The monsoon arrives in Kerala with all the pomp and vigour, like a majestic king returns to visit his subjects after a long time. The parched land and the shrivelled trees wait anxiously for the rain, but it is the dried leaves on the floor that gives the king the royal welcome by dancing and swaying in the wind. They jump and down and flip around in happiness knowing very well that their happiness is short lived and that in few days they would be returned to mother earth.
The first rain also gives that special smell, so unique that you never get anywhere else. Ammachi and I sat on the parapet wall to watch the rain. She taught me to sing the monsoon song
mazha varunnu,
madhalam kottunnu
kochu sarmmakku
thooran muttunnu
vadi edukkadi
koda edukkadi
namuukku randinum
thooran povam
Like every child in Kerala, I started to sing at the top of my voice. After the enduring the summer heat, the monsoon rain liberates your mind and your soul. While I was happy that it is raining I also knew, monsoon not only brings rain and thunder and fish in the creek, but also my father to fetch me back home. I didn’t want to go back home.
Appa came on a saturday. I packed my clothes and my green bangles in to my bag. Ammachi came to the room and hugged me. I hoped she would tell me not to go, that I could go to the school near Chengannur house, where Ammalu gets free lunch every wednesday.
Ammachi opened her cupboard, took a 5RS note from under her clothes pile and gave it to me.
“Buy what ever you want Nina” She said.
Ammachi and Appa discussed IR 8 crop and I didn’t understand what it was all about. I went to the cattle shed to say my goodbye to Manikutty and Karambi. I pulled out some hay for them from the haystack and placed in the tray.
When I went to the kitchen Chakki gave me a small biscuit tin
“What is inside Chakki?”
“something for you”
I tried to pry the lid open, I couldn’t. Chakki used the end of knife and wedged the lid open. I looked inside and saw, Jackfruit chips. Fried strips of raw jackfruit.
I hugged Chakki and she kissed me on my cheeks
“be a good girl and come back soon Kochumaharani”.
“hmm “I nodded while munching the delicious chips.
“Nina, hurry up, we will miss the bus”. My father was getting agitated. I quickly said my bye to Ammachi. My father took the bag from my hand and started to walk. I followed him, holding the biscuit tin in my hand. As I reached the main road I turned to look back. I could spot the thatched roof. I couldn’t see my grandmother. But I knew she would be sitting on the parapet wall, looking at the bund, waiting for me to come back again.
Some pictures of Kerala I found on the net
http://www.gtscsociety.com/pages/kerala.asp
IR8
Since 1966, when IRRI(internationa rice research institute) first released its IR8 variety, world paddy production has nearly doubled from 261 million tonnes to 519 million tonnes.(source:http://www.fao.org/Wairdocs/TAC/X5814E/x5814e08.htm )
Remember poppy kuda’s ad
Mazha Mazha
Kuda kuda
Mazha vanal
poppy kuda..
I sing it all the time when it rains here
I remember the st george kuda ad..
Mazha, mazha, kuda kuda, st george kudakal!!!
Oh u going back to kottayam, does that end the Chakki, Karaban series?
Both Poppy and John’s brands are owned by brothers. The St George Umbrella Mart in Alleppey started in 1954 by Thayyil Abraham Varghese.
But later due to dispute among brothers the original shop was closed and now there is Poppy and John’s.
So now there umbrella market is own by these two companies and the competition is fierce.
Chakki giving chakka varuthathu. Nice one.
Your mention of IR8 brought back my childhood memories when I used to enjoy the preparations of the paddy field. The tilling, leveling and the flurry of activity, playing in the mud were fun. Growing up in a village gives a lot of beautiful and colorful memories.
its mazha meyyunnu….maddallam…then….parooontammakku thooran muttunnu…one more conversion…its not sarmakku…its paroontammakku
IR8!…Aiyaaar Ettu…that gave a lot of rice with lil input!
Thanu:it is arnie style”i will be back!!”
Alexis: Now i got it..when i was in Kerala, only St.gerorge kuda was around.. so I assume the poppykuda came in the late 80’s..
Q8Techdrive: I remember aiyyarettu..It took me a long time,(like few days ago) to find out what was this aiyarettu they were discussing all about!!!
oh.. the days of enjoyment gone?.. and the schooling days started.. The days of fun roll so fast!!…
IR8…we studied about that crop in bio in tenth standard.
hee hee your rain song is a funny one
oh yeah talking about monsoons.It rained cats and dogs here yesterday nite….it was lovely and it took away the heat wave but we suffered silently without electricity for eight hours!
all those mosquitoes!!
I remember on our last visit to Kerala, it was the monsoon season and the kids enjoyed the rain because they had not seen so much rain before. enjoyed the beautiful pictures.
Oh no you are wrong! I am 100% sure Kerala monsoons is ‘Her Highness’ and not a he!, for she is soo seductive and vicious and playful and naughty and she catches you off guard from the swaying trees and the rooftops and you can almost taste her charm from the verandah…. (I really wish I had a good English vocabulary)
Thanks for reminding me of the song and of course, the monsoon. For making me nostalgic. Here I am, not giving those great opportunities to my little daughter.
that song seems to be a song for something else than that for monsoon. 😉
Delecious! like your recipe, which I already tried.
that was something so refreshing .
thoroughly enjoyed 🙂
-ATG
But I knew she would be sitting on the parapet wall, looking at the bund, waiting for me to come back again.
Made me real sad reading this as my Ammachi would wait for summer hols and our arrival. And I can still see her waving goodbye as the car pulled away tears streaming down her eyes. I used to miss her so much after I reached Bangalore that I would be moody for days. Blessed are they who have exp the love of an Ammachi.
Sujit: good days I knew would end and the bad days I knew, good days are just around the corner!!!
Maya:the rain in vancouver is on diet..it just sprinkles, tht too with great difficulty..how i long for a thunder storm!!!
Starry nights:kerala changes according to the seaason, like the west.. summer is dry and brown and monsoon is lush green..
lg:tht got me thinking..if it is a she..she is indeed a naughty one, cheeking on you and showering you, when you least expect.
Myna:first of all, because of your name, I remembered my neighbour appachan, who had a myna and used to play with me so much. He was on my hop scotch team!!! and thank you for visitng my blog… and I know how much i want my kids to experience my childhood in kerala..
Jithu:kadavule..now when do the kids sing tht song..mine sing the moment it rains here and all the white neighbours stare trying to figure out who is mad at our residence??
jac:which recipe did you try and the fact tht you are alive is comforting!!
Anil: I am glad you liked it
Silverine:Ammachi never cried, Methran Thambi’s wife couldn’t cry.. but her mind I knew would be thengi karayum..i don’t know how to translate it. and i agree..blessed are those who experienced a grandmother’s love.
I am a ‘krimi in pashanam’, so not easily beaten.
lol …. that song reminds me of another funny song called “aranu malakaha” ..u know that song? ??
i have blogged it long time back below is the link.
http://chackochan.blogspot.com/2005/07/blog-post.html
jac:pashanam enthuva?
Monu:illa, a pattu kettittilla..madthilamma pattu ariuam..malagha adyam aa kelkunnathu