It would be during the summer annual holidays that we normally gather. Since it would be sultry,the place the most time we would spend in the house would be the Vaasal Varanda, where many people could come in and go out for the grocery stores. The regular amuzement through out the day would be counting the number of buses that comes from chennai and looking for the "Subashree" bus at 8.00 in the morning.
Our next door neighbour was an Iyer that had lot of children. Two of our friends were Uma and her sister Shuba. Playing with them in the vaasal, and looking for Ilaneer (tender cocunut water) and Nongu (palm fruit) man in the afternoons were some of our daily tasks. Raju thatha used to buy Ilaneer or nongu depending upon the availabilty and pierce/peel them in the Nadu Mittham, the sink. We would drink and have the tender cocunut peeled out from him and eat them again in the vaasal.
Afternoons would be very boring sometimes because our villain, Kicha Mama would take his nap on the easy chair and would give a knock on our heads if we make noise. so we would wait for the gentleman to have his coffee and move back to work. Then our maid, Thillaiamma would come and sweep the whole house again. She would bring a pail of water mixed with cowdung to do the vaasal and puts some kind of Kolam in the nadu vaasal. I had chances to do this, as I was the person ever ready to work with Shaani. Sometimes I take the job of cleaning the dining hall with the cowdung.
Evenings are mostly the dressup times. Raju thatha buys garlands of malligaipoo everyday and would keep them fresh in the coffee-kitchen with water sprinkled on. They are saved for Perumal aradhanai for the next day. We use the flowers in the evenings. Girls dress up with Paavadai chattai and have the garland of poo all over the hair. I still remember Swetha who had a very short hair when she was little, wanted the flowers to hit her legs. So, she would keep a lengthy garland of flowers that would be taller than her. Wearing the Valaiyal, Malai, Sticker pottu, Nail Polish shopped from the Darsana Kadai would also go along with grooming. Poor boys, they wouldnt get anything.
So, before we go to bed, to protect us from the anonymous eyeballs that watched us from morning through evening, she would do a drishti suthal in the kitchen near the perumal modai. The whole family would stand in kitchen both the children and grand children and would go the slogan... "Anthi kappu, santhi kaapu, thirumanthi kappu... erapartha kanna eranga pakkadai, erangai partha kanna era pakkade..."
When it is done, she would keep the black combustion dust on our nethi which would be as dark that it would not erase even the next morning. And the smell of the camphor would be rejenuvating that we could go to bed peacefully.
Our next door neighbour was an Iyer that had lot of children. Two of our friends were Uma and her sister Shuba. Playing with them in the vaasal, and looking for Ilaneer (tender cocunut water) and Nongu (palm fruit) man in the afternoons were some of our daily tasks. Raju thatha used to buy Ilaneer or nongu depending upon the availabilty and pierce/peel them in the Nadu Mittham, the sink. We would drink and have the tender cocunut peeled out from him and eat them again in the vaasal.
Afternoons would be very boring sometimes because our villain, Kicha Mama would take his nap on the easy chair and would give a knock on our heads if we make noise. so we would wait for the gentleman to have his coffee and move back to work. Then our maid, Thillaiamma would come and sweep the whole house again. She would bring a pail of water mixed with cowdung to do the vaasal and puts some kind of Kolam in the nadu vaasal. I had chances to do this, as I was the person ever ready to work with Shaani. Sometimes I take the job of cleaning the dining hall with the cowdung.
Evenings are mostly the dressup times. Raju thatha buys garlands of malligaipoo everyday and would keep them fresh in the coffee-kitchen with water sprinkled on. They are saved for Perumal aradhanai for the next day. We use the flowers in the evenings. Girls dress up with Paavadai chattai and have the garland of poo all over the hair. I still remember Swetha who had a very short hair when she was little, wanted the flowers to hit her legs. So, she would keep a lengthy garland of flowers that would be taller than her. Wearing the Valaiyal, Malai, Sticker pottu, Nail Polish shopped from the Darsana Kadai would also go along with grooming. Poor boys, they wouldnt get anything.
So, before we go to bed, to protect us from the anonymous eyeballs that watched us from morning through evening, she would do a drishti suthal in the kitchen near the perumal modai. The whole family would stand in kitchen both the children and grand children and would go the slogan... "Anthi kappu, santhi kaapu, thirumanthi kappu... erapartha kanna eranga pakkadai, erangai partha kanna era pakkade..."
When it is done, she would keep the black combustion dust on our nethi which would be as dark that it would not erase even the next morning. And the smell of the camphor would be rejenuvating that we could go to bed peacefully.
