CHARAMMI – MY PERIAMMA

From : Rama Venkataraman

Charammi ,  my periamma is no more  with us . The eighy eight long yrs she lived  with us was eventful and full of life. She held the torch and values of a generation which is fast getting extinct now.

Her life canvas can give us the wisdom of a life which was lived with spirit and gusto taking in stride many changes that fell into her lot with equanimity.

Born in deep Kerala at `Thodupuza’, as the  third daughter of an illustrious lawyer Sri. Shivaramakrishnan and his wife Ganga, she was brought up in lap of luxury in a `otha madam’ ( single house in midst of the fields) with 25 rooms and  lot of servants as attendance.

All that changed when the young girl of 20 was married to  Shri. Narayanan and started living in Bombay . The single room apartments of 1940 Bombay did not deter the young girl,  her zest for life.

She mothered a boy Ramdas ( Anatharaman) and a girl Geetha. She adjusted well to the Bombay life. Living in different localities she brought up her children well, giving them the best of care. She had the joy of seeing her children getting well settled in Bombay itself. She also had the good fortune of seeing her four grand children growing up.

She always used to be proud of her brood and cherished their every achievement as her own. That is the kind of strong affection she had for her children. Affection and bonds are the one that stand out when we can recall of her at any time. Her heart strings were always attached to not only her immediate children and grand children but to the extended family around. She never used to miss a single get together. As I recall my younger days, I remember she is the one who used to come with all the enthusiasm to the common get together we used to have in our grandmothers and mama’s place at Bombay wadala. The get together were frequent for all important festivals.The home made sweets for Diwali, chaturthi, gokulashtami and myriad of other festivals used to be brought to grand mothers place to be shared with  the clan. The birthdays of all grand children used to be celebrated with all periammas, chittis, mama mamis, grandmother and it used to be a gala affair.

Also the `shraddh’ thithis were particularly important where  Charrammi used to be the first one to be present, coming the previous day itself for an elaborate preparation of `Boli, appam, vadas and other eats made in huge measure, for all the clan who used to gather for the occasion in kontha mama’s place at wadala, Bombay.

She had one of the warm smiles lighting her face and always quick to a laugh. The enjoyment the four sisters used to have on their regular gatherings was one we have savoured in our younger days. All of them brought up in Kerala but settled at Bombay  used to get connected to their roots and get their rhythm set in life in these meetings. The four sisters used to visibly get their youth back, joking, breaking into peals of laughter for smallest of things and it was occasion when we all cousins used to get to know one another and get bonded.

Both she and Periappa were ideal partners in life always seen together in any outings, functions and making decisions together. I felt pariappa’s passing away early brought down her zest for living in a major way. The eighties of her life was real tough on her. As she turned eighty her health started getting feeble. Later it was her will which made her live by. But that too evaporated in the last few years of her life. She lost her only son prematurely .She was staying with her son and family all along.  

But it was difficult to guess how much of impact it made on her for by then her faculty to grasp and express were getting limited.

But she was fortunate to be well cared for till her last breath. After the demise of her brother, Geetha made it a point to get her mother ( Charammi) under her fold to give whatever cushioning she can give to the strong soul which was on the verge of bidding goodbye to the worldly shores. That deed would have definitely rested the soul and allowed its departure peacefully.

A life lived well, gracefully, sincerely should be bid farewell with respect , affection and a tear for the trials she went through yet staunch with her concepts and ideals of life. Let her soul rest in peace for the journey ahead.