In 1988 when I left for Africa, My Valiammachy and Valiappachen had accompanied me to Bombay. When I landed in Zambia every Zambian looked the same to me on the very first day. This was the same feel when I first went to Korea, China, and Japan etc.
I know it’s too early to write about the places I have travelled, but here I want to talk about my experience in Kenya relating to Kayamkulam and me.
My first trip to Kenya was by sheer accident. Those days, before travelling to any country, we got reading material about that country from the travel agent. To be honest I used to by heart the complete brochure which opened out like a fan.
We had Encyclopedias’ volumes of books which were stacked for ready reference. One thing I did was frequent the library and go through simple facts about the culture and tradition of the country, which I was keen to know and experience wherever I go. During every journey I would be the Google for others.
Tending cattle is a ritual, taught from childhood in Kenya. They are taught to sing to the cattle, they don’t count the cattle, but they know each one by their special features.
My Valiammachy, knew all her pets, whether it’s a kitten or the puppies, or the cattle by their special features, she had names for each and every one of them, sometimes nick names, it was like a missing friend. I will never forget the names she gave for the fish monger and others again by virtue of their anatomy and special features !!!
Growing up, beyond reading Malayalam books from the Municipal library in Kollam (now named as T. M . Varghese Memorial) and what my Appa had, the poems I studied in school and what I read from my great friend Vijayalakshmi, poet and wife of Balachandran Chullikad, poet, my Malayalam still revolves around the movies I grew up with.
“Spadikam”, a craft by director Bhadhran in 1995, he took threads of life from various time zones in peoples life and blended the greatest concoction and made Mohanlal the true performer, give us the make belief feel of what a Kenyan Maasai does.
One has to see the first few scenes of the movie when you read this.
You can feel the blunted arrow puncturing a hole with extreme precision in the jugular vein, the blood oozing out, and siphoning to a jar. The hole being plugged instantly, with a clog or mass of dung and the cow joining the herd not knowing, what happened to her.
The blood is stirred into 2 day old cow’s milk and this is given to women who have delivered as prasava rakhsa. (health treatment after delivery)
The shot in Spadikam has the same accuracy, its a director’s shot, with Mohanlal grabbing a black goat and rolling down, the cry, the blood and the gallop of the great performer.
A good director does so much research to entertain us for a life time and a good performer with a Midas touch makes us connect to history far and wide.
This drink is full of protein, sick people; young boys who have passed the initiation rites into men get this drink in Kenya.
Valiammachy had the best of life saving concoctions no matter what the illness was. From the kattan chai (black tea) gargle for clearing the throat, to kaduku (mustard) roasted and boiled with water for stomach cramps, to rolling a naazhi (cylindrical measure) in the neck, for stiff neck. So many life hacks.
I feel for the new generation who will never get an opportunity to experience life, with the touch and feel like we did. If there are elderly people be with them talk to them or visit them wherever they are.
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