‘Friends of Helen’,
Now that our official ‘Giving Thanks’ Day of 2023 is behind us, I’m in a reminiscing mode.
At Some point at Sowmini’s place, our conversation evolved into how we all met ‘the Men Of Our Dreams’ in assorted Suriyani ways.
As I mentioned then, I had recanted part of my story this past August for our Carmel Mar Thoma hiking buddies.
I can’t help it, I feel obligated to forward it one more time just in case you missed any of my details. 😉
At the Thanksgiving Table two days ago, Nisha had all of us briefly tell the family what it was that we were thankful for.
As will be no surprise to any of you, I said, ‘I’m thankful that Appi is my husband’. Just four words.
To which, Nisha replied, ‘Yeah, Mum, you hit the jackpot’.
Hope we’re all thankful for the leftovers and much more.
Thank you, Joy and Sowmini, for having us all over for food and fun, and most of all to spend quality time with Helen and Chintu during the Holiday Crush.
Happy Advent Season everyone…Read on for the cut and paste from three months ago.…
Mercy
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August 19, 2023
Achen and Hiking buddies,
During our Saturday outing, which happened to coincide with our 52nd Wedding Anniversary, I was asked by Achen, if there was any one thing that stood out in my mind or experiences over these decades of our marriage. Out in the open space, I had a brain freeze and I couldn’t think of one. it’s difficult to encapsulate fifty-two years into one snippet.
Then once back home, and the sea breeze must have cleared my cerebrum, something dawned upon me, and I was like, why didn’t I think of this then? So, This is an addendum to the piece I wrote two years ago.
Ok, back to when my father ‘found’ this ‘boy’ that I did mention at the park.
So my father made plans to go to Pallipad to check out this new ‘proposal’ with this relative of my father-in-law (Achayan used to call this relative Aliyan), who was from Kattanam. Mavan knew both families and is the one who connected the two.
The two fathers were classmates, and when first told, the tale is that Papaji asked Mavan, ‘Baby-ku engane oru mon undo’?
Mavan, on his own and unbeknownst to my father, had given Achayan, my father-in-law, a specific time that the ‘guests’ would be arriving.
And the guests were late.
My father who’s never been late for anything in his entire life, (and I can firmly attest to this), was late that day. The ‘why’ of this is another story.
Let’s proceed. So Achayan, when the visitors didn’t show at the expected time, requested his second son, my husband, the ‘Cherukan’ in this story, to go to ‘Illathe Purayidam’ and oversee the Puli harvest. The Puli has to be harvested at its peak. This Kudam Puli tree is so huge it produces enough for the family for a year’s worth and then some.
The family used to sell the Puli after processing, a method in and of itself, and store it in this giant earthenware vessel called a ‘Cheena Bharani’, truly an antique of Chinese origin.
Legend has it that is was introduced to Southern India by Marco Polo on one of his voyages between China and Italy where India was his wayward station. This Bharani is now in our sister Laly’s Ernakulam flat.
So back to the Puli. While the ‘boy’ was in ‘Illum’, my Dad showed up at the Kochupurackal house with Mavan.
The two classmates cheerfully renewed their friendship from over fifty years prior, from the M.T. Seminary Boarding School in Kottayam and then their Trivandrum College days.
After the preliminary niceties were done with, the harvest was still going on, so Achayan dispatched Kuttan, his ‘go-to’ guy, to go and fetch whom Kuttan used to call ‘Thampi Thampuran’. (A bit of a reminder of the first chapters of ‘The Covenant Of Water’ where Shamuel addresses the ‘Thamp’ran’).
My husband left supervising the Puli project for the time, came home, and met my Dad.
It was ‘love at first sight’. For my Dad.
Papaji took to this prospective son-in-law like a duck takes to water.
Chief among the factors that drew him was, if this guy would go and manage this menial and physical ‘krishi’ work after graduating from a professional college, then it must mean he’s not shy of hard work no matter how lowly the work is, then he’ll work hard and take care of my little girl, too, for sure.
To this Math guy, who studied Trigonometry and Advanced Calculus in college, this made perfect sense, right?
What part of it don’t you understand?
Subsequently as he was relating this to me with gleeful eyes, I was thinking, who cares about this, as long as he looks like Shashi Kapoor (thanks, Neena 😊) and dresses like him too. 😁
Moral of the story: God had a plan. The plan included my Dad being late to this auspicious occasion.
All the principals in this story, Achayan, Papaji, Kuttan, all gone now, even the big ‘Illathe purayidam’ and the Puli maram, and Gosh, the ‘Kochupurackal Veedu’ itself.
But this recall remains vivid and forever etched.
Betsy, see what you started? I’m sure you’re sorry you asked. 😉
Needless to say, Saturday was a splendid day, thank you all for making it so and marking it our day. You guys are the best.
Thanks for the food, the Dunkin’, all of it.
Until next time…
Mercy
“For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” Romans 1:20 NIV
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mercy's musings 