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sankara_sharmah
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சின்னஞ்சிறு வயதினிலே Child hood Reminiscences
I am starting this thread to post our Child hood Reminiscences. Of course we could post our other Reminiscences as well. This is modeled after Merina's book சின்ன வயதினிலே where he talks about his child hood days in Purasaiwalkam and Gangadheeswarar temple.
Tamil Book Information, Book Publisher, ISBN, Book Price & Cover Picture Details - BHARATHIDASANUM GLAD MEKKEYUM Book Information, Book Publisher, ISBN, Price & Cover Picture Details
From the review of the book.
<<1985ல் தனது சின்ன வயது அனுபவங்களை விகடனில் மெரீனா தொடராக எழுதியபோது அவை வாசகர்களைப் பெரிதும் கவர்ந்தது.
ஒவ்வொரு வாரமும் கட்டுரையைப் படிக்கும்போது, அட! நாமும்கூட இதுமாதிரி சேட்டைகளை யெல்லாம் செய்திருக்கிறோம் என்று தங்களுடைய சிறுவயது நினைவுகளோடு சம்பந்தப்படுத்தி மகிழ்ந்தார்கள் வாசகர்கள்!>>
So why not we try our hand in recollecting our Child hood Reminiscences
So here it goes
சீசந்தியும் பாலும் சிவராத்ரியும் பாலும்
எண்ணெய் தந்தா ஆச்சு இல்லாட்டா போச்சு
....
We sang/shouted the above song at the top of our voice. The lady of the house came and saw us. I did not say opened the door, because in most houses they never closed the door during day time. She recognized me and said
நீ கோமுவோட பிள்ளை அல்லவா? உங்க அம்மை எங்கே இருக்கா இப்போ?
After this குசலம் விசாரிக்கல் she came with some oil and gave it to us.
After we left I am sure that she would have told her husband
நீங்கள் பார்த்தேளா கோமுவோட பிள்ளை. பாவம். அப்பா அம்மை எங்கேயோ இருக்கா. The rest of the comments depended on whether they liked Komu or not.
Now what is all this about? The time is 1952. A village in Tamil Nadu with about 500 brahmins in five streets and five temples big and small. Three tanks, one of them abandoned and half full. Out of the 500 families about 15 were very rich. 10 rich. about 100 middle class. But the vast majority were poor and eking out a living. The village's residents also included a High Court Judge ( his family lived there), a District and Sessions judge and the richest man in the district. The best part of it was all of them lived together. Of course the size of the street house varied from huge ones to small tenements I realized all these inequalities only when I grew up. In my child hood we all played and grew up together. The rich and the poor.
Another feature of my village was the large number of children. Many Brahmins who were working outside left their children with their grand parents. I was one of them. I was living with my Grand parents along with my elder brother and sister and a number of cousins.
Now சீசந்தி is Krishna Jayanthi. We used to have play acts on Krishna Jayanti night and Sivarathri night. Most of the houses in the village except the rich did not have electricity The play was held in Nanu Saar's (Saar is a term for teacher) house because he liked children unlike the rest of the males of the village who avoided us. His grand son was with him. But there was no electricity in his house. So we collected Oil for the lamps by going door to door. This custom started when there was no electricity at all.
The gang of children were aged between 5 to 8. Not including 3 year olds who accompanied their older siblings. There were some girls. But not many. Even girls with a small brother/sister in their hip.
Another thing was the uniformity of dress. all boys wore half pants( caled knicker then) and shorts. The girls pavadai and blouse. None of us wore footwear. we were all bare footed.
We also wanted money in addition to oil. This was for buying plantain and கடலை மிட்டாய், கடலை உருண்டை and இஞ்சி மிட்டாய். But we were not always successful.
I remember the year when we thought of an idea. There was a Christian doctor residing in a Bungalow on the outskirts of the village. We thought it would be a good idea to knock at his house. We did not know that Christians do not have these festivals. Many of the boys backed out. But a few including myself went to his house. We were greeted by a big dog which frightened us though we did have our own dog சுப்ரமணி. We sang the song. The doctor who came to see us did not understand. We explained to him. He knew many of our parents. So he gave us Rs. 5
This was a treasure. None of us had ever had more than one Anna. Half anna was the norm for buying one plantain or two Kadali Mittai. We consulted a bigger boys and then went with him a buy the mittais. We distributed it among all the children. Even bigger boys and girls.
One of the bigger sisters turned spoil sport. She reported this to her mother. Fortunately the mother was too busy on Krishna jayanthi night to bother. But the next way many of us faced the music. Of course by that time all the sweets were eaten. The entire gang pointed at me as the one whose idea it was. The reason was very simple. i was the only one who had immunity from punishment (அடி வாங்கறது). My Grand parents never punished me as I was the youngest of the grand children staying with them and whose parents were the farthest from home in Bihar. Grandmother ignored the complaint. My elder brother wanted to take it up. But since he was one of the recipients of the sweets he kept quiet.
You may wonder whether we did have the play. Yes. We did. But then everyone wanted to be Krishna and no one wanted to be Kamsa. Nanu Saar settled it as always. We had sword fights. wrestling fights. Some kind of dialogue written by Nanu saar. And then a whole lot of Krishna Jayanthi sweets. Mullu Murukku (Thenkozhal), Ceedai (two kinds)maladu, Omapodi, pori urundai (two or three kinds).
This kind of celebration disappeared end during my child hood. All the houses got electricity. Naanu Saar went away to live with his son.
I think I have bored you long enough. I pass on the baton to others to continue.
I am starting this thread to post our Child hood Reminiscences. Of course we could post our other Reminiscences as well. This is modeled after Merina's book சின்ன வயதினிலே where he talks about his child hood days in Purasaiwalkam and Gangadheeswarar temple.
Tamil Book Information, Book Publisher, ISBN, Book Price & Cover Picture Details - BHARATHIDASANUM GLAD MEKKEYUM Book Information, Book Publisher, ISBN, Price & Cover Picture Details
From the review of the book.
<<1985ல் தனது சின்ன வயது அனுபவங்களை விகடனில் மெரீனா தொடராக எழுதியபோது அவை வாசகர்களைப் பெரிதும் கவர்ந்தது.
ஒவ்வொரு வாரமும் கட்டுரையைப் படிக்கும்போது, அட! நாமும்கூட இதுமாதிரி சேட்டைகளை யெல்லாம் செய்திருக்கிறோம் என்று தங்களுடைய சிறுவயது நினைவுகளோடு சம்பந்தப்படுத்தி மகிழ்ந்தார்கள் வாசகர்கள்!>>
So why not we try our hand in recollecting our Child hood Reminiscences
So here it goes
சீசந்தியும் பாலும் சிவராத்ரியும் பாலும்
எண்ணெய் தந்தா ஆச்சு இல்லாட்டா போச்சு
....
We sang/shouted the above song at the top of our voice. The lady of the house came and saw us. I did not say opened the door, because in most houses they never closed the door during day time. She recognized me and said
நீ கோமுவோட பிள்ளை அல்லவா? உங்க அம்மை எங்கே இருக்கா இப்போ?
After this குசலம் விசாரிக்கல் she came with some oil and gave it to us.
After we left I am sure that she would have told her husband
நீங்கள் பார்த்தேளா கோமுவோட பிள்ளை. பாவம். அப்பா அம்மை எங்கேயோ இருக்கா. The rest of the comments depended on whether they liked Komu or not.
Now what is all this about? The time is 1952. A village in Tamil Nadu with about 500 brahmins in five streets and five temples big and small. Three tanks, one of them abandoned and half full. Out of the 500 families about 15 were very rich. 10 rich. about 100 middle class. But the vast majority were poor and eking out a living. The village's residents also included a High Court Judge ( his family lived there), a District and Sessions judge and the richest man in the district. The best part of it was all of them lived together. Of course the size of the street house varied from huge ones to small tenements I realized all these inequalities only when I grew up. In my child hood we all played and grew up together. The rich and the poor.
Another feature of my village was the large number of children. Many Brahmins who were working outside left their children with their grand parents. I was one of them. I was living with my Grand parents along with my elder brother and sister and a number of cousins.
Now சீசந்தி is Krishna Jayanthi. We used to have play acts on Krishna Jayanti night and Sivarathri night. Most of the houses in the village except the rich did not have electricity The play was held in Nanu Saar's (Saar is a term for teacher) house because he liked children unlike the rest of the males of the village who avoided us. His grand son was with him. But there was no electricity in his house. So we collected Oil for the lamps by going door to door. This custom started when there was no electricity at all.
The gang of children were aged between 5 to 8. Not including 3 year olds who accompanied their older siblings. There were some girls. But not many. Even girls with a small brother/sister in their hip.
Another thing was the uniformity of dress. all boys wore half pants( caled knicker then) and shorts. The girls pavadai and blouse. None of us wore footwear. we were all bare footed.
We also wanted money in addition to oil. This was for buying plantain and கடலை மிட்டாய், கடலை உருண்டை and இஞ்சி மிட்டாய். But we were not always successful.
I remember the year when we thought of an idea. There was a Christian doctor residing in a Bungalow on the outskirts of the village. We thought it would be a good idea to knock at his house. We did not know that Christians do not have these festivals. Many of the boys backed out. But a few including myself went to his house. We were greeted by a big dog which frightened us though we did have our own dog சுப்ரமணி. We sang the song. The doctor who came to see us did not understand. We explained to him. He knew many of our parents. So he gave us Rs. 5
This was a treasure. None of us had ever had more than one Anna. Half anna was the norm for buying one plantain or two Kadali Mittai. We consulted a bigger boys and then went with him a buy the mittais. We distributed it among all the children. Even bigger boys and girls.
One of the bigger sisters turned spoil sport. She reported this to her mother. Fortunately the mother was too busy on Krishna jayanthi night to bother. But the next way many of us faced the music. Of course by that time all the sweets were eaten. The entire gang pointed at me as the one whose idea it was. The reason was very simple. i was the only one who had immunity from punishment (அடி வாங்கறது). My Grand parents never punished me as I was the youngest of the grand children staying with them and whose parents were the farthest from home in Bihar. Grandmother ignored the complaint. My elder brother wanted to take it up. But since he was one of the recipients of the sweets he kept quiet.
You may wonder whether we did have the play. Yes. We did. But then everyone wanted to be Krishna and no one wanted to be Kamsa. Nanu Saar settled it as always. We had sword fights. wrestling fights. Some kind of dialogue written by Nanu saar. And then a whole lot of Krishna Jayanthi sweets. Mullu Murukku (Thenkozhal), Ceedai (two kinds)maladu, Omapodi, pori urundai (two or three kinds).
This kind of celebration disappeared end during my child hood. All the houses got electricity. Naanu Saar went away to live with his son.
I think I have bored you long enough. I pass on the baton to others to continue.
