When Valiappachen came home after his studies, his father bought him an Illam from an ancient Namboothiri family, which became our ancestral home in Kayamkulam.
Koovalam trees are considered very sacred, they bring prosperity and have good medicinal values, the leaves of Koovalam resemble Lord Siva’s 3 eyes, and it’s believed Lord Siva resides in a Koovalam tree protecting the devotees. When I look closely my grandparents and their 8 children had a watchful 3rd eye for many details in life, I thank my stars for giving me a chance to grow with the Koovalam.
It was customary to have a Koovalam tree and an Erithil (Cow Shed) in ancient Hindu homes, as you open the front door and every Lord Siva’s temple has a Koovalam tree.
During my childhood days, the 60’s and 70’s everyone lived in perfect religious harmony. Even though all of us had different beliefs, faith, caste and religion, this never governed our lifestyle of togetherness, sharing a meal, staying awake for any event in the neighborhood and enjoying religious ceremonies all through the year.
This was the case until I finished my engineering; it’s only in the late 90’s I started feeling the influx of religion in conversations and visual media.
As we got more exposed to education, we started losing the spirit of coexisting as simple human beings loving each other.
My grandparents didn’t remove the Erithil, or the Koovalam tree. I don’t think I can relate to their house in any form without talking and thinking of our Erithil, the pretty cows, the Koovalam tree, and the amazing mulla (jasmine) plant that creeped all over the Koovalam with the most fragrant flowers I have ever smelt in my life.
The flowers used to fall on the white sugary sand in the night and early morning when I wake up with Valiammachy to milk the cow, this is around 3am when karavakkaran Gopi came in his stand less cycle, the smell was so heavenly, Malayalee’s own poet, the great Sri Vayalar must have experienced this and seen the apsara kanyaka’s (celestial nymph) adorning these flowers. I am getting goose bumbs just remembering the most romantic songs he wrote for Malayalam movies.
The Illam was a sprawling house with a kettinakam (courtyard), three sides attached to the house and the fourth side opening to the front yard from where we can walk to the Erithil, the design and flow of the house was very practical, it was rectangular in shape and started off from the main road side with the well, work area and the kitchen, pathayapura (store to keep grains, food and harvest) the dining area was open and it was a passage connecting the kitchen side and the living quarters, with the kettinakam. The work area had wooden grills facing the main road and the drive way to the house; this is a very intelligent design principle which allows the occupants of the house to see anyone entering the yard.
When we grew up there was always someone in the kitchen and work area. Those days it was a norm to take care of families in need by allowing them to work as kitchen and household help, Friday men and in the agriculture fields etc. This was a very sustainable practice in India, a huge support system to millions keeping the needy occupied, with food, shelter, clothing, education and wages.
Now there is a huge shortage for household help, there are agencies to take care of every chore and you have to be very lucky to find the right choice.
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