TOOTH Paste was a Luxury

The tooth paste was a luxury and rare item.

at times the finished and thrown one from Brother was ours (me and my sister Indira) used to fold and squeeze . some time hammer to get a bit for us. No brush it was to use on finger.

This was almost till my 9th / 10th grade. I don't remember having a tooth brush. 

our brush was folded mango leaf and coconut leaf stick parted to make sharp and use as tongue cleaner

at times when the paste tube fully finished is not thrown. Kept it and from my brother's paste it is transferred and kept for me to have my OWN tooth paste !
many a times the mix of different paste gave a good smell and taste. May be it is different and a rare item must have given that feel.

Raghavn laterate stone - kallu vettam kuzhi

Raghavan was a clean man
i used to see him cleaning his feet systematic
always during his bath, his major time was on feet
Raghavan was an expert stone cutter. The PANA (stone digging place) was my casual visiting place.
lagter it became my learning place too.
I learned how to cut stone. It is all manual. for me it was a day for a stone.
I decided to make the south-west corner of jnaanam where we had the cow shed (ALA)
I made and I think I got two three stones.

PATHAYA smarankal

Pathayam was an indispensable item at home
nellu
costly brass vessels
items to hide
mulaku (Pepper)
all these are in that kalavara (storage place)

I used to make my pocket money by stealing pepper from the pathayam.
thus pathayam is a bank for me.

at times this was hiding place too.

used to have banana kept inside to get ripe and also to protect from the rats.
i used to get inside the pathayam
the smell inside that with the ripped banana is still in my nose.

setting vayal for the rice replanting is a fun.
the muddy mesh in which we can walk flushing mud
this was a fun for me during my childhood
I enjoyed

NELLU Katta

from the field when it is to be collected - ladies used to have many songs. The field in Vellad when they work, I was a pet and one subject for them.

Though I didn't get head and tail of it.

But when I was in Tagore Vidya nikethan when Bhatathiripad, social teacher spoke of the poem

ariyar nattil pirannoramma.... 

kolathu nadu kinavu kandu..

e kolathu nadumenikku venam...

this was what gave a clue that these ladies make stories..

I when have to pay the Coole (wage) for the ladies had the chance to count the number and for 11 one was the ratio of cooler to be paid .

I had a tough day when I did this for a large number of workers and counting and giving the huge heap of rice bunch (Katta) in the  Kalam was still giving back pain for me.

PARA

Measuring Pepper and rice is with this PARA

When the COOLI (wages) are given as 1 to 7 or 10. After cleaning the rice from the reaped and collected from the field is done by the Kariyashtan (Supervisor) Kunchappa. 

One day I wanted to do this when I was in 6th or 7th grade at vellad, where we had lot of workers. I do remember this. I did this for the whole lot of workers.

When someone asks for rice on loan too - it is measured and given from Naduvil, our home,. Amma used to help people who comes for tit.

NILAM THALLI for KALAM

This was one called NILAM THALLI, i do not know if any other part of the world, this is in use.
Either Rice, with skin, after boiling to be dryer, to make the boiled rice 0 or - araocunut, coconut, pepper (mainly) for this 

to make the Kalam (Flat plane earthen platform) to get ready is used.

I remember during this season all the experts are busy on this and need great skill to make this field. 

exact water to be sprinkled to make the place smooth and damped enough to concrete surface to make.

i used to takeup this with mother's initiative to make the kalam. 

large even, but leaned to make it with small test beds.

i remember making it not in the dome front but in the common place like Keloth parambu too.

Festivals VISHU or ONAM

VISHU or ONAM these days are only messages and calls.
Traditionally in Kerala, this was the time of jackfruits and Mangos.
Plenty of setting and shirtless childhood with playing and fun.

Now this year of COVID Distress TIME is with no Fun and Fury and only LIFE on LIVE and OnLINE.
These days were on 21 days of Lockdown and had one hour facebook LIVE with scriptures to make some people around to take some values and create a self bliss that can be shared to make all happy around.
Today will be my last LIVE in this series and waiting for the MODI MAMA declaration on Lockdown.
Delhi Balagokulam asked for the LIVE on ZOOM.
all-new experience and good takes.

I am not able to have Sadhya (Food in luxury), that is what any festival is meant for many.
I was not, never keen on any of this food, though at times, yes I do enjoy the variety of different tastes of vegetables these days.
My food taste too changed a lot. Olden days were Kanji with Fried Dry-Fish with the smell was mouth watering for me. The smell was enough for me.
The Mango - coconut chutney was of great taste too.

Vishu and Onam sadhya is never that in memory - that is what I wanted to tell here.

What brings in mind of these festive?
Yes, I go for a round at PTK (Valiyettan) and PPK (Kittaleppan).
They will give me some Kaineettam (Cash - those days it was 10 or later 50 to 100 rupees from 1980 to 1990 years) that was the only memory.

When many come, like Sreeyettan (ProfTPS) home during these holidays. But they have their own time and they all have a good time. It was all more of restrictions and I have to pretend that I am studying, as they are all masters on inspection like feeling is that I used to have.

One memory I had was a time when Jagadeesh yettan and younger sister of him, who came slipped the stair and fell.
Sreeyettan's reaction was scolding and beating her.
This is one memory that I have.
Another one great memory was -
Prof TPS used to have nut, PAN those days and he wanted me to buy that. It was 3 paise. He gave 10 paise.
I bought one and two OLAPPATAKAM (bomb made of Palm leaf cover) which was costing 2 paise or so, I bought 3 or 4.
With the nut, I have to give the balance 7 paise to ProfTPS.
I had the money in my coin collection dubba (box) that was in an old CUTICURA (powder tin) and that I safely kept in Kottilakam (bedroom inside) the roof had panels and holes inside.
The back door was always open and I took the west entry to the yard and got inside the room without anyone's notice.
Before I could take the money from the tin box, I was caught by ProfTPS and he scolded and bate me. This was more of sounding memory to me than any of the Crackers.

Most interesting was the Vishu that the blacksmith (Chandootty) home nearby - they used to have many varieties of things on display for the Kani (Pooja room) display. that was their luxury items and that was different from ours. This gave me the lesson that all that we have in rituals are based on our needs and no basic prescription is given as part of rituals in any text.

Vishu is a time for resolution like the new year, though we had no special on the January 1st in my childhood, it went unnoticed.

The festival during Holidays time is Vishu and Onam used to be followed by the exam, that was not very good.

Not any other festive was in memory.

Yes KAMAN, the Rama Navami was of some special style with keeping mud-cow dung mixed statue that is kept and did pooja beside the tree root was some memory in childhood. That didn't stay as we all were grown and traditions are forgotten.

When I grew and started my income, giving cash during vishu or buying Onam new dress for many around was festive for me.

Once I remember my hand got burned due to rounding chakra cracker and that was reminded when Hari, when he was young, had a small similar incident when he stepped on the fire bit of the cracker.

In Hyderabad when we used to be for the festive, the home decoration and keeping items was more a task as we have to hunt for items like the Konnappoo (yellow flower) going into the military area and get the items shared from many around.

Most of the festivals were then used to be travel to Kerala, going to relatives homes and also to meet relatives.

I had a great dream of Vishu with a lot of family and visitors at Jnnanam, Naduvil.
But all are faded and not in view in the future too.

Grow like a tree and Fall-like a river.