Not so long ago I feared walking through the backyard of my house to the small market in my village. The houses in this part of the world have big compounds and most of your neighbours are your relatives. The houses have always two gates or more, one would be for the outsiders to come and the other would be through the compound, cutting across the few houses in the neighbourhood to the roadside and into the market.
That was always the side I used to walk to the market. The compound is filled with dry leaves of sundry trees, the coconut fallen scattered on the ground, pepper creepers on few trees, an electric post and not to forget the little birds those kept the bgm going. The best thing about my village is that it has all the calmness and innocence of an old village with loving people and all the facilities that could give the metros a competition.
Off all the creatures in the backyard were hen a d her kids. Something that is common in animals and humans are the love for their kids, parents are always protective. The hen was also protective, if anyone goes near her she would shake herself and get ready to peck you, sometimes run after you and you are stuck in a dilemma whether to run or stay there try and shoo it away and get pecked by her.
Every time I walked through that side to the market she came to attack me, I used to get past her at times, at times I have stood staring at her as if it was the beginning of a martial art sequence in a Jackie Chan movie. Day by day I hated walking through the backyard to the market and this hen had been the prime reasons of all which I didn't disclose to anyone in the family.
Sometimes I used to think about it and feel bad for it. She stays in a house with her kids, a small house which they sometimes would never know who made it. Not guarded by foxes if any had come down from the small mountain near by, or the pythons those crept by ones in a while. She didn't have the freedom to walk out without fear, a stone released from someone's hand might see her handicapped or kill her kids. Yet she lived her life to the full, broke the shackles of her fear and walked out in search of food with her kids, protecting them and attacking anyone who passed close to her.
Few days later on a busy evening I decided to walk by the backyard to the market, and to my surprise the hen and her kids where not in the vicinity, the next day morning too I couldn't find them blocking my way. For once after so long I felt I walked slowly through the backyard.
Evening when I got back I saw my uncle covering up a small hole in a corner of the compound, as he walked back to the veranda of the house, he informed that the rotten smell last night was of the hen that used to walk around in the compound. That had been found dead under the long branches of the coconut tree piled up around a water apple tree.
I felt sad on losing a creature that spread a message to the busy mankind by its life. It had very short boundaries to live in but it lived with freedom, fearless, happy. We have endless boundaries compared to her, we are still tied up, lost in the big world.
T.R.K
That was always the side I used to walk to the market. The compound is filled with dry leaves of sundry trees, the coconut fallen scattered on the ground, pepper creepers on few trees, an electric post and not to forget the little birds those kept the bgm going. The best thing about my village is that it has all the calmness and innocence of an old village with loving people and all the facilities that could give the metros a competition.
Off all the creatures in the backyard were hen a d her kids. Something that is common in animals and humans are the love for their kids, parents are always protective. The hen was also protective, if anyone goes near her she would shake herself and get ready to peck you, sometimes run after you and you are stuck in a dilemma whether to run or stay there try and shoo it away and get pecked by her.
Every time I walked through that side to the market she came to attack me, I used to get past her at times, at times I have stood staring at her as if it was the beginning of a martial art sequence in a Jackie Chan movie. Day by day I hated walking through the backyard to the market and this hen had been the prime reasons of all which I didn't disclose to anyone in the family.
Sometimes I used to think about it and feel bad for it. She stays in a house with her kids, a small house which they sometimes would never know who made it. Not guarded by foxes if any had come down from the small mountain near by, or the pythons those crept by ones in a while. She didn't have the freedom to walk out without fear, a stone released from someone's hand might see her handicapped or kill her kids. Yet she lived her life to the full, broke the shackles of her fear and walked out in search of food with her kids, protecting them and attacking anyone who passed close to her.
Few days later on a busy evening I decided to walk by the backyard to the market, and to my surprise the hen and her kids where not in the vicinity, the next day morning too I couldn't find them blocking my way. For once after so long I felt I walked slowly through the backyard.
Evening when I got back I saw my uncle covering up a small hole in a corner of the compound, as he walked back to the veranda of the house, he informed that the rotten smell last night was of the hen that used to walk around in the compound. That had been found dead under the long branches of the coconut tree piled up around a water apple tree.
I felt sad on losing a creature that spread a message to the busy mankind by its life. It had very short boundaries to live in but it lived with freedom, fearless, happy. We have endless boundaries compared to her, we are still tied up, lost in the big world.
T.R.K
The title itself "Thalla kozhi" grabbed my attention.I traveled along with your words and imagined the life in a village,which is so pleasant, serene and relaxing.Yeah..the huge compounds with kullams, mango trees,jack fruit trees,vazhas, pepper creepers and the ubiquitous coconut palm trees.
ReplyDeleteNow let me share my personal experience of being showered with such loveable pecks by our sweetie cutie fat thalla kozhi, I shall happily take a trip / go down the memory lane and share here, my extreme joyous childhood summer vacations spent at a small village of South Pang,that is where my extremely affectionate and an epitome of Love, My very fond.. Late Smt Sarojini Ammumma lived.My maternal parent's tharavaadu used to be a red tiled roof three storeyed structure with a huge compound. Just going around, running inside the compound along with kiddos of neighbourhood,plucking mylanji leaves from a small mylanji shrub,crushing them on ammi kallu with the help of Paathumma's daughter Nabisu and applying on each other palm,feeling the fresh fragrance of henna paste, picking ripe mangoes from the compound, savouring them,splashing water running in a thoddu etc etc were the most blissful, gratifying, joyous of experiences,yeah most most precious moments of my childhood which are now nothing but fond memories, deeply etched on the walls of my heart..
We used to have this small kozhi kooddu with small two wooden doors, a small cross shaped hole so that hens are not suffocated, also a latch made or iron, to lock them in at night. I used to be the first one to wake up in the mornings, go to the kozhi koodu, open the door and feed the kozhis inside, with the left over cooked rice of the other day. I remember quite well, there used to be one cock, two kozhis and fairly big kozhi kunjungals too.
I used to imitate my ammooma and call them out with affectionate.. Ba ba ba..they used to scurry out, come around and take the feed. Things changed when during one of my visit there. The thalla kozhi, had laid eggs which were kept for hatching and when I reached there, my ammooma fondly told me that there were now a week old, 6 cutie pie chicks, some light brown and some were white in colour .I couldnt least bit control my urge to feel and touch them, for they looked so so very tender and soft.This urge took better of me as a kid of 10 years and the very next day,I somehow managed to tenderly grab the kiddo chick (chicks are quite cuties right? No wonder nowadays young girls are addressed as chikcs..hehe) And the unexpected happened, the thalla kozhi was way too much annoyed to the extent that she pecked me quite strong with her beaks on my right hand, not once but twice. OUCH! said I, hurriedly dropping the chick from my hand..I was on a verge of tears and much to the amusement of kiddo neighbours who gleefully said, kuttikku athu benam..enthina kozhi kunjinne eduthathu ? I was like..so what, I just meant to cuddle and caress the baby chick! My ammooma was quite protective about me, shielded me from the kiddos and said, "aval kku arriyo athu? Aval poram naatil janichu valaranna kutti alle"? Along with her soothing words of comfort, she applied some coconut oil to ease the pain.
After this incident, I used to be quite vary of going near the thalla kozhi but the deep urge to pick the chick just kept on raising its head in my mind..and so our loving Paathumma who used to visit us daily along with her pretty daughter Nabisu, managed to tenderly lift one of the chicks and place it on my lap, I felt the happiest, while running my small fingers along her delicate soft feathers, my eyes wide in wonderment!
The look of the thalla kozhi before she charged towards me,to peck me,still is quite fresh in my memory.I still remember the exact place and part of the compound, where I got more than a friendly peck from our healthy, buoyantly charging thalla kozhi.How I wish I could rewind the hands of time..travel back in a time capsule to those days of yore..
Whoa!! I am so sorriee..Thariq! I shamelessly confess..my comment is longer than your blog post..Warn me next time..I will refrain from writing such long a comment..Nostalgia gripped me when I read your post..emotions just flowed.
ReplyDeleteReally sorry about that..
Heheh. Really loved reading your experience. It's really amazing to be friendswith someone who shares d same kind of past. A life in the country sides of Kerala. The village culture and then between those fast paced flat life.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comments. Really appreciate your modesty of putting down your experience.
The feeling is mutual :) I really miss those days, the innocent people around, the endless giggles and chatters, no worries whatsoever..pure elixir of life moments..Aah, My mind drifts in peace..
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!
Yep, the innocence and togetherness of people in the village side of Kerala is amazing..
ReplyDeleteAnd hey keep writing you too.