We visited family friends this evening and maami makes sure that we never leave their house without eating. Her way of making me eat is something I have never come across anywhere else except with my own grandmom. Maami reminds me of her in several ways. This evening, she decided she won't let me go without thair saadham and more molagai. And then she brought the thair saadam in the right consistency, settled down next to me on the table and told me simply "Kaiyila vaangikko". A lump rose in my throat. I remembered the time when my mom, my grandad and I would sit around paatti. Thair saadham would first be placed on the palm, a small kuzhi made, in which a bit of kozhambu would be poured and we would eat it. Those were the most beauteous of times. Simple pleasures are the most expensive. But then it was played out today again. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. And there was this warmth I felt which I hadn't in quite a while. My mom too has similar stories to recollect. She mentions of a kalka chatti in which the vathakozhambu would be made and the entire battalion of children and adults in the house would sit around one elder who was serving, talk, laugh, eat. And that was life. They lived.
Maama, is a very interesting man. He quotes whole verses from Bhartrhari, Kautilya, Upanishads and the Gita and says his memory is not as good as it used to be. I dont know what to say to a man who is rattling off passages at times, explains the meaning and then says his memory is dimming. He also said how some of the songs in the movies were a direct translation from these ancient texts. Made a mental note to start reading Bhartrhari for the beauty in his writing.
If you have the good fortune of being around your grandparents, treasure every moment. Get them to speak and listen to them. For they have a reservoir of wisdom that you and I cannot equal. True, there is no real measure of knowledge and neither can there be any comparison of the older and newer methods of knowledge or imparting it. But there seems to be a certain magic in the age gone by. And I wish my grandparents were around.
Maama, is a very interesting man. He quotes whole verses from Bhartrhari, Kautilya, Upanishads and the Gita and says his memory is not as good as it used to be. I dont know what to say to a man who is rattling off passages at times, explains the meaning and then says his memory is dimming. He also said how some of the songs in the movies were a direct translation from these ancient texts. Made a mental note to start reading Bhartrhari for the beauty in his writing.
If you have the good fortune of being around your grandparents, treasure every moment. Get them to speak and listen to them. For they have a reservoir of wisdom that you and I cannot equal. True, there is no real measure of knowledge and neither can there be any comparison of the older and newer methods of knowledge or imparting it. But there seems to be a certain magic in the age gone by. And I wish my grandparents were around.
26 comments:
Hi Chin
it took me to the days i were with my Paati. There use to be 28 vaandu pattalam (7x4 each)!!! for every summer holidays and each and every day was the happiest day....if i think now.
I sometimes wonder...will we be able to care our siblings in the same way comming days? How many times we have eaten like this ??
Have we not lost something in this tech usurped days???
[u have written it so well that i felt being at home from here]
"I couldn't wipe the smile off my face"
:-)
A wonderful way of expressing..
hi chinmayi..
this reminds me of my younger days where we used to sit around our patti and she used to tell us abt the story of rama and krishna.. the smell of thayir sadam and vathakuzhambu will just not leave ur palm even after u wash ur hands... lovely days. I m in US and i feel for my son who is missing all this.
ur blog is awesome... i dont know why??? everytime i read ur blog i feel at home. and i like the way u appreciate others pointing out each and every good aspects that you come across. Ur command over the english is just too good.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. I WISH ALL SUCCESS TO U
Hi...
Nice narration...The last lines were true to d core....
Well I was called thayirsadham in school and was proud of that.Thair sadham is the finisher for any meal. I love thairsadam with salt, ginger, green chilies, mustard seeds mixed with right proportions. My granny’s special.
Beautifully written.
//If you have the good fortune of being around your grandparents, treasure every moment. Get them to speak and listen to them.//
Very well said.
hi chinmayi everyone knows u sing well,but this post says you also express emotional feel in a unique way when you talk to close friend or close one .i like the depth of love u have on them .
"If you have the good fortune of being around your grandparents, treasure every moment. Get them to speak and listen to them. For they have a reservoir of wisdom that you and I cannot equal."
Wow :-)
hello friend ,while reading ur post an idea came to my mind ,i pray u read this comment by today evening so that you might be able to do it ,open you laptop and show this blog post to your grandma they will proud about their sweet " pethi " :):):) hope u enjoy that second na
Dear Chinamyi
Thanks for kindling the sweet memories of the past where my Atthai used to call us for a moonlight dinner. சாதம் பிசைந்து பசங்களை அரைவட்டமாக சுற்றி உட்காரவைத்து, கதை சொல்லியபடி ஒவ்வொருத்தருக்கும் பிசைந்த மோர் / தயிர் சாதத்தை கையில் இட்டு, கட்டை விரலால் குழி பண்ணிக்குங்க என்று அதில் சிறிது வத்தக்குழம்பையும் விட்டு, அதை உறிஞ்சு சப்புக்கொட்டி சாப்பிடுவதில் உள்ள இன்பம் இன்று கோடி கோடியாய் சம்பாதிப்பதில் இல்லைதான். அந்த ருசியும், கைம்மணமும் இனி வருமா?சித்தப்பா, பெரியப்பா, அத்தை என உறவினரின் குழந்தை பட்டாளத்துடன் போட்டி போட்டு ‘அத்தை எனக்கு விட்டுட்டு அவனுக்கு குடுத்துட்டியே, அவன் சரியான பகாசூரன்’ ‘இருப்பா! அவன் பெரியவனோல்லியோ! பசி கொஞ்சம் ஜாஸ்தி! நீயும் வேகமா நெறய சாப்டறதுதானே! வேண்டிய அளவுக்கு இருக்கு! வஞ்சனையில்லாம சாப்பிடுங்கோ பசங்களா’ என்று அன்பு வழிய அன்னமிட்டதும், சகல அரட்டைகளுடனும், வால்தனத்துடனும் (அத்தை! சாப்பிடும்போது என்ன கிச்சு கிச்சு மூட்டறான், “ஹையா, நாந்தான் ஃப்ர்ஸ்ட், சாப்பிடத்தெரியுதா பார்! முழங்கையெல்லாம் ஒழுகறது! தொடைல கிள்ளிட்டான்! போட்டு நெருக்கறான் பாரு எறுமைமாடு! இன்ன பிற வழக்குகளை தீர்த்து வைக்க அத்தைதான் ஜட்ஜ்) நிலா இல்லாவிட்டால் ஹரிக்கேன் விளக்கில் சுற்றி அமர்ந்து கைச்சோறு சாப்பிட்டது‘அன்று போல் இன்று வருமா’ என்று தோன்றுகிறது.
அமெரிக்காவில் வளரும் என் குழந்தைகளுடன் சென்னை சென்றபோது அவர்களுக்கும் இந்த அனுபவத்தை அளிக்க என் தங்கையிடம் சொன்னபோது “ எப்பவும் பீட்ஸா பீட்ஸான்னு அலையாதீங்கடா! அத்தை கையால ‘மூன் லைட் டின்னர்’ சாப்பிட்டு பாருங்க” என்று சொன்னபோது தயக்கத்துடன் சப்பளம் போட்டு உட்கார்ந்தவர்கள் அவர்களின் அத்தை பிசைந்து கையில் போட்டதை அனுபவித்து சாப்பிட்டார்கள், அன்னத்தோடு அருமைத் தமிழும் அவர்களுக்கு ஊட்டப்பட்டது. ’அத்தை திஸ் ஈஸ் க்ரேட். வெரி டெலிசியஸ், லாட்ஸ் ஆஃப் ஃபன்; வெரி மச் என்ஜாயபிள்” பிறகு என்ன? சென்னையில் இருந்தவரை அவர்களுக்கு தினமும் மூன் லைட் டின்னர்தான். இப்போது அத்தையிடம் போனில் பேசும்போதும் “அத்தை! சம்மர் வெக்கேஷனுக்கு மெட்ராஸ் வருவோம். வீ வாண்ட் யுவர் மூன் லைட் டின்னர்’ என்று குழந்தைகள் சொல்லும்போது இந்த அனுபவம் இந்தியாவில் பிறந்து வளர்ந்த நமக்கு மட்டுமல்ல, எந்த நாட்டிலும் பிறந்து வளர்ந்த எல்லா குழந்தைகளுக்குமே மறக்கமுடியாத இனிமையான அனுபவம் என்று தோன்றுகிறது
There is something in the air, my thatha just had his 80th B'day and I wrote a post about him and was fondly thinking of paati and discussed it with friends who felt the same way and now your post.....I hope my kids are as lucky as I was and get to spend a lot of time with their grandparents.
Hi, this is my first comment to u...and i dono wud u prefer comments from strangers..wat made me to comment to ur post is even i stick to the moments like this and even i hv some posts in my blogs which always remain beautious always...
and one more thing..me and my mom misses u everyday in aaha and it was a grt shock to us tht u leave... :-)
tk care and bye...
Sai...
maker boy: Wish my grandmom could read all this. She cannot read English :)
SaiMeenakshi: Almost all commenters here are strangers :)
This is one of your best posts Chinamayi. Chin up for that. I enjoyed these food in ullankai until plus two or so. i cherish every memory out of it.
Simple pleasures are the most expensive..Yes, cuz they come at a time when you least expect them to and if you miss the moment, they're gone. And nothing is as far away as a moment gone by.
I cannot remember the last time someone gave me food like that. I dont know how many people would have had the opportunity to spend such times with grandparents..nice post. Kindled memories..
People who have commented before me have said it all...The post took me back in time...I really miss my paati...! I have subscribed to your blog and would read your posts in my mail...I have no way of writing comments from there but I couldn't resist dropping comments for this one so I visited your page... :) Thanks and keep writing...
Did you miss out the "maavadu in separate plate for everybody" or the "more molaga in the left hand" part of this episode?
Wah..times! Keep writing till the thayir sadham gets done ;)
Ayyooo Chin...
nanga ellam un friends nnu nenachom...
Strangers nnu solitiye....
[feelings feeeelings feeeeeeeeeelings.... :P)
I am indeed in-dept n grateful to God, for not giving me a Mother, coz i wouldnt have had such a sweet granny and loving aunts. I am remembered of my aunt in Coimbatore.. each summer vacation when the family unites we have a gala.. mostly laughter, n food sessions are always like this.. begin from Sambar saatham, rasam and end with Thayir saadam.. thottukka ooruga, appalam, moremolaga, etc etc..and inevitably, all my cousins sacrifice the last morsel for me. In Telugu we call it "oorpu". It brings tears to my eyes when I visualize those moments. Im lucky and happy to see my just born daughter being brought up by her granny and shes even more lucky to have a kollu paati. "reservoir of Wisdom"???? its much more than that. Even now if i have a problem with my little angel..i refer them oldies..its surprising to see how they have understood each aspect of a kid without any modern day medicine n technology.
thnx for putting memories across..
irukkiravan thavikka viduraan
illaathavan aEngi vaazuraan
Hi Chinmayi,
All the previous commentors have said it all. I had the rare opportunity of having thayir saadham and maavudu or murungakkai saambhar with my periamma. She used to big a big lump and I used to enjoy it along with complaints from my cousin alongside. Apram, we both used to gulp it down very fast so that who gets the next serving! More than Thayir Saadham, I miss maavudu :-(...
Nowadays, I have started working, away from home sweet home treading the tragic life of a bachelor, like a roadside dog, eating whenever and whatever comes our way. Posts like these are a kind of nostalgic solace to people like me who miss home. A kind of mixed feeling of happiness and tears reverberates in me at this point of time. Thanks for kindling my nostalgic and helping me to relive those old yet golden moments...
Hmmmm no dish can beat thayir sadam....In my life of 22 yrs i eat only thayir sadam during the nites....Thayir sadam also has another big praise bcos we mention First benchers in college school as Thayir sadam's....It is the only dish which has its own community page in orkut and facebook...Proud to be a thayir sadam...
Hi Chinmayi,
wondeful to read ur post...i was unfortunate that i never got to experience any of this with my grandparents...this post did bring back a lot of memories for me...my mom used to do this with my siblings and our cousins...it has been 12 years since my mum passed away...i cherish those memories. Good Luck and God Bless
Cool post... While reading, it reminded me of the song Poove Poochudava...
The last morsel was called "Adi vandi" lol! Nothing beats good ol' thachi mammoo!
even more-
i was reminded of something else too..!
Very young I was, but I still remember my paatti singing to me the traditional 'omana thingal..' to get me to sleep! years later, she told me that she did not remember the lyrics anymore.. n wanted me to find it for her if possible.. that vacation.. i googled n wrote it in one paper and reminded myself to give it to her while i visitd her next time.. i only visited her - the next time- when she was laid on the ground, covered in thaaththaa's favourite saree..!
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