Last time, when I came to my home
town, I texted to one of my friend, “I was homeland sick”. It has been couple of months since I haven’t
been in my home town. I love to be in my district, Kanyakumari. Whenever I came
back to Nagercoil by either bus or train, the moment I reached Kavalkinaru,
merely the border of Kanyakumari district, I get unconsciously woken up by the
gentle touch of blossomed breeze which carries medicinal values. It is the sole
nature of my land.
This time, it is Pongal, yes! When
I passed near the morning market towards my home at the Pogi Pongal day morning,
I saw Chodakku Poo and Pongal Poo.
In Kanyakumari, people usually don’t
have a habit to hang the Pongal poo on the roofs of their houses during Pongal
days. But, it is known for its medicinal value. We called it as Kalmurichan
kuzhai, Sirukanpeezhai, Poozhai poo and so on. It is a very valuable medicine
for kidney problems, especially kidney stone. So people call it as Kalmurichan
kuzhai and Sirukanpeezhai, Poozhai poo too because of its flowers. It looked
like eye pus.
In all the other districts in Tamil
Nadu, I have been seeing people tighten up these plants along with Neem leaves
and Mango leaves on the roofs of their houses on Pongal days. Therefore, it is
known as Pongal poo in general. I understood there are many people who have migrated
from other districts to Kanyakumari nowadays.
Normally, there is a saying by our
local people that if anyone get a punishment duty for their misbehaviors in
government jobs from northern districts and get transferred far from theirs
native districts; it could be either Kanyakumari or Thirunelveli. But, when
they came here, they used to like the district and they are forced to buy lands
and settle down here. It is for them that they have Pongal Poo plants in
today’s markets.
Whatever it is; I love to see it
in the market because earlier we saw it everywhere. Though recent days, it’s replaced
by Partheeniam plants which cause some dangerous diseases and threats to
agriculture.
Until a few years ago, NCC and NSS
had an agenda to fire these plants in their camps. I’m not sure whether they
followed it or not.
For Chodakku Poo (kind of flower
using to playing by children), we stamped our bare foot all paddy lands around
our village in our childhood. We never forget the waved Chenkulam (red pond)
and the Single Track Railway Station.
Since a long lime after around ten
months ago, when I visited the railway station, I was shocked. There wasn’t the twin trees Banian and Neem
in the station which are emotionally attached with my childhood days. I used to
study under the shadow shelter of them. Not only this, we also had a habit to
rest in the middle of the way Chenkulam (the pond) to swim play, lotus plugging
and fish catch, and some cheers in rainy days. There are mesmerizing beds I
have in my memories. But the trees were
cut down for the extensional or developmental accounts for railway (now it is
double track) and they were never seen in the waves in Chenkulam which is
buried a lot. The paddy land where we stamped our bare foots weren’t there. Real
estate people perverted in and around the pond.
But before long, we children were
competently running to pluck Chodakku Poo (Poo = Flower). After plucking we
aired the flowers and stuck it on our foreheads. It sounds tubby. It is a
delight. We played it either on our foreheads or friends’ foreheads. To give a
surprise, we do it on Amma, Appa, brothers, sisters, closed relatives and
neighbors’ foreheads while they are working. And, some time we have been
thrashed for disturbing them. When we tried it with friends, they ran to escape
or came towards us for their chances. It was full of fun to see how children were
celebrating in their homeland during Pongal days. There were plenty of Chodakku
poo in streets, markets and everywhere you go.
What now? Partheeniam! Partheeniam!!
Partheeniam!!!
Ariharasuthan R (25th January, 2015)
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