Today is the day of the Malayalam star, 'Aayilyam' auspicious for its connections with the snake god. The family religiously conducts the connected 'puja' and related offerings of milk and turmeric powder. My sister had gone to the nearby temple - once the property of my paternal grandmother's family but handed over to the Devaswom Board. The temple was renovated about five years back with my dad contributing towards the setting up of the snake god's enclosure.
There's a personal connection to the 'Aayilyam puja' - if by any chance the puja were to be missed, I used to either see a snake at uncomfortably close quarters or dream about them breaking my sleep chain! Wonder as to what connection I have with this scary reptile?
The whole family had attended a lovely lunch, hosted by Kamalamma chechi, our pleasant neighbour', in honour of her eldest son, Rajan's 60th birthday. When I'd draped a shawl around him, many seemed to be quaintly surprised as it was an exception - no one gave gifts on such occasions. Even Rajan was bowled over by the gesture and gave me a tight hug!
Sivan, one of our enterprising farmhand had plucked coconuts from all the trees within the compound. So, we feasted on the tender coconuts collected during the efforts, during teatime.
Meeting Pidavoor amma - all of 87 yrs and my brother-in-law, Padmakumar's mom - has always been a pleasant experience and today's was no exception. She's chirpy and cheerful, tending her house and hearth as efficiently as ever! She leads a lonely existence almost through the day as her youngest son, a chronic bachelor, returns from work quite late in the evening. He leaves for his office at 8 AM. I saw her with folded hands on my rear view mirror as I was pulling off from her drive way - she was praying to her god to take care of me and my car!
Tailpiece.
With such exceptional care, do I need to worry ever?
There's a personal connection to the 'Aayilyam puja' - if by any chance the puja were to be missed, I used to either see a snake at uncomfortably close quarters or dream about them breaking my sleep chain! Wonder as to what connection I have with this scary reptile?
The whole family had attended a lovely lunch, hosted by Kamalamma chechi, our pleasant neighbour', in honour of her eldest son, Rajan's 60th birthday. When I'd draped a shawl around him, many seemed to be quaintly surprised as it was an exception - no one gave gifts on such occasions. Even Rajan was bowled over by the gesture and gave me a tight hug!
Sivan, one of our enterprising farmhand had plucked coconuts from all the trees within the compound. So, we feasted on the tender coconuts collected during the efforts, during teatime.
Meeting Pidavoor amma - all of 87 yrs and my brother-in-law, Padmakumar's mom - has always been a pleasant experience and today's was no exception. She's chirpy and cheerful, tending her house and hearth as efficiently as ever! She leads a lonely existence almost through the day as her youngest son, a chronic bachelor, returns from work quite late in the evening. He leaves for his office at 8 AM. I saw her with folded hands on my rear view mirror as I was pulling off from her drive way - she was praying to her god to take care of me and my car!
Tailpiece.
With such exceptional care, do I need to worry ever?
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