I'm talking of the south..to be specific..Kerala.
Frequent load shedding and extreme humidity makes the climate there intolerable. But folk living there are quite hardy and are used to it.
Tall coconut trees line every bit of property owned there. Each house is surrounded by some expanse of land around it. Each home contains at least one family member working abroad. So within no time small shanties are razed to the ground, giving way to huge, magnificent structures..enough to give us city folk a huge complex.
The climate's so unpolluted and clean, the streets quiet and serene. I'm talking of a typical village scene there.
Hubbies have left for distant shores, to make their fortune. They may work as masons there or even taxi drivers. But to all those back home, he's known as the mallu with the 'Gelf' job.
But the wives are left alone.
Now, you can't really blame him for leaving his cute newly wed alone at home. Rare job opportunities and frequent strikes (the mallu's favorite occupation here), ensures that he visits greener pastures to fill his mallu tummy.
But look at his poor wife! She fends for her kids, her demanding in-laws and the endless stream of visitors to their newly done palatial home.
She's busy from morning till night, cooking and cleaning, resting briefly to wipe the tired sweat off her brow. She takes care of the land around her home..'Paramb' as they call it, the vegetation, rubber plantation, maintenance of the workers etc
A typical kerala meal would mean a lavish spread..anything less would demean you. So three varieties of fish..curried form, fried and then with a dry coconut base, two varieties of meat, three vegetables, sambaaar and so on. The rice is red and enormous. They eat platefuls of those. 'Mor'..a thin kadhi made of beaten and liquified curd with tadka added on top of it..is delicious.
Just when the poor woman has finished keeping away the dishes, its now time for the 'kaapi.' That's coffee literally but it is accompanies by snacks. Banana chips, black halwa (this is awesome..you get this nowhere but in kerala), and other savouries made at home.
The climate there makes you real hungry within a short time.
But there's a different kind of hunger rampant there too. Married women are tempted into illicit relationships in the absence of their spouse. The number is increasing by the day. The spouse works there all his life, spends only a month in a year at home..so what else could one expect?
The situation's not easy for him either. Daughters growing up, their career and saving enough for their dowry are his main worries.
The dowry asked is touching crores, with car and gold..so you got to keep working till you die.
The girl must be draped literally in gold on her D-day. Starting from her neck reaching her waist, in different types of designs. She's supposed to wear all she possesses that day.
A type of showing off. Wonder how she doesn't get kidnapped by any gold loving criminal that day!
Status games play an important part here. What will others think? This prompts most mallus to go to ridiculous lengths.
But one must compliment a mallu woman for her tenacity.
Everything runs smoothly because of her.
Hats off to a super woman!
