I met Logu , Bharathi Chithappa's younger brother, and a childhood pal of ours, at Parkavi's function. He is older, sports grey hair but has lost none of his exuberance and simplicity. Meeting him brings back to my mind the most wonderful times that Chithi and Chithappa gifted us with.
Holidays at Dhamayanthi aaya's house were never complete without a three day visit to Bharathi Chithi's house in Marapallam. Vijai and Uma were babies actually, barely 6 and 3 years old...and I still marvel at Chithi's large heartedness in taking in a large group of kids and in giving them the best times of their lives.
Our games at Chithi's house are unforgettable. After every breakfast, all household chores were completed and we had long hours, till 2 p.m. at least, undisturbed by elders' reminders and shouts, of games...loud, screeching and fighting games. We loved playing carrom and palanguli at Chithi's house. The game of cards, Rummy and Ass, were our favourites. Chithappa taught us how to cheat at card games, by hiding cards under the sleeves, legs and ankles and then taught us how to innocently protest whenever caught. The mischievous glint and the gentle smile in his eyes are my fond memories of chitappa. He also taught how to own up when we did something to hurt another person.
We also got unexpected treats here, as Chitappa's hotel was a landmark in Erode and what was a stay if we did not get to eat fresh, spicy, hot, fried chicken curry, mutton chops seasoned with pepper and parottas. The vegetarian cousins were once treated to ' minu minu kolambu', which they slurped up, literally licking their chops, and chitappa stood there, grinning from ear to ear. It so happened that this Minu minu kolambu which Devanthi and Parthi loved was actually chicken gravy, minus the chicken. Oh, how we howled in laughter when this was disclosed. The minu minu kolambu still makes me smile.
Picnics and outings were always the highlights of our visits here. The outing to Nataatheswaran temple, set in the middle of river Cauvery must be mentioned here. A taxi was called and even today, I cannot imagine how Hari, Geeta, Devanthi, Parthi, Kayathri and Karthikayani, Viji, Uma, Mythili, Sudhakar, Logu, Chitappa, Chithi and I fitted into that white ambassador. The only thing I remember is spilling out of the ambassador on to the sands of the Cauvery. The long day in the water, throw ball in the water and at someone's suggestion, soaking the buns in water before eating (Sudhakar innocently followed Chitappa's instruction and savoured the soggy bun, as if it was the world's best bun), splashing water on one another, holding the breath under the water ( Devanthi and I were usually good at it) till the mind and heart became charged with joyous exuberance is a gift beyond compare that we all received at Chithi's house.
Going out for movies was another joyous activity, since we all loved movies and the element of unexpectedness that Chitappa and Chithi would bring in, by taking us out for late night shows, afternoon shows, morning shows and all. We once watched three movies in a day, moving from one theatre to another in a kudhirai vandi. They were Caravan, ( a Jeetendra, Mumtaz and Aruna Irani starrer), Kasethaan Kaduvalada ( A rollicking comedy) and Noothuku Nooru (Jaichitra, Jaishankar starrer). There was also a time when we went to a theatre to watch Raja Raja Cholan and one of the ushers took one look at the 13 odd children of all ages and with a pitiful look at Chithi told her , ' Take care of the children', cos he thought that Chithi must be a martyr to have borne so many children...
Mariamman festival in Erode is a special celebration for the whole of Erode and for us especially. Chitappa and Chithi would take us out, treat us to cotton candy, ice creams, large appalams, mulagai bhajis, karumbu juice ( as much as one wanted) and would buy small knicknacks for us...Hari and Sathy Chithi were nimble fingered when it came to hairpins and clips and ended up with a few more than they had paid for. We would loiter around till 12.30 or so and take leisurely walks back to the house, chatting, laughing and joking.
How did Chithi and Chitappa manage us on so many occasions and give us those hours of unalloyed joy? My heart overflows with tenderness for this couple who loved us all as if we were their own children... in fact, Vijay and Uma were just part of the whole lot...My eyes are moist when I think of the love and thoughtfulness that went into making our days there as fun as they could be...Today, Chitappa and Chithi may not enjoy the good health that helped them run around, cook, serve, clean up and go out on endless outings with around 12 kids in tow, but they still make us laugh with these recollections. Amazing power of love, acceptance of all and ungrudging care was shown...God bless my Chithi and Chitappa. We love you, Chithi and Chitappa, for all this and more.
