jayantiblogshere

Mrs Yamaraj finds a place in Oxford English dictionary It was the first four letter word that was strictly forbidden at home . Amma always said never to utter it all by itself.   Strangely enough, you always found adults uttering it all the time.   Aiyo … he left me … cried grandmother in anguish over Grandfather’s dead body. Aiyo … you  cried in pain when you cut your finger while cutting the mango. Aiyo your reflexes uttered when you lost our balance and slammed your bicycle against the bushes before you learnt to ride on one. Aiyo .. you said when you heard about that hit and run case…. Well… Aiyo was supposed to be Yamaraj’s  wife. And calling her name out loud , one believed was as good as summoning the God of Death himself. ( Really .. when Yama was on duty why would he be anywhere around his wife. If anything calling her name out loud could be a sure shot way of keeping him away. Logic beats us…anyway) Neverthless that was the s...

Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, India  –  1940 -1954 As the daughter –in-law of the wealthy landlord  Kannammal was always expected to be draped in pure kanjeevaram silk.  The nine yards that demurely draped her, would slightly reveal her tender and shapely calf muscles, hovering just a little above her anklets and the curve of her hips in a way that even women who glimpsed at her would envy the tender and youthful sensuousness that she emanated.  Her hair, well oiled and drawn into a thick long plait that fell well below her knees was always adorned with jasmine flowers. She was barely 15 when she was married into the household of Sabesha Iyer in Kumbakonam. Her father had left no stone unturned to pull off a grand wedding . Her wedding trousseau consisted of the finest silks and abundant amounts of gold jewellery in dowry, befitting the social and economic status of the family that she came from and th...