Sarpakkulam - the sacred pond

The pond located close to the Sarpakkavu, the Holy abode of the snake  gods was called Sarpakkulam. None of us got into this pond without taking bath. Women in the family were not even allowed to go near the pond when they were menstruating. Grandma was very strict and like a military general, she implemented the rules in their letter and spirit.

Our youngest sister bore the brunt of General Grandma's tyranny the most those days. She was given a mat and a blanket and allowed to sleep only at one corner of the house. She was given food in separate plate that she needed to wash and keep aside for five days every month. On fifth day, she washed the cloths, the mat and then the place she spent has been cleaned with water mixed with cow dung! No body was allowed to go near her these days, forget about touching her.  All these, the grandma did for the sake of the Sarpakkulam. All followed her diktats out of fear for the Snake Gods. After our beloved grandma bade adieu to this world, the pond lost its caretaker, literally. As the time passed by, like most of the ponds in Keralam, this too became a big ditch in the premises of a house. Only time will tell, if this ditch will be one day filled with a few loads of sand and then a palatial bungalow sprout there. There can be a swimming pool also to enhance the opulence. Given the trend, this does not look to be a distant reality

Remembering the Sarpakulam hardly brings the memories of Nagaraja, the Snake King now. Instead, it brings about the memories of the Varal fish in that pond. Varal, is a fresh water fish that are commonly seen in ponds of Keralam. These fish, once in a year  became a mouth watering recipe in our grandma's kitchen. A holy place as it is, the Sarpakkulam has been always kept clean with the help of yearly maintenance. Once in a year, during a summer day, water from the pond was pumped out and then, the sludge and mud removed. During this process, the fish were caught and kept in a vessel with water.
 

Four men, holding four ends of the ropes tied to a conical shaped vessel, stand on two edges of the pond. In a synchronised act, they dip the vessel into the pond, collect the mud and throw it to the land. It was very interesting to watch, just like villagers still watching an odd JCB appearing in the village once in a while for some specific work. Along with the mud, fish also were thrown out. By the time the mud is cleared, water from every directions oozes out and fill the pond even up to a quarter level. The water table was very good and it was very clean.

Water weeds called 'payal' in Malayalam grew thickly in this pond. There was no way to control its growth. At times, we removed the payal and used as manure for the plantains and other plants in the compound. After a few days of its removal, the weeds made its come back stronger than before. This used to happen even after the yearly maintenance work in the pond. After the maintenance work, what we see was clear water in the pond with the bottom visible from the edges. Barely after two weeks, the surface of the water will be wearing a green blanket. This marks the rebirth of the nemesis called payal! I am sure, even the Snake Gods could not do anything to prevent the reappearance.   

The fish were shared among the neighbours. The pure water fish was very tasty. I still remember how Meenakshiyamma killed those slippery creatures one by one, peeled off the skin and washed them clean. I was the one who used to pour water to clean the fish. Most of the time, while the old woman prepared the fish, I was present to lift water from the well and help her clean them. When Meenakshiyamma prepares the fish, she stands in a peculiar posture. She walked and stood with a crouch. From the time I remember her, she was like this

While cleaning the fish there will be a dog and a few crows waiting nearby her to eat the waste. She gave the waste only to the dog because according to her, dog narrates to Lord Yaman about the good things we do.  She never like cats, because they were disgraceful animals and they tell all lies to the Dharmaraj!

The fish, after cutting into pieces were washed many times. Two or three times with crystal salt too to remove any remaining scales from the fish. We used crystal salt those days. Probably, chemistry was not in our grandma's syllabus  and she certainly did  not know iodine! I have not seen crystal salt in the recent past.

Cooking starts. The awesome company of grandma and Meenakshiyamma  fried these "varals". That was the ultimate! The taste is still in my tongue!  However, for a long time now, no meat is a part of my daily menu. Meat no longer enthuse my taste buds.

Which flavour in the dishes prepared by the lovely duo was dominating the others? It is difficult to say. Perhaps it was love, no it was sincerity or was it the commitment? Whatever it be, we devoured every dish they churned out. The rice appam with coconut chutney in the evening after our return from school was a very special food for us. The rice was ground on the stone along with small onions, jeera and green chillies by Meenakshiyamma. She took care of us more than her own two children.  

In the monsoon, the sarpakulam overflows. A small channel is cut open to make way for the excess water from the pond to the nearby paddy field. Water flow was another occasion for the children to celebrate. Paper boats hit the stream. We made a number of boats by folding news papers and the paper torn from the note books. The boats sail from one end, move on unsteadily, stop when a hurdle comes on the way and then again move forward. The bare footed children accompanied it till the end of the journey. Never mind, at the end of the day, we children ended up with itchy feet. It was quiet difficult to spend nights with the boils in between the toes. Itch was unbearable. Elders had very hard time attending on us.

By the way, the house opposite to ours could not weather this year's monsoon. The already dilapidated structure has come down totally last month. That is the end of a pleasant history. How would have our affable friends Minikumari, Vinod and Cini Mol felt about it?  It was painful to see the house in this condition. The noise from the quarrel between Vinod and Cinimol and the Ramayanam recital by their mother Pankiyamma reverberates in my ears. Blaring  honking noise from the city roads can only force me more and more nostalgic about the silly things I saw in my life.

Once in a year, we offered special pujas to the Snake Gods. Our grandpa took lead to perform this ritual. He arranged everything from the prasadms to the lamps to lit. We assisted him very enthusiastically. Grandpa, as usual wore a serious face even when he was busy preparing to please the gods in our premises. We never dared to tell him anything. Orders were obediently executed. By late in the morning, the pujari from the village temple turns up to perform the puja. At the end of the puja, we children shouted 'aapro irro, irro,  arpo irro irro..." All the gang members made a chorus to shout this. The pleased gods, showered their blessings all the time. They remained there as an armour of protection around the souls that lived in the compound. That was what all of us believed. There is nothing wrong in believing. Nothing wrong in believing that snakes can be gods and they can bless the humans. As long as it does not question other's beliefs or his/her peace is disturbed, every belief has the right to peacefully coexist in this universe...

In the name of belief, a few ponds and many more trees are preserved all over the state. That needs to be appreciated. Once the fear factor fades, slowly but surely, the remaining ponds and woods will vanish. O,  respected Nagaraj, please instil some fear once in a while in the people in the interest of the nature and the eco system