Chronicles from a typical Kerala Village
our male and female correspondents from a typical Kerala village near Thrissur keep you abreast of th life and times of a Kerala village making the transition from ancient customs to contemporary Indian life.
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People
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Written by Raman
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Jamaludin, 55, a dropout of 9th standard left for Saudi Arabia where he worked for 8 years. He returned and settled at home village. For about 6 months he remained non-event. During this period villagers noticed some strangers streaking into his house. Nobody knows what was going on there.
One day his father informed some influential villagers that his son is engaged in black magic and he is keeping his younger sister as wife. At the first hand villagers disbelieved. Meanwhile, daily visitors’ volume was increasing day by day and intense propaganda was unleashed by his agents that he has cured many incurable diseases and many has gained fortunes. The nucleus of the propaganda was one of his cousins with some social standing. His motivation was to gain income with no investment through Jamaludin. He conducted the propaganda from behind the scene.
Following the grievance of his father the villagers mustered strength and one day villagers did not allow the fortune seekers to enter his house and forced them to return. As a second step the villagers warned a youth from a nearest district who was acting as his personal secretary not to be seen in the village any more. As a step forward, the villagers presented a mass-petition to the Circle Inspector of Police about the unethical activities going on. The CI co-operated with the villagers and nabbed Jamaludin and his sister at around ten in the night. The CI ordered both to vacate the village forthwith and not to enter within the boundaries of his Police Circle. They left the very night. Before leaving Jamaludin proclaimed he will see the total destruction of those who arraigned against him through black magic. 20 years passed, none of the fore-front runners of action against him have become the victim of his black magic.
After leaving the village he settled at a distant village in Kannur district. There too many became easy victims to his so-called possessive power. Here too, after a while, villagers rose in arms against him forcing his vacation of the place.
For the last 10 years he is in Kechery village, 40 km away from his home village, where he reported a big hit and mints money. Three days back a leading newspaper reported that Kechery villagers are up in arms to get him arrested and prosecuted. It appears his days are numbered.
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People
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Written by Raman
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Ramankutty, over 50, coconut palm climber, is a habitual drinker. His climbing work finishes before one O’clock after which he straight goes to toddy shop as is usual by almost all coco-climbers (present day climbers go to foreign liquor bars instead of going to toddy shops). He usually drinks 4 bottles at a stretch and returns home imbalanced. If he has excess money in hand he revisits the toddy shop in the evening by around 6 and sips two bottles.
One day when he was returning home after the first trip to the toddy shop his lonely brother’s (younger) wife Thanka was standing in the front courtyard of her house which is close to Ramankutty’s house. He suddenly picked up a quarrel with her. Only three or four words exchanged between them, he drew the coconut chopper from his waist and fanned against her. Her three-fourth cut neck with head-on hanged towards front. Blood sprayed out in pressure all around like a water filled pipe line burst.
The only witness to the gruesome murder was his younger daughter aged 8. The shaken Ramankutty vanished with the chopper. He threw the chopper into a rivulet on his way to an undecided hiding place.
Police nabbed him 3 months after from a distant place and charged for murder. The only prosecution witness was his 8 years old daughter. The case prolonged for 4 years. Defence counsel had tutored the girl to say in the court that she has not seen her father chopping Thanka. In the witness box the girl negated the tutoring and said she saw by her bare eyes her father chopping the aunt.
He was awarded life term. He became an acute patient in the jail. The sickness gained him 3 years remission in jail term and his sons (two) brought him home on release. He died after 3 days of reaching home. His daughter still stood the ground and did not repent her witness-box exposition.
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People
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Written by Raman
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Jabbar, 37, is a house-maiden’s only son. Both were staying in their master’s house as they have no own house. The master’s sons do independent business in a Gulf state. Jabbar was appointed in one of their shops. After serving three years he shifted to another shop owned by a same villager named Razak on hiked salary. Both the shop owners were friends rather because they belonged to a same village. After Jabbar switched over to Razak both the neighbours were in loggerheads.
Jabbar swindled over two million rupees from Razak’s shop which Razak came to know very late. When Jabbar came to the village on leave Razak air-dashed to his home
with a determination to take on Jabbar. Razak lodged a complaint in the police station following which police took Jabbar into custody. On interrogation he conceded to the guilt. As a compromise he assigned the documents deed of his house to Razak to be with Razak till he pays off the entire swindled amount. Subsequently he was set free by the police.
News has flashed in the village since last few days that Jabbar is in lock-up in Sharjah. He was caught red-handed when he was handing over a girl to a Sharjah native. There were two more girls in the car in which he was travelling. All the three girls were in police custody, but they got released.
Nobody is coming for the help of Jabbar. He is still counting the grills in the lock-up. His mother and wife at home, it seemed, is in the dark of the self-created events for becoming quick-rich. Or, are they deliberately acting as unaware? Heinous minded always receive deserving. No one is there in the village to sympathize with Jabbar.
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People
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Written by Raman
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A fashion is let loose lately in Kerala villages. Most of the wives of Muslim gents earning from Gulf States wear black attire back at homeland in Kerala, especially in villages. Head top to feet end is black. In certain cases head is presented in white
by a towel. It forms just two pieces of costume. One loose stitched costume covers from neck-bottom to feet. Another piece of cloth covers bottom-neck to head-top, barring eyes, nose and either side of the mouth.
This costuming is just a copying from Gulf States. The motivation of attiring this costume is to publicize that their husbands are Gulf-earners and they are better off.
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People
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Written by Raman
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Kalikutty, around 65 and Ammini, around 68 are agricultural labourers. Tongues of both are longer. When work opportunities are less their tongues will be longest. They need no cause to pick up pin-pricks with lady co-workers. Most of other lady workers who know their true colour tell the landlords they will not come for work if they are in the company of workers. If, for any reason, they come to know such and such persons have told the landlord their unwillingness to work with them, no one in the vicinity can lead peaceful life at-least for a week.
The other day a landlord told Ammini because of you and Kalikutty other workers refuse to come for work and it is good for all if you both size up the tongue. The landlord got a full-course of skin-down then and there in the presence of others. When the abuses surpassed the limit, the landlord said my work was to have completed three days ago if Ambika, Sarojini and Kochammu had not refused to come because of you both.
By afternoon seven the very day both Kalikutty and Ammini directed their ire towards Ambika who was their neighbour and so an easy catch. They drowned Ambika with filths and abuses for days together. The turn for Kochammu and Sarojini may be any moment. Sure, no escape. It is delayed simply because Kochammu and Ammini have not been seen by both since then. All this is part of village life and tolerance.
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People
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Written by Raman
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George and Hameed of a same village were composite mill workers in Mumbai. George managed to get Visa for Bahrain for working as driver in a quasi-government establishment. Both were close and thick friends. Soon, George arranged a Visa and work permit for Hameed. All the expenses were born by George. In spite of working 7 years in Bahrain, Hameed did not pay the Visa cost.
Age-bar caused the termination of George’s services in Bahrain. Hameed too returned to the village as the salary was not enough to keep surplus. Before his return, a portion of the amount due to George was entrusted by his wife to George’s wife in the village. Even though both met 3 or 4 days daily, each passed by looking in other directions.
George’s additional qualification is as a habitual alcohol consumer. When George went along with few others to Hameed’s house for collection of contribution for a public cause, George who was under the influence of alcohol verbally abused Hameed. Others present intervened and calmed both.
Two days after the incidence, Hameed saw George sitting in a house nearby around 9 in the night. Hameed and his two sons – one adolescent and the other a boy of 8 years – laid in wait with knives in hands in street-side in dark and pounced on George when he came out. He was brutally injured and he could not do anything as he was in level-less condition. Hameed and his family went hiding the very night fearing counter-attack by relatives of George.
The incidence became a police case following the hospitalization of George. Hameed too got hospitalized in a distant place to have a counter-case as per the advice of an advocate.
The case prolonged for 7 years. Ultimately, case and counter-case were dismissed.
Even though the case was dismissed, George was waiting for a lonely counter-attack by self. The destiny failed him in the task as the death took him prematurely. Both the families are still in enmity.
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People
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Written by Raman
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Radhakrishnan, 38, was late married. He was self-employed in a Tamil Nadu town as a goods auto-rikshaw driver. He left his wife at home along with mother and three sisters and came home occasionally.
The home administration was controlled by his elder sister with over-age for marriage. She in connivance with all others at home made the newly-wed sister-in-law a slave in all respects. She was compelled to do all the house chores on the order of his elder sister and others. The things did not end there. She was isolated and humiliated in all respects and she chewed all this silently. Rather, she was forced to keep silent. She was not permitted to talk to neighbours or relatives.
One day she went to her parental house to attend to a temple festival there. She committed suicide by consuming poison. She had kept a suicide note wherein she narrated the harsh treatment she was thrust upon and named her sister-in-laws in it.
The suicide earned wide publicity as news papers and channels gave good coverage.
Her in-laws are facing trial in the court. Back at village they are facing sterner trial by way of isolation by one and all.
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