Dogwalker in the US

Often I have seen people walking on the the walkway with a dog or two. One day, I was  surprised on seeing a lady walking holding six dogs on leashes! The dogs with  belts round their necks and in some cases, attractive coloured shirts like blouses on their chests especially in winter and merrily following the lady. The lady has a bag hanging on her shoulder. Each time when  her dog poops on the road,  she takes out a litter  bag from the bag on her shoulder, collects the poop, ties up, and  and puts it in the big bag on her shoulder.( to be thrown in to the trash bin next available). She is a strict disciplinarian like a school head mistress. Whenever one of her group picks up quarrel with its fellow member, she  calls the naughty  by name and commands order and as  obedient children, the quarrel is settled. Still it is a tough job to guide the six in peace.

To my surprise: lady with six dogs!!!, some body clarified that she is a professional dog walker and  the dogs belong to different pet owners who hired her to look after them. Everyday, or on alternate days or sometimes once a week,  she reaches the houses of the dog owners, one after another, feeds the dogs, cleans them and the dog houses( (koodu) and at the end, gathers all her 'clients on leashes'  together and takes them on for walks for an hour or a half as the owners want and returns them to the owners. She may have another  similar batch  at other times too and thus earns her bread by hard labour.The dog walkers are paid on hourly basis, the average rate varies from @10 to 20.

Every body willing to work  in this country has jobs one way or the other, whether it is

cleaning windows,  cleaning houses, cutting grass, or snow removal.  Even kids start working for their college around age 13.  Minimum hourly rate starts at $7.

 Salary high!  Comforts high!  ! cost of living high!  expenses high! mortgages very high! everything high! as  the sky is high!!! and after payments, bank balance 'nil'  Ho, What a Nil  it is!!!!. Still people love life in US!!! Why?

Moses

On a very hot summer day, by about 2 pm I accompanied my elder sister, Ammini and my auntie
Ammama for cleaning clothes and dip in the waters of the rivulet ,( Varattar, then a tributary of the
Achan Kovil river running close to our home.) - a usual sight in villages in those days. While Ammama
was busily engaged in rinsing the clothes, we children were playing in the knee deep water on the
basement below the culvert. Merrily running here and there, walking and swimming farther and
farther, splashing and spitting longer and longer, howling and bowling higher and higher, we played
in the cool for a long time. Alas! forgetting the strict warning of Ammamma not to go beyond the
basement as the water level from there was very deep, I ran amok and crossed the Lekshmana Rekha like the disobedient lamb in the Lamb and Wolf 'story and slipped in to the deep.

It is still afresh in my memory, how I went down, down, down in the murky water, gulping water,
reached the bottom and rose up once with raised hands. Seeing my fingers above the surface, sister
who was screaming aloud, caught hold of them, but the strong under current pulled both of us to the
fathom.

Hearing the screaming, Ammama turned around, finding both of us missing, cried aloud for help. Being a very hot mid day, there was none in the vicinity. Ignorant even of the very basics of aquatics, she could
hardly do anything but to cry out " Ayyo, Ayyo , Odivaranee" ( come quickly), the children drowning ".

Miraculously, a stranger reached the scene, plunged into the water, dived to the bottom, fished us
both out of the water. "I thought only one, but now it is two, bear in mind, it is God who saved you". So
saying, the stranger disappeared. Nobody knew who the savior was, from where he came and where he has gone. I firmly believe that it was an angel sent by God to save the hapless kids from drowning at the tender age of seven and nine. How considerate and protective, my God is!

Hearing the incident and seeing us safe and sound, Valliappachen hugged me, kissed me and called
me Moses, which means, " I drew him out of water". Holding my sister against her heart, Valliammachy
thanked the Merciful Lord for saving both us from drowning.

After the incident, my sister happily lived for another sixty and odd years and myself, continuing the
long sojourn in life until my Lord and Savior would call me to join those of my dear ones who have
already reached the Eternal Home of JOY. Hallelujah, Praise the Lord, day in and day out, for countless are his blessings

Amen

Mathew P Abraham at the Maramon Convention

Here is a story about me, which perhaps you may not have heard,

Appachen.

An unforgettable event in my life.

God willing, I will be completing 77 on October 14, 2008, yet another occasion  to count His blessings. Let me now gratefully recollect one of the several unforgettable events   in my sojourn in this world. 

Rev (late) C I Abraham Cheppanalil, my uncle, mother's eldest brother,  one of the then leading priests of the Marthoma Sabha,  once told me that every priest of the Marthoma Sabha wishes to get an opportunity to speak at the maramon convention, the biggest gathering of Xians in Asia, but few only are blessed to get it. As a youth, I used to watch  with owe and wonder, how the world renowned  Christian  speakers standing on the platform of the maramon convention and speaking to the thousands sitting in front of them, on the wide sand beds of the mighty Pamba river. How I yearned for an opportunity to  speak a few words from that platform. While in the Scouts Movement, I have had opportunities to address huge crowds of scouts and guides, but the crowd at the maramon convention is definitely different.Thank God, my dream-an opportunity to speak from the maramon platform- has come true at 2.30 PM on Thursday, February 8, 1999. one of the most unforgettable moments in  my life. Thanks to the Lord, and to  Mr. P V Alexander, the then Correspondent Secretary of the Marthoma Evangelistic Association, which organizes the convention, I got the opportunity to witness Jesus to the multitude gathered at the maramon convention.

Every year, the National Missionary Society of India is  allowed  15 minutes time in the after noon session of a day of the maramon Convention, to speak on its activities connected with the  spread of the Gospel among the unreached areas and people of the nation. Usually, this prestigious session is  handled  in English by the National leaders of the NMSI. But For the particular session in 1999, it was decided that the speech  should be in malayalam. As the national leaders, who had been there to participate in the session,  could not handle it in Malayalam, I was chosen for that assignment, a bolt from the blue. (I was the  NMSI Trivandrum Area Committee Secretary and National Executive  Committee member then).   Even though,  I had longed for such an opportunity for long, this sudden decision was quite unexpected and  I was quite unprepared- to address the nearly one lakh crowd in front of me, in the presence of so many world renowned distinguished speakers, bishops, priests and a host of other dignitaries and scholars. Like Hamlet, I faced the dilemma-to do or not to do. Yet, I was unwilling to  give up the the God given opportunity for which I longed for long and at the same time, frightened  to accept it. There was hardly thirty minutes time left for preparation. Resting on the assurance of my Lord that He would always be with me in what ever situation I am put in, with all humility, I accepted the offer.  

I could not believe, I was offered a seat in the front row, along with the world renowned speaker of the day, Bishop Mar Ireanius, the present Metrapolitan, the then presiding Episcopa of the function  and a number of other bishops. After the Convention choir sang the song, "daiva kripayil njan aasrayiche..."and prayers by Ireanius Thirumeni,  I was introduced and asked to make the presentation. With out a stethoscope , I could then hear my heart beat. After a moment of silent prayer, I approached the podium,  and made the presentation extempore, of course, in malayalam,  which is summarised below:

"Started on the Xmas day in 1905, at Serambur University campus in Calcutta by  17 young men including Sadhu Sundar Singh "on their knees", the National Missionary Society Of India has been working with the mission of 'proclaiming  the gospel in the unreached places and to  people groups through evangelistic and missionary works, with a wholistic approach'.  Its motto " expect great things from God and attempt great things for God" is still a great attraction for thousands. Its activities are spread to 17 states in India, Sikkim, Bhutan and Nepal. The mission is  wholistic and it is involved in proclaiming the good news as well as in social work, which aids in the upliftment of the poor people,  mostly illiterate tribals of India. Its work is now concentrated in nearly 140 centers with the help of about 200 missionaries. It is also running five tribal hostels for the poor children in Tamil Nad, Karnataka and Jharkand, 4 Primary Schools in Sikkim, West Bengal, Orrisa and NMS C.K.Ashram, Hospital Ministry in Charitable Ashram at Tirupathhur and tailoring institute in Bijapur.

Even after 2000 years since Jesus Christ shed his holy blood on the cross and exhorted  all to spread the gospel to  all the world, only less than 3 percent of the population in India have heard of his great message of love and sacrifice on the cross. For the spread of the gospel, the National Missionary Society needs your prayers, yourself (as worker), and your help to continue the blessed mission taken up by the founding leaders. 

Hi, brotheren, just pause for a moment and ask yourself: What have I done in obedience to Jesus call, " Go ye into all the world; and preach the gospel to every creature?" Mark 16.15? 

Gracious God,  bless us all.

Greetings to you all in the name of the National Missionary Society Of India, hallelujah."

Mr. Damodadaran Naiar's (Thalanthente) Madakkada

I can bet, there will be none in Kodukulanji in the age group 30 and 80, who had not purchased at least some thing or the other from the madakkada( a portable wooden shop on four wooden legs) of Poonthura Kaleekkal Damodaran Nair, then popularly known as Thalanthente madakkada. It was a fully self sufficient stationary shop.- everything an average student wanted in those days- pin (mottu sooji) to school books and note books, Kalllu pencil to steel pen and mazhy, rubber band to keep the slate and books together. Palli muttai, crescent shaped muttai, inchi muttai, soap, cheepp, kannadi, murukkan with tobaco etc. we're also available in his shop. Plantain, banana, some very cheep biscuits and lemon juice (naranga vellam) were the eatables available in his shop. Padakkom in Xmas and New year season, and pooja items during the Pooja festival, and Sabari mala season, had also high demand in his shop. He chewed murukkan, smoked beedi and supplied it to every body who wanted.

Excuse me, I forgot to tell you about Damodaran Nair's early days. He started his business career selling vegetables in Kolla kadavu Chantha and Sasthampurathu Chantha (Chengannur market) in his younger days. But as years passed, both his legs got paralysed and a stage reached when he could not walk, bought a madakkada and started business. This portable shop was at first near the Swamy's shop and later moved to Palli mukku where it became very popular.

The attention of my readers is invited to the small plot of one and a half cents now lying vacant at Kodukulanji Pallimukku, in between Padikka Thara George's coffee shop and the Shoe mart George's two storied building. It was here where our Thalanthan's mada kada had flourished for about 40 years. As days passed by, his legs became so weak and his people had to carry him back and forth in the morning and evening. Despite his inability to move by himself, he was very smart and efficient to carry on his business. He had a wonderful memory. He knew by name every body in Kodukulanji and all those who regularly passed by Pallimukku on their way to work and back. One day, while coming home from Trivandrum, I got down at Pallimukku and was walking westward towards my home. On hearing a clapping of hands behind, I turned back and found that the clapping was from Damodaran Nair. He in his loud voice, asked me, Avaracha, Thiruvanthapurathu ninnum varika ayirikkum? Sukhamano?. I was surprised. I never thought that he could remember me by name. Yes, he had a wonderful memory.

Usually, he was very nice to all, especially to children. But he was very quick tempered, and when once got angry, only foul words (pacha therry) came to his tongue. Once, while he was having Ayurvedic massaging, the vaidyan did some strong pull on his legs which pained him badly. He got angry and shouted at the Vaidyan and blessed him with his usual therry abhishekam. Poor Vaidyan silently continued massaging for half an hour more. The next day his pain aggravated and never he could walk again.

His nephew, brother's son, Mr. Anil kumar, now auto driver of Ponnu minnu auto at Pallimukku, claims that his uncle was a great sympathiser of the Praja Socialist Party of Pattom Thanu Pilau. But he could not produce any proof for it.

As days passed by, his body below the hips became completely paralyzed and he was forced to close his shop for ever in 1984. He lived for another ten years more and breathed his last in 1994. His one and a half cents of the now precious land at Kodukulanji Junction where his madakada reigned supreme for about 40 years, is lying vacant now.

People who knew him very well, are requested to share their experiences with Thalanthente madakada of Kodukulanji Pallimukluku.

Mathew P. Abraham,
Palaekandathil

"PEEDIKAS"-Shops of KKJI before WALL MARTS

Any body remembers Thuthikkattu Paramu Kurrup's Kappy Kada? 

It was just opposite to the Thuthikkattu Prof.Philip's ( Raju) house. --a  comparatively big tiled -roof building with two or three benches inside. It was one of the very popular kappi kada's  in those days. Only people above 50 may know it. and remember it  now.  There was a chumadu thangi about 100 ft west beside a huge Anjali maram , in front of  Cheruthundy house. People going to kollakadavu chantha with heavy loads of tapioca, plantains, bananas etc.,  unload their things on the chumadu thangi, come to the kada and eat food consisting of Dossa costing ara (half) çhakram, ( Chakram- one twenty eight of a rupee ) and free chammanthy, some times plantain or banana and kattan kappy,  costing another half a chakram. In those days pal-kappy was very rare, only rich and affluent could afford it. The payment was made only when they come back from the market. After 10"clock, only parippu vada and kappy were available. Usually there was one more item, Madhura seva costing Kal (1/4) chakram or more according to the quantity. The smallest coin was chilly kasu,1/16 of a chakram.-all were copper coins mjnted in Travancore itself.  Paramu Kurup's Achi ( wife or a Nair lady) , a very fair, always smiling lady assisted her husband in the business. They had a very flourishing business in those days. Secret of their success according to the lady was itself a secret. In the evening of  every month end, she would come to our house (we, Valethu vadakkethil)  were neighbors, though on the opposite sides of the road) and would give one chakram  to my grand mother and tell her  "Pembalamma, tomorrow is first day of the month. Forget not to come and make the first purchase as usual" . She believed that  Valliammachikku kaineettam vittal, aa masam kussal aayirikkum" .

Accordingly, Valliammachy gets up early on the first day, have bath and puts on her white Mundu, chatta and Kavanj goes to Kuruppachan's kada makes the first purchase with  the chakrm Nair Achi has given her the previous evening and happily goes back home. 

Now that blessed  Vallia ammachy is gone,  Kuruppachen is gone,   his ever smiling Achi is gone,  their old tiled shop is gone. the chumadu thangi and anjali are gone  and now in its place, a modern fashion two storied building is coming up-almost complete and will be ready for occupation by the new year Chingam by a set of new generation guys  who do not know or remember Paramu kurup or his beloved Achi. Perhaps, most of   my young readers also do not know or remember Kuruppachan and his beloved Achi.  Perhaps Shibu, Johnsy and others of that age. may remember these facts.   When you next visit Kodukulanji, just go to the spot and see the wonderful new generation changes happened 

there!!!.

A true narration.

Mathew P. Abraham.