MY LIFE AND STRUGGLES – 24

GREAT LOSS – FATHER PASSED AWAY

Father has left his job as Pujari in the temple in Trichur District and settled at home a few years back. He will rise very early, go to temple tank, take bath, pray in the temple for long time and come back home. Marriages of sisters Parvathy and Sreedevi and brothers Kesavan Namboodiri and Sankaran Namboodiri were conducted according to family tradition during these years. To meet the expenses, some of the family properties were sold. Prof. Kesavan Namboodiri was teaching in Devagiri College, Calicut and settled there. Parameswaran Namboodiri was working as Head Master in Peruvallur School and was settled there with family. I was working at Calicut telephones. Sankaran Namboodiri was at home looking after parents and his own family. He was interested and engaged himself in agricultural activities.Since he was a trustee of the Perincherry Sri Lakshmana Temple, father had responsibility in that connection also. He has been active all his life. Now there was not much work to do. Of course, there were festivals, marriages and other functions to participate.He will sit in the verandah in his leisure time. He might have been thinking about the past when the family owned large tract of paddy fields, lands and other assets and there were many servants to look after everything. He might have been thinking about his parents; about his children, who were all in different places, except one at home. We, his children will be visiting now and then, but parents might have wished for more frequent visits.His health started deteriorating. All of a sudden he passed away on 30th October 1966, leaving all of us. He was only 72. I was at home. That was the first death in the family as far as I remember. Brothers, sisters and relations came. Funeral took place according to traditional rites and kriyas in the family compound, where our fore-fathers were laid to rest.While mother was very close and affectionate to all children and showed it openly, father was different. He will look after all matters, but as usual to those times, did not show affection and love to his children openly. But we knew that it was always in his mind. He belonged to another generation. We belonged to another. He might have been sad about the social changes, but I am not very sure about that.Head of the family was gone. After traditional rites, kriyas etc. we all left to our work places. Father’s death caused maximum pain to mother, whose life-partner has left for ever. She became a widow. But she was also the loved mother of six children who were having their own families, except me who was yet to get married. She was a respected and loved grandmother. She fully deserved that. (to be continued).Photos (1) Father (2) Mother