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( 31 )
When I walk to school, there would be other students also in front of me and behind me. But there were no classmates among them and I would be walking alone immersed in my own world. I would be relieved of the world of my sister who cries always and my mother who shouts for everything. When I reach the turning of the road near the Kalapparambil house, Vineeth, brother of Devika, who was my classmate, would appear suddenly. He would be pulling the bicycle because from there, the ascent of the road started. He studied in St. Peter's High School, Kolenchery. Seeing me, he would look at me and I felt that he was smiling. I also looked at him but I didn't know how to respond. But as this occurred continuously for one week, I was perplexed. I remembered the love stories I had heard before. "Is it love ?", I thought with a shock in my mind. Many times I had thought of telling this to Devika. But something inside me prohibited me from telling this to her. I was afraid that she would misunderstand me. Today, when I recall that incident, I think that how silly and feeble was I in those days !
The Annual Sports competitions were taking place in school. There was an item called "rottikadi" ( breadbite ). "Rotti" means bread. Some pieces of bread would be hanging from a pole and the contestants should jump and bite the pieces of bread. The person who gets more pieces of bread would win the game. When I watched the game, one boy was leading and everyone encouraged him. Someone told me that his name was Jordi and he was in Std VI, in another division. I wondered why I didn't notice him before. "He is not from a poor family", I noted down in my mind. He became first in that game and I think he had the ability to attain that prize. Truly, I felt an admiration towards him.
In the Church, I was participating in Holy Qurbana. I had forgotten all my sorrows. My eyes were closed at the zenith of faith. Suddenly I opened my eyes and looked around. Realising that my mind was not there for sometime, I was shocked. What was I thinking about ? There was the picture of Devika's brother Vineeth and Jordi in my mind. I was horrified when I faced the reality. I prayed, "my Lord and my God, what have you done to me ? How concentrated was I in the prayers ! Now I am far away from you. Till now, I had a pure mind. There was no dirt or stain in my mind. Now, what can I do ?" My mind was sobbing and crying. I had heard about many love stories from Maji. My father, after returning from Kadayiruppu junction, would describe the love stories that succeeded in the village as well as those failed. Then my mother would say like this, "if such a thing happened in this house,_______", she wouldn't complete the sentence. I knew that her words aimed at me. But what happened here ? "Instead of one, I had two loves", I couldn't even think of such a situation. It took many months for me to recover from that shock and realise that it was a natural phenomenon. By that time, I had completed 11 years and the Annual examinations of Std VI were also over.
In our houses, we used to make different confectioneries using rice flour. For making these, the rice had to be pounded by putting it in a mortar, using a pestle. A mortar was usually made from granite stone and in the middle of it, there was a small pit into which the rice was put. Then, using the pestle ( it looked like a club ) the rice was pounded. As we had no mortar or pestle in our house, my mother would sometimes go to the Puthiyaveettil house for doing this. Before that, the rice would be soaked in water and put in a pot. Then, we would take a winnow and sieve also. My mother would carry the rice pot and ask me to accompany with her carrying these things. We entered through the backside of the Puthiyaveettil Mr Johny's house because it was easy for us. To enter through the front side, we had to walk through the main road a little, then pass through the gate which was just opposite to Kalluvilakathu house and walk a little through the vast courtyard. When entered through the backside, we would reach near the kitchen. At the back of the kitchen, there was another building in which a portion of it was cowshed. Attached to the cowshed, there was another room in which coconuts, coconut fibre etc. were kept. The next room which was a small one, was used as mortarshed. Inside the room, there was a mortar and two or three pestles. Near that small room, on the long verandah, there was a toilet.
My mother would put the soaked rice on the mortar and start to pound with the pestle. I would be there with the winnow, over which papers were spread, with a sieve in my hand. After a few minutes' efforts, she would take the pounded rice from the mortar and put it on the sieve in my hand. Then I had to move it to and fro so that the nice powdered flour would fall on the neatly spread papers on the winnow. I would touch the finely powdered grain sometimes to feel the softness of it, unseen by my mother. When she got tired of doing the work, she would sit there in a chair and ask me to do the work so that I could learn it. She wouldnot use any abusive words there because it was the Puthiyaveettil house, not our home. I would take the pestle and try to pound the rice. But what would happen ? There would be no effect to the rice even if I use all my energy. I understood that it was an art. It should be learnt through experience. "What is this girl doing", saying like this, my mother would come and start working. At last, she would herself complete the work using the sieve and go home.
I remember that I had also gone to Puthiyaveettil Mr Johnson's house to pound the rice. I think that on that day, there was noone in Mr Johny's house. Actually, Mr Johnson's house was the "tharavad" ( the ancestral home ) . Besides the main building, a small building ( like an outhouse ) was also there. Near the kitchen, at the backside, one could see the cowshed. Then, there was another building in which the mortarshed could be seen. There were many mortars - mortars made of wood also were there. Some of them were in an abandoned state. Then in another room, coconuts and firewood were kept.
I remember the women labourers doing the work in a rhythm. Some of them would leave the pestle from one hand and catch it with other hand. However, everyone says that it was a good exercise for women. But in my opinion, it is not suitable for the present age.
( 31 )
When I walk to school, there would be other students also in front of me and behind me. But there were no classmates among them and I would be walking alone immersed in my own world. I would be relieved of the world of my sister who cries always and my mother who shouts for everything. When I reach the turning of the road near the Kalapparambil house, Vineeth, brother of Devika, who was my classmate, would appear suddenly. He would be pulling the bicycle because from there, the ascent of the road started. He studied in St. Peter's High School, Kolenchery. Seeing me, he would look at me and I felt that he was smiling. I also looked at him but I didn't know how to respond. But as this occurred continuously for one week, I was perplexed. I remembered the love stories I had heard before. "Is it love ?", I thought with a shock in my mind. Many times I had thought of telling this to Devika. But something inside me prohibited me from telling this to her. I was afraid that she would misunderstand me. Today, when I recall that incident, I think that how silly and feeble was I in those days !
The Annual Sports competitions were taking place in school. There was an item called "rottikadi" ( breadbite ). "Rotti" means bread. Some pieces of bread would be hanging from a pole and the contestants should jump and bite the pieces of bread. The person who gets more pieces of bread would win the game. When I watched the game, one boy was leading and everyone encouraged him. Someone told me that his name was Jordi and he was in Std VI, in another division. I wondered why I didn't notice him before. "He is not from a poor family", I noted down in my mind. He became first in that game and I think he had the ability to attain that prize. Truly, I felt an admiration towards him.
In the Church, I was participating in Holy Qurbana. I had forgotten all my sorrows. My eyes were closed at the zenith of faith. Suddenly I opened my eyes and looked around. Realising that my mind was not there for sometime, I was shocked. What was I thinking about ? There was the picture of Devika's brother Vineeth and Jordi in my mind. I was horrified when I faced the reality. I prayed, "my Lord and my God, what have you done to me ? How concentrated was I in the prayers ! Now I am far away from you. Till now, I had a pure mind. There was no dirt or stain in my mind. Now, what can I do ?" My mind was sobbing and crying. I had heard about many love stories from Maji. My father, after returning from Kadayiruppu junction, would describe the love stories that succeeded in the village as well as those failed. Then my mother would say like this, "if such a thing happened in this house,_______", she wouldn't complete the sentence. I knew that her words aimed at me. But what happened here ? "Instead of one, I had two loves", I couldn't even think of such a situation. It took many months for me to recover from that shock and realise that it was a natural phenomenon. By that time, I had completed 11 years and the Annual examinations of Std VI were also over.
In our houses, we used to make different confectioneries using rice flour. For making these, the rice had to be pounded by putting it in a mortar, using a pestle. A mortar was usually made from granite stone and in the middle of it, there was a small pit into which the rice was put. Then, using the pestle ( it looked like a club ) the rice was pounded. As we had no mortar or pestle in our house, my mother would sometimes go to the Puthiyaveettil house for doing this. Before that, the rice would be soaked in water and put in a pot. Then, we would take a winnow and sieve also. My mother would carry the rice pot and ask me to accompany with her carrying these things. We entered through the backside of the Puthiyaveettil Mr Johny's house because it was easy for us. To enter through the front side, we had to walk through the main road a little, then pass through the gate which was just opposite to Kalluvilakathu house and walk a little through the vast courtyard. When entered through the backside, we would reach near the kitchen. At the back of the kitchen, there was another building in which a portion of it was cowshed. Attached to the cowshed, there was another room in which coconuts, coconut fibre etc. were kept. The next room which was a small one, was used as mortarshed. Inside the room, there was a mortar and two or three pestles. Near that small room, on the long verandah, there was a toilet.
My mother would put the soaked rice on the mortar and start to pound with the pestle. I would be there with the winnow, over which papers were spread, with a sieve in my hand. After a few minutes' efforts, she would take the pounded rice from the mortar and put it on the sieve in my hand. Then I had to move it to and fro so that the nice powdered flour would fall on the neatly spread papers on the winnow. I would touch the finely powdered grain sometimes to feel the softness of it, unseen by my mother. When she got tired of doing the work, she would sit there in a chair and ask me to do the work so that I could learn it. She wouldnot use any abusive words there because it was the Puthiyaveettil house, not our home. I would take the pestle and try to pound the rice. But what would happen ? There would be no effect to the rice even if I use all my energy. I understood that it was an art. It should be learnt through experience. "What is this girl doing", saying like this, my mother would come and start working. At last, she would herself complete the work using the sieve and go home.
I remember that I had also gone to Puthiyaveettil Mr Johnson's house to pound the rice. I think that on that day, there was noone in Mr Johny's house. Actually, Mr Johnson's house was the "tharavad" ( the ancestral home ) . Besides the main building, a small building ( like an outhouse ) was also there. Near the kitchen, at the backside, one could see the cowshed. Then, there was another building in which the mortarshed could be seen. There were many mortars - mortars made of wood also were there. Some of them were in an abandoned state. Then in another room, coconuts and firewood were kept.
I remember the women labourers doing the work in a rhythm. Some of them would leave the pestle from one hand and catch it with other hand. However, everyone says that it was a good exercise for women. But in my opinion, it is not suitable for the present age.
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