September 8, 2011
While walking back home after watching the city illumination yesterday, we decided to take the ill-illuminated road by the side of the public library. The 23 stalls that sell pirated and second hand books were closing at that time. When we almost reached back to the main road near the eastern gate of the Museum, the smell of cardamom (eliachi, elakkai) overwhelmed my nostils. I was looking at the board of a tea shop and restaurant at that time. That made me wonder if that middle-class looking facade actually hid a five star tea shop. Who else would be so generous with cardamom in the tea?!
"Enthoru elakkai manam," (Great cardamom smell) I said.
"Elakka alla," (not cardamom) said Achan, who was walking behind me, pointing upwards, "Ezhilampaala!" (Alstonia Scholaris, Devil's Tree).
"Yakshipaala," Amma added.
The Devil's Tree inside a government office campus, overhanging the road, had flowered. The cardamom like fragrance saturated the air around it.
I don't know why it is called the Devil's tree in English. In Kerala, it is mostly associated with Yakshis, the female vampires who live on these trees and seduce young men with their beauty. They might be 'wicked' in the modern sense of the word, but they certainly don't deserve to be called devils. In fact, the Devi temple nearby is dedicated to 'Yakshi-amma'.
The name Yakshi is an indicator that the legend sprung about travellers from the modern-day Afghanistan-Iran region. The famous Didarganj Yakshi statue in Bihar from 300 BC is a great clue of how the dangerous seductress-vampire image came about. The link to an image of the statue is given at the end of the note. I am beginning to wonder if these neat ladies chewed cardomom as breath freshner and that got them associated with the similar smelling tree.
For the past 35 mornings, I have religiously submitted myself to the torture of The Hindu newspaper's crossword. No other activity demolishes better any rosy self-image one might have dreamt up the previous night. The clues stump, mock and condescendingly glance at me across and down. I have discovered the amazing blog of Col. Gopinath who posts the solutions to the crossword by 8:30am every morning. So now it has become a race against this army man. Those who are interested in crosswords and word games must check out his blog. He presents his solution with many interesting links.
Couple of days ago, while standing on the balcony of my friend's new apartment, enjoying the fabulous view from 8 floors up, he told me that his primary intention was to rent the apartment out for some time and then when the price is right, sell it off. Now he was sensing that his wife was beginning to bond with the apartment. They had put in motion a plan to immigrate to Canada so any attachment to this property was futile.
Some of my cousins who live and work abroad are also buying land and apartments here. Their kids were born and are being brought up outside India. They concede that there is no chance that this next generation would want to come back and live in Kerala.
Buying and flipping properties as an investment vehicle is great, but there is always a hint of attachment, of the faint hope that someday they might come back to live a retired life here. This is a large scale and more financially intensive version of my book buying habit. My small personal book collections here and in US are full of books that were bought with the best of intention.
Someday, I was going to get the time, surely, to sit down, relax and enjoy these great books. Meanwhile, I continue to read what I have borrowed!
That which I have committed to lies waiting for me, for a day that is always tomorrow!
In my case it is the books, for thousands of NRIs (Non-Resident Indians) it is the apartments, mansions, coconut groves, rubber estates and pieces of urban property that may never be able to serve their distant owners. Retirement in a capitalist economy is akin to heaven (Hindu Swargam and Islamic Jannat); it will come only after death.
Kerala is called God's own country. Like all these NRI property owners, God also seems to have rented this land out of the people who abuse it with the nonchalance that comes with temperory contractual obligations. God stays distant, not wishing to be bothered by the petitions for maintenance and for new facilities. And like almost all owners, His hopes of return may never be fulfilled.
The three books I borrowed yesterday from the RBI staff library are great reads. They have been added to my daily dose of M.P. Veerendra Kumar, R.K. Narayan, Mahabharatha and the Elephant book. Perhaps there shouldn't be any surprise that the authoritative book on "The Decline of Nair Dominance" in Travancore is written by a Canada-born Australian professor of Anthropology, Robin Jeffrey. I am reading the Malayalam translation ('Nair medhavithwathinte Pathanam').
It is an exceptionally well-researched work on the period between 1847-1908. Lot of interesting trivia and details about the family set up. In 1905, there were 20 English and Malayalam newspapers published in Travancore. This love for newspapers and news reading continues to this day and is one of the features of the local population that made Dr. Jeffrey make Kerala his home for six years of research and language learning.
There is a detailed list of the distances that different lower caste members were supposed to maintain from the higher castes: 96 feet, 66 feet, 12 feet etc. Even as late as 1900 if a Kerala brahmin feels that some object has been rendered impure by the touch or proximity of a lower caste member, he could summon the service of a local Syrian Christian (Suriyani christiani) who could restore the purity of the object by simply touching it!
The family set up of Nair joint families (Tharavaadu) is worth remembering. Property transfer was through women, so that kept their status somewhat ok though men controlled all the day to day management. Each woman in the joint family had a room of her own. It was used for bringing up her children and sleeping with her husbands. "Marriage" was magnificently ambiguous. A Nair or higher caste man (i.e. brahmin or royal/warrior class) could tell the doyen (karanavar) of the family if he was interested in marrying any woman of the family. The woman would be asked and if she says yes, the deal is done. The man can hang around the family during the day and sleep with her during the night. If she or he loses interest, the arrangement was simply over.
Namboothiri (brahmins) and royals (Varma) could be 'Sayahnathithi' (evening guests) as in those who come after dinner and leave by sun rise. The fathers could buy luxury items for their children but even otherwise income from the land owned ensured the smooth functioning of the family. Seminal source immaterial, all the children were invariably considered Nairs. This inter-caste polyandry situation was a big headache for the colonial masters while trying to define Nairs as a caste.
Nair women had to bare their breasts when in the presence of higher caste men. This rule was removed only after 1850s. Similarly lower caste women had to be topless in front of Nair men. Mass conversions to Christianity were used by the lower castes to overcome such rigid and inhuman traditions.
The second book is a complete collection of King Vikramaditya stories in Malayalam. I hope to do a few translations from it for our 'Timeless Folktales' website.
The third book is a collection of poems by Kunjunni. Kunjunni Mash (corruption of Master as in school teacher) is Kerala's most popular poet. His poems are short like him: couplets or four lines. But they are incisively humorous and pithy. Here's a sample translation I have attempted
"In ABCD, there is a secret,
BC lies within AD!"
I enjoyed reading Kunjunni poems this morning while biting into some translucent green, juicy Amla (Indian gooseberry). Like the peoms, they also tasted very sweet after the initial bitterness.
"Do you want a feast for Onam?" Amma has asked me at least five times in the last two days. I have repeatedly said no. Cooking up a feast for just the three of us is a big pain. Besides, I have overdosed on the traditional feast since the wedding. We decided to make only one dessert Payasam. Since it is the going to be the only 'special' dish, Amma is making it from scratch. I helped her remove the skin of green grams the good old way using stone pestle and mortar.
The second elephant I have been introduced to through the book is Paramekkavu SriParameswaran. He was the hallmark of the famous Thrissur Pooram from 1990 to 2005. When he passed away in 2005, the funeral was conducted with high honors. He was brought to Kerala from Bihar in the 70s. I learnt that Sonepur in Bihar conducts the biggest annual market for elephants (as well as cattle). Over 800 elephants are traded every year. Though he was known for violent streak his youth (disemboweling another elephant among other crimes), when he was called Krishnagopal, he was a peaceful elephant for the last fifteen of life serving the Paramekkavu temple. In the recovery days after the annual madness period, he used to be fed Ayurvedic preparations from chicken, goat and even 15 monitor lizards.
Few days back saw the news that court has stayed the demolition of R.K.Narayan's home. This is the place where he wrote Malgudi days. Instead of outright declaring it as a cultural heritage building, it was going to be razed to make way for some luxury apartments. This is a society that is quick to burn and ban books without ever reading them. May be I shouldn't expect much respect for an author like Narayan. Afterall he didn't write about Astrology, Bollywood, Cricket or Religion!
Today is Uthradam, the day before main day of Onam, Thiruvonam. House was swept clean. All the dirty laundry washed. We are all set for King Mahabali to show up on his annual visit tomorrow!
I'll end with a quote from the great R.K.N:
"Adulthood may be defined as a phase of self-deception. Nowhere is it carried to a greater extent than in statements beginning: "In those days...." The listener, inevitably not a contemperory but one of younger generation, has no courage to contradict the man nor has he any means of checking the veracity of the statement."
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