Just wanted to pen this story which was told by mom long ago. Today, am so happy and so proud to be a woman. But it was not the same before 20 or 30 or 40 years. I used to long for a girl child while i got two boys and my mom used to long for a boy and she got 2 girls and 1 boy. We were talking about this gender related topic while my mom narrated this story to me and my sister.
It was during 1850s.. those were the time when a girl kid was born, it was not even shown to the mother or the father. The tiny one was either killed with paddy seeds in the nose or with kalli paal. Just like, in the movie Karuthamma..
It was those days, when the delivery happens at home, in some portion of the home or in the cow shed. It was my GGGM who has come to her mother's home for her 3rd delivery. GGGM got the girl baby delivered and was unconscious. Her mother took the baby and since it was a girl child ( 3rd in row) & had the umbilical cord around the neck(which is not good/life threatening for the maternal uncle), a big Karupatti was inserted into the tiny mouth so that the baby dies due to suffocation. The tiny new born child was left in the Thinnai outside the house in the cold night to die.
Karupatti :- Palm sugar ie Sugar patty from pannai maram/palm tree.
Thinnai :- The plank or bench outside the home for outsiders to sit.
When my GGGM woke up and searched for the baby, her mother had informed that the baby was left to die since it was a cord around the neck girl baby. I could feel the chill in my spine when I heard those words... Womanhood is like a viruksha / tree is very vital and essential for our Ecosystem. And umbilical cord around the neck.. Nonsense.. What could make them understand things better. It is tootoo late now. What does a women needs when she wakes up from the delivery? What will I do or feel when someone informs me such a nasty thing? It should be the times when people do not think about other's emotional situations or feelings...
With great distress and tear my GGGM ran to the kid it seems. When she came to the thinnai to see the infant, the baby was with twinkling eyes and was sucking the Karupatti. She just took the baby and ran to her husband to safeguard the baby.. With this our GGGM didn't stop and her next deliveries happened at her in-laws place it seems. She should be a strong woman. Happy happy days for them.
It is already written whether our life is going to be a mere mess or a fabulous history. Lets do our part to participate in this journey. See, the tiny girl baby became the tap root of our forth coming family tree. And here I am the 5th generation woman, penning the story.. We all are set out to do what we are meant for, no matter how hard anyone try to stop it, isn't it???
It was during 1850s.. those were the time when a girl kid was born, it was not even shown to the mother or the father. The tiny one was either killed with paddy seeds in the nose or with kalli paal. Just like, in the movie Karuthamma..
It was those days, when the delivery happens at home, in some portion of the home or in the cow shed. It was my GGGM who has come to her mother's home for her 3rd delivery. GGGM got the girl baby delivered and was unconscious. Her mother took the baby and since it was a girl child ( 3rd in row) & had the umbilical cord around the neck(which is not good/life threatening for the maternal uncle), a big Karupatti was inserted into the tiny mouth so that the baby dies due to suffocation. The tiny new born child was left in the Thinnai outside the house in the cold night to die.
Karupatti :- Palm sugar ie Sugar patty from pannai maram/palm tree.
Thinnai :- The plank or bench outside the home for outsiders to sit.
When my GGGM woke up and searched for the baby, her mother had informed that the baby was left to die since it was a cord around the neck girl baby. I could feel the chill in my spine when I heard those words... Womanhood is like a viruksha / tree is very vital and essential for our Ecosystem. And umbilical cord around the neck.. Nonsense.. What could make them understand things better. It is tootoo late now. What does a women needs when she wakes up from the delivery? What will I do or feel when someone informs me such a nasty thing? It should be the times when people do not think about other's emotional situations or feelings...
With great distress and tear my GGGM ran to the kid it seems. When she came to the thinnai to see the infant, the baby was with twinkling eyes and was sucking the Karupatti. She just took the baby and ran to her husband to safeguard the baby.. With this our GGGM didn't stop and her next deliveries happened at her in-laws place it seems. She should be a strong woman. Happy happy days for them.
It is already written whether our life is going to be a mere mess or a fabulous history. Lets do our part to participate in this journey. See, the tiny girl baby became the tap root of our forth coming family tree. And here I am the 5th generation woman, penning the story.. We all are set out to do what we are meant for, no matter how hard anyone try to stop it, isn't it???
