I remember in a bygone era, sleepily waking up on a April 14th morning in my grandparents house in Galle, to the aromas of vaious delicacies wafting from the typical gamey kitchen. About 15 of us cousins,all over mattresses on the hall, still groggy after late night games, waking up one by one to this aunt or that uncle coming and nudging us to get ready soon. It was crowded, but all of us managed to find a comfortable place to sleep in my grandparents’ house, which was modestly large, given that it saw through nine siblings. It was THE DAY of the year for all of us, where we got to see all the cousins, aunts and uncles in one house together. Imagine around 9 pairs of uncles and aunts and their kids, it totaled upto 30-40 people or more. Thus ensued a milky tea and a hurried breakfast of rice and ambulthiyal and lunumiris and kirihodi soaked in that smokey flavour from the dara-lipa.
For us it was then either rounds in the paddyfields, playing cricket, fighting around, playing cards, daam, exploring, and anything and everything we could think of. Time seemed eternal and we were free as we could ever be. Everyone knew the house and people around, we were safe to roam around the village and the paddy fields at the edge of the sprawling garden. Being the only girl grandchild for 7 years, and a tomboy at that, I remember playing and fighting with the boys. I was competitive as them when it came to cricket and demanded all fairness even when they lobbed the ball softly when I was batting or missed a catch on purpose. I remember the small fights, the small kids wanting to play with us and us shooing/bribing/tricking them off.
Then comes the much awaited nakath time to eat.. All of us fresh and hungry after a wash, sometimes from the well, sometimes from the tap outside, we'll all line up in fresh clothes, and my grand pa would feed everyone the first bite, from the eldest, my grandma and parents, to the youngest 3 month old infant. It was a long line of eager mouths. And one huge table of sweets and curries. :)
After a huge lunch and a bit of frolicking around we’d start worshipping all the elders. Every single person in the house got involved and for us kids we found excitement in the simple fact of worshipping all the 20 something odd adults. And due to the large number of people, the ganudenu was combined in, and all of us would tightly clutch the money we got, and count it all together later. And keep it hidden somewhere in our pockets. I remember getting the most from my grandfather and father and this one particular uncle. 100rps and 500rps were colossal amounts to us 10 year olds. In between all these crackers were set off, and I remember being jealous of some of my cousins coz my parents wouldn’t let me near a cracker yet along light one.
On some years, when the younger batch of little kids started growing up, us older ones even held avurudu games for them, and believe me there were enough kids to go around for plenty of brawls and blows and snot. Right now all of us cousins from my maternal side count up to 25, with the oldest being 31 and youngest being 4 years old. :)
I am wistful for that feeling. Sitting on a banister on the porch in my seeyas house sipping tea, watching the uncles and ayyas play cricket, watching the little ones play secret games of their own, listening to the female banter mixed with laughter and busyness coming from the kitchen, maybe a cricket match on the tv, some uncles reading the papers on the verandah, visitors coming and going commenting on how old we’re getting. I am grateful for these memories. Especially now, when my grandparents are very old and frail and live with us in Colombo, while the old mahagedara in Galle crumble down alone. Everyone’s too scattered around to make it to one house, and even if they do, it’s still not the same. It has to be Galle, it has to be that pale yellow home with its own little jungle, wells and paddyfields. And nothing like a one big huge family with random brawls, fairly shared by both kids and adults, yet plenty of smiles and good spirits to go around in the end.
I am glad my parents made the time within their busy schedules. And sometimes feel sorry for the modern child of nintendos, mobile phones and computer games.
Never did I think then, that these experiences as a child would be appreciated and cherished so dearly as an adult. Will always be treasured...
Subha aluth avurudhak veva everyone..
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