BLUFF MASTER from TENDER COCONUT PONDS: May 2009

Raasathi sonna kathaii(Life’s like that at Suryanelli)

Atleast some of you must have listened to this Tamil favourite song of Music meastro Ilayaaaja sir,” Raasathi unne kaanathe nenjam kattadi polaaduthu”.This song has an innate freshness of the village and villagers in it. This time on our trip to Munnar ,I did meet the Raasathi in this song. No it wasn’t the fresh,naïve and young Raasathi ,heroine of the movie ,but Raasathi akka from Chinnakkanal village of Munnar.
Munnar offered us( myself and my friend for the past 20 years ,that is my betterhalf) an enticing weather,though least expected! Nature revealed all its moods, one moment scorching heat, next moment the joyous drizzle as well as the early morning chill.Rather like tasting a three in one Icecream, to our utter delight. It was amidst the high moods that we were in ,on our early morning jog from Chinnakkanal to Munnar Raasathi akka got acquainted to us. May be our Jogging shoes and traditional dress unlike the other touristers , likely to have stirred a passing interest in her. We just smiled at her thinking of picking up some loose conversation,you know ,the local news! Our smile worked. And on the second day on the usual route there she was and started exchanging pleasantries like she had known us for a loong ,loong time!!It was my Tamil that worked wonders and stories started pouring out!!!
Well we started with the oranges in Munnar and ended up with Cardamom and Musli ,the latest in the list. Raasathi is an early tamilian settler,like many in Munnar. They had come from thanjavur district aiming to tame the jungle for a livelihood!! During those times land was cheap, and forests were cleared to cultivate spices, the favourite export of those days!! They toiled with the soil, cleared dense vegetations, fought with the tuskers ,dreaming of making it big.Education never took a back seat .Children were send to the neighbouring theni district for higher education with the relatives.They had managed to gather a few acres of land in the wilderness.Plans to marry off girls in an era with less of family planning options did cost them a fortune,says Raasathi.They managed off by selling bits and pieces of land to people from midlands(the prospective estate owners),never realising that a single cent would yield a fortune may be 20- 30 years later,present heaven on earth.
It really pained us to hear that Raasathi akka was staying in a rented house now. A cute little blue house next to the Fathima matha school at chinnakkanal!!She had lost all her land now to corporate companies,unable to buy even a cent back!!She was lamenting on her helplessness about providing space to her younger daughter now pregnant and coming back to stay at her parents from the 7th month onwards( traditions still matter-).There was just a single room in her present house.She offered us steaming coffee, which we declined thankfully.With all the losses she had in her life ,I didn’t fail to notice the glitter of happiness in her eyes though wet with tears, of having two friends to listen to her woes!! We parted off with akka’s words in the background----You’re here for a few days at Munnar in rented hotel rooms ,but I am destined to be in this rented house all my life---Wiil you come next season ,dear?This is the simple joys of life that keeps my life ticking on,you know!!Well ,that’s life----- it goes on with all its ups and downs . But we may have strangers as guests in our life like a whiff of fresh air, with everlasting lingering fragrance!!