Plucked Memories!

Last time, when I came to my home town, I texted to one of my friend, “I was homeland sick”.  It has been couple of months since I haven’t been in my home town. I love to be in my district, Kanyakumari. Whenever I came back to Nagercoil by either bus or train, the moment I reached Kavalkinaru, merely the border of Kanyakumari district, I get unconsciously woken up by the gentle touch of blossomed breeze which carries medicinal values. It is the sole nature of my land.

This time, it is Pongal, yes! When I passed near the morning market towards my home at the Pogi Pongal day morning, I saw Chodakku Poo and Pongal Poo.

In Kanyakumari, people usually don’t have a habit to hang the Pongal poo on the roofs of their houses during Pongal days. But, it is known for its medicinal value. We called it as Kalmurichan kuzhai, Sirukanpeezhai, Poozhai poo and so on. It is a very valuable medicine for kidney problems, especially kidney stone. So people call it as Kalmurichan kuzhai and Sirukanpeezhai, Poozhai poo too because of its flowers. It looked like eye pus.

In all the other districts in Tamil Nadu, I have been seeing people tighten up these plants along with Neem leaves and Mango leaves on the roofs of their houses on Pongal days. Therefore, it is known as Pongal poo in general. I understood there are many people who have migrated from other districts to Kanyakumari nowadays.

Normally, there is a saying by our local people that if anyone get a punishment duty for their misbehaviors in government jobs from northern districts and get transferred far from theirs native districts; it could be either Kanyakumari or Thirunelveli. But, when they came here, they used to like the district and they are forced to buy lands and settle down here. It is for them that they have Pongal Poo plants in today’s markets.

Whatever it is; I love to see it in the market because earlier we saw it everywhere. Though recent days, it’s replaced by Partheeniam plants which cause some dangerous diseases and threats to agriculture.

Until a few years ago, NCC and NSS had an agenda to fire these plants in their camps. I’m not sure whether they followed it or not.   

For Chodakku Poo (kind of flower using to playing by children), we stamped our bare foot all paddy lands around our village in our childhood. We never forget the waved Chenkulam (red pond) and the Single Track Railway Station.

Since a long lime after around ten months ago, when I visited the railway station, I was shocked.  There wasn’t the twin trees Banian and Neem in the station which are emotionally attached with my childhood days. I used to study under the shadow shelter of them. Not only this, we also had a habit to rest in the middle of the way Chenkulam (the pond) to swim play, lotus plugging and fish catch, and some cheers in rainy days. There are mesmerizing beds I have in my memories.  But the trees were cut down for the extensional or developmental accounts for railway (now it is double track) and they were never seen in the waves in Chenkulam which is buried a lot. The paddy land where we stamped our bare foots weren’t there. Real estate people perverted in and around the pond.

But before long, we children were competently running to pluck Chodakku Poo (Poo = Flower). After plucking we aired the flowers and stuck it on our foreheads. It sounds tubby. It is a delight. We played it either on our foreheads or friends’ foreheads. To give a surprise, we do it on Amma, Appa, brothers, sisters, closed relatives and neighbors’ foreheads while they are working. And, some time we have been thrashed for disturbing them. When we tried it with friends, they ran to escape or came towards us for their chances. It was full of fun to see how children were celebrating in their homeland during Pongal days. There were plenty of Chodakku poo in streets, markets and everywhere you go.

 What now? Partheeniam! Partheeniam!! Partheeniam!!!

Ariharasuthan R (25^th January, 2015)