Pakathuvity Aunty - 11 - 89 Sivanandha colony

Memories of my 2nd home –
Growing up “Pakathu vidu” was my second home with aunty always welcoming and with a totally different atmosphere from our home. Here it was quiet, serene and everything was planned and went clock work, broken only by sounds of Ramesh arguing with aunty and later playing with the kids his nieces and nephews.
When we moved to Cbe in 1972, I was in second std and I remember standing at the back yard and kalu introducing me to Brindha across the non existent fence. And that was the beginning of my association to Brindha and her family.
There is no order to what I write, but i just wanted to put down my thoughts before it is lost….Everyday soon as I came back from school I changed and went straight next door..i could heard amma in the background…commenting..there she goes…
Following Brindha room to room and helping her out in her chores or fetching and carrying for aunty…things that I would never do at home. Amma always telling aunty, please make her do some work, she never wants to do anything at home and in later years telling me, when you can do chores there, why cant you do them at your home?
Then around 7pm eat half a dinner at brindha's there then had to be literally chased out.
Weekends spending most of the day there, sitting in the steps eating badam fruit from the front tree, cracking them with stones for the nut inside for aunty for her sweets and cakes. Or sitting on those round chairs in the veranda and talking. I had to go home in the afternoon, becos every one slept..then checking every hour if there are signs of movement in the house and rushing back next door and aunty telling me go wake up Brindha, she has been sleeping a long time. Brindha would be covered like a mummy head to toe with this woolen blanket in summer. Sometimes Brindha’s relatives would drop in and she would rush to the dressing room to change into a half saree and I would leave by the back door and in later years through the front door.
This home was as traditional as our home was unconventional. Girls studied only until they got married. And here was Brindha wanting to do medicine…and that home and views changed with years.
Home: the lovely house with so many rooms ,( 3 large bedrooms) one with an attached bathroom and dressing room. Where kids had their own rooms, kids had their own cot, mattress, study table..unlike ours the kitchen with the caol, wood stove and then later modified. The long cupboards in the dinning room. The lovely furniture and then later when “Anni” came her furniture, as a kid all this fascinated me. The crate boxes recycled to enclose the car shed. The mini water heater.. the terrace the place we went first to help aunty make her vathal and then was Brindha’s studying spot and then became our private confidential space.
Uncle: my memories of uncle are a kind gentle man, cutting fruits and sharing with all and taking a walk on Sunday evenings to “Nutan store” with Brindha, Ramesh. Occasionally I was allowed to go with them and I loved it. I remember him in the bedroom and tons of people visiting and having no clue about the serious of the situation. His black Fiat. At school we used to cross our finger for some thing ( black crow, or one back car.) and I used to wait to come home and uncross my finger after seeing the black fiat !!
Aunty: the back bone of the house, who faced so many adversaries in her life and brought up all her kids single handily to become educated and enterprising people. A strict disciplinarian and follower of traditions, she kept up the integrity of the family never letting any one know how she balanced the budget. I remember her long size account book, diligently tracking every paise spent. She pinched and saved for their education and their weddings of the children. She loved them unconditionally, but her favorite was Ramesh, who drove her insane sometimes !!! (Kapu and sajith should know- ramesh I couldn’t stop myself) She had a short fuse, but it was never directed at me, though she must have been tired of seeing me everyday following Brindha like a tail. She used to love to pinch my cheeks so hard. I learned to play solitaire from her, which has sometimes helped me when I was alone in hostel. She rarely went out; I used to be her source of information. Also when people returned from weddings, functions she used to ask in detail about the people who came and the clothes they wore..i remember Sangetha filling from any visits she had made. When Ravi went on his first trip abroad, she kept back a saree for his future wife – then an unknown factor. She loved her grandchildren and spoiled them.
Sivanna: I never knew he existed until he came back a married man with Anni. Uncle left, leaving him the responsibility of looking after the family. He took on this responsibility, sometimes to the cost of his own family’s happiness. Aunty was fortunate to have him and respected his opinions. He was encyclopedia of information. I still remember him with a small pocket book writing all things he has to do and advising me to follow that practice.
Ummanna: He was so much fun and loved to ask me and Brindha, what we found to talk so much sitting for hours in the front veranda. He called us ( 4ks’s) the bathroom singers, as he could hear us singing in the bathroom. He had this key chain collection which fascinated me and of course had his own room, which then became Ravi’s after he left. And his rock garden and the cactus plants with the painted egg shells hanging on them. A few years ago when i was in africa, i saw the same cactus plant -called Sisal- being converted into ropes- bags. i thought of umaanna.
He was the handsome man, girls just hero worshipped him from afar. it must be in the family genes- after all his brother and son manged to hook my sister and niece - both- people would never dream would have a love marriage !!! He taught me to ride the cycle by holding and running behind…a couple of times
Ravi: quiet and self sufficient, rarely said much. For some reason I remember his bday even now and making cakes for him. Of course him and Ramesh riding the bikes back to front, front to back inside the compound…they were on their bikes for hours. Now that I think of it, I wonder why they never rode on the roads around the colony! He helped with my science drawings –and when I went to college expalined management subjects that I aced it !!! also him working in the make shift workshop with the crate boxes.
Ramesh: God…We used to argue like cats and dogs, but also drawn to each other..when I am studying on our terrace he used to go buy choclates and throw over the terrace. I used to like defying amma by riding on the moped with him…of course I heard about a couple of his girlfriends…he loved giving advice and continues to do so. Standing near appas window, I could see him holding Sangeetha as a baby and telling her how she is going to become this amazing engineer and he would be her teacher and he will give her internal marks. He just loved his nieces and spent so much time talking with them. I still have a special fondness for him with all his nonsense!!! Aunty passed on the curious and caring nature to him .
Brindha: She was my soulmate, we have lost touch over the years, but I know I can always turn to her in my need. She dreamt of becoming a dr and against all odds achived her dream and continues her life with single handed focus. She has aunty's do or die attitude, come what may and does not let anyone or anything get in the way of her dreams and desires.
Are there many other people I associate to this home- Premiakka and family, anni, mallikka , Sangeetha, Nithya , Jayshree .
I am happy that I had those years with aunty and I am sure some of her values have been unknowingly passed on to me.