KALAKKAATTUPPAATTI ( 4 )

                                                      KALAKKAATTUPPAATTI  (  4  )

                                                    At  the time of  K's   marriage  in  1945 , I  was just  on the point of  recovery  from my  baalaarishtam .I should have been of four years when my real life started  with  proper exposure to the outside world .This  created  a sort of  fear in my mind  if I look at certain objects.  if not all. As I  wrote earlier, I was damn scared of seeing the river water. The bell sound of an elephant  use to frighten me. .Thirdly, there was  a person  living in South street , Kalakad  just at the backside of our house,   whose eyes were of  somewhat abnormal  nature.That was a sourse of  fear at least for me .My Mother used to mention his name in order to stop me from crying.!  But I vividly remerbered  the great show and pomp with which our eldrer sister's marriage was conducted..A fairly big kalyaana pandhal ,covering roughly one third of  the street  with a lot  of  decorations inside with cloths of  different attracting colours   erected by   professional experts in the field , outside by Plantain trees and dates and with proper exits and entrances.. It was customary in those days o celebrate marriages only in  bride's residence on such erected pandhals in front of the house on the streets in sound and glow in the midst of good gathering and marriage was never a secret affair but a sacred affair. . 

                                                    Shanthilakshmi was born on a Gandhijayanthi day.ie on  2nd October 1962. During  Periyamama's marriage in June 1964 , Shanthi was a child of  less than two years and the fond Mother was holding her in arms and shoulders and also was discharging her  duties assigned to  her as the elder sister of the bridegroom in marriage functions . There was a photo taken on the occasion ,which has a scene as mentioned above.Why I write this here is  that was the last time I could see her  live ! In fact , nobody who were in Kalakad including Kannan could see her ! Periyamama and mami  returned to Calcutta after marriage. KG and K were in Allahabad In1965 Ganesh was born probably inSeptember/ October.Periyamama and mami went to Allahabad for help.Mami stayed there for a few months. Mama returned to Calcutta for  work.The same year I had joined as a Lecturer in MDT Hindu college ,Thirunelveli. 

                  (  to be continued )

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