Of idli batter and grey matter !

Chokkanayaki · Sep 16, 2012

I could take a few lessons on time management .Whoa ! and I could give some tips on procrastination too.....and for this I shall take a leaf out of my grandma tales.

Kannamani was a wheely working wonder.She was a well bred illiterate and yet exhibited some of the finest home and finance management techniques that could well qualify to enter the curriculum of a m anagement course.

Krishnamoorthy was slow when compared to his deft moving better half Kannamani.....She was quick to react and respond to any given situation....a trait that Nayaki wishes to emulate today to keep in pace in this fast world.

It was in the seventys that Nayaki had a taste of the kind of smart labour ,that when put into use was effective in efficient management of time, along with proper completion of work with the optimum utilisation, of the limited resources available.

Those were the days when Kannamani ran the show ,alternatingly with a Kerosene stove and a mud chulha .The monthly provision included the cotton wicks and Kerosene was available in plenty across the ration counter.

Today we have connections with links that simplify our chores.In the absence of a gas connection or an induction stove and under austere conditions,Kannamani was making hay .

Nayaki vividly remembers the golden words "Dear girl !Always remember to boil water before cooking and keep hot water handy always.Soak rice and pulses in hot water...saves time on cooking and therefore fuel.Some vegetables can be cut and blanched....Just pour enough boiling water to cover the vegetables and your vegetable will be ready in a jiffy....Had Maggi been around those days,she would have devised means to boil down the cooking time to a few seconds...and I mean it.She was a rapid live wire.I remember her using the Rukmani Cooker,the functioning of which I have forgotten...Yet ! the lessons, that I learnt to work under pressure, hold me in good stead today.

Cleaning was not an onerous task too.The cooking done and the mouths fed,the vessels went below a running tap and then into a huge tub with hot soapy water...The final wash and the rinse was over in minutes.She never saw a dish washer in her lifetime.

Clothes met with a similar fate...though hot water was used judiciously only for the whites.The collars and cuffs got a scrub,the heavier clothes a whack ,a rinse and out they went under the scorchy sun for a pat dry.The precious colours were handled with care and they searched their way to a comfort zone of a cool shade...the hand wash regimen that seems so simple....Aah !I do not wish to even dream of such a task today.

All this and more,and with time to spare,Kannamani never missed her daily date with the Gods in the nearby temple,a long walk in the parks and the chatting session with her friends...Had she been around I guess she would have been online too.

I wonder if the Idli batter had anything to do with her grey matter....coz I can also recollect that stones rolled manually, to roll out a steady supply of batter every alternate day...though Mom kept saying "Too much of urad dal is not good for the brain.".....Funny !!!!!:rotfl

Viswamitra · Sep 17, 2012

Dear Nayaki,

More I hear about your grandma, happier I become. What a remarkable person she is. How can a person be so dynamic paying so much attention to details? I think she had an art of learning everything through her experience and finally she achieved perfection.

You reminded me of a physician we used to consult in Chennai. He was old timer when we were young. He used to ask young women who come to visit him for pain in the neck or hand or hip pain whether their mothers or grandmothers had that kind of pain. These ladies used to assume his line of questioning as establishing hereditary pain, they used to answer "no" to his question. Then he used to tell them, "It is because they were creating batter manually and washed the clothes manually. Nowadays, you have machine for everything but you don't replace those exercises with upper and lower body exercises in the gym."

Viswa

eandian · Sep 17, 2012

Chokka, Welcome to IL...... You have entered here with a big bang and hope to see you posting more and more snippets.

Viswa sir, That wise doctor and his (trick?) questions were too good

("What a mean doctor he is" those younglings must have thought.... "he must surely be a mcp", they would have concluded...) :rotfl

bhucat · Sep 17, 2012

Dear Chokkanayagi madam,

What an inspirational snippet you have mentioned here. It makes to get up immediately and finish all my pending chores thanks for sharing.

Even now my MIL's MIL (78 years old lady!) do all her chores herself and finishes as soon as she completes each and evrey work, she never keep any pending work at all. They are very dedicated in these chores.

Thanks for sharing!

bhucat · Sep 17, 2012

Viswamitra said: ↑

Dear Nayaki,

More I hear about your grandma, happier I become. What a remarkable person she is. How can a person be so dynamic paying so much attention to details? I think she had an art of learning everything through her experience and finally she achieved perfection.

You reminded me of a physician we used to consult in Chennai. He was old timer when we were young. He used to ask young women who come to visit him for pain in the neck or hand or hip pain whether their mothers or grandmothers had that kind of pain. These ladies used to assume his line of questioning as establishing hereditary pain, they used to answer "no" to his question. Then he used to tell them, "It is because they were creating batter manually and washed the clothes manually. Nowadays, you have machine for everything but you don't replace those exercises with upper and lower body exercises in the gym."

Viswa
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Sir, even we have family doctor in Mylapore, he always says that nowadays ladies are not working properly in the house ie home makers are not really dedicated home makers. He also scold us if we have any servant maids in our home. He question us asking "why you cant do your work by yourself?" "Are you became that much lazy?, that is why all the problems (health issues) are coming?" . Still we have these types of doctors who really makes me to understand what life is and why these issues are coming now a days.
First of all we will be afraid to visit those doctor itself. But it only shows the care which they have with us and the real fact we can able to learn from those elderly people.

periamma · Sep 17, 2012

Nayaki very soon we are going to do household works.Due to power cut no Mixie,Grinder,washingmachine or vaccum cleaner. we are going to use Ammi, Attukal and also washing clothe&cleaning our house.Nowadays Maids are also not available and so we can see a healthy generation.

iyerviji · Sep 17, 2012

Nayaki another superb post by you with good narration which brought me memories of my grandmother. She was also very smart and by 7 a.m. she used to finish all her cooking and other work. Those days rice had to be cleaned by us only. For my sister's marriage she alone cleaned 100 kgs of rice and brought the steel vessels by giving old clothes. She never knew Hindi but used to speak in tamil to the rickshaw fellow, vegetable vendor etc and get her work done. Once she was not well and was in Delhi for my sister's delivery and she wanted to come back home to my brother. My brother in law told her he will come with her to leave her but she never listened and came from Delhi to Bombay alone. For my sister's marriage she prayed to God that she will offer him 1008 Kozakattai for the marriage to be performed without any problems. She never used to take our help for anything and used to everything alone. Before my marriage she had cancer and I had the opportunitty of taking care of her. She used to tell me you will get a good husband and I cant pray for you as I did for your sister , so you pray yourself since I may not be there at that time. Her words came true because of her blessings and I got a husband from her native only and that too a gem of a person

bhucat · Sep 17, 2012

iyerviji said: ↑

Nayaki another superb post by you with good narration which brought me memories of my grandmother. She was also very smart and by 7 a.m. she used to finish all her cooking and other work. Those days rice had to be cleaned by us only. For my sister's marriage she alone cleaned 100 kgs of rice and brought the steel vessels by giving old clothes. She never knew Hindi but used to speak in tamil to the rickshaw fellow, vegetable vendor etc and get her work done. Once she was not well and was in Delhi for my sister's delivery and she wanted to come back home to my brother. My brother in law told her he will come with her to leave her but she never listened and came from Delhi to Bombay alone. For my sister's marriage she prayed to God that she will offer him 1008 Kozakattai for the marriage to be performed without any problems. She never used to take our help for anything and used to everything alone. Before my marriage she had cancer and I had the opportunitty of taking care of her. She used to tell me you will get a good husband and I cant pray for you as I did for your sister , so you pray yourself since I may not be there at that time. Her words came true because of her blessings and I got a husband from her native only and that too a gem of a person
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Dear Viji mam, i had tears in my eyes when i read these lines...
"She used to tell me you will get a good husband and I cant pray for you as I did for your sister , so you pray yourself since I may not be there at that time. Her words came true because of her blessings and I got a husband from her native only and that too a gem of a person[/QUOTE]
Same my paatti also always used to pray for their grandchildrens in the way of reciting sahasranamams in many counts and 108 pradikshinams etc..when she was in her last stage ie around 80's she asked me to accompany her to the temple. she completes 10 or 12 and the remaining 10 or 20 she asks me to finish. Likewise so many house hold works she used to do. Also so many useful tips she give, I feel so sad that she is not now to guide in each and every thing.

Kamla · Sep 17, 2012

Dear Chokkanayaki,

Another interesting anecdote from the annals of your life I see. This too has landed in the FP forum with Vijima (Iyerviji) nominating your post for the finest of the month, congratulations!

Looks like you were a very observant youngster. You were also blessed with a very resourceful grandmother, going by your account of her. She seems like the Indian version of Martha Stewart. Even in her days, she knew the tricks of saving labor and multi-tasking and certainly she could have taught the so called business gurus a thing or two! This post has so many useful tips for a woman managing the household that I can't help feeling that it should have been in our "Ideal Home" section!!

L, Kamla

iyerviji · Sep 17, 2012

Bhucat dear glad to know that your patti also used to pray for her grandchildren. Wow 108 pradikshanams , she is really great. Dont worry her blessings will always be there for you and will guide you always