1. Have an Interesting Snippet to Share : Click Here
    Dismiss Notice

Thirty Years Of A Relationship!

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Agatha83, Apr 19, 2019.

  1. Agatha83

    Agatha83 IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    1,231
    Likes Received:
    2,198
    Trophy Points:
    300
    Gender:
    Female
    Dear Geetha,

    Our options in buying a house was restricted because of the limited financial resources. After booking the house and making the first down payment, we had to move out of the city due to my DH's official commitments. We could return only after 6 months, by which time the flat was completed and we moved in.
    We wanted to quickly get out of the rental apartment because of a severe water problem and thus couldn't make decisions in leisure.
    The present house is good, nice and airy, and most important- ground floor!

    Thank you for your valuable FB.

    Agatha83
     
    Thyagarajan, ksuji and GeetaKashyap like this.
  2. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    5,365
    Likes Received:
    10,561
    Trophy Points:
    438
    Gender:
    Female
    Dear Agatha,
    Excellent narration of housing experiences in Chennai.
    I was born in a village .The house had a big hall ( koodam) that can accommodate 150 people,open yard for sunlight,three sets of pyols( thinnai) in the front, a big kitchen, small thatched kitchen,backyard with 20 coconut trees and cow shed accommodating six cows and their calves.There were about 30 people in our house and it looked life festivity daily.But there was no bed room. A small room that Appa used to keep money.We have never entered that room.
    My marriage was celebrated in that house only. There was no power supply until I finished college classes.Most of my studies and record work were done in the outer prakaram of Akhilandeswari temple,thanks to the Goddess.
    There will be three big lanterns .One was in the kitchen.One will be hanging in the middle of the hall.Another one which was intended for studies used to be taken by people to attend to nature's calls at night.If at all we could study that could be done only after 9.30 after cleaning the kitchen.20 years went off like this. There would be five or six dhulis, cloth swings would be hanging at various places accommodating infants. The hall was permeating odour of urine generously on all occasions.Our hoildays were spent in making thatches out of coconut sheaths as the labour was costly.Removing the outer shell of over riped coconuts with crow bars,break the coconuts, cut into small pieces, dry in open space ,crush them into coconut oil,or prepare boiled rice by boiling paddy in a big copper pot.
    Amidst all this we could pass all the 6 exams in Hindi and learn to sing by overhearing the music class conducted in neighbour's house, as we had no money even to pay Rs 5 to the music teacher.That was a life.

    When I came to Madras in 1963 after my marriage, my husband was earning Rs 130 only.We could not give more than Rs25 for rent.
    We had to live in a single room with a small kitchen among eight families with common bath and toilet.Two Govt servants, two sastris, two cooks and the others working in companies.Around 40 living in a congested area.All cries of babies, romance, anger shoutings all were parts of daily life.There was nothing called 'privacy'.
    Bathrooms could not be bolted properly.A small bucket used to be kept outside to show somebody was in.Small boys would take away the bucket making the situation very embarassing.
    This life taught us to prepare a budget for Rs 30/ towards rent and groceries each,Rs 15 each for milk and vegetables,allotment of Rs 20 towards bus charge and cinema,RD for Rs 10 and allotment of Rs 10 for emergency expenses.
    Madras life taught us within one year what we could not learn in 20 years from my parents.
    No TV. no fridge or mixie. But many children born in these cages shone as professors, doctors and research scholars.
    Now there is no'ondu kudiththanam'.We have multistoreyed flats.No neighbour is known to us.
    In our village, Madras was known as 'pattinam', a place to earn and save.
    'பட்டணம் தான் போகலாமடி,பொம்பளே,
    பணம் காசு சேக்கலாமடி'

    Within 8years we could save some money, bought a small piece of land and constructed a small 2 room ( 800 sq. ft ) house.After a few years we made certain extension and that is where we live today.
    How people adapt themselves to environments,just for survival People created a special dialect called'madras bashai'.:
    A few examples
    இச்சூலு ----------------------------ஸ்கூல்-pronouced as 'iscoolu'
    (whenever the word starts with s they will add i in the beginning.-)When I joined the bank, somebody from the public asked me'Where is Ismail khan counter?"I blinked.He sarcastically told" you are working here and you don't know even this".

    Another man from the public gave a clue that the man wanted to get coins. Putting two and two, I was able to make out that the man was referring to 'small coin counter'as 'ismailkhan counter'
    I struggled to control my laughter.
    When we observe closely we find that many of the words have been adapted from different languages spoken by people around them with some modified pronunciation.
    1.அசால்டா ( asaaltaa) to take something easy taken from'Aasaan' Hindi
    2.அலேக்கா ( alekaa) smoothly From'Azhagaaga'in Tamil
    3 .எகுரு (Ehuru) run fast,scold,jump Taken from Telugu
    4. பேமானி ( Bemaani) who has no ethics or integrity Taken fronm Hindi(be+Emaani)
    5.கேடி( kedi) criminal police abbreviation for 'Known Delinquent'
    6.கஸ்மாலம்( kasmaalam) idiot sanskrit word-black hair or dirt
    7,கேனயன் ( kenayan)fool malayalam word Kenai for mad
    8 .மசமசா ( masa masaa) normally fat persons being lazy English --'full of mass'
    9.டக்கரு (Tukkaru) super nice taken from Telugu
    10.மஜா( majaa) fun Taken from Urdu 'Mazaa'
    11.வலி ( Vali)It is is actually a chaste Tamil word,though normally we use' izhu
    12.ஓபி அடிக்கறது ( Ob adikkarathu)To waste time Taken from 'off-Beat'a military term for'off duty'
    13.நாஷ்டா( naashtaa) Tiffin or snacks Urdu word
    14. கொல்டி( Golti) A word denoting Telugu people Just a reversal of letters te-lu-gu(gu-lu-te)
    15.கெலிச்சான்( Gelichchaan) He won . Telugu wordGelupu meaning victory
    16.ஜகா வாங்கறது( jagaa vaangarathu) to escape from the scene Taken from'jagah'-Hindi word meaning'space.Th
    The list is endless.
    Inspite of all developments in communication in cell phone,Wifi etc,this is this madras tongue that keeps Chennai unique.
    We have spent some seven or eight years in US and Singapore also.

    Every place leaves some indelible impression in us, some major lessons in us proving change is the only unchangeable thing in life.

    jayasala 42
     
  3. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    11,640
    Likes Received:
    12,463
    Trophy Points:
    615
    Gender:
    Male
    :hello:Your response here Transported me indeed to triplicate ondukudithanam - radio drama sunkuwar cahathiram - jambazar Jakku saidapetai kokku - Manorama cho movie
    2. numbered slangs 1 to 16 - very typical of chennai and at one stage I was speaking Tamil fluently three different ways Brahmin - priest tamil govalu tamil zambazar tamil because in every category I had friends during academic days.
    3. It is incredible that people lived in those places exposed to compulsive economies have lived later life to the hilt in developed Nations with their heirs doing great in many spheres.
    4. The lantern you mentioned, reminded me of days when my mother make me clean its glass with veeboodhi - sacred ash- .
    Thanks for nostalgia.
    Regards.
    God subject His subjects to hardship first and then bless abundantly.
     
    GeetaKashyap and kkrish like this.
  4. Agatha83

    Agatha83 IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    1,231
    Likes Received:
    2,198
    Trophy Points:
    300
    Gender:
    Female
    Dear Jayasala,

    Thank you for the genuine efforts you have taken in parting out with valuable information about your personal life in Madras after your marriage and your life in the village, before marriage. In fact all my in laws , some of whom were engineers, Ph.Ds and bank managers, all grew up living in a small tile roofed house with no electricity, studying under the lanterns. The daily ritual of cleaning the glass lanterns with sacred ash, continued till they got electricity. They all grew up eating leftover rice soaked in water and never had any health issues. Life was very simple and less complicated.
    I grew up in an independent house with minimum comforts, but never had an opportunity of living in shared rented houses which was very common in the 50s and 60s. My problems with house hunting started in the 70s, by the time, which construction of flats had started.

    Superma, ennaammma shookkka eziuthi keerai !

    Agatha83
     
    Thyagarajan and GeetaKashyap like this.
  5. kkrish

    kkrish IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    5,608
    Likes Received:
    10,032
    Trophy Points:
    438
    Gender:
    Female
    @Agatha83 ma'am
    I had a lump in my throat and my eyes had tears when I finished reading your article.
    Especially this:
    Very painful it was for me to read it.
    Thats life's reality.

    You are a master writer ma'am . Have you thought of publishing these in the local press.
    You must write more. Your words can definitely make a person stop and reflect on so many aspects of society.

    I am sure you will build the same relationship with your current abode, and enjoy its new comforts while putting up with unanticipated discomforts that come as a default.
     
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2019
    GeetaKashyap likes this.
  6. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    11,640
    Likes Received:
    12,463
    Trophy Points:
    615
    Gender:
    Male
    :hello:@Agatha83
    Your reply to my response at#7
    Reminds me the demolition and removal of tall coconut trees.

    My house with first floor construction was completed in two stages during the years 1982-83 & 1998-99. The entire planning and building was engineered by FIL including developing garden and planting of coconut trees around the building. A lightning struck the 25 feet tall coconut and saved our and neighbour hood buildings and flats in the year 2000. . Our family went in bereavement when coconut tree was cut into handable pieces for onward transportation from site. With it dwelling of A pair of green parrots gone. I attempted to describe this unfortunate spectacle in

    Epitaph Written By A Blithering Nut For Itself

    Demolition of house constructed brick by brick by my father-in-law in 1977-78 Was caused by their sons and his junior son in law when they engaged in division of FILs assets including estates. He spend his savings again in his 80s to save the house from mammoth water see page of floors during heavy monsoon and a decade later when the building was demolished my spouse and I cried a lot. A description I attempted to outpouring my sobbing emotions in
    :hello:building Facts From Cardinal Principles :hello:

    Thanks for profound nostalgia . Writing through tears .
    and Regards.
    God intends to punish in good time the individuals engaged in destruction of heritage buildings and temples and structures.
     
    Agatha83 likes this.
  7. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    13,370
    Likes Received:
    24,115
    Trophy Points:
    538
    Gender:
    Male
    Dear Agatha,

    What a delightful read your snippet is! The criteria you have applied to buy your flat is unique and different than traditional proximity to departmental stores, schools, water, power, etc.

    How after realizing the sound polution, you have compromised to see the Sunrise and Sunset is simply amazing.

    The last sentence of yours described your emotions well. No matter how much we convince ourselves that it is people who makes the difference in life, even inanimate objects create profound impacts in our lives. The place we were raised, the place we lived most, the place we had memorable experiences are etched forever.
     
    Thyagarajan, kkrish and Agatha83 like this.
  8. Agatha83

    Agatha83 IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    1,231
    Likes Received:
    2,198
    Trophy Points:
    300
    Gender:
    Female
    Dear Krish,

    Thank you very much for your very appreciative and motivational feed back. Writing to magazines or newspapers is altogether a different game, because there is a restriction in the number of words. it is either 600 or 1000, and in case, the article exceeds the limit they just chuck it off. It is extremely difficult to write within a restricted space and also needs some expert editing skills which I lack very much.

    Coming to my old house, it is a sad reality that the love and affection we pour on our children, even one fifth of it, we forget to show it towards our dwellings. Only when we are pushed out on the streets, we realise the true value of our house, but then it is too late.

    The anger, hatred, ego, we all possess at a young age is gone, when we are old and helpless.

    Agatha83
     
    kkrish and Thyagarajan like this.
  9. Agatha83

    Agatha83 IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    1,231
    Likes Received:
    2,198
    Trophy Points:
    300
    Gender:
    Female
    Dear Thyagarajan,

    The present house I am living has two tall coconut trees, close to our dining room and what a pleasure it is to listen to the birds tweeting throughout the day.

    My next door neighbor, cut off four coconut trees and a huge teak tree, tress which gave shade from the searing heat of the sun, coming from the east. My heart cried out to those souls who would have taken great efforts in planting and raising the trees , just as they did to their children. How thoughtless and insensitive can people be, I wonder!

    Agatha83
     
    Thyagarajan likes this.
  10. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    11,640
    Likes Received:
    12,463
    Trophy Points:
    615
    Gender:
    Male
    :hello:A teektree is very precious seldom sighted in city.
    2. OMG. Your neighbour must be feeling the sweltering heat in coming weeks.
    3. I daily spend looking at 25 feet tall teek wood tree and a badam all close and within few feet from my balcony. Such a large leaf rarely wilt snd wither from teek and badam. Fresh shoots and leaves glisten even in shade a feast to eyes.





    Thanks and regards.
    God creates badams among cluster of leaves shaped in large spade equally spaced in a circle on thin branch to absorb sun rays and glisten.
     
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2019

Share This Page