Velayi's home did not constitute a building with rooms, doors, windows etc. Velayi had worked as a labourer in the construction of a number of houses but her home was a small place on the pavement.
Some times, Velayi would get a chance to live in the premises of a building under construction, when her family was given the responsibility to guard the house, till it was completed and occupied by the owners.
During those times, she would have a house with four walls, an asbestos sheet roof and wooden structures. Her children would also get protection from the cold and the rains. Her family could also enjoy luxuries like tap water, toilet etc.
At present, her dwelling was on the pavement. Some other labourers were living nearby.
Velayi's husband Vadivelu was also a construction worker. Every day, he needed to consume liquor in the evening to 'invigorate' himself after a day of of hard labour.
Velayi would some times think, 'Will only men feel fatigued after a day's hard work?'
But she never posed this question to her husband. She didn't want to become even more fatigued after getting beaten up by her husband for asking such irreverent questions!
Women like her, coming home after doing their job, should procure groceries, water, firewood and other essentials, cook the food, serve it to their husbands and children, eat the leftovers, skilfully clean the vessels using a small quantity of water available and then go to sleep.
How can women like her talk about physical exhaustion or fatigue?
Since Vadivelu's daily earnings would hardly suffice to meet the cost of liquor needed by him to 'invigorate' himself, Velayi had to run the family with only her earnings.
When Velayi returned 'home,' three of her four children were playing. Her youngest child was just a few months old and would be with her always.
Though Velayi felt some relief seeing her children playing enthusiastically, despite not having anything to eat during the day except for a glass of rice gruel in the morning, she also felt like crying.
When she checked the 'stock' of groceries in her 'home,' tears began to roll down from her eyes.
The quantity of rice available was not sufficient to feed all of them for the night. Since she was a pavement dweller, her family didn't have a ration card. She could buy rice at a price she can afford, from the shop which was selling stolen ration rice, only tomorrow.
'What can I do? I have to manage with what I have!'
Of the water she had filled in a pot in the morning from the street tap by standing in a queue, about half the quantity remained, after her children had drunk some of it during the day, to quench their thirst as well as hunger.
'Thank God. At least, I have water. Water is God, indeed!'
She cooked the rice, added some buttermilk and a lot of water and served the cooked rice-buttermilk slurry to her children.
The children, not finding the need to take the food in their hands and put it in their mouths, drank up the slurry served on their Aluminium plates. Enthused by the fact that they were able to finish eating in a short time, they went back to playing.
The children's hunger was satiated for now, thanks to the water that helped expand the quantity of cooked rice available. During the night, they would feel hungry. At that time, they would wake up from sleep, drink some water and go back to sleep.
The children's hunger was satiated for now, thanks to the water that helped expand the quantity of cooked rice available. During the night, they would feel hungry. At that time, they would wake up from sleep, drink some water and go back to sleep.
There was a small quantity of food left in the vessel. Her husband who would come home drunk late in the night would demand food for him. So, Velayi kept the remaining food for her husband. She drank some water and tried to satiate her hunger for the time being.
The baby needed to be fed too. Velayi looked at the bowl in which she had kept the milk. There was only a small quantity of milk left. Only by diluting it, she could fill the baby's milk bottle. She added some water to the milk and boiled it. Fortunately, there was some sugar at 'home.' If she added a little more sugar, even the diluted milk would taste good for the baby!
Velayi laid the baby on her lap and fed the milk from the bottle. The baby relished the warm, albeit watery milk. After drinking the milk completely and emptying the bottle, the baby looked at Velayi and giggled.
Looking at the baby's smile, Velayi momentarily forgot all her problems.
ThirukkuRaL
Section I - Virtue
Section I - Virtue
Chapter 2
The Glory of Rain
Verse 12
thuppArkkuth thuppAya thuppAkkith thuppArkkuth
thuppAyathUm mazhai.
thuppAyathUm mazhai.
Meaning:
Rain not only helps in the growth of food grains for people to eat but also serves as food for them.
(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'mazhaiyE uNavu' by the same author)
No comments:
Post a Comment