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Monday, July 5, 2010

Swinging Holidays

This's my ancestral house...the house I was born in...a treasure house of memories.






How I waited for school to end
when off we went to Kerala,
For two short months
under trees and in the fields.
Two months of drinking,
drinking nature through the eyes.
Lush green carpets under the feet.
Dark green umbrella over the head.
Insects to chase under every stone.
Garland of hibiscus to daily wear.

Grandma starts the big fire
starts making the jackfruit jam.
Grandpa is ready with the ropes
to tie a tall swing for me
between coconut trees parallel.
You don’t get these swings
in any place other
for you can swing high into the sky
and every single time with the toes 
tear free those banana leaves.

In huge cauldrons on the open fire
with an oar with which to stir
harvested brown husky paddy
boiled in batches all day.
The smell of boiling paddy
still smells strong in my mind.
With a big catapult in hand
I have spent days with no end
guarding precious grains
of drying par-boiled paddy
from the junglecrows
and the jackdaws.

And there is one big secret
I wish to share with you!
Mangoes on the neighbours tree
were much better than ours!
They tasted so good
When I hid to eat them
Under our mango tree!



© Nalini Hebbar/openmind/2009 - all rights reserved
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5 COMMENTS:

Purba said...

Ahh our sepia tinted childhood memories :)))

Shri Ram Ayyangar said...

The great old house we love.So peaceful & serine.

Anonymous said...

Where the photo was taken ?looks extremely familiar to me.

Nalini Hebbar said...

This is in Thalaserry, Kanur Dist...Pattikal House, an offshoot of the Edathatta House

Bhargavi said...

The pic reminds me of few places near Mangalore .. also Coorg .. you r so fortunate .. I crave for places like this and all I get is pollution in Hyd ..