DAY 105

When I saw this image I was suddenly reminded of something that I hadn't thought of in more than three decades. I didn't even know that I had a memory of it. But this simple coir triggered something in my brain, which brought back memories of a single encounter which I had thought insignificant at that time. But I guess it was not so and it must have left an indelible impact on me without my knowing, because the more I think of that encounter now, the more I can recognize how it has shaped my thoughts regarding certain aspects of my life.

I was a little girl, must've been in studying in the 1st or 2nd standard in school. I was spending my summer holidays in Kerala at my grandmom's place. Every year we would go on a kerala-visit for 10 days. The first four days would be spent visiting cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmom's sisters, brothers, more cousins, aunts, uncles .... you get the picture, right.

And these people lived in far off places. By the fourth day I would be tired of these trips and all I would want to do is spend time with my grandma and my immediate cousins and the cows, goats and chickens in the backyard and roam around the rice fields.

It was the final day of visiting. It was almost sundown and we were to visit my grandmother's cousin. I hadn't seen her before. And she lived on top of a hill. So there I was, a little girl, tired, huffing and puffing climbing the hill, with my knees and elbows scraped and I absolutely didn't want to meet this old lady. What would I have in common with her.

But my parents insisted that I should meet her and that she was a very special lady. Above all she was 105 years old. And I thought, she wouldn't even able to hear me, see me or even sit next to me, I mean to a little girl 105 years was a really really long time. And I wasn't one bit interested in meeting this old lady who in all probability was laid up in bed.

As I entered the huge open courtyard I saw some women working, drying something or the other -i don't remember what exactly it was. The old lady was rich and had a lot of help around the house. In the far end of the courtyard was a tall, strong, woman chopping firewood.

I could still feel the air that swished down into my open and surprised mouth when my dad introduced the lady chopping the firewood as `my grandma' (I generally called everybody who were 80 plus grandma and technically she too was a grandma of sorts since she was my grandma's cousin). She was the "special lady" that my parents wanted to meet.

100plus and chopping firewood. Phew!

She came running to me, gave me a huge warm hug and went about feeding me with all the keralite delicacies.

Throughout the entire time that we spent there I remember asking her just one question: Why are you chopping firewood? Why can't one of your maid-servants do it?

Even now, I remember her throaty laughter and she said: "Because I can."

And I all in my childish innocence said, " But you are 105 years old. You are very old. How can you chop firewood?"

She laughed some more and hugged me tight and she looked at me for a long time and said, "Because I can."

I did not understand the meaning of those words then. But I remember thinking, it was some kind of a secret, a mantra for her longevity. Maybe she repeats it a 100 times everyday in front of the Gods and that's why she is so strong.

Today, I understand meaning of the words, "Because I can." And I realize that those words have indeed shaped my life, albeit in an unconscious manner.

And why did this pic remind me of that event? Because next to the wood-chopping-grandma were a couple of women twirling the coconut fibre in long and strong coir ropes....

:)