Musiri Puthur is an obscure place, where dad grew up with his maternal uncle since childhood for more than 3 decades. And dad, never mentioned his maternal uncle, even once. Need to dig the place history. Small amlas, papaya, drumstick leaves anything is nearby.
It is not just town folks who slog, till 10 pm, farm hands were threshing paddy, since temple was the only public place that had cemented floor.
Early Morning Visit to River
Akka had made a simple kolam first thing in the morning.
Sunrise by the river was stunning, sunset was even more.
This was called KokkuUttanParai. When the river flows to brim, storks would be sitting on this rock it seems.
Bro and nephew wanted to make boats and all that was available was Bank of Baroda’s ATM slips, which became two tiny boats, which disappeared in no time.
A lone hyacinth on the river side.
Chinna Thottiyam Voikkal History
A brahmin lady married a low caste guy and this asavarna couple were excommunicated from the village. In village, during construction of dams and such structures, it was custom to offer human sacrifice it seems. So the audacious low caste husband was sacrificed for building this dam.
The distraught wife, jumped into her husband’s pyre. A tiny bit of her unburnt silk dress kept on settling at one particular spot. So villagers invited the soul, which entered the 6 year grandson of the temple pujari. Finally, they built a temple for this lady who rushed into fire and call this temple as theepAnjAl koil.
After decades of eating chikkis aka kadalamuttais, for the first time, realized that groundnut flowers are golden chrome yellow.
The soil around the Plantain was white with fertilizer. Farmers are naturally concerned with yield rather than soil and underground water. It’s a 24/7 job not just in BPM in agriculture as well. Early morning 3 am shifts are for milk hands as well. Each with its own seasonality.
This papaya was just a little taller than 5 feet.
Folks used to comb their hair with this oomathaan fruit it seems.
On the way. This nonna leave cures tooth decay according to my sister.
Was quite surprised to see passion flowers in a village.
On the way to the river, thalamalai
Arai nellikas with which akka made a juice laced with a bit of jaggery.
This is a dusk flower.
Piping hot sweet puttu was waiting on Sunday morning.
Evening walk to river with storks settling on the field
Sunset, water is cleaner on the western side
River bed is 90% dry, with pockets of water here and there. Dams, are for equitable sharing. Who is man to stop the waters that nature gave?
It is the angle of the camera, that shows so much water, otherwise, it was not even knee deep at 90% of the places.
Other Trivia
Dead snake on the river bed, which my nephew spotted.
Children, girls, villagers still shit on the roadside, leading to the river. River is not visibly polluted. At some places, river stinks shit in the morning and cleaned fish in the evening. Dams are closed from Feb 1st week, which again gets opened only during April. River bed was dry with pockets of rivulets here and there, deceptively deep at places. Lone fish kept cruising inside deep waters. At 1 inch waterspots, zillion tadpoles would swarm around, in wet soil, there were tracks of earthworms, in dry river bed, there were silts, to conches and shells to hard pebble deposited along the riverine curve.
Seems like it is procreation season. On Saturday morning, was trying to sleep in the bright light, after a tiring bus journey sitting all night from Bangalore to this place and a dog was noisily on top of a bitch, next to bedroom window, which finally shifted place to behind the temple, which reminded me of the scene in “A Suitable boy”. Later that day, it was two squirrels on the tamarind tree branch by the rear entrance.
Best part was the night sky view. So many stars, not visible to naked to eyes in Bangalore, twinkled in its full glory. From Jupiter in Gemini to Mars in libra to raising venus early morning, the whole star lit night was fabulous under the open sky. Early morning Venus, Navami moon, Antares in Scorpio and Mars were in one straight line. For the first time, could see the rashis as given in internet pictures.
While my niece eagerly looked at Jupiter and other nakshatras I showed her on sky, akka dismissed off venus saying, I see it everytime. Velli mullaicha, mantriki Apathu. (If venus raises, it is dangerous for ministers/politicians) and then dawned the aha moment. How did I miss it? It is so obvious.
The crowing cocks were our alarm clocks. No canned water, it was cauvery water with its natural minerals. After a sunrise and sunset 1 hour walk to the river and back home, piping hot food would be ready for a growling tummy. Every meal had at least 2 green leafy vegetables, plucked from the garden. Vegetables were from relative’s garden. Milk unpasteurized straight from cow’s udder. Simple life, peaceful.
Ahneeka procedure
Wish had read this before travelling all the way for a river dip like our guruji had said.
It is not just town folks who slog, till 10 pm, farm hands were threshing paddy, since temple was the only public place that had cemented floor.
Early Morning Visit to River
Akka had made a simple kolam first thing in the morning.
Sunrise by the river was stunning, sunset was even more.
This was called KokkuUttanParai. When the river flows to brim, storks would be sitting on this rock it seems.
Bro and nephew wanted to make boats and all that was available was Bank of Baroda’s ATM slips, which became two tiny boats, which disappeared in no time.
Flowers on the way
Chinna Thottiyam Voikkal History
A brahmin lady married a low caste guy and this asavarna couple were excommunicated from the village. In village, during construction of dams and such structures, it was custom to offer human sacrifice it seems. So the audacious low caste husband was sacrificed for building this dam.
The distraught wife, jumped into her husband’s pyre. A tiny bit of her unburnt silk dress kept on settling at one particular spot. So villagers invited the soul, which entered the 6 year grandson of the temple pujari. Finally, they built a temple for this lady who rushed into fire and call this temple as theepAnjAl koil.
After decades of eating chikkis aka kadalamuttais, for the first time, realized that groundnut flowers are golden chrome yellow.
The soil around the Plantain was white with fertilizer. Farmers are naturally concerned with yield rather than soil and underground water. It’s a 24/7 job not just in BPM in agriculture as well. Early morning 3 am shifts are for milk hands as well. Each with its own seasonality.
This papaya was just a little taller than 5 feet.
Folks used to comb their hair with this oomathaan fruit it seems.
On the way. This nonna leave cures tooth decay according to my sister.
Was quite surprised to see passion flowers in a village.
Arai nellikas with which akka made a juice laced with a bit of jaggery.
This is a dusk flower.
Piping hot sweet puttu was waiting on Sunday morning.
Evening walk to river with storks settling on the field
Sunset, water is cleaner on the western side
It is the angle of the camera, that shows so much water, otherwise, it was not even knee deep at 90% of the places.
Other Trivia
Children, girls, villagers still shit on the roadside, leading to the river. River is not visibly polluted. At some places, river stinks shit in the morning and cleaned fish in the evening. Dams are closed from Feb 1st week, which again gets opened only during April. River bed was dry with pockets of rivulets here and there, deceptively deep at places. Lone fish kept cruising inside deep waters. At 1 inch waterspots, zillion tadpoles would swarm around, in wet soil, there were tracks of earthworms, in dry river bed, there were silts, to conches and shells to hard pebble deposited along the riverine curve.
Seems like it is procreation season. On Saturday morning, was trying to sleep in the bright light, after a tiring bus journey sitting all night from Bangalore to this place and a dog was noisily on top of a bitch, next to bedroom window, which finally shifted place to behind the temple, which reminded me of the scene in “A Suitable boy”. Later that day, it was two squirrels on the tamarind tree branch by the rear entrance.
Best part was the night sky view. So many stars, not visible to naked to eyes in Bangalore, twinkled in its full glory. From Jupiter in Gemini to Mars in libra to raising venus early morning, the whole star lit night was fabulous under the open sky. Early morning Venus, Navami moon, Antares in Scorpio and Mars were in one straight line. For the first time, could see the rashis as given in internet pictures.
While my niece eagerly looked at Jupiter and other nakshatras I showed her on sky, akka dismissed off venus saying, I see it everytime. Velli mullaicha, mantriki Apathu. (If venus raises, it is dangerous for ministers/politicians) and then dawned the aha moment. How did I miss it? It is so obvious.
The crowing cocks were our alarm clocks. No canned water, it was cauvery water with its natural minerals. After a sunrise and sunset 1 hour walk to the river and back home, piping hot food would be ready for a growling tummy. Every meal had at least 2 green leafy vegetables, plucked from the garden. Vegetables were from relative’s garden. Milk unpasteurized straight from cow’s udder. Simple life, peaceful.
Ahneeka procedure
Wish had read this before travelling all the way for a river dip like our guruji had said.
- Water should not less than knee deep.
- Take bath against tide, in other places, bathing should be facing sun
- Women should get inside till water reaches their lower lips and take bath, guys till chest (obviously)
- Even rivers have periods (exception Ganga), first three days during July-August lunar month
No comments:
Post a Comment