ne day Patti was making kozhukkattais. When she had made the upma and made nice round balls of kozhukkattais and put them to be steamed, there came the ambe, ambe, sound of Patti’s favourite cow, Komu. Komu was just returning after grazing in the the forest for the whole day and now she needed water and Kanji. Patti went to the backyard and allowed Komu into the cowshed and tied her to her post. She then gave Komu her water and Kanji. After talking to her for sometime (yes, Patti used to talk to Komu, as if she were her child or friend) Patti went inside. She opened the pot to see if the Kozhukkattais were done and found that they were not yet properly cooked. So Patti asked, “Kozhukkattai, Kozhukkattai, aen veakalai?” (Hello Kozhukkattai, why are you not cooked yet) To which Kozhukkattai replied, “Adupperiyalai, Naan veakalai.” (the stove was not lit, so I am not cooked) So Patti asked the stove, “Aduppe, Aduppe, aen Eriyalai?” (Oh stove, why were you not burning?) The stove said, “Veragu vaikkalai, Naan eriyalai.” (Nobody kept firewood, so I did not burn) Patti turned to her daughter-in-law, “Mattuponne, Mattuponne, aen veragu vaikkalai?” (Oh dear daughter-in-law, why did you not put firewood in the stove?) Daughter-in-law answered, “Kozhandai azhudduthu, Naan veragu vaikkalai.” (The baby was crying, so I did not put firewood) Patti cooed to the baby, “Kozhande, Kozhande, een azhuthai?” (Oh my dear child, why did you cry) The baby wept, “Erumbu kadichuthu, Naan azhuthen.” (Ants bit me so I cried) Patti approached the ant, “Erumbe, Erumbe, een kadichai” (Oh ant, why did you bite the baby?) Erumbu said, “En pothukulle kale pottal naan kadikathiruppeno” (Will I not bite if somebody put their foot into the ant-hill?) P.S. Many of these stories would appear to end abruptly. This is a story said in a sing song way and the verses are in rhymes. At the end of the story, the child is tickled in its foot with the verse, ”En pothukulle kale pottal naan kadikathiruppeno.” So the story ends there. It is also meant to teach the children not to play with ant-hills, which were plenty those days.
