The boy and his father had a lot of years difference between them. But the boy never felt the difference as the father was a rock of safety!Since the time was the last generation, there was not much give and take between father and son. Father was about forty eight and the son was about six and going to school to attend the little children's class.
The first remembrance of father was of a very satisfied and happy father bringing small tops to play and watching the boy and his brother playing with them. When the top did not spin, the father showed how it is twined and put or thrown to make a good spin. The children learned fast. He worked in a small factory slightly far away from the house and when he came back in the late evening he brought the 'mithayis' (sweets) in the form of small seeds of peas in different colours, in the form of other seeds, tiny balls all in different colours and tastes! The boy really felt thrilled at these! And when father brought sweets, he brought it in large packets which was really a treat in a much less than well to do house.
Even then there was not any stories the father told the boy until a lot of time later. Because, most of the time, only mother spoke to father. No body else. Father invited the eldest brothers or sisters on matters of importance or at times asked their opinion. But not to the children or the boy. In fact, he never asked the boy at all. It was not needed. As the boy did not know anything at that time.
The boy had been in Class II and it was then the boy and his brother was afflicted with the disease of skin pimples on both the legs. This was common in the part of Kerala where the boy lived. Every house had small children and all of them, almost all, had this skin problem and these were treated with the 'kashaayams' (ayurvedic medication) which was prescribed by the Vaidya (the village ayurvedic doctor). The Vaidya always prescribed kashaayas but any kashaaya he prescribed was to be made at home with a lot of roots, barks, stem, leaves and flowers and when these were boiled in two to three litres of water to make into half litre and given to the boy one ounce each three times a day, with a further addition of a special powder and a bit of honey for 'membody' (the final touch) was invariably bitter.
Consuming this was difficult for the boy. There was a much difficult procedure everyday the boy had to pass through. This was the afternoon bath. The skin pimples would have well become ripe and blown with the puss sticking on the legs making a little cover by itself. These had to be brushed out with a few pieces of barks called 'incha' which is again a piece of a tree barc. This was usually assigned to mother and the sweet mother did not show any mercy when it came to cleaning. She had her tough work of cleaning a lot of utensils and clothes which did not allow too much time to do all that.
So she really caught hold of the boy and gave a touch rubbing which brought out the skin cover of the extra puss and made the wounds clean at times blood coming out of it. This was stopped by applying medicated oil. At times mother could not get the time to do this and that is when father entered the scene to clean up the boys of their puss covering during their hot water bath. The boy closed his eyes expecting the drubbing and rubbing! But a little while later he opened the eyes slowly as he did not feel any rubbing. The father was just looking at him and when he opened his eyes, he simply asked "Feeling afraid?" The boy was really ashamed. Father told him to sit down on a small wooden seat and told not to be afraid as when he will rubb out the puss cover, no pain will be felt!! The boy could not believe it initially. But when he started slowly rubbing it with the pulped 'incha' bunch, it was being done ever so slowly and ever so softly, the boy was surprised how a man who was so strong and big can do such a small thing so softly. When the boy looked at him he asked back again: "Still feeling afraid?" The boy said "No." and smiled at father for the first time!!
That is when the boy started to talk to father at times and father also reciprocated by talking to him! Father took a while to clean up the wounds but there was no pain at all and it seemed that he was rubbing the areas with sponch! Warm water, slight rubbbing, warm water, rubb again, warm water rubb again for a long time, warm water and the wound was clean. This repeated till all the pimples were rubbed clean and they were really open now. After full cleaning, he touched them with a clean towel very softly and dried them up! Then the 'special chemparatyadi velichenna' (medicated coconut oil)was applied with a hens feather specially kept for the purpose!
Even though, cleaning up and hot water bath may be how so ever soft, it used to time the boy and he would be feeling sleepy but uneasy. Uneasiness is due to the next procedure of consuming the medication called the kashaaya! kashaaya how so ever good it may be, it will be bitter. Now that is brought by mother along with a little plate with a piece of sweet jaggery in it. This wonderful stuff really made the mouth of the boy watery! Oh..the jaggery! Mother simply gave the kashaaya and said "have this before I can give you the jaggery". She never said I haved to take the medicine. She only talked about the jaggery!! The boy liked the jaggery and hence looking at the jaggery he consumed the kashaaya and mother gave him the jaggery.
There had been times things were not so smooth in consuming the kashaaya ! At that times, they boy insisted not taking the kashaaya. Mother insisted only to a point and after that she had a crude method which always worked. This is to make the boy lie on the mat on the floor (The boy used to sleep on the floor in a leaf mat). Once she is ready with the kashaaya, she will come with a 'kunji kayil' which is a country spoon or desi spoon, which is made of a piece of bambu handle and a coconut shell scoop. She will suddenly sit at the head of the boy, put the handle of the kunji kayil in the boy's mouth and hold it like a little crow bar with the result the boy cannot close his mouth and poured the kashaaya into his mouth. There is no way, the boy could prevent consuming the medicine.
The boy wanted to avoid this difficult situation and hence always found solace in the jaggery route! At times, if mother thought the boy could be hungry, she offered that kanji is ready and asked the boy if he would like to have a little. The boy always liked to have the kanji, which was an elixir to him.English medicines were not as easily available in those days, neither in the house or outside in the market as is now. Nobody in the family of the boy ever thought of it. Conditions was the same in other houses also. The times were far far back and the feudalistic style was there, but slowly changing. Father told him not to worry about the pimples and their ripening as they would go away after the kashaayam was over.
After refreshments both father and son proceeded to take a walk to the large pond near the paddy fields. There were large parts of land near the pond with green grass where people came in the late afternoons, sat around gossiping, played cards, some of them swam in the pond or bathed, and the area was generally clean. The ford nearby was very wide and there was fresh water in it all the time and the ford was connected to the pond to allow overflow water to escape in the rainy season. Now the ford has fallen to voracious neighbours who have made it into a canal and the connection of the ford to the pond is gone. The left over area is dirty and the pond is used to wash cattle and clothes!
At the pond side embankment, the father son duo sat while the father told about the landscape and the important people of the town and the kind of life one will generally have if he is not educated. He said, education is all and the child absorbed it fully. Without education, he said, one only vegetated. Since the boy was at school, he made a mark in his mind. Father continued that one has to be very polite to his teachers and consider them seen God! They are the ones who will open the eyes and one will see things which otherwise one will miss! Insistence was also put on the importance of respecting one's father and mother! Father said a poetry to insist his points "Matha, pitha, daivam. Daivam thaan gurunaathanum, ivvannam orthirunnorkke, kaivaroo sarva kaaryavum!" See God in Father and Mother, Guru or Teacher is also God! Only those who keep these in mind, achieve all the things in life! The boy made it by heart. A great saying he thought!
The first remembrance of father was of a very satisfied and happy father bringing small tops to play and watching the boy and his brother playing with them. When the top did not spin, the father showed how it is twined and put or thrown to make a good spin. The children learned fast. He worked in a small factory slightly far away from the house and when he came back in the late evening he brought the 'mithayis' (sweets) in the form of small seeds of peas in different colours, in the form of other seeds, tiny balls all in different colours and tastes! The boy really felt thrilled at these! And when father brought sweets, he brought it in large packets which was really a treat in a much less than well to do house.
Even then there was not any stories the father told the boy until a lot of time later. Because, most of the time, only mother spoke to father. No body else. Father invited the eldest brothers or sisters on matters of importance or at times asked their opinion. But not to the children or the boy. In fact, he never asked the boy at all. It was not needed. As the boy did not know anything at that time.
The boy had been in Class II and it was then the boy and his brother was afflicted with the disease of skin pimples on both the legs. This was common in the part of Kerala where the boy lived. Every house had small children and all of them, almost all, had this skin problem and these were treated with the 'kashaayams' (ayurvedic medication) which was prescribed by the Vaidya (the village ayurvedic doctor). The Vaidya always prescribed kashaayas but any kashaaya he prescribed was to be made at home with a lot of roots, barks, stem, leaves and flowers and when these were boiled in two to three litres of water to make into half litre and given to the boy one ounce each three times a day, with a further addition of a special powder and a bit of honey for 'membody' (the final touch) was invariably bitter.
Consuming this was difficult for the boy. There was a much difficult procedure everyday the boy had to pass through. This was the afternoon bath. The skin pimples would have well become ripe and blown with the puss sticking on the legs making a little cover by itself. These had to be brushed out with a few pieces of barks called 'incha' which is again a piece of a tree barc. This was usually assigned to mother and the sweet mother did not show any mercy when it came to cleaning. She had her tough work of cleaning a lot of utensils and clothes which did not allow too much time to do all that.
So she really caught hold of the boy and gave a touch rubbing which brought out the skin cover of the extra puss and made the wounds clean at times blood coming out of it. This was stopped by applying medicated oil. At times mother could not get the time to do this and that is when father entered the scene to clean up the boys of their puss covering during their hot water bath. The boy closed his eyes expecting the drubbing and rubbing! But a little while later he opened the eyes slowly as he did not feel any rubbing. The father was just looking at him and when he opened his eyes, he simply asked "Feeling afraid?" The boy was really ashamed. Father told him to sit down on a small wooden seat and told not to be afraid as when he will rubb out the puss cover, no pain will be felt!! The boy could not believe it initially. But when he started slowly rubbing it with the pulped 'incha' bunch, it was being done ever so slowly and ever so softly, the boy was surprised how a man who was so strong and big can do such a small thing so softly. When the boy looked at him he asked back again: "Still feeling afraid?" The boy said "No." and smiled at father for the first time!!
That is when the boy started to talk to father at times and father also reciprocated by talking to him! Father took a while to clean up the wounds but there was no pain at all and it seemed that he was rubbing the areas with sponch! Warm water, slight rubbbing, warm water, rubb again, warm water rubb again for a long time, warm water and the wound was clean. This repeated till all the pimples were rubbed clean and they were really open now. After full cleaning, he touched them with a clean towel very softly and dried them up! Then the 'special chemparatyadi velichenna' (medicated coconut oil)was applied with a hens feather specially kept for the purpose!
Even though, cleaning up and hot water bath may be how so ever soft, it used to time the boy and he would be feeling sleepy but uneasy. Uneasiness is due to the next procedure of consuming the medication called the kashaaya! kashaaya how so ever good it may be, it will be bitter. Now that is brought by mother along with a little plate with a piece of sweet jaggery in it. This wonderful stuff really made the mouth of the boy watery! Oh..the jaggery! Mother simply gave the kashaaya and said "have this before I can give you the jaggery". She never said I haved to take the medicine. She only talked about the jaggery!! The boy liked the jaggery and hence looking at the jaggery he consumed the kashaaya and mother gave him the jaggery.
There had been times things were not so smooth in consuming the kashaaya ! At that times, they boy insisted not taking the kashaaya. Mother insisted only to a point and after that she had a crude method which always worked. This is to make the boy lie on the mat on the floor (The boy used to sleep on the floor in a leaf mat). Once she is ready with the kashaaya, she will come with a 'kunji kayil' which is a country spoon or desi spoon, which is made of a piece of bambu handle and a coconut shell scoop. She will suddenly sit at the head of the boy, put the handle of the kunji kayil in the boy's mouth and hold it like a little crow bar with the result the boy cannot close his mouth and poured the kashaaya into his mouth. There is no way, the boy could prevent consuming the medicine.
The boy wanted to avoid this difficult situation and hence always found solace in the jaggery route! At times, if mother thought the boy could be hungry, she offered that kanji is ready and asked the boy if he would like to have a little. The boy always liked to have the kanji, which was an elixir to him.English medicines were not as easily available in those days, neither in the house or outside in the market as is now. Nobody in the family of the boy ever thought of it. Conditions was the same in other houses also. The times were far far back and the feudalistic style was there, but slowly changing. Father told him not to worry about the pimples and their ripening as they would go away after the kashaayam was over.
After refreshments both father and son proceeded to take a walk to the large pond near the paddy fields. There were large parts of land near the pond with green grass where people came in the late afternoons, sat around gossiping, played cards, some of them swam in the pond or bathed, and the area was generally clean. The ford nearby was very wide and there was fresh water in it all the time and the ford was connected to the pond to allow overflow water to escape in the rainy season. Now the ford has fallen to voracious neighbours who have made it into a canal and the connection of the ford to the pond is gone. The left over area is dirty and the pond is used to wash cattle and clothes!
At the pond side embankment, the father son duo sat while the father told about the landscape and the important people of the town and the kind of life one will generally have if he is not educated. He said, education is all and the child absorbed it fully. Without education, he said, one only vegetated. Since the boy was at school, he made a mark in his mind. Father continued that one has to be very polite to his teachers and consider them seen God! They are the ones who will open the eyes and one will see things which otherwise one will miss! Insistence was also put on the importance of respecting one's father and mother! Father said a poetry to insist his points "Matha, pitha, daivam. Daivam thaan gurunaathanum, ivvannam orthirunnorkke, kaivaroo sarva kaaryavum!" See God in Father and Mother, Guru or Teacher is also God! Only those who keep these in mind, achieve all the things in life! The boy made it by heart. A great saying he thought!
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