AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF
ADHYATMA RATNA KUMBAKONAM C N GURUSWAMI SARMA (1900-1968)
CHAPTER 5
THE MOVING OFF FROM MADURAI
One morning suddenly, my grandfather who had revived a bit (after the attack which almost paralysed him after seeing his young daughter passing away-Ed) ordered that all of us should move away , that the house was given to some one else, who would not tolerate on our being there any longer. Movables namely vessels etc were moved away in a bandy with Ammalu athai. My father was given a sheaf of papers in which my grand father said were described the lands purchased by the sale of Ponnu's jewels all at the volition of my aunt.(Ref 1) My grandfather took me in his arms and very seriously told me that a new house was on the building at Melur , that his village Melavalavoo (Ref 2) was a lovely place where I can play that I must not be a child but read well and pass the examination. For my life, I could't understand all that he said but I was admiring his grand stature and his child-like heart and his talk to me with tears in his eyes for what reason I could not comprehend.
We were all bundled up in a big bullock cart into which I was raised and deposited at the front near the driver. Usually I was not fond of sleeping even then. The bullocks walked slowly and came to the outskirts of the town and joined a train of bullock carts which caravan slowly progressed without much care for time or speed. This was the first journey of mine and I can rarely describe my joy during the travel. It was an excellently bright night with a full moon shining gloriously from the sky. Everything around was perceptible, Except temple towers, i had never seen mighty or big and for the first time I found a huge elephant sprawling on the ground with its back upto the skies. I wondered what it was and took to pestering the driver who said it was called Anamalai, that the whole thing was a stone hill and not an elephant as I imagined. The truth did not satisfy me and I continued in my fond imagination and my own ideas and refused to believe that anything so beautiful could be of stone especially an elephant who was one of one of my earliest of friends. He began to enumerate to me the names of so many hills and particularly one at the village in which a vested interest was created for me called sonagirimalai (Ref 3) in which he stated there was a huge mortar and pestle and small tanks. Who could have poured water on a hill and what is it for? Many many problems as to who constructed these . and so differently shaped. Were they built by large men like my grandfather and such like problems tormented my little mind but there was no solution. When I was so mentally fogged up, arose a song by the first driver and the refrain was caught by all the bandy men. the note was so grand bellowing and from many voices and hills around reverberated and sounded in accord giving the song once again in majestic notes. the whole thing stirred me deeply. I could understand nothing of it or as to why they should sing when the whole thing was silent and eloquent, but none answered my queries.My bandyman said that there were people round about hiding along the hills and they used to rush up and take away the things if one bandy alone is going along the road. This was a very difficult idea for me to digest. Why these men should trouble us when we were quiet and harmless? The reply was still stranger. He said that they would kill us with sharp "aruvals" (sickles-Ed) and run away. That was too much for me. I got the first idea of fear and quivered as to waht would happen if any such people should rush on us and wound us. This idea drew me in and nursing it and looking around with wide open eyes for any such fearful man to rush up from ambush with an " aruval" My body could probably not bear this onslaught and I ought to have slept.
When I awoke, it was very bright sunlight and I was helped down to the ground before a half built house with trench in front over which a plank was placed to cross and enter the house. My grandfather took me up in his arms and crossed the plank and entered the house. He placed me in the hands of my mother's sister Andaloo Chithi (Ref 4) as I was asked to call her. She took charge of me and my next elder sister Kunjammal from that day. I was old that I must be a good boy and obey Chithi as my sister Rajammal would go away to her husband's house at Sivaganga soon ( Ref 5). New company indeed! I was also told that my father was building the house for us. My senior uncle and another uncle were there and they received me with great kindness. The senior Uncle's wife gathered me in her arms and fed me with cold rice after my teeth were cleaned and I was installed at Melur.
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.Editor's notes:Ref 1: Ponnu is in short for Ponnammal which is the name of my grandfather's mother though her name was officially known as Meenakshi. The details of my Grandfather's mother handing over the jewels before her passing away have been described in chapter 3.The lands thus purchased were with my grandfather till 1963 around which time he disposed them off. Regularly, every year after the harvest , we used to see him receiving a small amount as income from the land from his mother's side relatives in Melur, which he would proclaim to everyone as his mother's gift. I think, it was more of a sentimental attachment than a financial gain for him since he owned three houses when he was 60, wealth created by his own hard work and the excellent financial management by my grandmother.
Ref 2: Melur is an important town and is called Thaikramam (mother village) for many villages around.Madurai to Melur( see the map for the route )is about 30 kms by the road used by buses today and the carts could have covered this distance in about 6 hours but apparently they took much more time. This may be because they did not follow the present road but probably went through a different route closer to the hills which are described. The alternative route is shown in map as 72 A via Alagarkoil Road.where the terrain could have been hilly and hence the carts could have travelled slower. Melavalavu is on Melur-Natham Road 8 KM towards north of Melur (see melavalavu.) Today, Melavalavu is more in news due to the caste related massacres and not for its natural beauty.
Ref 3 The location of Sonagirimalai is not known but there is one senagiri hills near Melavalavu. It is a forest range.
Ref 4 She must be younger to my grandfather's mother and her marital status is not clear here. Since it is written that the elder sister would go away but not Chithi, we are left to wonder about her married life.
Ref 4: Due to lack of information on age of the siblings, it is difficult to determine the sequence of events in the life of other children born with my grandfather. My best guess is as follows; 1st daughter chellammal b 1882 married to Doraiswami Iyer 1900, 2nd daughter Meenammal b 1884 married to her uncle 1902 3rd daughter Rajammal b 1886 married 1906 and 4th daughter chellammal b1898 marriage status not known. The difficulty is more as 2nd daughter and 4th daughter of the family apparently passed away without children. I am open to correction if any one can give better information.
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