Sunday, February 22, 2009

Four Generations and a sewing machine!

Hope Karthikyean would come today, said my mother looking expectantly at the gate. And who is Karthikeyan? He is the handyman from Usha sewing machine company.. and my mother own a sewing machine which is around 35 years old. Usha sewing machine company has come a very long way from the hand machine days which my mother owns proudly. In between the 35 years, many a times, the hand machine went in for an exchange for a new automatic electric designer sewing machine, but the emotional connect mother had with the machine, ensured it came back home every time mother took it for an exchange during the festival seasons.

This sewing machine was bought by my maternal grand mother when she was in Bombay in early 70's. Grandma was a complete housewife and I will write about her very soon. She was very popular for her byriyanis, painting, embroidery work and pickles! She loved the way the Punjabi's and other North Indian friends used sewing machine to stitch their clothes and got one Usha sewing machine for herself. While moving out after her marriage, my mother opted to take the sewing machine with her. My father recollects how his old shirts, faded bedsheets etc were designed by mother as tiny frocks for me...he says, I try to guess which of my lungi or the bed sheet would you be wearing in the form of a frock as I walked back home from the bank! :)

I recollect my childhood days when my brother and I would very excitedly fill the bow pin of the machine with thread ... this was an easy task given that the machine had to be rotated in the opposite direction...my brother, being the muscle man between the two of us, would rotate the handle with all his might and I would direct the thread to fill the bow pin...at times we would fill the bow pin with multi threads in our excitement of having got the sewing machine for ourselves!!! Mother would realise this only when she uses the machine on a later date.

But for the past few years, mother had not touched the sewing machine. It would come with us every where we shifted home. At times, mother thought it was an added luggage but brother and I were sure, we will not sell it at any cost. And then came the fourth generation - my little one. Seeing her grow up, mother was back into her designer mode! She would look at the sewing machine lying idle and loads of clothes like my cotton dupattas, cotton bedsheets and other 'rags' and would sigh...telling my little one, If I had this machine back in shape, you would be getting to wear clothes fit for this climate!! I would cringe at the thought of seeing this 2 1/2 feet tall 3 year something wearing the black cotton duppata as a knee-length-round-neck-with-no-buttons dress as I walked in home from work. But mother was working towards making my fear come true. She searched the newspapers for sewing machine repair shops, through them got the details of Usha sewing machine shop and from them their service handyman. And as she had set her mind to put her 35 year-old sewing machine back into action, got it converted into electric machine with a few plug-ins here and there but retained the same iron-body, faded paint, same wooden handle though she does not need to use it as it is now connected to electricity. This helps mother a lot as she just need to press the pedal and the machine works, thus no need to rotate the handle.

On February 22, 2009 the Usha sewing machine was attended by Kartikeyan. This ensured the sewing machine got back into making small frocks out of the cotton dupattas, bedsheets etc, once again. Mother wore glasses as she measured, cut clothes, got them stitched and with such excitement made her grand daughter wear her designer wear! And the little one joined her in the excitement and does not allow me to go near it....its her grand mothers.....as it is my grand mothers too!!

As mother was engrossed in stitching a pink frock for my little one, I strongly felt my grand mother too joining us around my mother and her 35-year old Usha sewing machine! I pledge to keep this going .... and so will my little one, I am sure! :)

You were my senior 16 years back!!

I was in midst of ensuring all the shoes displaced in the BATA showroom, Opp Women's college Vazhuthacaud went back to thier place in proper condition, as my little one was on a trial-spree....shoes of her size as well as mine! As I was putting back the ones I had no mind to buy, I saw a family of four walk into the showroom - Man, Woman and two daughters...and as they were a bit on the heavier side compared to my skeletal frame, I heaved a sigh of relief looking at myself - Phew! I am so much better off than them...slim and can fit into any dress! Lost is such self-centric thoughts, I did not notice the woman of the family that walked in come to me. I looked up as I saw a pair of feet stop by my side...looking straight into my eyes, she asked, "Are you Karthika, who studied in LSN Convent, Ottapalam" .. before I answered in affirmative, I tired to clear the memory clog and tried to place her somewhere of the two years in LSN...was she my batch mate, or my senior...err..mybe a junior...and before I answered she helped me place her...and trust me, what she said was so unbelievable!!! " Am Amrita....I was in Class V when you were in Class X...and i remember you as you were part of Margamkali (A Christian festival dance) and popular in school".....Felt a bit dizzy at her recollection...she was talking of days which were 16 years back....and Amrita was a kid...in 5th grade and I was in 10th!!!!!

I did not wait to ask her why did she recollect me after these many years .... but was happy I was in her memory even after 16 years! And what a memory, Amrita! :)

Sunday, February 1, 2009

A wedding in Trivandrum

I belong to a state in India called Kerala, whose length can be covered in a 12 hrs train journey. I will not get into the demographic or geographic details of my state...there are ample other websites to help you understand Kerala aka God's Own Country. I am from the district of Palakkad, which is to the north of the state. But presently residing to the south of Kerala, in the capital of the state - Trivandrum where my current company is based out of.

I am very much aware of the differences between every district in Kerala. Though our state language is Malayalam, it is spoken differently in every district and so are the rituals during a wedding. Today I got to attend a typical Trivandrum wedding and this contrast surfaced once again! Keep aside the ritual of tying the knot or welcoming the guests etc. My discomfort stemmed right from the welcoming of the guests stage of the wedding but it reached its peak when it came to the second-half and highlight - The Feast or in regional language - Sadhya. I have never seen these many well-fed, well-dressed men and women shove and push each other to get into the hall for a seat!!

We greeted the couple and stood like models for the cameras clicking happily away and stepped down the stage. For all the functions I have attended while in Palakkad, we proceed to the feast area after greeting the couple. My mother and I did the same. Though mother has attend a few Trivandrum-based weddings, she too joined me only to realise we have to wait till the next round of hungry-but-healthy looking guests were to be served. We waited and waited. After 30 mins, there was a huge rush of guests from the hall to the front of the feast area. Mother warned me of a rush when the doors would open. I looked around to see the average weight of the population was anything between 70 to 85Kgs which was an indication that most of almost all who were attending the function had access to three healthy meals a day, on an average. If that was the case, why would they rush, I asked myself.

After a waiting period of 45 mins or more, the doors to the feast serving area opened and I was not prepared for what followed. I have seen people pushing to get into Mumbai local trains to reach home on time. I have seen people push forward to pay their homage to the deity when the main-door to the deity opens after an offering. I have seen people pushing to get into theatres or into buses but all these have a logical reason - to get there! But here, for a wedding feast....what are you pushing me for! You will still get a seat even if you walk in. I had to only stand and was swept or literally swept off my feet by silk-wrapped heavy-arms as they pushed me inside the hall and had to sit where the crown behind be decided to dump me! I could not move further as the seats were taken by then. Relived that I survived a near-stampede and also relived that I got a seat after all the waiting, I could only thank the stars for my second meal of the day!

Kids on stage are stress-busters!

I did not know I was such a sentimental fool! Of course, I am very sentimental when it comes to matters of the heart... but I saw myself almost on the verge of sobbing with joy, when I saw some 20-odd kids between the age of 3-4 yrs on stage as the curtains went up for my little one's school day. Her dance number was no:11 in the sequence and the first dance was by another annex of her kindergarten. As the curtain went up, I saw all the 20-odd tiny faces smiling at the audience with an innocence of a new-bloom flower! They were saying a thank you to God for having created all the animals, flowers, the moon, sun and stars etc and were genuinely trying to convince God that they meant it with the tiny hands going up as they looked up to the line of - Thank you God... I am sure this particular frame would melt any God or human heart!

I really felt great sitting there as I watched my little one do her twists and steps to Ena-Mean-Dekaa...she too was all amazed at the lights, the song in high volume with a hall full to its capacity! But as the music played, she and her other set of pranksters were unmindful off all these and gave their 100% to the dance...the teachers were seen standing in the wings of the stage trying their level best to prompt their wards about any steps they seem to forget...but none of them wanted any prompting..they were unmindful of the stage but were in a trip of their own till the music stopped...could see all of them stand still and look ahead as the curtain came down!

Every parent should make it a point to be present for their kids' school day, come hell or water. These are moments that you would cherish forever....and they too will feel very good when you narrate these moments to them years later. All parents who are working, pls make it a point not to miss your kids' on stage. You owe a lot to them...and this is something you definitely should be a part of!

I was. Will you be?