Though we have moved out of Vedachala Gardens, it is a favourite topic of conversation for all of us. It is said that life is nothing but experiences and memories. And Vedachala Gardens was so full of wonderful experiences for us that it would always be a garden of memories. Here are a few flowers from that garden.

The aroma of mendhiya kozhambu made just then by paati was engulfing the entire house. Keerai looked green on the ‘ever silver’ plates of eight or ten members who had just then sat for eating. Choodamani mami, Amirtha mami and paati were serving. Harish who was very small then, seated on a ‘modah’ under the ‘Radio Stand’ had stomach problem and was to be fed strictly only curd rice. Mama’s family had arrived only in the morning. All wanted Harish to sing a old thamizh song. He used to sing very nicely and we were all quite surprised that a small boy brought up in the North is singing all old Tamil songs. (thanks to Mami’s training) He started singing nicely, ‘pall irukkum, pazham irukum pasi irukadhu…’ While we were all appreciating the fine tune and melodious clear tone in which he sang, unmindful of the temptation and hunger the young one was going through, he suddenly stopped and asked athenna mambazhama?’ seeing ‘parangikai than’(pumpkin) in the plates which made all of us burst out laughing unanimously. He turned red! This triggered mami’s memory and she narrated earlier how when they had visited Chooda akka’s (her sister) house, she had asked Harish, thachi baappam sapadareya? (thachi baappam is the child slang for curd rice). Harish could not understand and turned towards his mother and asked ‘What is periamma asking?’ His mother rephrased the question,’ Do you want ‘Thayir sadam?(curd rice)’ “oh, thayir sadama? I’ll have. I didn’t understand what you asked.” he said. This time Chooda akka turned red as Harish had no Mazhalai and did not know children’s slangs.

When Naren was small (Uri’s second son), they hadn’t bought a car yet but he always wanted one. So he expressed his desire in his sweet voice to ‘Vanja paati’ and their conversation went thus, “paati, paati, Appa has to buy a car.”
‘Very good. When is it coming?’
“Not coming. Appa has no money to buy a car.”
‘I will get you a car from the shop. What colour you want?’
“I want a real car. You give” he said.
‘Where will I go for so much money? Ok naan unakku 100 rooba tharen mele pottu car vaangikko (I’ll give you Rs.100 you put rest of the money and buy a car). She promptly gave Rs.100 and asked him to keep it safe and give to his father. As usual each one of us were busy- Thatha and Uri chit, chatting, I was reading something. Suddenly I realized that Naren was doing something funny. I called Uri and thatha with out distracting him. We didn’t quite understand his action initially. He was throwing the hundred Rupee note up and clapping his hand and without allowing it to fall down caught it back. He was carefully repeating this but with a sense of disappointment. Uri understood this and asked
Ennada Pannara? (what are you doing)’
Amma, paati 100 ruba thanthu, mela pottu car vangikonnu sonna. Mela potta Car-e varla.’

We laughed but I hugged him and chided mom ‘your idiomatic expression is difficult even for us. For the child?’ Thatha commented ‘what Vanaja speaks is tough Tamizh, how will he understand? He is a ‘Hindi kara payyan’(boy from north). Arun could make out all these and started explaining to Naren ‘Suno, Aisa nai--…blah blah--..’in Hindi. After understanding what was said, Naren gave a sharp look to Vanaja paati.

Chithappa came home. ‘Vaa, Raghava, ‘Yenna, Raghavan vanthurukan paaru!’said thatha. ‘Chithappa, please sit’. I pulled out a chair for him under the fan. (only where there would be good breeze.). Uri was seated down feeding the child-Arun. She was very happy to see chithappa. First it was always pleasure talking and listening to chithappa and also listen to his talk with thatha. Another reason was that chithappa could be used to complete her mission of emptying the food from the vessel into Arun’s tummy. I brought the coffee prepared by paati for chithappa. Thatha and he were engrossed in discussing the ‘Devasam’ for their father- Kolluthatha. Uri said, ‘Arun. If you don’t eat, I’ll give the food to chithappa.’ Chithappa was intelligent and sharp. ‘Uri, please. There is Radha, Vanaja, Anna – so many around. Why do you drag my name? First you’ll say ‘Arun if you don’t’ eat I’ll give the food to Chithappa.’ Then your son will start crying and he may say ‘only if chithappa eats, I’ll eat. Then you’ll plead with me. ‘Pl. Chithappa, Arun has not been eating properly for the past 2 days. Why don’t you eat at least 2 or 3 mouthful for the sake of the child’. ‘Amma, I had wonderful coffee, which madhani gave. Its taste is still lingering in my mouth. Don’t spoil it’. It was so hilarious that thatha and I laughed and Uri also relished the joke. But she was in no mood to take a no for an answer and Arun was equally determined to annoy his mother. She lifted him on her hip and went to gate. She stood near the door peeping out and showing something to him and talking, ‘Dhek, Dhek,….chidiya’. He would have probably eaten two more mouthfuls. She came back tired ‘I am becoming thin feeding this fellow.’ She again sat down and threatened the child ‘If you don’t eat-‘kollivai pisasu’, ‘rettaval rangudu’, ‘bhoodam’….will all come’. Arun immediately said, ‘Amma, ondrakannan vittuteye’(you have not mentioned ondra kanna). All of us including Arun (except Uri) enjoyed this. Thatha laughingly said ‘see how cleaver he is. He is reminding you of what you have to say’. ‘Thatha please paduthathey!’ uri said. Chithappa said, ‘he seems to be as determined in not eating as you are in feeding him. So, leave the battle and leave him alone for an hour or so to play. Then he’ll be hungry’. Uri much to our relief took the vessel back to the kitchen.

Some 30 or more years back, Gopalan Mama had come from Nagpur to Madras for a week. It was weekend and he was relaxed at home with a book in one hand and a plate of ‘hot bajji’, freshly prepared by paati in his other hand. Chithi, Choodamani mami and Thatha were also helping paati. The house was vibrant with excitement and guests. (In those days, if any one came from outstation visits to one another’s house was mandatory). Suddenly ‘Muthamma’ our one and only washing woman, an old lady in white sari who had her own charm and very fond of all ‘her’ children (older generation for us) who came irregularly regularly to collect clothes for washing, ironing, dry cleaning (whatever cleaning) came home. When she saw ‘Chinna Ayya’ she was happy and beamed at him. My mother rushed to the room to bring a big bundle of clothes to be washed and starched, instructing her as to what to do. Meanwhile, Gopalan Mama, whose concentration in reading was legendary, stopped munching his bajji and lifted his head from the book and was shocked….. Muthamma innum nee uyirrodaiya irukke?’ (Muthamma are you still alive?)’ It was so funny we all burst out laughing. Muthamma started lamenting Enna sami ippadi ketuputtah?Ennaku enna vayasu? 65 dhan. (How can you be so harsh? I am only 65.) I am so happy to see you but how could you ask me such a question’. Mama immediately consoled her by saying that he was very happy and glad to see her etc., and gave her some money liberally (to make good his blunder). After she left we had a gala time teasing mama. ‘Just because you were not here for some years, not all would be dead and gone’ one said. ‘ If you have any doubt please ask us, then react’ told another. ‘We don’t know the list of people whose chapter is closed as per your records’ was Uri’s comment…. Paati was happy that she got enough time to make more bajji. Chithi said in mama’s defense, ‘ he has not been here for so long…so..’.Paati joined her son’s side ‘it was unexpected so he had asked like that’. And Vijaya mami (Gopala mama’s wife) had the last word,“Adhukkunu ippadiya? ivarukku thuli kooda idhuve illai.’ chided Vijaya mami.

It is said that life is nothing but experiences and memories. I had so many pleasant experiences in Vedachala Gardens that it will always be a Garden of Memories for me. Radha Seshadri

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