Certain structures are awesome and one such creation is the Kachithuru (haystack). We had one in Kayamkulam near the Erithil; later in my life I saw similar structures in Europe and Asia, in the villages.
The hay stack had the shape of an inverted cone with a pole in the center and what amazed me was the stacking of the hay can be done single handedly. With all the beating the hay got, if it was now, I would be ending my life sneezing to glory, those days it was different we had more resistance.
The hay was piled from the ground up around the pole, and beaten each time or kids jumping on it as much as they could, if allowed. Finally it took shape and once the hay is pulled from the bottom, the hay settles from top down enabling easy access and pull.
The haystack was an abode for many, Valiammachy’s hens ducked under to lay eggs; we kids went after them to check the eggs all the time. She also taught us how to check whether there are eggs ready by inspecting the hens bottom, I don’t know how many of you have done this, but I have done this and I remember it was warm and all I had to do is lift the plumes and duck a finger In and Out and check whether we can feel the shell, if it is still there then we need to keep the hen under wrap, I mean in a safe place so it doesn’t run away and lay eggs where it pleases.
Now if it has already laid the eggs then the search begin, there are some places we know by virtue of our closeness to each one of them; it’s the same game foreign!! Kids play for Easter locating treasure and Easter eggs!!!
We never give up, right? when we want anything from anyone, we make it happen. These were the small lessons we learnt living with elders, the life’s hacks I have learnt and still do keeps me going. Last night when I was scaling, cutting and cleaning sardines, 30 of them in less than 10 minutes, I was tearing, thinking of, and thanking my Amma who could win any Olympics for cutting fish.
Many a times my younger cousins used the Kachithuru (haystack) as a secret hideaway during the one and only amazing game SAT, this is just the simple hide and seek game, I have no clue how it got the name SAT, we had to call out as S then A and then T. Well, we all mastered counting numbers loud without a mistake, and elders who listened to us could catch the weakling who cannot count and that calls for a lot of coaching.
Counting up to 100 was the standard and then when the clever calls out “Are you ready”, the innocent one would answer: Yes Ready, and this exposes him or her, the rest gets enough time to run amuck the house which had doors opening out from most of the rooms along the length and width of the house, or hide behind the Moovandan or Chembukky Mango tree or in the pit of the small coconut palm, behind the Erithil.
There was a time when one of my cousins went missing after a SAT game, he went to sleep under the haystack and the whole household went berserk looking for him, until that time Valiammachy went to pull hay for the cows and spot his little feet under the stack, he was sound asleep, I am sure he got tired and decided to rest for a while.
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