An Onam day in the life of Appayi Kuttan - Part I

Like any other harvest festivals of the season, Onam is about happiness. The full granaries, guests, holidays, revelries, movies, bonus, football and what not, Onam conjures up the happiness levels in humans to its peak. The proverb "Kanam vittum onam unnanam" itself refers to the need for being happy on Onam day regardless of extreme poverty and miseries of life. Being unhappy or causing unhappiness on this day are signs of impending disaster! Today's entry is an attempt to demonstrate this aspect of happiness by depicting a typical Onam day through the eyes of my childhood friend, Appayi Kuttan.

September 4, 1979 (ചിങ്ങം ൧൯, ൧൧൫൫)

6 AM to 9 AM

Kuttan was half asleep when he heard the debate between Amma and Akka on whether they should wake him up. It was Thiruvonam day! Had it been any other day, he would have pretended to be asleep. But today is different. He has been waiting for this day since last year! To the amazement of his mother and sister, he came alive immediately and rushed through the morning routines.

He joined Akka, who was sorting the flowers for the pookkalam. After a little argument over the pattern for the pookkalam to use, they settled for a bright yellow sunflower on a twig with two green leaves. He wanted it bigger. But there was no sufficient amount of flowers available. And they did not know how to fulfill the requirement of using 10 different colors on Onam day on a Sunflower design. Kuttan found a solution. He suggested to fill the gap around the petals with different colors. Brilliant! For the next one hour, they were busy making the pookalam. When they finished, on their front yard lay a full bloomed beautiful Sunflower smiling at the sky. Satisfied with the creation they went for breakfast.

Amma had prepared Idli and Sambar for breakfast. While eating, Kuttan was lost in thoughts about the exciting day ahead, although he had planned the activities many days in advance with his friends. Somehow, he gulped down the breakfast and rushed to the nearby coconut farm where his friends were waiting.

9 AM to 12 Noon

"You are late!", said Ravi.

Ignoring him Kuttan asked, "Where is Shaji and Ramesan?"

"They will not be coming. They are undergoing punishment!"

Purushan, father of Shaji and Ramesan, was infamous for punishing them for silly reasons. No one dared to question him. Everybody was afraid of him.

Ravi continued, "It is the Arakallin pilla and Ulakka again.."

Kuttan visualised the dreadful scene, in which Shaji holding a heavy Arakallin pilla (a heavy grinding stone) and Ramesan an Ulakka (a long piece of wood with metal covering at the ends, used for milling grain) above their head, exposed to the rays of the sun. They would have to remain thus, maybe for hours, until Purushan gave them the respite. Often that respite did not come before one of them fell down due to fatigue.

Kuttan did not ask for the reason for the punishment. It was nothing new. He cursed Purushan under his breath. He felt a bit disappointed that two of his team members were already out.

Jayan asked, "Who will play Maveli, if Shaji is not coming?".

Last year, it was Shaji who played the role of Maveli and he played it well.

"Let Kuttan play Maveli, this time", suggested Madhu, "He is the tallest among us after Shaji"

Kuttan felt inwardly happy at the suggestion as he had always wanted to be Maveli, but so far the odds were against him.

Having reached a consensus on the candidature of Maveli, the children advanced to Maakaachi Veli, a vast open deserted ground along the paddy fields of farmer Krishnan Nair. There grew in abundance, the herb Punjapullu, the only but indispensable component of Maveli's costume. The children pulled out the plants from the loose earth and made tiny clusters of them by tying with Vazhakachi (strands of banana leaf stem). Kuttan ensured that they had not mixed choriyanam with the bundles accidentally. Once in the past, the Choriyanam, a herb that causes horrible itching rashes, had played spoilsport and the Maveli had to jump in a pond to cool off.

The children tied the small bundles of punjapullu on Kuttan's legs, hands and all over the body. They attached only a thin layer of the grass on his face so that his vision and breathing were not blocked. Thus the Maveli was ready! It resembled a huge green bear.

Kuttan shook himself up to loosen the costume enough to walk freely. The Maveli had to dance at every home's front yard! The group of children now announced the coming of Maveli with an outcry. The lead trumpeter shouted "Maveli Vanne.." and the others supported him with "aye .. aye.."

Maveli vanne.. aye.. aye..
Andilorikke.. aye.. aye..
Thiruvonamunnan.. aye.. aye..

(Here comes the Maveli who visits us once in a year to share Onam lunch with us.)

The procession moved to the first house in the vicinity. It was Krishnan Nair's house. By the time they reached the house, the trumpeting had invited more children in the locality to the procession. Now it was a sizable crowd. The procession stopped at the front yard of the house. The family members of Krishnan Nair appeared. The children repeated..

Maveli vanne.. aye.. aye..
Andilorikke.. aye.. aye..
Thiruvonamunnan.. aye.. aye..
Vallathum thanne .. aye.. aye

The last line was a request to the house owner to give something as a gift. Every year, that particular line flared up a heated discussion whether it was appropriate for Maveli to beg.

Next, the children sang the Maveli song.

"Maveli nadu vaneedum kaalam.. thaka.. thei..
Manusharellarumonnu pole.. thaka.. thei..
Amodathode vasikkum kaalam.. thaka.. thei..
Apathannarkkumottilla thanum.. thaka.. thei..
Kallavumilla chathivumilla.. thaka.. thei..
Ellolamilla polivachanam thaka.. thei..
Kallapparayum cherunazhiyum thaka.. thei..
Kallatharangal mattonnumilla thaka.. thei.."

Maveli (Kuttan) danced to the tune of the song. His first ever performance as Maveli! Everybody liked it.

Madhu said, "You dance better than Shaji". "Yes", others echoed the same sentiment.

Krishnan Nair gifted them upperi (pieces of banana fried with saccharine and ginger paste) and 10 paise. Not bad for a start! They proceeded to the next house with the trumpeting song, Maveli vanne.. aye.. aye..

By noon, they had covered almost all houses in the locality. The collection was not bad! Three rupees eighty paise. As Maveli, Kuttan was entitled to a major share. He received 50 paise. The balance was equally divided among the rest of them.

Now, it was time for lunch. With promises to meet up again in the afternoon for a swim at the nearby Vembanadu lake, the children went home for Onam Lunch.

(to be continued in part 2 ..)

Onam Chess Competition - Tigers and Lions

The contestants were like wild animals. Determined, attacking, defending, cowing, capturing and defeating. From the initial rounds, it was very difficult to say who had the upper hand. At last, after many rounds of draws and wins, Ammu and Abhishek reached the final. The final was really a breathtaking affair. The attacking style of Ammu was matched by Ahishek's enduring defense. Abhishek was initially losing grounds to Ammu, whose style was like that of a tigress on hunt. Abhishek later bounced back with a vengeance. But alas! The game ended in a draw. We need to organise a tie-breaker later this week. So expect more on this!

By the way, about the action in the photos. No, it was no fighting. It was really a chess competition:-)

Ganapati at Ashar Estate C Wing

Lord Ganesha bestows his presence on earth for all his devotees. These pictures are from the festival moments at Ashar Estate C wing.

Many thanks to Mr. Mohan Pillai and Mr. Suresh Sharma for sharing these with us.

Onam, a trip down memory lane - Vattakkali

In my village, Onam celebrations were very different 30 years ago. People too. They were more forthcoming, innocent and had no hidden agendas. Their simple lifestyle did not need more than whatever they earned as daily wages. Menfolks had strong bodies streamlined with muscles all over. They could lift and carry their women in their hands for immemorial ages if they wanted to. Womenfolks were less shy but modest who took pride in their bodily curves. They wore the traditional checkered lungyi and blouse at work and home. They spoke their inner feelings aloud leaving no room for secrets. They fought more fights than they really had to but never stabbed in the back. Overall, the term 'beautiful people' befitted them well.

Onam days were the most joyful period of the year. There was no vacation from work but that did not affect the revelries. All homes had guests. All had new clothes. The village paths had women in bright coloured clothes bustling about excitingly in anticipation. In the evening they would gather at a predetermined place to perform Vattakkali, a popular village folk dance.

Vattakkali was similar to Thiruvathira in that both were performed by women lined up in a circle. But Vattakkali had no classical status as Thruvathira. The songs used were plain village songs that rendered the village life in beautifully composed verses. The images created by these songs were so captivating that even after 30 years they are vivid in memory. The composers were unknown, for many of the songs were originated many generations ago. Every age had its own expert who modified the songs to suite the life of recent times.

In our place, the performers and their family would assemble, in the evening, under a huge mango tree. The assembly consisted of all people of all ages including men, women and children. While the elder women sat on a mat, preparing and sharing paan and betel nut, the performers, mainly young women, would discuss the songs for the dance. The children would have reserved their seats in the middle of the dance ring in advance. The teenagers, men and all others would make the audience.

The lighting was provided with a few kerosene lamps. But on the final days they hired a Petromax gas light.

The lead singer was always young a woman called Leela, who had mastered all songs and sang them in a shrill but melodious voice. Everybody consulted her for song selection and the dance steps orientation for each song. She had learned all the songs and performing details from her mother Kochukalyani, who now sat among the elders. After a few minutes of discussion and consultations, a song would be finalized to start the day's sequel. Usually it would be the Onam song about Maveli. Maveli nadu vaneedum kalam .. thaka thaka thei..

Leela sang the verses and the others chorused. In a slow pace, which would eventually reach its high paced climax, the performers moved in a circle to and fro with uniform steps and actions. The hands, legs, claps, thumps and hip movements - all synchronized to make the dance a beautiful spectacle. The earth would tremble beneath their firm steps. That was a signal to the neighbourhood, which had been waiting for the beginning of the dance. They all now rushed there to occupy a place before it was too crowded.

Each song had the distinct flavour of village life. While some of them were romantic poems and folklore, some others were about the lighter side of life with witty accounts of incidents. Here is a march song of a group of drunken men who just stepped out of a Toddy shop:

Varikayaanu njangal, varikayaanu njangal
Valavanadu shappil ninnum, varikayaanu njangal
Kambi veli chaadi, lungyi pakuthi keeri,
Strap watch potti, kuruvikkoodum poyi.

വരികയാണ് ഞങ്ങള്‍, വരികയാണ് ഞങ്ങള്‍
വളവനാട് ഷാപ്പില്‍ നിന്നും, വരികയാണ് ഞങ്ങള്‍
കമ്പി വേലി ചാടി, ലുങ്കി പകുതി കീറി,
സ്ട്രാപ്പ് വാച്ച് പൊട്ടി, കുരുവിക്കൂടും പോയീ.

Here we are coming, here we are coming
From the toddy shop at Valavanad
Jumping over the fences,
Tearing away the lungyi in half
With a broken strap watch, and
The fashionable sparrow's nest hairstyle, now a mess.

That was the sketch of a real macho man! The hairstyle fashioned after a sparrow's nest was very popular in those days. It was evident in contemporary movies then. The stars like Shudhir, Soman, Naseer, Jayan, Madhu etc. had sported this hairstyle at that time. When Leela sang and others chorused this song, there would be suppressed giggles, because many of their husbands would be watching over.

The animated actions were superb! Here is another song:

"Ningalude nattilokke enthu paniyanedo?
Njangalude nattilokke katta thallalanedo.
Engineyanedee mothira kurathee
Ingane pinnangane pinningane pinnangane."

"നിങ്ങളുടെ നാട്ടിലൊക്കെ എന്ത് പണിയാണെടോ?
ഞങ്ങളുടെ നാട്ടിലൊക്കെ കട്ട തല്ലല്‍ ആണെടോ.
എങ്ങനെ ആണെടീ മോതിരക്കുറത്തീ
ഇങ്ങനെ പിന്നങ്ങനെ പിന്നിങ്ങനെ പിന്നങ്ങനെ"

"What do you do for a living in your village?
We break stones in the fields
How is that my dear friend?
This way, then that way, then this way, then that way."

These questions were repeated among the participants with varying answers. For the second question the responders had to mimic how they did the work. The typical answers were weeding, sowing, reaping etc.. with corresponding action to demonstrate how.

The Vattakkali would continue till midnight. During recess, the menfolk and children had their own version of Vattakkali to demonstrate. It was fun and a lot of entertainment.

The last Vattakkali, I had witnessed, was about 27 years ago. After that the interest level of participants and viewers receded due to the sudden transformation of Kerala society. People ceased to work in the field. They preferred to work at home. Among the young generation, many got jobs in government service. Many went to the Gulf. The agricultural lands were abandoned. Many fields were converted to residential land.

Now Vattakkali has become a folk dance item performed on stage. It is for the sake of the audience, not for community enjoyment. For the new Vattakkali, the resemblance is only in the name.

Somewhere at the back of my mind I can still hear the everlasting mesmerizing verses ..

മുങ്ങി പൊങ്ങിയപ്പോള്‍ ഒരു താമര കണ്ടല്ലോ തിത്താ തെയ്
താമരയിതളിന്മേല്‍ ഒരു വണ്ടിരുന്നല്ലോ തിത്താ തെയ്
വണ്ടിനെ പിടിപ്പതിനായ്‌ കിളി ചാടെടി തത്തമ്മേ തിത്താ തെയ്.

In remembrance of our Malayalam teachers

Today is Atham. The 10 days of Onam celebrations begins today (Atham pathinu ponnonam - അത്തം പത്തിന് പൊന്നോണം). On Onam, the first thing that comes to mind is my High School Malayalam teacher Padmavathi teacher's lively narratives about it.

She made the boring afternoon sessions full of life. Let me take you to her class.

The chapter is about Onam and Mahabali. We see her explaining the meaning of the popular Malayalam saying 'kanam vittum onam unnanam' (കാണം വിറ്റും ഓണം ഉണ്ണണം) . One must not miss the Onam lunch even if it demands to sell everything one has.

Then she changes over to the song:

Maveli Naadu Vaneedum Kaalam,
Manusharellarum onnupole

മാവേലി നാട് വാണീടും കാലം
മാനുഷരെല്ലാരും ഒന്നുപോലെ.

Under the rule of the king Mahabali,
all were equal.

But wait! What is that shrewd smile on her face for? She has not finished the second line yet! Instead, while letting out the word "onnupole" we see her forming the numeral 1 in the air with her index finger. That simple gesture changes the very meaning of the song. Under the rule of king Mahabali, all people were like the numeral 1. While the original phrase denotes the "one-ness" of people, it is now about the shape of the people - a skeletal 1. That is, they were undernourished and poor. We all laugh out loud until our sides ache.

Ask any older generation Malayalees from Kerala, and I am sure, they would all agree that the great influence behind the incessant humour sense and the unsatiated quest for knowledge of Malayalees was our Malayalam teachers. Today's entry is a tribute to them. It would be great if you have something to say about your Malayalam teachers of yesteryear. Post it here. What a better way to begin this year's Onam celebrations!

Ganapati Bappa Moriya!

Welcoming Ganapati at Ashar Estate

Independence day thoughts

India earned its independence from the British in 1947, long ago before most of us were even born. When we celebrate its anniversary today, here are some thoughts that, in my opinion, deserve serious deliberation. Yes, we all know our great leaders brought about our freedom with their sacrifice, struggle, determination and extreme hardships so that their posterity, that is us, could live in a free, welfare country. We are proud that their dreams have materialised and we, as today's Indians, enjoy every benefit. Today, we have the technology, government, infrastructure and a determined young generation who is making this country a world power. As a third world country, our achievements in areas like IT, Telecom, Agriculture, Nuclear Science, Space Technology and social engineering are at par with that of any developed nation. And our neighbours envy us. But still, I wonder whether we are worthy of being the beneficiaries of these. Have we earned our freedom from the clutches of our abominable ways of living? I wonder whether we, as citizens of this great country, have taken up civic responsibilities with its due importance.

Look around! The filth, mud and stinking dirt we have accumulated. People throw their garbage on the streets. Some people defecate on the railways. We litter our very own dwelling premises. People spit everywhere and the red 'paan' stains decorate the walls. We have little respect for our environment.

Vehicle owners sound horns in silent zones. They do not respect the traffic rules and we do not respect the vehicles. Instead we walk on the road. We never use our pavements to walk. Our footpaths are occupied by all but pedestrians.

We use mobile phones where they are banned. We play loud music causing our neighbours inconvenience. We have a corrupt system, where bribery and favoritism dominate.

We need freedom from all these! Isn't it our responsibility to fight and earn it? Obviously, yes. The struggle starts from within by everyone of us. We are the oppressors and therefore we are the liberators. This time, no foreign power has invaded us. We are prisoners of our own.

We know that in recent times, terror attacks, terrorist activities and religious extremities in our country have gone up considerably to unwanted heights. We have nothing to worry about it as our government is tackling those issues effectively and efficiently. I am confident and have faith in our government that we will not compromise our hard earned freedom to terrorists.

It is our responsibility to be good citizens. Our civic responsibilities are not only to read about but to practice also. Let us all work together to make our nation a great place where healthy and responsible people thrive.

Let us, with combined effort, spread awareness and set examples. Let us make our country a place where other nations will look upon with envy and respect.

Jai Hind!

Your first move

The 6 weeks long chess training programme conducted for children has been successfully concluded on Sunday.


Many thanks to the trainers for their commitment and AMA members for providing the facilities. A special thanks to Mr. Aravindan Nair for conceiving, scheduling and executing this project to its success.

Shree Ayyappa Mandir

Sree Ayyppa Mandir stands on a picturesque location at Shreenagar. The steep steps that lead to the temple are quite taxing to climb. They also take us to the the beautiful forest and the mountain. For an Ayyappa devotee, the location and the surroundings are reminiscent of a mini Sabarimala, the abode of Lord Ayyappa.

I believe that there are a number of Malayalees who could share with us more about this temple - its origin, history, myths, beliefs, festival etc.. If they contribute their valuable inputs, in the comments section, this entry will become a comprehensive source of information about this temple for anyone keen to know.

I have some pictures of the last year's festival.

Tank Cleaning Day!

Today was water tank cleaning day at Ashar Estate. With the right equipments, relatively a simple but crucial process and the boys did a great job that took about 1 hour.

Kappanga or Omakka

Seeing the Papaya tree in our site, our friend Santosh referred to it as Omakka (ഓമയ്ക്ക). I had not heard of that name before. At Cherthala, we call it kappanga (കപ്പങ്ങ), kaplanga (കപ്ലങ്ങ) , kappanja (കപ്പഞ്ഞ) or papparakka (പപ്പരയ്ക്ക). I wonder if there is any other regional name for the fruit? Please add your comments.

Friendship Day!

Friendship day. A scene from our society premise.

The beautiful Ashar Estate

Five years ago, when I first visited Shreenagar, I liked the locality for its scenic beauty. The place was so green with full of trees and it existed alongside a beautiful green mountainous forest. It was an old township with mostly two storied old bungalows that housed four families and five story buildings with no lifts. The housing construction boom in Thane, at that time, revolved around Godbunder and Pokhran Road 2. Shreenagar was out of consideration for any new construction projects as there was no vacant plots in the area available except for a site or two. Ashar Estate was built on such a vacant plot. Shreenagar's scenic beauty compounded with that of Ashar Estate makes this a perfect place to live. The other day, I had wandered about our premises and captured some exquisite snaps.

Many residents have planted useful plants in our garden!

The sparrows are back!!

The grand entrance to Shreenagar from Thane, just in front of Ashar Estae. I love that banyan tree.

Billabong High International School shares common wall with Ashar Estate

Our Club House. Look at the mountain far behind!!