I can never forget our one and only Anandavally, she belonged to a community called Vedanmaar, the few families who lived near the lake close to our home who had taken up fishing as their livelihood.
Jokes, satire, pulling legs, playing pranks, fun and frolic was part of our life, everything transformed to a reason for celebration and life was always simple celebrations with good food and the urge to serve the needy.
A trip to gulf by family or friends or neighbors, weddings, birthdays and anniversaries, Amma’s frequent trip to the hospital or anyone who wanted to consult the best doctors, home stay to study at the best schools and colleges, SSLC exam valuation, holidays for cousins and relatives, shopping for anything and everything in Kollam, to choose a bride or bridegroom, baptism and betrothal everything was celebrated at home.
People just came and stayed in good numbers and for days, there weren’t any questions asked or eyebrows raised. It was a lot of fun and there were Ustaads like Thampy Annan (Kochu and Valiya) both brothers young and old, Prakash Annan, Vavachy Akka, Saraswathy Akka, Somannan all from one family, who owned Saw Mills.
Reginald was my parent’s and my driving tutor, multitalented, singer, tablist, actor, Jeanie of jokes, who decided to stay back with us until he left for foreign to Muscat. Joboy was Reginald’s cousin and everyone assembled at home to play shuttlecock (Badminton) every single day.
We had a court at home in front of the house, it was sports, food lots of food and so much of laughter that except for Amma’s allergic asthma with the fumes from the cashew factory just a furlong away from home, no one was ever ill.
Anandavally came home in the evenings generally after spending the whole day from early morning in the cold waters of the Ashtamudi lake to catch Karimeen, Kakka (mussels) and Njandu (crab), the minute she walks in through the gate, we sang this
ആനന്ദവല്ലി നീ തന്നെ അല്ലി പ്രേമം എന്തെന്നിതെന്നോട് ചൊല്ലി…
I could see her blush and turn pink an amazing contrast on her dark brown sturdy skin, she carried a woven coconut palm pouch, which had the catch of the day, this was a unique pouch which looked like the toddy tappers Kudam, with just one opening on top, and tiny holes all over which kept the fish in contact with water all the time while they literally drowned to catch the fish, from the moss covered stones by the shore of the lake. I don’t believe they passed this trait to their children as it is one of the toughest of bread winning task.
Anandavally had a very special diction, she used to parrot her words: thethethethe, added to the words and sentences, as though she was still in the water shivering, it was a musical note of parroting, I loved to talk to her and hear the special tone of her speech, and tried to answer her in the same manner. I miss her a lot, she was very kind and she was one person who shared her catch with me allowing me to practice cutting and cleaning of fish.
The fish used to be live and would jump and twitch and turn flexing its muscles, it was so hard for me to hold them and to scale or remove the fin, and she would do all this while the fish is still alive and kicking. Soon I realized I will never be able to cut the fish like Amma did, holding it in my hand firmly but gently without pressing the fish, and slicing the side with a strong grip on the knife. I couldn’t do that, hence I started using the sharp scissors from Kunnumkulam the bigger one, presented to Amma by her sister’s husband.
It was tough very tough, the bones and fins, so I opted to clean the smaller pallathy. I mastered the art of cutting fish using scissors and when my parents went to Bahrain and Kuwait in the early 80’s they brought back a kitchen scissor made in Germany, that became my savior and I have never looked back till date.
Anandavally‘s deal was to help Amma to cut and clean if there is a lot, if Amma was busy she just did it herself, then she would sweep the yard, collect food for her family and leave around 6 pm.
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