Preethi
“Hey, run, run”. Raji is shouting. “We are going to miss the bus otherwise”. Bus arrived right in time. We had to really rush to get in the bus. It is alright today. Doesn’t look too crowded. Did do a sneak peek back to see if he is there today too. He always waits there. Purple tinted white shirt. Must bee regal blue his mother uses. Momma’s boy. Does your mother know your this particular routine? He is quick too. He always is. He has boarded the bus too. He always does. Raji doesn’t know anything about it. Haven’t told her. Is there any significance in there to tell her? I don’t think so. I am not that kind of girl you know. It is just that after all someone boards the same bus. No; actually it is not his regular bus. I found that out when I saw him waiting restlessly the other day when I missed this bus. Yep, I did not miss to note his smile with relief when he saw me little later that day. Ha. What do you think I am, I am not any less smart, am I? One day when Raji was off, I got down at the same stop as his. I know. He was puzzled. Didn’t care. I went to the florist and pretended as if I was buying something. Then I followed him. He took next bus that took him back to his regular route to go home. I know what you are going to say. Hey, it is me remember. I know what I am doing. Nope. I am not that kind of girl. Don't try to confuse me. Nope it is not what you think. It is just I want to know what is going on around me, that is all. That is all it is. Oh; it is my stop. I have to get down here. See ya Raji. I wave. She waves back. What was that my tuition teacher told me? Lemme check my after-school notebook. Father has taught me well. He is very organised you know. I take after my father, they all tell me. I am the rettaivalu of my family. Aha, it is history today. Thank god. There is no homework for history. Ok. Bye bye for today. Sorry teacher I am late today. I rush in to my tuition class looking for a place to sit.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Four Girls - Meena - Don't know what it is
Meena
I look around. Hope no one noticed me. Just a quick look back down the road. Yeah. I see his legs. He is still following me. He doesn’t live in my street. To his home, there is another straight route. But he still comes in this route. Also I see him waiting in that corner and following after me everyday after school. I go to my teacher’s house for tuition. I am bit relieved that he doesn’t follow me to my home or anywhere near my area. I don’t know how exactly I feel about it. I certainly do not like it. I am not that type of girl you know. But I still feel excited when I see his legs following me. I cannot stop my head turning around to look for his legs when I approach that corner where he waits for me and then follows me. One day I didn’t see his legs. That made feel little, how should say, not exactly upset, not exactly sad either, certainly confused and wanted enquire, Oh that might be right, I just wanted to know. You know, just my enquiring mind. That must be it then. It was just my enquiring mind. No, I recognise his legs and feet very well actually. I know his hawaii slippers. Slightly worn and faded a little. Not too bad you know. I like the fact that he is not wasting money on buying new one, when this old one is still in good condition. He is the right sort of guy for a good family. I know his family. They are good people. He studies well too, I have heard. Well, not too bad, actually. Grades in his class do not necessarily mean good character, do they? Sargunam in my class, though is a good competitor for me, doesn’t exactly qualify as a good charactered boy, does he? I must say I feel ashamed to have lost my grades to him in the last monthly test. I made sure I didn’t lose out in the quarterly exam. I came first. I don’t mind losing it to Anandhi. Never to Sargunam. He is an arrogant boy. Doesn’t think girls are any worth. Meeran is fine. He is a good friend of mine. He shows his marks and I show my marks to him always. We exchange notes too. Not a problem. Sargunam thinks he is something really big. He doesn’t answer to any question in the class. It is only in the exams somehow he makes it to good enough marks worthy enough to spy around to get a sneak peek at his marks. I have reached my teacher’s house. Just a quick look back. I smile to see those slippers guarding those feet resting at the corner seeing me off for today. Bye bye for today.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Chevaththa puliyangaa (Red Tamarind)
We are going to see the chevaththa puliyanga tree today. Last week kutti brought us some chevaththa puliyanga. It was not sour at all. Very sweet and, my gawd sooo red. I applied on my lips. We all did. It did not stay, but we had it until we finished eating the puliyanga, which was until evening, btw by the way. We all were giggling and running all over the street. Kutti has promised us to show the tree today. So today we are going to see the chevaththa puliyamaram (Red Tamarind tree) and going to get sooo much chevaththa puliyanga for us. It will last for days. We all will have lipstick on for days, this time. Mother was complaining when she heard about our mission. Kutti took responsibility for all of us. She knows this area, she goes there to collect grass for the cattles her family owns. She goes to all farms/fields in the west. She said she saw this chevaththa puliyamaram one day, and, she brought some chevaththa puliyanga for us all. Since when our school is closed for summer holidays, I have been exploring east and west. Well, some north and some south too. But it is the east or it is the west, that the stretch is very interesting.
“Do you know about the seven virgins?, that one, is virigins’ woods, they say”. Kutti showed me the other bank of the gully. Looks ghostly to me. Scary. There are seven stones standing erect. “What is the story”?. “Well, I don’t know the complete story, but they say when there were heavy rains up in the mountains, water came roaring down the gully, which carried the girls who were harvesting and collecting grass for their cattles. They went straight to heaven. People from the village saw that and they erected stones here to remember them and to worship them". Hmm, I nod. Looks ghostly. I know the rains. They are capable of such thing. I have seen the gully full, washing away the huts and small houses that existed on the banks. Whenever it bore full we got holiday, as we have to cross the gully to go to school. It is the same gully there, by my school. Small but same water. In the west it looks magnificent. It is small and like a vaikkal close to school. But same water they say. “So, they worship the dead? Do they do puja here like in temple”? “No. They do puja alright, but not like in temples. Only once in a while”. Looks true. The stones have dried garlands.
“Ok, let us run for some distance”. “okKKEEEYYYYY”… we run. “Let us see who touches that tree first”. we are running, and hearing the instruction from kutti. “Which tree”?, we still are running…”that tree” we still are running..” which that tree”? we still are running… Kutti is athletic. She is running ahead of us all and she stopped by one tree and said, “this tree”.. huh u huh u huh u… breathing heavily.. “that is cheating”.. “No it is not, it was me in the front anyways”.. “I will be the one who decides next time, let us run baAACCKK”.. “you idiOOTT, COME BACK”, I stop running and listen. “The whole objective of running was to reach the west soon. Running back east, what are you trying to achieve”? Focusing on an objective is never my strong point is it? Anyway, we all follow kutti. "Look there is a shop. Let us buy some thenmittai”. After a long stretch, there is a shop. “This is the last shop, so we have to buy whatever we want before we go”, Kutti the knowledgeable behind the mission, lets us know the information at this point.
Oh boy, so many questions that woman asked. Last shop you see. We couldn’t afford to skip. We had to reply all her questions. We needed our thenmittai. I love thenmittai. It is juicy, semisolid and sticky inside, but crunchy outside. Pink in colour. We love it. I don’t like viral appalam (like hoola hoops) . Many like it. I don’t. We bought some anyway. We run again.
“Let us go to the Gounder thottam and drink some water”. Yep. We are in there now. There he is, shouting.. “We are just drinking some water goundare” Kutti shouted back. “Who is that?” “It is me, Kutti, goundare”. “Ah, you, is it. Ok. Who are they”? “My friends. We are going to see chevaththa puliyamaram”. “Oh no. That area is very lonely and you girls shouldn’t go there”. “I go there everyday goundare. The grass there is lust green and healthy. I get good harvest there. I go there everyday. That is how I know where the maram (tree) is”. “You poor girl” “We have many bulls and cows, you know that don’t you. We have to feed them you see. Poor those cows and bulls. If I don’t get good green grass they will have to eat rice-hay or cholam stalk. Very dry you see. They love it when I give them some green grass. One of our cows, the black one with white patches on its face, it has given birth to a calf you see. Small little fella. He just loves to eat green grass. I give him very young/tender grass. I keep it separate for him. I cannot let him eat dry straw or cholam stalk”. “Take care of yourself girl. Take some older women with you when you go there”. “Are you mad? If I go with other women, how will I get good harvest day after day? If those women who sell grass start going there, it won’t last for a day. Am I mad to let everyone know that area”? “Take your mother with you at least. Take care of yourself girl. It is a very lonely area”. “I know. But, my mother has to cook at home you see. If she comes with me then how will I get hot food when I go home”? “I can never win you, can I”? He laughs. We drink water. “Stay there. I will be back in a minute”. Gounder asks. OK. He disappears for a minute. When he comes back, he has few papayas. “Take it. Nice and ripe, take it”. “Thank you goundare”. We thank and depart.
The dreamy chevaththa puliyamaram is not exactly in a pradaise looking place. It is by the bank of a dry sandy gully. A farm on the other side. Thin, like a old lady. It looked sad to me. A lone tree. Well there are several karuvela trees there. But, only one chevaththa puliyamaram. Taller than all other puliyamarams I know. Little difficult to climb, but we have experts in our team.
We came back home with a bag full of chevaththapuliyanga and few papayas that was left after catering our hunger. We also brought few roses from another farm. Mother was complaining that I might get fever the next day. I thought it was worth it, even if it is typhoid that I am going to get tomorrow, it was worth it.
“Do you know about the seven virgins?, that one, is virigins’ woods, they say”. Kutti showed me the other bank of the gully. Looks ghostly to me. Scary. There are seven stones standing erect. “What is the story”?. “Well, I don’t know the complete story, but they say when there were heavy rains up in the mountains, water came roaring down the gully, which carried the girls who were harvesting and collecting grass for their cattles. They went straight to heaven. People from the village saw that and they erected stones here to remember them and to worship them". Hmm, I nod. Looks ghostly. I know the rains. They are capable of such thing. I have seen the gully full, washing away the huts and small houses that existed on the banks. Whenever it bore full we got holiday, as we have to cross the gully to go to school. It is the same gully there, by my school. Small but same water. In the west it looks magnificent. It is small and like a vaikkal close to school. But same water they say. “So, they worship the dead? Do they do puja here like in temple”? “No. They do puja alright, but not like in temples. Only once in a while”. Looks true. The stones have dried garlands.
“Ok, let us run for some distance”. “okKKEEEYYYYY”… we run. “Let us see who touches that tree first”. we are running, and hearing the instruction from kutti. “Which tree”?, we still are running…”that tree” we still are running..” which that tree”? we still are running… Kutti is athletic. She is running ahead of us all and she stopped by one tree and said, “this tree”.. huh u huh u huh u… breathing heavily.. “that is cheating”.. “No it is not, it was me in the front anyways”.. “I will be the one who decides next time, let us run baAACCKK”.. “you idiOOTT, COME BACK”, I stop running and listen. “The whole objective of running was to reach the west soon. Running back east, what are you trying to achieve”? Focusing on an objective is never my strong point is it? Anyway, we all follow kutti. "Look there is a shop. Let us buy some thenmittai”. After a long stretch, there is a shop. “This is the last shop, so we have to buy whatever we want before we go”, Kutti the knowledgeable behind the mission, lets us know the information at this point.
Oh boy, so many questions that woman asked. Last shop you see. We couldn’t afford to skip. We had to reply all her questions. We needed our thenmittai. I love thenmittai. It is juicy, semisolid and sticky inside, but crunchy outside. Pink in colour. We love it. I don’t like viral appalam (like hoola hoops) . Many like it. I don’t. We bought some anyway. We run again.
“Let us go to the Gounder thottam and drink some water”. Yep. We are in there now. There he is, shouting.. “We are just drinking some water goundare” Kutti shouted back. “Who is that?” “It is me, Kutti, goundare”. “Ah, you, is it. Ok. Who are they”? “My friends. We are going to see chevaththa puliyamaram”. “Oh no. That area is very lonely and you girls shouldn’t go there”. “I go there everyday goundare. The grass there is lust green and healthy. I get good harvest there. I go there everyday. That is how I know where the maram (tree) is”. “You poor girl” “We have many bulls and cows, you know that don’t you. We have to feed them you see. Poor those cows and bulls. If I don’t get good green grass they will have to eat rice-hay or cholam stalk. Very dry you see. They love it when I give them some green grass. One of our cows, the black one with white patches on its face, it has given birth to a calf you see. Small little fella. He just loves to eat green grass. I give him very young/tender grass. I keep it separate for him. I cannot let him eat dry straw or cholam stalk”. “Take care of yourself girl. Take some older women with you when you go there”. “Are you mad? If I go with other women, how will I get good harvest day after day? If those women who sell grass start going there, it won’t last for a day. Am I mad to let everyone know that area”? “Take your mother with you at least. Take care of yourself girl. It is a very lonely area”. “I know. But, my mother has to cook at home you see. If she comes with me then how will I get hot food when I go home”? “I can never win you, can I”? He laughs. We drink water. “Stay there. I will be back in a minute”. Gounder asks. OK. He disappears for a minute. When he comes back, he has few papayas. “Take it. Nice and ripe, take it”. “Thank you goundare”. We thank and depart.
The dreamy chevaththa puliyamaram is not exactly in a pradaise looking place. It is by the bank of a dry sandy gully. A farm on the other side. Thin, like a old lady. It looked sad to me. A lone tree. Well there are several karuvela trees there. But, only one chevaththa puliyamaram. Taller than all other puliyamarams I know. Little difficult to climb, but we have experts in our team.
We came back home with a bag full of chevaththapuliyanga and few papayas that was left after catering our hunger. We also brought few roses from another farm. Mother was complaining that I might get fever the next day. I thought it was worth it, even if it is typhoid that I am going to get tomorrow, it was worth it.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Mushroom hunting
Senthil's story.
Appa and his family secret and our mushroom hunting! I love mushroom hunting. I do like to eat mushrooms as well. Mushroom fry is my favourite. Mother prepares it very well. I love it. But early morning waking up? Nah. Well, I do like it after we have reached the fields. But waking up is not my favourite part. Father doesn’t get that this is still midnight and not early morning. He calls it morning. He and his mornings! It is 2am for God sake. Midnight. Uffffff. Eyes are begging me. I feel like I am sleep walking. It is misty and dark. Don’t really understand any of it. He calls it our secret path. Family secret! Every family-father has his secret path to collect good amount of mushroom for his family. See, you don’t cultivate it like a crop that you can be sure about your harvest. I think it is just luck. But these fathers are so sure about their paths and their harvests. When there is a lightening the previous night, they all go hunting for mushrooms. Every one of them thinks it is just him who is clever enough to realise the harvest time and go hunting. So is my father. “Senthil, come this side. It is too bushy there. You don’t want to be bitten by snakes.” Whaaat? Heaven sake. I don’t wanna die for mushroom. Le’ts go home. “We have been part of these fields all our lives. Snakes are part of it too. They don’t bite. We don’t die”. Well, snake doesn’t bite you everyday to let you know that it does bite, does it? We keep walking. “Come this side. Let us take this route. No one knows this route. Last time, I got plenty of mushrooms in that red soil field. It always gives good mushrooms. I discovered it. We must keep it as our family secret”. It is too dark to remember our way back home. We see torch lights. “awww. These people. They must have followed us. Never mind. Let us take our regular route”. I just follow him. Don’t know any of his routes. “There”, father shows me a mushroom. There are few. Small white mushrooms in the middle of the green weeds and cholam plants. I run to pick them. All over the field. Soft white tiny umbrellas. I unroot them carefully. So soft that it breaks easily. I run all around the field. It is browny whitey dark now. Almost dawn. I can see the soft white tiny umbrealla mushrooms very clear. We have brought two yellow bags, one for father and one for me. Both are full, well, good amount, if you ask me to be accurate. I am very happy. Very happy. We head back to town. It doesn’t feel as long, as it was before. When we reach our giramachavadi (the village hall), others are waiting there discussing their harvests. We join. “How much did you get Annae (elder brother)?” Ponrasu chithappa asks. “Enough for both of our families”, father smiles and gives him one bag. Whaaaat?! I don’t get it. “Appa, it is ours, we collected it”. I don’t get it. Some more join us. They all shared their harvests. When we all left the chaavadi, bags are full according to each one’s family size. Some mothers prepared kaalan kulambu (mushroom curry) and my mother prepared spicy mushroom fry. Mushroom fry is my favourite.
Appa and his family secret and our mushroom hunting! I love mushroom hunting. I do like to eat mushrooms as well. Mushroom fry is my favourite. Mother prepares it very well. I love it. But early morning waking up? Nah. Well, I do like it after we have reached the fields. But waking up is not my favourite part. Father doesn’t get that this is still midnight and not early morning. He calls it morning. He and his mornings! It is 2am for God sake. Midnight. Uffffff. Eyes are begging me. I feel like I am sleep walking. It is misty and dark. Don’t really understand any of it. He calls it our secret path. Family secret! Every family-father has his secret path to collect good amount of mushroom for his family. See, you don’t cultivate it like a crop that you can be sure about your harvest. I think it is just luck. But these fathers are so sure about their paths and their harvests. When there is a lightening the previous night, they all go hunting for mushrooms. Every one of them thinks it is just him who is clever enough to realise the harvest time and go hunting. So is my father. “Senthil, come this side. It is too bushy there. You don’t want to be bitten by snakes.” Whaaat? Heaven sake. I don’t wanna die for mushroom. Le’ts go home. “We have been part of these fields all our lives. Snakes are part of it too. They don’t bite. We don’t die”. Well, snake doesn’t bite you everyday to let you know that it does bite, does it? We keep walking. “Come this side. Let us take this route. No one knows this route. Last time, I got plenty of mushrooms in that red soil field. It always gives good mushrooms. I discovered it. We must keep it as our family secret”. It is too dark to remember our way back home. We see torch lights. “awww. These people. They must have followed us. Never mind. Let us take our regular route”. I just follow him. Don’t know any of his routes. “There”, father shows me a mushroom. There are few. Small white mushrooms in the middle of the green weeds and cholam plants. I run to pick them. All over the field. Soft white tiny umbrellas. I unroot them carefully. So soft that it breaks easily. I run all around the field. It is browny whitey dark now. Almost dawn. I can see the soft white tiny umbrealla mushrooms very clear. We have brought two yellow bags, one for father and one for me. Both are full, well, good amount, if you ask me to be accurate. I am very happy. Very happy. We head back to town. It doesn’t feel as long, as it was before. When we reach our giramachavadi (the village hall), others are waiting there discussing their harvests. We join. “How much did you get Annae (elder brother)?” Ponrasu chithappa asks. “Enough for both of our families”, father smiles and gives him one bag. Whaaaat?! I don’t get it. “Appa, it is ours, we collected it”. I don’t get it. Some more join us. They all shared their harvests. When we all left the chaavadi, bags are full according to each one’s family size. Some mothers prepared kaalan kulambu (mushroom curry) and my mother prepared spicy mushroom fry. Mushroom fry is my favourite.
A jump and a run - version: modern
Left left jump. Right right jump. One two three four. Left left jump and right right jump. A jump and a run, a jump and a run… Right crunch. One two three four. Left crunch. One two three four… “Why are you breathing so heavily? Did you run to come here? It was after all kurusamy maama’s shop. Not that far”, inquisitive mother wants to know. “She has been jumping and running all the way from the shop”, report from a passer-by, some athai or chithi or a paatti or an achchi. They are all the same. Even chithappas/periyappas or maamas and pattiyaas even thaathas are the same too. “Ahh. Why doesn’t that surprise me! I have been telling her to behave like a girl. She never listens. I don’t know how I am going to deal with her. It is me who is going to get the blame when she goes to her in-law’s family. Her mother in law is going to point her finger towards me for her bad upbringing. She is definitely going to shame us all”. One two three four. Left crunch. One two three four right crunch. One two three four. Haa. Some more would be good. It is burning. But, see how big the tummy is. I had to hold my breath all day to keep it less showing. Formals makes it worse, doesn’t it? Left crunch. One two three four. Right crunch one two three four. Advanced crunch. One two three … four…. Five….. haaaa…. Enough for today… “Premalatha, Premalatha, awwhat? You must be joking. I am slaving in the kitchen washing all the dishes, and you? (left left and a jump, right right jump) Nice to see you keeping yourself fit, but, please get yourself in there and prepare the sandwich for our lunch pack”. “Last time in the formals I was looking so ugly”. “Yeah, I know. I know your concern. (a jump and a run). That guy you were flirting with, you both forgetting the topic and purpose of your meeting, (a jump and a run) I know, you needed to be very fit. Has it ever occurred to you that you are approaching forty, F O R T Y and you need to age gracefully now?” ahhh. “What?” “I have cut my finger. What else? It is the knife. I always tell you to keep the paring knife off my sight. Where is the serrated one? It cuts the sandwich better”.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
have moved the off topic posts
to wordpress. Have deleted all those off topic posts from this blog. This blog will remain exclusive for the home town and the four grils theme from now on. Just this post will remain for reference.
Can someone tell me how to add a team member in wordpress, please (these days this word please has gone out of my system without my consent, sorry. Thank God, atleast, this word sorry is still living in here. Thank you sorry! Happa, some consolation that this word thank you is alive too. :) )? (Michelle is not registered in wordpress yet.) Thanks.
The normal self
Can someone tell me how to add a team member in wordpress, please (these days this word please has gone out of my system without my consent, sorry. Thank God, atleast, this word sorry is still living in here. Thank you sorry! Happa, some consolation that this word thank you is alive too. :) )? (Michelle is not registered in wordpress yet.) Thanks.
The normal self
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Four Girls - Pray
Meena
“Come here, come here, pray. Bring the palms together, close your eyes and pray. Yes, pray for good health for your grandparents, pray for good job for your father. Pray for a good future for yourself. Pray. Please apply some thiruneeru (holy ash) on her forehead, Priest”.
Preethi
“Eh, come here. What are you doing so naughty. Pray. Hold, pchch, hold your palms together, stand still, what is mother teaching you, so disrespectful, stand still, hold your palms together, close your eyes, pray. Pray for good character, that you grow up to respect elders. Turn around, let me apply some thiruneeru. Don’t, don’t, pchch.. if you wipe it off, you will be sinned. You can go and play now”.
Ritu
“It is prayer time. Come here. Pray. Hold your palms together, close your eyes pray. Pray that you will get to go to USA. Ask God. Ask him that you earn a lot of money. Ask him that you reach heights. Remember us when you are there, ha? Ahh, pray. Apply that thiruneeru. Ufff. Yeah, you can go and play now”.
Nush
“Pray. Hold your palms together, close your eyes. You have to remember our roots. This is how we do it. Hold your palms together, close your eyes. Pray. Wait, let me apply thiruneeru. Ufff. You can go now”.
Tamil version
“Come here, come here, pray. Bring the palms together, close your eyes and pray. Yes, pray for good health for your grandparents, pray for good job for your father. Pray for a good future for yourself. Pray. Please apply some thiruneeru (holy ash) on her forehead, Priest”.
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Preethi
“Eh, come here. What are you doing so naughty. Pray. Hold, pchch, hold your palms together, stand still, what is mother teaching you, so disrespectful, stand still, hold your palms together, close your eyes, pray. Pray for good character, that you grow up to respect elders. Turn around, let me apply some thiruneeru. Don’t, don’t, pchch.. if you wipe it off, you will be sinned. You can go and play now”.
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Ritu
“It is prayer time. Come here. Pray. Hold your palms together, close your eyes pray. Pray that you will get to go to USA. Ask God. Ask him that you earn a lot of money. Ask him that you reach heights. Remember us when you are there, ha? Ahh, pray. Apply that thiruneeru. Ufff. Yeah, you can go and play now”.
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Nush
“Pray. Hold your palms together, close your eyes. You have to remember our roots. This is how we do it. Hold your palms together, close your eyes. Pray. Wait, let me apply thiruneeru. Ufff. You can go now”.
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Tamil version
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