Life away from parents

Punishments - I got punished very many times by my aunt and grandfather. I know now that I richly deserved punishment for my mistake. The mistake was - I used to make fun of a girl who had cracks all over her legs - of course, I would not do it myself - I used to be part of a group of 4 ( led by my cousin who was very very bold) - we all used to make some one-liners on that poor girl and sing on her cracked legs. Sivaganga is a dry area - and there was nothing called moisturiser those days. A good oil bath every week was what kept our skin shining. That poor girl, our school watchman's daughter ( I can recollect her dark face even now looking at us with anger) had white visible cracks on her dark skin which used to be amusing for all of us. Complaint reached my home and we both - me and my cousin - were made to stand outside the house on our knees. I do not remember the number of hours we were on knees!

Our neighbours had two daughters who were our classmates. They also used to come and complain about me - they used to tell my grandfather - "thatha, gundu Uma etc. etc. "... my grandfather will not tell them that they should not call me by such names. He would ask me whether I said whatever that girl claims and I used to be very honest. I will admit sheepishly that I did say such nasty things. That is enough - my grandfather would make me go outside the house and kneel down. These neighbour girls would laugh and run out of our house and look at me from their house window and make faces.

My aunts tell me even now that my face used to turn apple red on such occasions - and they all enjoyed seeing me turn red like that!! What a life! What psychology!

With all such incidents also, our life was one peaceful stretch of eating, studying, fetching drinking water from Government tank, sleeping and playing silly games on the street.

My parents used to visit us once a year and I would be left wondering why all other children live with their parents, whereas only me and my sister are left to live with grandparents. I had no courage to ask this question to anyone though it was in my stomach, heart, throat and mouth every time my parents left our house after their ten days annual visit. It used to be some sort of tradition - my aunt would tell me "go with your mother this time" just when my mother is about to sit in the horse-cart; my mother would turn back and ask me "Uma, you want to come with me "....already, my younger sister and younger brothers would be sitting in the cart whereas me and my elder sister would be standing down - which apparently meant that we two are not to travel with them. So, I will say in choked voice, "no, I am not coming with you".... this will be followed by giggles from everyone and I will run inside the house.

Then we had this small quarrels amongst the four of us on who would get to sleep next to our grand-mother. It was a prized position. Actually I never used to like the smell of coffee coming from her mouth - but nevertheless, I had to be part of the fight to get the place next to her. Finally, it will be either my uncle's elder daughter or his son who would get that place. Rengam would put her leg on my grandmother and turn back at us and show that she is the winner. This used to be enacted almost every day with neither the winner nor the losers changing even a single time. I wonder why we ever fought for something which we knew that we had already lost!!

The almirah in the dark room - that is another thing which used to scare me. As I enter the room, my shadow used to be seen there dark and big ( I was fat, mind you) which used to be scary. I will come running out and my cousin Padma will hold my hand and take me in and tell me there is nothing to be scared of. I would rather hold her hand and go than attempt going alone to that room. Every trip to toilet had to be with her, as I was afraid of crossing the path to toilet which had 4 huge coconut trees. I was scared of the branches moving wildly in the wind!! Silly girl I was - why am I using past tense? I am silly now also, but not of such things.