Urban basket laced with gods, spirits and mortals… the story continues

I’d begin with the disclaimer that there’s no particular order or sequence to this whole piece. I’d compare myself to a basket weaver who gossips while she weaves. So each part of the basket would be laced with stories and incidents from different folks who have visited her and shared some experiences with her. My’ urban’ basket is one such item and it’s laden with stories of spirits, gods and mortals which I have gathered from my Kerala visits and from my immediate family till date. It’s my attempt to weave all my childhood memories into this article and feel closer to my roots. As the main protagonist, I have taken the liberty of exaggerations and additions to raise the mystique quotient in some places:)

A visit to Kerala is a memory that lingers on for some days even after

you get back to the cosmopolitan groove & grind that’s synonymous with Mumbai. The quaint smell of earth after it rains, the swishing coconut trees, the beautiful scenic lakes, endless varieties of flowers which beckon you to stand and stare….I can go on reminiscing about these memories which last for some days, until  the time when you have to get back to work and there’s no rickshaw to ply you..Then you are back in the world of autos, buses, trains and harassed people who are always in a hurry to get somewhere. A good part of our life goes in travelling while we live in big cities. Maybe that’s why we find solace in our short little vacations which transport us to another world of leisure where afternoons are for short naps, food is not meant to be ‘fast’ food but a wholesome family affair and where people still find time to pry into other’s personal lives. LOL!! Sorry…couldn’t resist mentioning that trait. I guess it’s due to the endless questioning that I face in relation to my yet ‘single’ status.

Last month, I got an opportunity to revisit the old Tarawad Veedu* (ancestral home) which belonged to my maternal ‘Apoopa*. Most of the extended family have moved out to urban areas, in search of ‘artificial’ pleasures and are still in the process of discovering their niche in these locations. It sounds clichéd but despite all the additions, the land still beckoned us to stop and visit. Maybe it was my Apoopa’s and Ammachi’s spirit asking us to visit them

Our tharavad house was built in the middle of a vast landed property. A small stream behind the house added to the picturesque scenario. There are many happy memories linked to this land and the attached home. As the family grew bigger, additional rooms were built by Apoopa to accommodate the new members. Umpteen fond memories are also attached with Ammachi’s little kitchen which had the fireplace where food was cooked. The aroma of firewood burning and the smoky atmosphere within still lingers on in my thoughts. There was an open window at the side from where the smoke from the kitchen was meant to escape.  But often, it became an outlet from where snakes gained entry into the kitchen area... But Ammachi was never bothered. She considered them as friends of the family. Often I had the urge to ask her if her reptile friends were of the poisonous variety. But what the heck! Who cares about such trivia when faced with one!!!

I still remember the rickety bench and desk on which food was served. Sea salt was used during those days. I guess they were not too worried about lack of iodine in salt :).There was a white colored, plastic salt water bottle which was squeezed when additional salt was needed in the food. Ammachi also had a big wooden box in the kitchen area. It had little compartments in it. She used to fill those with the choicest of chips and other snacks. A major chunk of our childhood went in raiding these while she was busy. It gave us great pleasure to see her horrified face when she realized that all of the snacks had vanished and there was nothing to serve the guests. Ammachi never got any vegetables from the market as she believed in growing them in her little vegetable patch. From eggs to milk, meat & veggies, everything was homegrown. There was no fear of any form of contamination impacting the family’s health. I do get some pleasure in irritating my mother by stating that her culinary skills didn’t match up with ammachi’s skills. Of course...I don’t go on for too long or my next meal would have to be ordered from the hotel as she’d ban me foreverJ from her kitchen.

There was a quaint looking well outside the kitchen. We used to drop the bucket in the well to hear the splash and gauge the depth. Of course...the elders yelled at us when we did this, as most times, the bucket couldn’t be retrieved as we had forgotten to hold on to the edge of the rope to which it was tied. The usage of washroom that was situated outside the house and at a distance didn’t really synchronize with our city bred habits. Imagine getting the natural urges while at night? It took a lot of effort to curb them as the prospect of walking out in the dark was scarier to handle. The caretaker of the house added to these fears by telling us stories on how a ‘yakshi*’ hopped from one palm tree to the other and how he has seen a ball of light moving around the trees during his nocturnal visits. It would have been great to meet this ‘Yakshi*’ and learn more about this hopping exercise that she indulged in. Maybe it will help ease the misery of crossing the heavy traffic hours while in Mumbai by hopping some distances!! A visit to this area during dawn was also not something to look forward to. The washroom didn’t have a roof! We were always under the perpetual fear that some person would be up on the coconut tree and witnessing a free bathing show when we were within the washroom. Of course...That was a farfetched possibility.

The caretaker of our Tarawad had facial features that resembled our early ‘primates’. He had bulging eyes and I always had this feeling that they would pop out some day. The bones in his body stuck out from his tiny frame and seemed like they were all held together by a thin coat of skin. His legs were shaped like brackets and he walked around with just a lungi (waist cloth) around him. His nature to gossip was well-known to one and all. When some acquaintance fell into a nearby well in error, he was more interested in enquiring about the existence of the ‘strong coconut’ tree that was at the side of the well, rather than the wellbeing of the person who survived this ordeal. Talk about social niceties!! It was not a trait he was known for during his tenure on this planet. One of his daily tasks was to take the cows to the field so that they could graze on the lush green grass, near the fields. The scene that I remember vaguely was of the cows dragging his thin frame to the field. He’s no longer with us. God bless his soul!

The little ‘pooja*’ room had multiple gods and goddesses and I remember my dilemma on which god to bow to as I didn’t want any of them to be upset and shower curses on me instead of blessings. During childhood, Ammachi has shared many mystical incidents like the one where she mentions that a golden colored snake used to visit the pooja room while my Apoopa prayed. By the way, snakes are worshipped in Kerala. Every Hindu Tarawad would have a small temple (Sarpa Kavu) in a nearby land where the lamp was lit in the evening to appease the snake god and goddess. I think it’s a logical practice as street lights were rare and the lamps provided the much needed light. Killing serpents was a rarity as it was believed that this act would lead to a lot of curses for the future generations. Similarly, I can recollect old timers stating that if you killed a serpent, the mate would soon come to your residence to seek revenge for this killing. This is a scientifically incorrect belief but again, folklores are not dependant on logic. I guess Hindi movies are inspired by this premise which explains the umpteen snake centered movies with light eyed actors enacting the snake’s roles with oomph and elan.

One of my favorite haunts during my visits was the Snake temple that’s located near my uncle’s residence. This temple is claimed to be 6000 years old and is believed to have been built by Sage Parasurama. I had read in some religious article on the uniqueness of Hinduism where what’s feared is revered and worshipped as the more you fear a thing, the more power it has to harm you. The existence of this snake temple reaffirms the statement above. There is a mysterious aura about the place, which is covered with medicinal trees, creepers and plants all favored by snakes. Rows upon rows of granite snake figures that are covered with turmeric powder sit on the walls and line the grounds. There are also many snake pits made of sand in which numerous snakes live happily. They are totally unafraid and in turn they generate a feeling of awe and respect rather than fear. The senior most female member of the family is the final authority on all matters pertaining to the puja at this temple. She is known as Valliamma (big mother) & her time is to be spent exclusively in puja, prayer and meditation. The Valliamma has to be a celibate and she is not allowed to go out of the temple compound for long. The most important offering in the temple is “noorum palaum.” This is the mixture of rice powder, turmeric powder and milk. It is also well known that nothing is stolen from the temple. It is believed that the snakes of the temple guard the property of the temple. I have heard the story of a couple who picked up a pumpkin from within the temple grounds. When they reached home, they found that a serpent awaited them which made them realize their folly. People wanting children come to this temple and it is believed that all their problems are solved. A family known to us was blessed with a child after they prayed at this temple. So does that mean that from now on, there won’t be any childless couples? Well, believers would say that”Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase”. In short, it’s a place where fact, faith, fiction, myth and miracle mingle together.

The goddess in our village temple had a past as well. No one in the village actually knows on how her idol reached this village. Old timer stories inform of the idol being found under a tree. The goddess was always covered with flowers from this tree. Soon, the villagers decided to build a temple to house her and crowned her as their protector. Once the temple was build, the next task was to find a priest. They did find a priest but unluckily, he committed suicide within some months. No one knows the reasons for the same. The villagers conducted the ‘devaprashnam’ session where the astrologers were called and the latter determined that the priest had got transformed into a Yaksha and it was foreseen by the astrologers that any further religious activities would make the Yaksha* more powerful that the deity herself. So once again, a man became the reason for a woman, to be left to fend for herselfJ… in this case, a goddess! Ironic!! This lack of religious activity went on for some years until some visiting person lit the lamp at the village temple in error. This became the next hot topic of discussion as it was akin to sacrilege for the villagers. Anyways, the astrologers were called again and they finally predicted that the religious activities can continue as the bad phase had ended. Am sure the goddess would have heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that! Today, the temple is flourishing and there is a constant rush of devotees here. There are plans to make the temple bigger and better. So all is well!!

Stories about spirits have always fascinated me.  I am more interested in the stories which are said with a lot of conviction and drama. I’d like to share the one which my cousin loves to narrate every time the topic comes up about spirits. He vows that he has seen one in person. He was travelling on his scooter with his friend on a dark night. The clouds were pregnant with rain. There were frogs croaking and he could hear the dogs barking at a distance. The narrow lane within the fields was deserted and the street lights were dim. He saw a figure coming in the opposite direction on a cycle. The person was dressed in white. He informs that this figure passed him within seconds. His headlight conked off while this person passed by and when he turned back, he saw no one. His friend didn’t even see this person whom my cousin saw which made it more mystical. On a separate note, I kind of liked the idea of spirits travelling on cycles. Very mobile!! A repetitive trend is hearing about spirits dressed in white. Whatever happened to variety in terms of color? Am eager to hear one where the spirit was all dolled up and dressed in the choicest of colors. But sadly, am yet to hear about one with that kind of glam attire. I think that the story tellers need to draw inspirations from the pretty yakshis who are beamed via the Malayalam TV channels. Like someone commented on their blog, the latter represent the modern generation of yakshis who resemble a cross between the Garden Saree advertisements of yesteryears and the ‘Aishwarya Rai*’ ad for shampoo. There were many such ghostly tales connected to my Ammachi’s maternal home which was situated in a distant town. There was a room in that old house which was considered to be haunted by her Apoopa. None of his paintings that existed in the house actually indicated that he was a pleasant personality to deal with. Hope his temperament is better off in the ‘other’ world that he departed. An uncle who was an Army Major found these tales to be women’s gossip and dared to sleep in the so called haunted room by himself. At night, he experienced this strange feeling that someone was holding his neck and trying to strangulate him. But he was firm that it was probably a dream that he experienced. Well! All agreed with him as no one wanted to have any apparitions following them, if they actually existed. After hearing all of these instances, stepping out of the house during the dark hours, became a rarity.

Since we are on the subject of goddesses, I’d also like to mention that our family goddess stays at some distance away. She has a huge temple to her credit. The goddess had protected some of our ancestors during a war phase and she had housed them in the temple. Since then, she’s regarded as our family’s protector and one who keeps us hale and hearty. The temple is housed in a dense forest like area. Not many people live at the vicinity of the temple. The temple that’s dedicated for her worship is beautiful in terms of its architecture. There are beautiful sculptures and paintings all over the inner and outer walls. The temple itself has many such quaint features. Women need to tie their hair while inside. The ‘prasadam**’ that’s provided shouldn’t be dropped within the temple interiors. Women are not allowed in the temple, once it’s dark. After six pm, the rituals that are conducted are mainly for the ‘bhootaganas’ or spirits. So I believe that women were not allowed as they were liked to be possessed by spirits if they were in the near vicinity during these hours. It’s a very interesting fact to be observed that it’s mostly women who get possessed. Now, why is that? Do we have a special penchant to attract these passing spirits? I have heard very few ghost stories with a man as the main character. The main temple has 2 doors. The one at the side is never opened. Legend goes that a human sacrifice will need to happen if this temple door had to open. The deity within this temple is also supposed to be very ferocious form of “kaali”, so much that anyone who sees the goddess has chances of losing their mental senses. Hence the priests conduct worship from the backside of the temple. There is a ‘Shiva’ temple on the side of the main temple. The wife and husband (Shiva & Parvati) are housed in this temple under one roof itself. When you walk out of the temple, there are many smaller temples that are dedicated for snake gods and for spirits that guard the goddess. There’s also the famous ‘Yakshi’ temple whose legend has been made popular through the TV serial of a famous vicar father who was skilled in exorcising ghosts and spirits. As the story goes, he was responsible for exorcising and taming this evil spirit and placing her in this temple. Even this day, there are many who believe that she still haunts and dwells in this kavu (forest), invisible to the human eye, but at times she has been sighted by many people on several occasions, especially " Karuthavavu" and on Fridays .These sightings are described by the local people as an extremely beautiful woman or as a flying pillar of fire. In Kerala, gods coexist with spirits. Latter are also provided with respect as they are considered as protectors of the gods and having their own special powers.

Stories related to black magic are also part of the folklore and it was an entertaining topic during tea time.Ammachi once mentioned this story of a lady who was possessed by an evil spirit. The astrologer predicted that she was given some food that was laced with black magic by her neighbor, with the intention of making her lose her mental faculties. The family astrologer had to give her some counter medicine to make her vomit out the food. Ammachi swore that the woman started behaving normally after this. It’s cited that innocent folks fall victim to the drishti (evil eye). Ammachi had a strange method of banishing the evil eye. She took 3 big red chilies to the fire place and then would make the person who was thought to have the evil eye, stand next to her. She would then mutter a secret hymn and then put the chilies into the fire. The chilies would splutter and burn away. Once done, she would run her hands over the flame, like she was gathering the positive energy from the fire and then run her hand over the person’s head. It was akin to transferring some blessings from the fire to the person to keep him protected. If the person’s eyes watered or he started coughing during this act, then there was no evil eye and whatever he was facing was misfortune created by his own deeds. People at the village feared the folks who were deemed to have the evil eye. There was a poor man who got labeled with this trait and he went through a lot of social ostracism as people feared inviting him to functions as they didn’t want any harm to occur. Sad, but true!

There are multiple temples in Kerala with very beautiful folklores and traditions surrounding the same. One of the temples is witness to a remarkable phenomenon where the deity that is cast in the five metals (panchaloha) gets her menses. The main sanctum is kept closed for three days when this happens. During this period a small idol is installed in a secluded room and rituals are conducted there. On the fourth day, the bathing ceremony-(Triputtu arattu)-is conducted by taking the deity’s image on a female Elephant to the nearby river. Women with thalapoli (holding lamps), accompany this procession. On return, Lord Shiva’s image that is mounted on an elephant awaits his consort and receives her ceremoniously. The deities then enter their respective sanctums and the worship for the Goddess is resumed. Interesting, isn’t it?

Another lingering memory is that of elephant rides at our Tarawad. My uncle had got 2 elephants to be part of the family. It added to the Nair pride when there were elephants in the Tarawad as they were signs of a prosperous family. He rented them out to temples for processions during the ‘pooram*’ season. One of them was a bit aggressive. So riding on him would be next to impossible. So we were all piled on top of the other elephant that was more patient with whiny little kids. I remember complaining about the poky hair on his body. The elephant never let anyone who was not part of the family to come near him. I remember my aunt asking us to crawl from underneath the elephant’s side as it would make us brave. Right! Getting near him was an effort in itself. Imagine going to his side and then crawling to the opposite side? There was always a craze for getting a strand of hair from the elephant’s tail. The black strands were used in finger rings and bracelets and were held together by gold which is a very popular metal in Kerala.

At the village, I recollect memories of visits to the local grocery store that had articles heaped over each other, magazines hung outside the shop on little strings, the Keralite variety of red and yellow bananas hanging outside and the single light bulb which illuminated the entire shop. Some shops only had a lantern that was kept within the store.  Items which caught my fancy were the sugar coated peanut chocolate, a local version of my favorite M & Ms, and the lime soda that was served in some of these shops. The soda for the lime drink came from local soda bottles with a marble on top. Latter had to be pushed down to get the soda out.

My mother’s remarks during this visit were that her little village is no longer recognizable as it had changed, both in terms of people and in terms of the panorama itself.  A major chunk of this change can be attributed to the NRIs who returned from the gulf and invested their savings in their hometown itself. Kerala is famous for the gulf Malayalees who toil away in the desert lands of the Gulf and send back the hard earned money to their near and dear ones, back home. These individuals are easily recognized from their fat gold chains and bracelets, the amount of gold ornaments on their wife and the latter’s chiffon saris, their huge mansions, the gulf electronics, artificial flower decorations at their home, gulf carpets, serving of ‘Tang’ and gulf chocolates while at their homes and also their penchant to speak about the gulf experiences to one and allJ. The entire landscape of the village changed after some of these folks returned to their hometown. Soon there was a bus service available that went to the heart of the village and back. Mobile networks were plenty. Small scale businesses flourished in the village due to the efforts of these NRIs. Now in place of little stores, there are huge shopping malls where you can shop for the latest items that are available as in any global market. I miss my local stores!

Today, our ancestral land is owned by a Christian family. The new owners had added their own touches to the old land by building a swish mansion and having a garden which seemed to be well tended and last but not the least, the unfriendly dog and the dreary looking kennel. Mother still berates that they don’t know how to live on a land that belonged to Hindus. I believe her greatest ire was that they had built a washroom in the location where the snake temple existed in the past. But she is learning to live with it. After all, it was a family decision to sell off the property.

We had misty eyes when we finished our visit and continued our journey further….Got me thinking that someday, I’ll also miss this little apartment where we live today and I’d have similar urban memories to share with my grandkids.

Maybe the next visit will get me to ‘weave’ another basket filled with a fresh set of stories and folklores…Ending my saga with a quote.

“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life”

- Steve Jobs

Glossary

·         Devaprasnam is an astrological ritual performed in the temples in Kerala primarily to know the ‘divine opinion’ regarding the functioning of the temple.

·         Tharavad Veedu- Family home

·         Kaali- The Hindu goddess associated with eternal energy. "She who destroys".

·         Ammachi- Grandmother

·         Apoopa- Grandfather

·         Pooja- religious rituals

·         Bhootaganas- Spirits, also regarded as Lord Shiva’s companions

·         Yakshi- Yakshis were supposedly vampirish beings who possesses satanic powers and were known to prowl and stalk human beings

·         "Karuthavavu"- Nights when moon is not visible

·         Yaksha- A male form of a kind of ghost (bhuta)

·         Aishwarya Rai- Famous Indian Actress

·         Pooram- Fair conducted by the temple

·         Prasadam- Offerings from the temple