Grandmother was
known as “onnammachi” to everyone and that name was given by Nisha long back.
For many kids she was onnammachi and never knew what her real name was and she
was onnammachi for the entire world till the last breath of her life.
Vinay was
fascinated about the small round golden earings which onnammachi used to wear
and he always slept with her holding that earing. Onnammachi lived with
chackochayan and family in piravom. Only onnammachi had a bed in that house and
the rest slept on the floor in a paya (mat). Only vinay had the privilege to
sleep with her on the bed as he was very close to her. The sad part was that,
vinay met her only during his school holidays.
Onnammachi was an
expert in cooking and she would make delicious snacks and many dishes for the
kids. Vinay loved the unniyappam (typical kerala snack which would be sweet and
made of gram flour and jaggery) made by onnammachi and always would stuff his
stomach with it as much as he could. And at night, he would end up in a bad
stomach and used to tell onnammachi that,” I could hear a rumbling in my
stomach”.
The next day,
vinay would be telling onnammachi that his stomach is perfect and wanted her to
make something different. Onnammachi would continue feeding him yummy and tasty
food items. Ultimately, vinay would end up in a bad stomach again.
Vinay remembers
about the numerous occasions when onnammachi took him to a local ayurveda
doctor who was sitting on the first floor of an old building. Poor onnammachi
used to climb up and down the narrow wooden stairs which was almost like a
straight line with vinay with the support of thick long coir which was hanging
from the top like a thick plait. Vinay loved the black thick lehyam (ayurvedic
medicine made of herbs and natural ingredients) prescribed by the doctor. onnammachi
felt happy and would be looking affectionately at vinay when he is licking the
last portion of the lehyam from a shining and tiny steel spoon.
As I told before
about the nercha (offertory) festival, onnammachi was vinay’s companion for all
the nercha festivals. He used to sit only with her in the kitchen the previous
night, for the preparation. And the next day also vinay made sure onammachi sat
beside him when the nercha committee served the food.
Whenver, vinay
is at chackochayan's house, he would be attending the sunady mass in the church
and he would be sitting with onnammachi along with other grandmothers who attended
the mass. During the mass, whenever onnmmachi comes back to her seat after
receiving the holy appam (receive Eucharist) from the priest, vinay would force
her to open her mouth to see the tiny white appam lying flat on her tongue.
Vinay was told
by his mother in his teenage that onnammachi used to stay with them till he was
3 years old. Through his mother he also got to know that he was very fond of
her food item called “pappadam thoran”. Vinay could vaguely recollect the taste
of it. But as a matter of surprise, vinay could never taste that dish after she
moved to stay with chackochaya's house
and his mother also never ever tried of making it. I would say, vinay
never ever again tasted it in his rest of the life.
Vinay could
remember his mother told him that onnammachi was sent back to chackochaayan’s
house by his father as a result of devil’s act.
Onnammachi never
again came back to vinay's hosue and she was with chackocahayan till the end of
her life.
Ranjith uncle had a different story to tell
about onnammachi’s departure from their house. He confidently told that on the
occasion of vinay’s parents’ wedding anniversary, ousechayan (vinay’s father
was called by that name by everyone) slapped annamechi in front of everyone for
a silly reason. Onnammachi was deeply hurt and could not tolerate that and she
left the home the next day forever. Ranjith uncle also said that, onnammachi
kept crying in her room that whole night. Vinay would never forget this story.
Ranjith uncle
also respected and loved onnammachi. He used to tell vinay that she was the
only person who took good care of vinay as a baby.He also said something
unusual and implausible that no one liked vinay including his mother annamma as
he was ugly as a baby. Vinay couldn’t comprehend anything what ranjith uncle had
actually meant by saying so. But all these stories sprawled in his mind for
ever.
Onnammachi
passed away when vinay was doing his final year MBA in Hyderabad. One day His
mother called up and told that “onnammachi is very weak and bed ridden. All our
relatives have come now to meet her. She wants to see you and Nisha at the
earliest”.
His mother's
words brought fear and sadness in vinay's mind. He could feel that he was going
to lose his beloved onnammachi. Vinay couldn't reply anything and was standing
still hoilding the receiver close to his ear.
Few moments
later, he heard his father talking to him in the other end. What he heard was
really unexpecting. His father said, “You try to come. It’s not so urgent.
Everyone is there. If you think you would miss the classes then no need to
come”.
Vinay was
exasperated and replied, “I will come and I want to see onnammachi. I don't
care about the classes” and he just cut the phone. Later Nisha also called him
up (who was also in Hyderabad doing her Ph.D) and told about the same strange
conversation she had with father.
Vinay was wondering how his father can talk
like that. He made a conclusion that his father was feeling jealous and insecured
about their attachment towards onnammachi. His father clearly knew that vinay
and Nisha was not all close to his parents and deliberately they didn’t attend
his father’s funeral.
There are many
reasons for vinay's and nisha's detachment and aloofness towards the parents of
their father. Main reason was that they never ever visited them frequently as
they were staying with their father's harsh and inhuman elder brother vakkachan.
Secondly, they were staying in changanassery, which is almost 2 and half hours
journey from tripunithure. And above all, vinay's mother took her transfer to
tripunithura to get rid of her brother -in-law vakkachan and family.
Why vakkachan
was harsh and inhuman? We would come to know in the coming chapters.
Vinay and Nisha
had attended their grand mother’s (veliyammachi, mother of their father
ousechayan) funeral when they were in 6th standard and 8th
standard. They were not sad in her demise but they were worried about their
exams that were happening the same week.
Still Vinay was wondering why Nisha cried a lot on that day beside her
coffin. I think only women can give an answer for that.
Nisha and Vinay
took the next day's train from Hyderabad and reached tripunithura the day after.
Their mother had already reached chackochayan’s house one day before Vinay and
Nisha along with their father's arrival . Vinay saw onnammachi lying on her bed.
And she was very week and shrivelled. He also realized that she had stopped
talking from that morning. Her eyes were wide opened and her hair was trimmed
like a school boy. Vinay gently ran his hand through her hair. He felt like
touching a basket filled with soft, white cotton. He was wondering whether this
was the same onnammachi who climbed the straight wooden stairs holding the
rope. Tears rolled down through his cheek and he just left out of the room.
That night, he
took shower and was passing through the drawing room and his father saw him and
asked, “Are you losing your hair?” he just looked at him and went inside with a
smug smile. He felt his question quiet irrelevant and unpropitious.
The house was
filled with unknown kith and kin. After sometime, he met few new faces and
among them were onnammachi’s sister’s son (Georgeachayan) and his wife
(Zarammachi). Later he met Sebastian (son of Georgeachayan& Zarammachi)
also. Vinay then remembered the story he heard from sajeesh when he was a kid
that Veliyachachan (onnammachi’s husband) fell in love with onnammachi’s sister
and left the house along with her to Mysore long years ago. And a he also remembered
that few years before, veliyachachan and onnammachi’s sister had passed away.
The next day
early morning by 5, vinay got up hearing a loud cry from Onnammachi's room. He
realized that Onnamachi had left this world forever.
The most hateful
thing for Vinay was the photo session on the funeral day. He hated and felt
macabre about standing near the coffin and facing the camera with a sad face.
The whole crowd took their photographs standing near the coffin. His father had
his photographs taken many times and still he was unsatisfied. He went inside
and came out frequently and each time he came out, was carrying a child of
unknown relatives and would go straight to the coffin for his next photograph.
Vinay also had
to do it. He was asked to stand near the coffin along with sajeesh, sangeetha,
Nisha, Anitha and anjali (annamma’s younger brother’s children) for a
photograph. He never wanted to do that and if he denies, it would be a shame on
the family, it would be an act of disrespect towards the elders and who knows
if his father would act indifferently in front of the crowd on his misbehavior.
So he decided to stand near the coffin and the photographer did his job perfectly.
Finally, before
the burial, he kissed on onnammachi’s forehead and the ceremony ended with a
complete silence.
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