Sunday, April 01, 2012

My Mother C S Seetha Ammal - a gentle and efficient lady

My Mother

My mother's name is Chenangad Subramania Iyer Seetha Ammal (C S Seetha Ammal). She was a mild and gentle person. She got married to my father when she about to be 13 yeas of age. My mother's childhood days girls used to get married between 11 and 13 years of age. She suffered lot of humiliation when the family was joint living together as joint family. My grandmother (father's mother), my uncle's (father's elder brother)  family and father's family were together. She being a mild and gentle person had to suffer for all misunderstandings and any deficiencies in the family. My aunt (uncle's wife) was very clever and used to escape all problems. The whole family was in poverty and were virtually living with the help of others as in those days Brahmins were treated piously. My father left for distant towns and started earning. Later when father made some money the family property was partitioned  and our family had a seperate house near to the ancestral house. The ancestral house is  called the Chakkali Madham and our house being later built is called as Chakkali Puthan Madham.

I was born in a backward village by name Ezhumangad in Palakkad district, which is bordering a village known as Arangotukara (Arangode) in Thrissur district. The portion of Ezhumangad village where my house is situated  is known by Arangode or Arangotukara only. During my childhood days there was no communication facilities like that of now. The only mode is letter which may take weeks and months depending on destinations. Urgent communication has to be done through telegrams. To send telegrams one has to go to far away towns of about 10 km. But the telegrams were identified with bad news like serious illness to the nearest or deaths.  Lighting source was the lantern and oil lamps. After 6 to 6.30p m no one could be seen out side of the houses.

I am the 6th child of my parents. All my elder brothers and sister were at Trichy or Madras (now known as Chennai). Father was at far away place named Parvathipuram in the then Srikakulam district of Andhra near the border to Orissa (present Odhisha) running his own hotel there. It might have taken 4 - 5 days to reach our village from there.

I being the eldest male member at home studying in primary and the high school, she had to manage the matters of the family. Of course there were servants to attend the out side work and father had a secretary to attend to other matters. Mother had to co-ordinate their activities. She had no education as at that time girls were not sent to school for studies and the parents do not wanted the girls to study.  Her marriage with took place when she was just 13 years old as in those days marriages of girls used to take place between 11 years and 13. Father used to send money sometimes by money orders and bulk he used to bring whenever he came t the village. He had bought paddy lands, horticulture lands and plot of about half an acre (where he built a commercial building) on the main road side near to market in addition to the house with its compound of about 1 acre. Whatever father earned and brought she managed diligently and helped father to increase the property or wealth. Though she was mild and gentle she was very efficient. Since father will be out of station for about 9 to 10 months in a year, maintaining the family and bringing up all the children during the school days were brought up by her almost single handedly.

Having had to suffer poverty and humiliation she used to be very generous to the poor. The workers and beggars will get sufficient food if they come during the lunch hours. During summer when it will be very hot, if some body ask for water, she will give water and buttermilk. After several years after her death people used talk about her as a food giver.

I am really proud of having born to such great lady.

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