Reflections of a Survivor

Caution: Very long post.

My dear friend Anjali tagged me long time back. I am supposed to write 8 things I enjoyed doing during summer/summer holidays. It was a very pleasant experience doing this tag as it brought many good old memories. Thanks Anju for tagging me. My favorites are:

Summer Rains: While I began writing this, the first rain of this summer came pouring down. It rained very heavily for almost two hours. The earth, soil and the plants that were suffering from the heat and dust welcomed the rain in a fierce embrace and absorbed the water like a sponge. For the first 30–45 minutes, until the soil got completely soaked, not even a single drop of water flowed. The temperature came down and the combination of the rain and winds created a magical climate, cleaned the roads, washed away the dust from the leaves and there was a sense of freshness and energy. Such rains are so few (may be 4 or 5 good ones a year) and that makes them very special. I always love the summer rains…

Water sports: We had a very large (100ft x 30ft) pond near our house. During summer the coconut trees, nutmeg tress, mango tress, all were watered. We had a proper underground irrigation system with access points in each plot for easy irrigation. I learned a lot about plumbing while we installed the system. We were more than happy to water the plants as it gave us an opportunity to play with and in the water. The fact that we used to get drenched completely was not at all a problem but a welcome relief from the sweltering heat.

Another activity that I loved was cleaning the pond and catching the fishes. During the peak of summer, when the water level in the pond was at it lowest (it never used to dry completely), my dad would hire a diesel pump and the pond would be pumped dry. The along with our workers, my brother and I would get in the pond (which was about 25 ft deep) for cleaning.

The fun part was catching the fishes in the pond. The little fishes that were put after the previous monsoon would have grown and there would be other fishes that came in during the monsoon season. We would use nets and cane baskets to catch these fishes. Since the water level was very low it was an easy task. Once the fishing was over we would stop for lunch. The fishes would be divided equally between all participants. The workers would take their share home when they go for lunch and we would take ours.

After lunch, the cleaning process will start. The walls of the pond will be washed with the water pumped from the pond and then the clay and mud that got settled at the bottom during the year would be removed. It would be lifted up in buckets and would be dumped in the paddy field. Finally after removing most of the dirt the water in the pond would be shaken and stirred thoroughly and the muddy water would be pumped out leaving the pond really clean. By the time all these activities were over, we would be dead tired and fully covered in mud, but it was fun.

Mangoes: Summer is the mango season. We had more than 20 types of mango trees in our house. There were the small and juicy ones; then there were large ones of different shapes: round, oval, heart shaped, etc. We never used to pluck the smaller varieties. They used to fall down when ripe. Since they were small, they would not get damaged during the fall. So during early morning and whenever there was wind, we used to rush to those mango trees to collect the fallen mangoes and most of the time they were consumed then and there

The bigger mangoes were plucked before they were fully ripe. One of our workers would climb and would pick the mangoes using a long bamboo stick with a basket and a notch at one end. He would then throw the mangoes down where my brother and I would be waiting with a jute sack or bed sheet—one person at each end—to collect them safely. It was nice catching practice!

Then there were mangoes that were reserved for making tender mango (kanni manga) pickle, cut mango pickles and salted mangoes (uppumanga). These mangoes were plucked during different stages of their development.

The mangoes for tender mango pickle were plucked when the mangoes were still young, small, and tender and the pickle is made by putting the whole mangoes in the pickle mixture—a very spicy mixture of red chilli powder, salt, oil, vinegar and so on.

The mangoes for salted mangoes (uppumanga) and other cut mango pickles were plucked when the mangoes are fully grown but before they start to ripen. For salted mangoes also, the mangoes are not cut. They are thoroughly cleaned and put in earthen pots (uppumanga bharani) with salt solution. In about 3–4 months they will be ready for consumption.

There were different types of cut mango pickles. For these, the mangoes are washed in water and cut into small pieces. Some times the skin is peeled off. The size of the cut pieces and whether to peel the skin depended on the type of the pickle. My mom and her two assistants would be working for days to make these pickles. Except for the salted mangoes, there will be red chilli paste, oil, vinegar and a lot of other spices that go into the paste to which the mango pieces are added. The aroma of these ingredients was simply irresistible.

Then there was a wonderful item called ‘thera’ (mango candy). It is made by spreading ripe mango pulp on a mat, drying it under the sun and repeating the process for 10-14 days. It was very hard work and the end result is a 4-5mm thick brown sheet of delicious mango candy.

Tender Coconut, Water Melon and Sweet Cucumber: During summer we consumed huge quantities of tender coconut water and the soft coconut flesh, watermelons, lemon cucumbers (kani vellari) and sweet cucumbers (pottu vellari). The coconuts were the reddish ones. These coconut trees (chenthengu) are planted solely for the tender coconuts. They usually won’t grow very tall, so the coconuts could be plucked easily as and when required.

We used to buy the water melons, sweet cucumbers and lemon cucumbers from the market. Most of the times we ate then plain. We also made juice and kept in the fridge and drank them in large quantities. My mom and I liked eating the melons and cucumbers but my dad, brother and sister preferred the juice. So to preserve democracy, all had to consume both forms

Buttermilk and Lassi: Two other drinks that were consumed in large quantities were buttermilk and lassi. My mom’s buttermilk recipe was handed to her by her mother. It contained more than 10-12 ingredients—salt, crushed ginger, green chillies, finely chopped curry leaves, lemon juice, vinegar, crushed red onion, tamarind water, crushed cumin seeds, finely diced tender coconut pieces, etc. It used to taste heavenly especially when drinking after playing in the hot sun. Another drink from the same family, but slightly richer in calories, was Lassi. We used to make both varieties—sweet and salt. Sometimes we used to make mango and pineapple lassis. But I preferred the plain sweet lassi.

Lime Soda: This was one of star attractions of summer. It was a very potent drink. It was made by mixing lime juice, ginger juice (the juice got from squeezing crushed ginger pieces), salt, and sugar all in ample quantities. We had a soda making machine and we used to make soda and keep it in the fridge. The mixture is stirred well with a little water. Then cold soda is added to get a wonderful drink.

Paddy field Cricket: During that time of the year, the paddy fields would be empty. The harvest and associated activities would have been over and the next season would begin only after the monsoon. So we had the entire paddy field for ourselves. We would prepare the pitch in the center. Since we didn’t have any rollers, we used a wooden log to roll the pitch. Cricket was played with proper cricketing gear. But there were only three players—my brother, sister, and I. My sister was the fielder. Since we didn’t have a wicketkeeper, we used to erect a fence about 6–8 feet from the stumps. Each player would get 5 chances to bat at a time. My mother used to be very relieved when the venue got shifted from the courtyard to the paddy field as her plants and pots as well as the windows will be safe.

Studying: This was one of my favorite summer vacation activities, but I was the only participant in this as my enthusiasm was not shared by my brother and sister. Once the schools close for the summer vacation, I would buy four 200-page notebooks and four pens (black, blue, green and red) and a set of sketch pens. I would then get my text books—Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. I would then make copious notes, condensing what I have learned, forming acronyms, drawing mind maps and so on using different colors. This was a practice that I started when I was in the fourth standard (then I had only 2 books—Maths and Science). I would also get my vocabulary book, where I write the new words that I learned during the year and revise their meanings and usage. I would also revise the previous year’s topics—I just have to read through the notebooks. By the end of the vacation, I would get the text books bound and will keep the textbooks and notebooks in my cupboard. This revision and learning techniques have helped me a lot and even today, I can recall most of the things I learned in school—something that came in very handy when I was teaching my nephew for the CBSE class X exams. Almost all topics in Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and English, I could teach without any preparation. I had my notebooks and textbooks from my fourth standard onwards neatly arranged in my shelf till 1993. When I had my accident, and while my parents, brother and I were away from home, my nephew (then a very small kid) tried reading my notes and texts. It seems that he didn’t like what he saw, because he tore most of it…

I wish you all a very happy Vishu…

I am not tagging anybody, but I request all who have time to do this tag. It really is a wonderful experience.