akathu..". (Chetta out;Sree Bhagavathi in..). Next day onwards Grand mother made Shivothi for thirty days - on a wooden plank water in two Kindis were kept, mirror, flowers, sandal wood piece etc were arranged. Representing Sree Bhagavathy.

And one day grand mother, fell down due to cerebral thrombosis. She could not get up there after despite treatment of all sorts,systems. From her state of delirium she called out Parukutty and Ponnambalan day in and day out. Parukutty elayamma, herself aged and requiring assistance, nursed her sister along with Ponnambalan. So devotedly that when after three years Grand mother passed away, it was felt that Parukutty Elayamma has accomplished the purpose of her very existence on earth.Now she too was developing physical ailments and the question of who will nurse her if she is bed ridden disturbed the family atmosphere.It was time for her Pettakam to find a new resting place in their journey.......

Parukuty Elayamma's daughter's house turned out to be smaller than what I had imagined.It was a common Kerala style construction with tiled roof. Every corner of the house was so full that I doubted whether there was any room left for Parukuty Elayamma's pettakam. We carried it from the Jeep and kept it in a corner of the inside room which ,perhaps, was it's last resting place. In the front open hall itself her son in law, who was now unable to walk due to rheumatics, laid on a wooden cot. Her daughter also was visibly weak, physically.All their five daughters had been married away,fortunately, to good families. Most healthy among all the inmates seemed to be the octogenarian mother in law of her daughter. All of them received us heartily to my surprise.It seemed, just as Parukutty elayamma, all of them had accepted their fate without murmur and was ready for anything life had in store for them.......good,bad or worse.When we started off our return,Parukuty elayamma said to me "Come to see me once in a while....I just want to see you all......". Her voice strained of sorrow and I noticed her eyes were full of tears.......

After that even though we visited her every now and then and sent her small sums for her maintenance, Parukutty elayamma was brought to House only once;during the marriage of sister.She was brought one week in advance and seemed to be very happy to come home.....The home where she had spent more than thirty years; and loved whose inmates more than her own daughter and grand children.....Even though she had difficulty in walking, she went around the house and examined everything.

"Karoppila maram valuthayalo......"(The curry leaves plant has grown big). She said delightfully looking at the Curry leaves tree now full of dark green leaves.Some times getting curry leaves which was indispensable for any Kerala dish was difficult. Being the kitchen- in- charge, she had therefore planted a sapling near the kitchen so that there is easy access to curry leaves whenever needed. Some how my mind tried to equate her own life with that of curry leaves...Indispensable for every dish yet discarded by every one......

After the marriage when she got in the Jeep for her return journey, I noticed the tears in her eyes. Even though the family members were present to see her off, every body spared the etiquette of asking when she will come back next. Still she said as a soliloquy:

" Eni eppo varan ivade arudeem kalyanom illalo..." (Now there is no marriage here for me to come ...)

" There is no need of any such occasion.....I shall come with a Jeep and bring you here whenever you feel like coming here......" I wanted to say that.But before the words came out the jeep had moved........

Years later when the inevitable end came to her after getting bed ridden for some months, we were in a far away town for a major surgery for father. May be that was yet another irony scripted by destiny that we should not take part in the last rites of a person who had been so affectionate to us........

Only the persons who looked after her in her last days had the right for that........!