First day of school after holidays is an exciting day and this time I have something new to show everyone. I got up earlier than my ususal time. I brushed my teeth and went to the kitchen. Akkachi was making idli for breakfast.
“My, my, look who is up early, today the pigs will learn to fly for sure!?” Akkachi said.
“Go Akkachi, stop teasing me in the morning”.
“What is so special today that Kochumaharani is up so early?”
“I want to go to school early.”
“Why? You have a boyfriend there?”
“Aiyyo Akkachi, where got boyfriend in an all girls school?”
“Oh! so you were on the look out for a boyfriend eh?”
“No Akkachi, I am not looking for a boyfriend. I am not getting married.”
“Why is that Kochumaharani?”
“I am going to join a convent and nuns can’t get married!”
“You want to join a convent?”
“hmmm”
“Oh Nina, that would be difficult?”
“What do you mean?”
“Kochumaharani, except the coconut tree, are there any trees in this house that you haven’t climbed?”
I thought hard, and I knew Akkachi is saying the truth, I have climbed all the trees except the coconut tree.
“What has climbing trees got to do with joining the convent?”
“Well, old habits die hard and when you live with the nuns, you will want to climb all the trees in the convent. Can you imagine climbing a tree while wearing a kuppayam(nun’s habit)?”
I tried to imagine the scenario
“hmm, Not a good idea. But I am still not getting married”
“in 7 yrs you will say enne kettikko enne kettikko(get me married, I want to get married!)”
“Go, Akkachi. You are always teasing me.”
I went back to my room to pack my school bag. I wondered if I would ever say, ‘get me married, I want to get married’. I wasn’t sure.
At my school, I became an instant celebrity. Everyone came to see my plaster cast.
“Does it hurt Nina? How did this happen?”
“I was chasing a robber”
“A robber?” Everyone looked at me puzzled
“Yes a robber, fiercer than Kayamkulam Kochunni*. He had a big mustache on his face and he was dark. His eyes were red and bulging like a pumpkin. I saw him trying to enter our house and I shouted ‘thief thief’ and I chased him. Then he showed me his knife.”
I took a pencil from my desk and pointed it like a knife and showed to all my freinds. I looked at their face. Fear was written on all their faces.
“What did you do Nina?” All of them asked
“I told him’I am Methran Thambi’s grand daughter, I am not afraid of your knife’. Then I did a flying kick like Bruce Lee”
“Where did you learn to do a flying kick Nina?”
“I learned to do that in Malaysia”
“Will you teach us?”
“May be, but I will have to get a permission from my Guru(teacher) before I do that.”
“Will you ask your Guru for us? Please Nina”
“Ofcourse. Today itself, I will write a letter to him”
“After the flying kick what happend?”
“He didn’t believe that I am a professional flying kick master”
“What did he do?”
“He tried to attack me with the knife and I kicked him so hard and the knife flew out of his hand. He got scared and he ran to the fence wall. I chased him. He climbed the wall and I followed after him. Unfortunately the wall was a bit slippery and I fell down.”
“Did he see you falling down?”
“No, he was already on the other side of the wall.”
“You are really brave Nina”
The professional flying kick master nodded her head and agreed.
When the bell rang and everyone went to their seat to sit, Alice asked me slowly
“How exactly did you break your leg?”
“Climbed the fence wall and fell down”
“No fierce robber?”
“None at all, even if I saw one, I would run the opposite way”
We both laughed, knowing very well that we would be crying when we get the report card.
*Kayamkulam Kochunni
A famed highwayman of Central Thiruvithamkoor in the early part of the 19th century. He is reported to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. Legends about his exploits are part of the local folk lore. Died in jail in 1859. Source:Google
Kochunni’s modern day incarnation is some one named CyberRowdy.
ha! ha! ha! nice post..
:))
nice post. you were quite a story teller. enjoyed reading your story.
hehe, youuu… methran thambis granddaughter!
I guess you are digressing. Suspense was built up by the arrival of Appa’s letter. What happened after that?
Hilarious post. I luvvved this one :)))
loved it. hilarious. keep at it. how long have u enjoyed the ‘immigrant’ status for? 😉
Hmmm….u miss a lot ….seems like u have lost the link of a beautiful necklace….u have to find it ” If u want to wear it “
Seems like i’ve got company !!!!
hey nice writting!
i am ronnie the cat (finland) just lost my password! trying to set up a community of overseas indians on the net!!
http://indiansabroad.phpbb3.net/index.php
drop by and see if u like it
hahah this was a funny funny post
I liked the way akkachi was teasing you and I,too,started imagining a nun climbing up a coconut tree and couldn’t stop laughing.
as for enne kettikko enne kettikko……rofl :)))
hey i remembered you when i read about this thing in the paper about the actress meera being in the news for entering raja rajeshwari temple in taliparamba ,as it was said it’s only for hindus…i don’t know why people make such a big hue and cry about such things…i think all these higher authorities are absolute idiots.
u took me back to childhood…all those fanciful stories we wud say…i was smiling all thru this post.
LOL. Aiye, Sarah…Sarah…
You reminded me of my wanting to be a nun at some point of my childhood (amongst a zillion other things!) and also the little ‘exaggeration’ of truth sometimes.
ps. Made mango rasam yesterday, turned out very well. Hubby loved it too! Thanx!
hahaha…that was such a nice post..reminds me of those bluffing days in school!!..
>>The professional flying kick >>master nodded her head and agreed
hmm!!! I had a cousin who used to take my uncles pencil sketches to school..his friends would ask him to draw their picture and he would say, i dont have concentration here to draw!
A kung fu mistress and an orthodox, joining a convent for catholic’s ?
Inmates! please run for your life.
i loved this post…
all the things we used to say during schoold ays.
😀 There’s a tv serial about Kayamkulam kochunni on for a while now.
Heheheh funny one – akkachi is funny 😉
hey sarah, have commented on the hindu influence on japanese gods. have uploaded a file also. cheers,,
just dropping in a ‘hi’ 🙂
Liked the way u showed off to ur friends abt the robber etc! 😉 sweet bragging.
Q8techdrive: Now I know!!
Hope and love:Thank you
Starry night: I was pretty good then to convince my friends with my stories..now I can’t convince my kids with truth..
Rocksea: that was me..
Techno: !
Silverine: thank you
rr: have another 2 yrs to go before I can change my kids passport and I will be going back to Malaysia.
Dhanyam: Thank you for visitng my blog and yes.. few of the pearls are missing
Ronnie: Will visit the web soon
Maya: they never had problems earlier..now we create problems.. When I went to temples in Kerala 20 yrs ago, no one ever questioned me.. I hope they will let me visit the temples again, especially the Bhagavathy temple in Chengannur.
Jiby: Jiby, those stories we used to spin when we were little… they were truly out of this world.
Cynthia: Glad mango rasam came out well!! and I still want to be nun.. especially when my kids drive me nuts.. I always threaten them, I am joining the convent..it has no effect though..
Mathew: professional pulu master eh??
lg: My friend once told me, she learned ballet and can stand on her toes.. we wanted to see and she said she can’t do it without her ballet shoes!!( C, if you are ever reading it, I still remember all the stories you have spun, especially how you could balance and stand on your partners palm!!)
Jac: athu thanneya akkachiyum paranje.. kanya streekal ellam odippokum..
Thanu: I know….
Hillgrandmom: I vaguely remember coming to kerala for a visit and watching kayamkulam kochunni abt 31 yrs ago.. All I can remember is it was B&W and kochunni climbing on top of the ola pera to steal a jackfruit!!
Maya: returning the Hi
Has to be me: Shudha pulu…