Funerals make us sad, sick and Reviewing!

 The father came to the end. The situation was pensive and people including the family members of the departed old lady sat around  her coffin.  The perfume of frankincence wafted from a thurible being swung for the occasion.  Most of the known people men, women and children kept on standing around.  Those who were around the coffin took part in the prayers which was led by the priest. 

The short service ended in a few minutes and the coffin was lifted to be put into the hearse van which is mostly available in churches in Kerala these days.  In earlier days the dead body is carried by people, generally the family members and near and dear.  Now only procession is attended by all attending and the body goes in the hearse and the priest and a few people follow is the church is near and in other cases they follow in other vehicles.

My wife and I attended as theirs were a dear family near to us and the deceased were well and good when we settled in the area.  But after a few years, her health started to dwindle and slowly she was bed ridden.  Many women in Kerala go down the lane in health once they get bed ridden.  Here also, it was not different.  Of course, friends and neighbours make visits from time to time but that is not enough for a good recovery if at all a recovery is possible.  Many a time, these days, a recovery is not possible due to high sugar, blood pressure or heart stroke etc.

We started walking to the church which is near by.  Within half an hour we were attending the service in the church followed by the burial.  All ended in a few more minutes.  All prayed for the departed which is now a relief as this was not possible in the last two years which just passed due to the Corona pandemic.  Now, God's grace, all are able to take part in the services! All returned home after the services.

The Muthappans in the Thattakams!

 Was picking up  wooden pieces to put them in the bright sun to warm them before using them for firewood..! In this November when rain is expected on and off, it is worth while to warm them in the bright sun whenever available.  The activity brought out a little frog hiding in the wood pieces.  Normally, they are shooed away. But not now, as the remembrance of Kovilan came to mind. He described the old saying in and around his place that the frogs around the house as the souls of the old forefathers who are coming to see the welfare of the present day followers!  

At every pick of the dry woods, the little frog moved a little to go under another piece and when they are picked to yet again to another wood piece.  At last, all the pieces were over and the little frog is now without any hiding place.  Yet, it slowly moved to a corner side of two walls joining and sat there as if it is a hiding place.

There was a large frog the day before which was jumping around the day before in the evening.  They do so to find the places where there are insects and worms which are edible to them.  But they are sensible enough to hide during the day away from the houses!

When all the pieces were over the little frog was left to its wise decision. When Kovilan wrote that the frogs, he called them 'Muthappans' in his novel 'Thattakom' , were believed to the the forefathers, coming up again it started me thinking. Even if we did not believe it, one thing for sure, they need for consideration and a loving look from all of us!   After a while I looked up the little frog.    It was long gone.   They find their own safe places, if not picked up by other preying birds!

A sigh of relief after the Corona period..!

 The corona years from March 2020 to 2022 was a numbing period. Travel became difficult. Moving around in the village became difficult.  The mask and sanitizer descended on us! An affidavit was required to move around to go and buy rations from the corner shop.  Some how, we out lived all that.  In between a number of our near and dear left this world unceremoniously.   Some did not even get a good funeral.  Many could not see the near and dear at the end hours and after that they went to polythene coverings  and straight to the burning ghats!  Many could not get that too as we heard in the news.

Tough times prevailed for those who travelled.  RTPCR and PPE kits were unavoidable in journeys!   That is how we all were numbed.  Now things are slowly back to normal.  Only face mask and sanitizer are the only need now. 

All have a sigh of relief now. 

One or two instruments helped all at those times were the Mobile phone and the television.  Those inventions really helped us to keep us abreast of most of the happenings around  and to contact near and dear!

Let us all take a sigh of relief..!

The train journey

 There he was to go to Chennai. The usual journey between Chennai and Thrissur. Car pulled up at the old entrance, that is. Due to various accidents, the entry has been shut fast with wire mesh. We travelled back again to an open staircase to the station for entry.

Here, four sets of steps staired at us. A climb with two suit cases and two bags is a thorough TMT test. I drank water at the top of the stairs and waited for the breath to be normal.

A walk on the overhead bridge was pleasant but there comes another four steps. Overcame that too. I had done twenty steps a little before, four steps are child play. But with two suit cases and one bag it is not that pleasant.

Before the thought of my age I glance upon an escalator. My heart jumped. I pulled my cases straight to it to be greeted with the huge sign board saying the escalator is not allowed for down journeys. My heart sank. I took the deep breath exercise again. 

Now the down journey to the platform.  Twenty steps down. Bags and suit cases down one by one. Then pull them on the platform, thanks to the suit wheels. On a bench, the mosquitoes of Thrissur sign us off.

The Alleppey Chennai Express is a majestic one. Slight late coming always agreed with us.

The pilot stopped the train. Our coach number 8 was on the dotted position of number 18. On the waiting bench we got a great companion, a professor of IT. We spent 25 minutes in great friendly talk and entrained. The professor was a great help to get in. 

Once in Alleppey Chennai Express one can relax. The coaches are old, but have an elegance of their own! I would sleep through the night, but for my prostrate making get up for urinal visits at nights. But I am used to it now. With time, anybody get used to any thing. 

It is getting late friends. All my co travellers have gone to bed and put off the lights. Time to retire now. Good Night until we see in Chennai tomorrow. Hope for a cloudy sky. May God Bless!

The Corona Times!

 

The Corona Times!

The days were running fine with the news broadcasts about a virus in the air!   People were all busy as is usual on any given day.  Still it struck some as something unusual as a subject to come through the television sets.

Many news items and many movies are always telecast.  Mostly matters connected with the day to day living and some accidents etc.  But a virus thing was not there.

This was making us apprehensive.  Over and above a symbolic one day curfew was being mentioned on the third or fourth Sunday of March of 2020.  Since we were to reach Kerala before that, I argued with my son, "We are just going on time.  We don't know when we can travel back to Chennai".  He was confident and said: "Oh..you can e a ticket after Sunday.  The curfew is only for one day, that too as a sample"

There he was right.  But once in Kerala, we were stay put to hear the random spread of virus and there by a halt in all kinds of traffic, announced by Governments and local bodies, afterwards. At times roads were blocked in the name of containment zone activation and so on. It took us one and a half years to travel back to Chennai again!   By that time, things had improved a lot.  In between, there was a total stoppage of travel including rail travel and air travel.  We read in newspapers that people walked kilometers and kilometers to reach their loved ones in far off places.  Daily deaths were reported in the TV and papers.  The news all through the day almost made us sick.  However, a strong faith in God and prayers acted as an energizer all through those tough times.

The State Government saw to it that all got food kits which was a real blessing when movement were totally banned and all were asked to be at home and not to come out except for rations or emergency occasions.  The only places we went were the ration shop and the groceries.   Oh..those times, was an eye opener from the earlier free free times.

The Bargaining Beggar..!

 The Bargaining Beggar!

Oh..these are hard times. We always melt by the writings in the newspapers and visuals in the tv sets.

A lady coming to our house for alms used to get two rupees earlier.  The conditions changing, it was raised to five.  Then the simple lady said:  Please give ten rupees which did not go very well with me, even though I did not say anything to her.  At times I paid her ten also.  Once she got ten rupees, she always expected ten rupees.  Once she said she is going to her native place and wanted a little more.I thought it reasonable and gave her a slightly bigger sum. She went happily.

Now I shifted my station to a bigger city in South India.  Here I used to travel with my family.  Once day, a lady seemingly poor but healthy stood on the side of the road and signed for stopping our car.  I brush off such stuff, as I do not accept the way side bullying for alms or for that matter for begging at red lights during heavy traffic.  Since I was not in the driving seat, I had no role and my friend stopped the car and slid down the wind shield.  The lady looked in and asked for alms.  My friend pulled out his purse and took out a hundred rupee note and gave her.  I thought it was a huge sum for alms as it goes and expected the lady to thank or bless him.    Nay...,  she said..."Enna Saamy, hundred fifty kodungaiaah" (Hundred?, Give hundred and fifty!).  I was dismayed at the audacity of the woman.  My friend drove off.

PS: Later, that day, I advised him that he should not have stopped the car in the first instance)

An Old Bicycle Accident

         I had to prove it in competition.  The old school master was kind as well as tough.  He had been allowed two bicycles on rent by a benefactor of his, to teach us students, around twenty of us.  

        The first selection for the aspirant learners by calling who can freely bicycle on the road in the afternoon if they are provided with a bicycle.  The two bicycles were standing beside us, one a brand new white half bicycle which was a great stuff in the sixties (1960s). Another one was a black one, new but not so elegant.

        I was filled with excitement and my hand went up.  The master ji said : "Give him the first cycle".  Next, I was bicycling on that brand new bicycle with an elder brother holding me from behind to keep me not falling.  As it was a boarding school for those in the poorer echelons of life, but good to study, this brother whom we called Desiettan was always minding us when he was available there.  He later went on to become priest.   He patiently guided me on the bicycle, how to balance, how to keep looking forward while bicycling etc.  

        After half a day's running by him behind me and myself trying to take in the intricacies of this great art, I was well balanced by lunch time.  After lunch we were taken out for the competition.  The other bicycle had been shared by two boys as number of aspirants had gone up after me. We were arranged on the Trichur highway to go to the Chiyyaram side a one kilometre ride.  A few boys stood guard at various points to watch if we are doing it properly and not getting down on the way.  

        We all started earnestly and went past on our left, according to the left side driving followed here and without much problem reached Chiyyaram.  The road was smooth, occasional vehicles passing up or down. On either side of the road was water flowing canals with overgrown green grass.  I got down at Chiyyaram and after a couple of leg pushes got on to my return trip, our well placed watch guards (our school friends) watching me.  So far, so good!  Here after was the incident of my life.  I was bicycling cool, when  a bus was coming against and a car was honking from my behind.  On to my left in front was an elderly gentleman walking leisurely with his dothi up in one hand and a packet on the other.  I was almost reaching him and the car fellow honked again from just my back.  OH....That did it.  I was so terrified, I went through the arm pit of the elderly gentleman,...on to..the..water canal.  You can imagine. In the fright, I did not fear the water or the condition of the canal, but as the car which was coming after me.  Neither could I brake nor look back how far away the car was.  I went sprawling into the water and mud, the little bicycle between my thighs.  I stood on my hands for a few seconds before recovering from the shock.

        Then, slowly I came out to face the elderly gentleman!  I was afraid he would beat me.  He didn't, but consoled me saying "I have children like you at home.  Tell me if you have any pain"  That was a solace.  He had his well pieced mutton scattered all over by my sudden hit from behind.  I feebly enquired of him if I could get him replacement for the lost meat.  He  said "I told you, you just be good and return home and don't bicycle on this high way.  It is dangerous. Do it on the inner roads.  Meat and all, I can take care of"   He was an angel for me at that moment.

        I thanked him,  and afterwards, God for him and started pushing the cycle for  a while.  Once he was out of sight, I climbed on again and completed the trip. All the same, report had gone, that I have failed the Test...!   I had fallen/got down from the bicycle on the way..!