Chithi and chithi

Note at the end of the videa that I am a chithi myself (that is, I have a niece myself)

Maruthaani (Henna)

I like Maruthaani (Henna) on fingers than on the nails and like the big nice round inside on the palm. I like at least one inch or if I can get more share for myself, I like to apply for two inches on fingers. I have nice long fingers. Well, except those old-lady-like-veins that I inherited from my aachchi. Fingers will look like dancer’s fingers tomorrow. I will suddenly change too girlie. I can't wait. We have a separate ammi (stone tool used to grind curry paste) to grind maruthaani paste. They say it is poison and should not mix with food, so we don't use the regular ammi to grind maruthaani. The maruthaani ammi is a small and nice looking one. Whosever grinds maruthaani gets shapeless red colouration all over their hand. It doesn’t look very nice. I don’t like it. No one does, I would think. I generally do not offer to grind. I want my nice round red in proper shape and in good contrast. Everyone is waiting. Chiththi the impatient tests the quality of the paste for every five back-and-forth- grinding strokes of the kulavi (kuzhavi/kuzavi). It has to be nice and smooth, no pieces of leaves. A small piece of leave will leave a blank patch. No one likes pulli (blank patch). We all wait. We have all finished our dinner and have planned very well that no more work to do. It is going to be our maruthaani session and good nice sleep after that. We have to keep the hands separate not touching anything so that the design remains in shape and dries nicely when we wake up tomorrow. We are all still waiting. There are atleast ten girls and women from all our families waiting and watching the maruthaani being ground. Nice moon day.

There you go. Finally done, nicely ground. Chiththi tests the quality and is satisfied. She divides the portions according to size of fingers as she puts it and manages to get a good big portion for us. There are three of us who need to divide now. Chiththi declares that there is no more dividing, it is just we should get on with applying. Amma gets less, she declares that she is fine with just for nails and takes little quantity. I don’t declare anything. I just start applying. We finally finished with one inch long on fingers and little round on palms. Mother had just for one hand and as there was nobody available to apply for her right hand, whereas she applied for me and Chiththi. Chiththi stretched a bit too much claiming for her toes too but we protested it and were able to stop her. We let it dry for sometime before going to bed.

Chithi is already is out of bed and is taking the dried maruthaani off. “Akka, give me water to clean”. She is shouting. I wake up. Amma is already in the kitchen doing her daily things. I am anxious to know the result. The round on my palms have fallen off. And it looks orangish for me. Amma’s hand looks orangish. Not very dark red. Mother is little disappointed, I can say. It never gets dark red for her, she says. Chiththi’s fingers and palms are all nice dark red. It is do with the quantity that was applied I think. She refuses to admit. It always gets dark red for her she says. I haven’t removed it yet. I need coconut oil before that. I remove from each finger carefully and apply coconut oil. Leave it for few minutes and clean it with water. The round on the palm is little bit of a disappointment but the fingers are not so bad.

It is all display time in school. Everyone noticed, I guess. Hand gestures for conversation are essential to convey the message clearly, you know. :-) I keep my fingers like dancers in Bharathanatiyam. I noticed that I often Keep the ring finger folded like rotated L, and use fingers as bookmarks while reading. When talking to girls, I often go confused, is the nail side or the palm side that has to be in the display. But, remember to turn the hand around to show the other side too. :-) I jump or dance and even try a few steps from the movies too when I get time alone at home when I can close the doors and windows.

PS: This is for you Shantha.
PPS: I guess my recent meet up with chiththi had a lot of influence while writing this above post. This is not what exactly Shantha was talking about. I need to write another one for her.

Chiththi and Amma

(Chinnak kopuram, periya kopuram)

(photo taken during my previous visit to India in July 2005)

Recent visit to Kombai

It was a flying visit. Managed to take a few photos to record few moments. Recorded the Kombai/Chennai/Coimbatore pictures in UK time and came back to UK and recorded the snow pictures in Indian time.


Thaththa has become a picture.




Chiththi



the face changed home of mine



our new house in kombai

Chevaththa puliyamaram looks shorter and fatter after 30 years. It has got some green-tamarind trees as company as well. (click on the images to see full size picture)




Some old days discovered.





1984 (ananthi came to see me. Missed to take photo with her).


1987 Senthil's letter to me.




1989 - some poor soul's autograph to me. Arul is no more.



The stones I used to play thattangal (girl's game using stones), well preserved in my petti



Narrowed down lane of mine


Kombai girls





Chiththappa's thottam (my uncle's farm)



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Cousin brother - also Senthil.



Kanahambaram



Kaappu



Thumbai (rackadip poo)




Unni


The Ghats and the temple at the foothills


Catching up



Annalatchumi mathini


And, Friends ;-)

Maattup pongal

Yesterday went quiet, other than mother's usual running around and shouting at us asking us to eat every meal at right time so that she can cook the next one. We had Sarkaraip pongal (rice pudding prepared with sugarcane-jaggery) yesterday. I am not a fan of sweet items. :( Amma and Velthai chithi were telling that yesterday was the day for the mankind and today is the day for the cattlekind. Bulls and cows are celebrated and thanked today. We used to have bulls and cows, but not anymore. Murugesan mama has many of them. All cows. Pongal in their house is like a festival itself. We all go there to watch. I go to Velthai chithi's house and then to mattukkaara pattaiya's house. They have bulls. It is not sarkaraipongal today. It is venpongal. It is just plain pacharisi (raw rice) with no salt. Kind of tasty though. A portion of pongal, a piece of banana, a piece of coconut and a piece of sugarcane are distributed to everyone. I give my sugarcane piece to Senthil. I don't like sugarcane.

Esvaran chithappa is taking his bulls for a walk. Bull's horns are painted in colours. One in red and one in green. It looks funny. It's whole body is decorated with dots of colour paint. He has tied some flowers around the horns and a garland around bulls' neck too. Bulls look funny. It goes well with the colourful kolams and flowers spillage all over the streets. Marigold. I feel uneasy when I step on it, but there is no escape today. They are there everywhere. Marigold spillage on the roads and streets.

Pattaiya is shouting at Esvaran chithappa, "Don't walk fast. It is their day, we should let them rest". Esvara chithappa replies, "Bulls go with a spring in their walk, as they seem to know that it is their day. What can I do? I am not going fast". Chithappa brings the bulls back after a little walk. "Machaan, are you not going for Jallikkattu?" Murugan asks Chithappa. Pattaiya shouts back. "No one is going for Jallikkattu. Where is your father?", asks Murugan. Murugan and chithappa wink at each other. I know. They are going to go. "Chithappa, are you going to participate"? I ask with curiosity mixed with fear.
"No lathaappillai. Don't tell anyone that I am going, ok? Don't let your brother go anywhere out today. Not even to the streets. Many guys will be taking their bulls for walk and sometimes they might leave it a little loose. Bulls are in funny mood today. Ok"?
"Chithappa, are you going to participate in Jallikkattu? Isn't Jallikkattu happening in Palaharampatti? Is the vandi race happening in the west in Kombai"?
"Listen, Nothing happening anywhere. Ok. it is dangerous and no body is doing it anymore. OK"?
"Ok". My interest died.

"Don't go in your white clothes". Paatti's words go unheard. Ganasa chithappa is coming back, all drenched in turmaric water. "No one listens to me", Paatti starts again. "It is those girls in the templestreet", Chithappa is unahappy to see his white clothes ruined in turmaric water. "Stain won't go" Paatti is unhappy too. Esvara chithappa goes off. He doesn't seem to be concerned about clothes. It is all for fun. I know. Kutti is coming back with her bucket empty. She looks so happy. She is drenched in turmeric water herself.
"It is not you, is it, kutti"? Asks Paatti.
"No no. Aren't they my brothers, what are you talking about, am I mad to throw turmaric water at them? Don't talk to me like that" Kutti goes angry.
"Girls should stay at home. who let you go out to the streets"?
"It is all for fun Periyamma, relax and enjoy", Kutti replies and runs home to clean herself.
I just lean on the door frame and watch the drama, as there is only more to come.

Kaappukkattu

“Have you bought Kaappuk kattu”? Periyamma (mother’s elder sister-like) asks mother. “Muthu has gone to buy”. Mother answers. Chithi never goes to buy anything but for kaappukkattu chithi always runs to take the job. It is the festive mood she likes I suppose. Chithi is back. All smiling. “Akka, I have bought kaappukkattu. It was difficult to get the best bunch, you know. Not many bunches were being sold. They say that it is becoming more and more difficult to find these plants every year”. Kaappukkattu is a plant with feathery little balls as flowers. It is an inflorescence type. It is a wild plant which no one cares about except on this kaappukkattu day. People go searching for it themselves. But we can buy from those who have been to the hills to collect a lot to sell today. Chithi says that it has gone expensive this year. “Get some mango leaves”. Mother asks Chithi. Ganesa chithappa has brought us some mango leaves from their farm. Chithi runs to get them. They tie them together. They are running all over the place. I don’t know what the big fuss is about, but I like the festive mood myself. Around 4pm, we tie a bunch of kaappukkattu mixed with mango leaves, inserted inside the thatch, leaving the bunch tightly held but hanging. That is it. Pongal has arrived.

info: kaappukkattu is celebrated on the previous day to thaip pongal day.
Kaappukkattu - 30th maargazhi, 13th Jan.
Thaip pongal - 1st Thai, 14th Jan,
Maattup pongal - 2nd Thai, 15th Jan.

Happy New year

To all,

Happy new year to you all. May this year bring all your wishes true.

Premalatha and Balan.

Merry Christmas

Hi Visitor,

This is for you.

Merry Christmas.

This was the white christmas we had in Scotland in the year 2004. The person in the above picture is a friend of ours. you can see him going crazy in the next picture.

The moon (or was it the sun?) so poorly in the following one.

Our friend did a nice job of shaking our picture. It is Balan and I in the following picture.

Merry christmas and Happy new year.