Aruna's nostalgia...

When I was around 9 or 10 years, living in a small town called Athur, one thing that always triggered my irritation with amma was her trying out all kinds of new hairstyles and new outfits on me. The outfits that she stitched diligently in her Usha Sewing machine (which incidentally is with me now) were indeed beautiful and were very trendy at that time. But I had my own idiosyncrasies of likes and dislikes and couldn't appreciate her creativity at my age. Similarly, I dreaded the Navarathri because of the costumes that she would deck me up with. All 9 days, she would send appa's peon to pick me up from school early in the evening and get me ready with fancy costumes of all kinds - Lord Krishna, Rama, or a dancer, and so on. I had to walk down on the streets or ride doubles in bicycle with the peon, with a kumkum case, to the neighbours and friends to invite them for our Golu. I used to feel so embarrassed walking on the road in the costumes. Once she adorned me and my friend with gypsy costumes and sent us around to invite. The stray dogs on the street took us for real gypsies and gave us a ferocious chase. We ran back home panting. Our health was always her priority. B complex tablet was an all in all cure for her. She used to take them regularly and made us also take it. In later years also, whenever she found me tired or something, she would immediately ask if I had the tablet that day. She was extremely conscious about slippery floor and was careful about not falling down and ending up with one or the other fracture. So much so she used to tell us also to be careful while entering the bathroom. Whenever she tried to advise me, I used to get annoyed and tell her that I am a grown-up. 25 years later, I still hear the same advices... no .... not amma from the heavens.... this time it's my own voice... telling/ advising Sundar and Venkat... on one thing or the other... :-) She always emphasised on doing anything with care, focus and involvement. "தளிகை பண்ணும்போது, முழு மனசோட, அக்கறையாக, கவனமாக பண்ணனும். அப்போ தளிகை, தானே, நன்னா அமைஞ்சிடும். She practiced what she preached in all her chores as well as the handworks that she enjoyed. She will always have one or the other hand work in process at her "factory". While busy with her chores in the mornings, she used to tell herself and whoever is nearby, that she should get back to her pending craft work. The chores anyway will get done, she would say. So much so that appa used to joke, " For amma, her craft work is her main job of the day. Cooking is a hobby." She strongly believed that Creativity needs fresh mind and she executed it splendidly. Even while we were in school, she would always wake us up in the early mornings with a standard line... "கார்த்தால எழுந்து படிச்சா, நன்னா மனசுல பதியும்.... எழுந்துக்கோ...." Essentially a soft person - her hands were so soft too - she was capable of bestowing abundant love and remained lovable. Her thoughtfulness for others usually reigned supreme in all her relationships. And her way of taking things in her stride and going with the flow of life was always with a one liner.... "போனாப் போகட்டும் ... காய்ச்சா தொங்கறது?" Literal translation would mean "So what...? let it go.... after all, is it hanging down with fruits"? But the spirit of the phrase is something like "Don't sweat over this. move on..." Although I am yet to find the exact meaning for that "காய்ச்சா தொங்கறது?", that one phrase would give herself and to whomsoever she lends her advice to, an enormous strength and a positive mind to move on. And those violin lessons she gave me in Dharmapuri...!!! She was a very good violinist. She didn't play the instrument regularly. But occasionally when she did, it was really wonderful. After my college days, I had this horrific desire to learn violin. I asked her to teach me. A few days she tried. But I could never get it right. The same instrument which played such rich music in her hand, gave out cat mews from my hand. I gave up. Ditto was with vocal music. She began to teach me “Varaveena…” Thiagarajar’s Keerthanai. My vocal cords failed to cooperate and when I tried to practice, sounds were so out of tune that she would say, “Aruna, stop wailing…” As it is for any daughter about her mother, memories about amma flood around me. What I have shared here are not necessarily the best or memorable.... they are just floating on top of the flood in the churning process of thoughts that always keep going up and down. Happy Birthday amma.