We spent leisurely time, lazing around in the cool shade of fruit-bearing trees or coconut palms, meeting friends and playing. Holidays were a time for enjoyment. Everyone had one destination in mind - grandma's place. We spent hours cycling in the summer sun or floating in the cool waters of our village river. We took turns in watering the palms. The steady run of water along the special channels made for irrigation was a sight enjoyed by all of us.We vied with each other to get the spade first so that we could do all the routing of water that day. This gave a respite for the elders who found this a tedious task. But for us, kids, it was fun. See how the difference in age brings difference in attitude too.
There was no dearth of goodies to fill our stomach. The mangoes were ripe and the jackfruit was a steady feature with midday tea. The sweet 'appam's and banana chips filled the china jars in the middle room [called 'ara'] which often doubled as the store.The one dipping the arms into it came out with enough to share with all the rest. The plantain bunch always hung in the corridor, steadily moving with the up and down thoroughfare of the kids usually running along the passageways and corridors, chasing each other for nothing in particular.
After the afternoon coffee, there would be a dozen cousins, in revelry and rivarly, jumping headlong into the village pond attached to the family deity's temple. Evening brought the time for temple and prayer. All the kids washed themselves in preparation to visit the temple. With the evening lamp lit, we crowded around it reciting the prayer loudly in unison. That was our meal ticket. After a day full of activity, everyone was ravenous. The louder the prayer, the hungrier we were.
Supper was always a noisy affair. Drowsy after a full day and a full meal, it was "Granny's time" for us. Grandma had a repertoire of stories from epics. We kids hero-worshipped Hanuman, Arjun and Bheem. These stories usually gave theme for our next day's imaginative play.
Slowly a yawn picks up many others. One by one, we drop off to the
