YOU NEVER TOLD US YOUR PARENTS WERE POOR

Niranam is well known for Niranam poets. It is a small village in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala State, India. Legend says Niranam had once been reclaimed from the sea. The earth there is pristine white sand that one finds at the sea shore. The place is far away from  major thoroughfares and towns. Simple souls inhabit the land. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy of the village. Paddy is cultivated in the fields. Sugar cane was once cultivated in the paddy fields as the second crop when the Sugar factory was in full swing. Tuber crops like Tapioca (Kappa), Chembu, Kachil and banana are cultivated in the land. Coconut Palm trees and Areca nut trees line the skyline. Pepper creepers climb up the Areca Nut trees. Jackfruit trees and different varieties of Mango trees provide seasonal fruits. There would be one or two Aanjili trees that go up sky high in almost every parcel of land. Anjili wood is extensively used for doors, windows, furniture, aras(where harvested paddy is stored) and even to build country crafts. Aanjili chakka, the fruit of aanjili is  delicious.  Its nuts are roasted and served as snacks. It is scores ahead of pea nuts.   Tamarind trees are grown for tamarind, an integral component of the delectable fish curry. Tamarind's pulp is sweet. Fish is caught from the ponds and the canals and the river that flows through the village. The paddy fields are flooded once the harvesting is over. It is a seamless  expanse of fresh water where fish migrate from the river and the canals and where the duck farmers lead their ducks to hunt for food.  Each household will have one or two cows that yield milk. They would raise a few hens or ducks for eggs and meat. 

Each family had a large number of children. They worked in the fields as they grew up. The roof of the  houses were thatched. There was no electricity. The people had an aesthetic sense. Flowers like Jasmine, Rose, Dahlia, Hibiscus, Nandiyarvattom and Sun flower spreading fragrance and  good cheer  could be seen around each courtyard. The path to the houses had thick growth of crotons on either side.

Drinking water was drawn from wells. Unfortunately all the households were not blessed with wells. People moved across from their dwelling places to wherever drinking water was available. They would  carry home the water they need in buckets and vessels.

There was no public transport system in the village. There were no Taxis. Autorikshaws were yet to make their mark even in the civilized parts of the state. When people had fallen ill vehicular transportation was not available to take them to a hospital far away.  A few able bodied men would lift the bed on which the sick were lying on to their shoulders and carry them to the point where a vehicle was available for transferring the sick to the hospital.

The people were deeply religious. They had no other go but to have absolute faith in their Gods because a crop failure or natural calamities would drive them to starvation and famine.

Education facilities were minimal. Higher education was a dream that never came true for most of the people. In spite of the handicaps some families had managed to send their children away for higher education.

Kochoikunj and Rahel of Kumbalath Nadukke Veedu had somehow managed to send Samuel, their eldest son to Madras for higher education. Samuel had enrolled in an Engineering College. He had excelled in his studies and had won a scholarship to complete his post graduation in Mechanical Engineering. Though his parents had expected their son to return to Niranam, Samuel had other ideas. He had found an opening in Best and Crompton at Madras. The company placed him in Product Design after putting him through probation for two years.  He had won wide acclaim for the fuel efficient engine he had designed for the tractor. Fame brought him a placement, Vice President, in General Motors in Detroit, USA.  

Samuel had married Mariamma when he had successfully completed his probation. It was an arranged marriage. When the offer of placement had come from General Motors, Samuel and Mariamma had two children, Babu of three years and Babita of one year.

Acceptance of the offer from General Motors meant relocation of the family to USA. The offer was so good that no one in his right senses would ever forsake it. Samuel was offered a royalty on his designs patented by General Motors besides the hefty package on offer.

The man from Niranam had made it big in the world. Kochoikunj and Rahel were proud of the achievements of their son. They were happy to receive letters regularly from Samuel. Since there were no Telephones in Niranam they could not converse with each other.

The demands of the job made it impossible for Samuel to plan a visit to India. Finally after seven years Samuel seized an opportunity to spend two weeks with his parents at Niranam. The arrival of Samuel with his family was a great event for the people of the village where everyone knew everyone else quite unlike in larger cities.

Kochoikunj and Rahel were happy. They wished to celebrate the arrival of their son with his family by serving a feast to all the residents of the village. It was a gala event. There was music. There was a big pandal (shamiana) to accommodate all the guests. Food was served on plantain leaves in true Kerala fashion.

When they saw food being served on plantain leaves Babu and Babita had started to cry bitterly. Samuel and Mariamma had no idea why the children were crying. They tried very hard to pacify them. The children while sobbing blurted out, “You never told us your parents were poor. That’s why they could not afford plates.”