Friday, April 27, 2018

Today in my village.

The village that saw my dad's birth, his childhood and and his school going days is called Nadutheri and it nestles all along an eleven kilometre stretch on the Kottarakkara - Pathanapuram main road. The population from about a 1,000 in the '60s has grown on to be about 12,000 as of date. Much of the old paddy fields have shrunk and given way to rubber/coconut/tapioca fields. The population is mainly agrarian but many of the younger generation have stepped out to try their professional luck in the world outside.

I had got up before 6 and my alarm clock was the cuckoo who has been regular, apart from being accurate!

Our stay, thus far, has been relaxed and between the work that have to be done, I've spent most of the time in moving around the village to get a fair idea regarding its progress over the years. The track that goes eastward all along the stream - our northern boundary - continues to be the same and the plots of paddy fields that we owned once upon a time have healthy paddy growing in them, nutured by the present owners.

One of them, whom I happened to meet during my walk in the morning - before the sun started to blaze down - told me that the plot has proved lucky for them as he has been able to acquire four more similar plots from the profits that he'd made out of its yields. Unni chettan, in his 90s, had expressed a desire to meet up and talk to me and I'd gone to his house on a hillock beside the dirt road, its eastern entrance is accessible by road. Chettan used to be one of the elders that people looked up for sane advice earlier and in turn, he used to discuss issues with my parents for solutions. He held my hand for a long time and I saw his eyes glistening in the morning sun.

During the forenoon, I'd made a beeline to the Panchayat office to ascertain the latest initiatives - the efforts on waste management is showing the results, the rural markets established at two places in the village see heavy commercial activity during Tuesdays and Fridays, every week. There's a plan afoot to revive fresh water rivulets, ponds and tanks. The urge to perform, guides the performance of the elected members and they seem to be a determined lot!

Met quite a few people at the market place and what struck me was the freshness of the vegetables and fruits - though the variety was restricted to mangoes and bananas of differing kinds - and that it was free of the use of pesticides!

The panchayat member of our ward had dropped by just to say a hello and said that she would ensure that the correction would be incorporated in our new ration card. George, the farmhand who'd be working around the rubber saplings next week came and gave me his estimates. He has been working for us for quite a long time.

Rema, my sister, who had come down from Palakkad yesterday and was in Padmakumar's house, dropped by for lunch and it was nice to catch up with her. We both had plucked, as well as picked up, a few mangoes from the two trees in our compound so that she could carry them along.

Meanwhile, Mini, my youngest sister and Sanil had reached Kollam this morning and were at Jayan's house. All the four of them will be here at Raj Nivas, by Sunday.

Rain, in the evening, wasn't harsh but it lasted for almost an hour, bringing down the temperature to a comfortable  level. There were three sets of guests in the course of the evening and as I shut the main door of the house, I realised that it was the end of another quiet day.


Tailpiece.

1. Got the news early in the morning that Lekha's aunt, whom we'd met yesterday, has been admitted in the ICU of the Crescent Hospital because of a variation in the heart. The doctor tending her has said that it will pass because the difficulty was due to exhaustion brought about by unnecessary worries!

2. Today, incidentally, is the 54th anniversary of Santhan Kochachhan and Vichani kunjamma's wedding. I still remember the trip and the many of the events connected with that day. 

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