Chapter Eighteen
Amma in Bombay
Amma’s arrival in New Colony had an immediate effect on the neighbourhood. Always clad in pure white, her presence was unmistakably felt. Amma would make daily trips to the nearby Ram temple. On her way there, she would pick flowers for the worship. The flower basket in her hand would be filled easily and effortlessly. Many people would call out to her and offer her flowers from their gardens. It felt as though they had been waiting for her to pass by their homes.
Amma got a lot of attention from the neighbours. She was talkative, friendly and possessed a magnetism that drew people to her. They found her easy company and before we knew it O1 had become a place where ladies would gather to spend their long afternoons. In 1962, Achu got a job with the Khadi Board in Bombay and came to live with us. Amma’s being at home soon made our house the ideal place for many young Warriers in Mumbai whose families were in the village, to gather in their free time. Though on the face of it they visited us to play carrom with Achu, Amma ‘s home-cooked meals were perhaps the greater lure and soon all of us started to join in the fun and games, making life absolutely delightful.
Needless to say, Ammuchitta was unhappy about my move to Borivali. We were now three young girls at home with Amma, and Ammuchitta felt it unfair that there was no one to stay with her and be of help to her. She complained about this to Amma and Subhadra was promptly sent to stay with her. Subhadra went albeit very reluctantly, as living with Amma was by far the more enjoyable option. Soon after, Kochettan brought home a new friend he had made. The friend, TV Shankara Warrier was around Kochettan’s age and worked in the Indian Railways. TVS, which is what we eventually started referring to him as, was impressed by my brother’s nature and offered to marry one of his sisters. Kochettan and Amma were delighted. Well, my horoscope did not match and since Subhadra was not at home at that time, Radha’s horoscope was sent to be matched with that of TVS. This, notwithstanding the fact that she was the youngest of the lot. Their horoscopes matched perfectly, and they met soon after and happily gave their assent for marriage.
The wedding ceremony, which was held in Bombay, was attended by just a handful of guests. It was solemnised on the 24th of August 1962 at Mahalakshmi temple. That evening a small pandal was set up in the backyard of O1 and guests, largely family, neighbours and friends, were invited for a tea party. It was a small and simple function, and everyone had a good time. A small loan was taken from KKS Warrier, Amma’s half-brother, to pay for the celebrations. The wedding guests came with lots of gifts, mostly steel utensils and these were much appreciated. The entire wedding was celebrated at the then princely cost of Rs 1500/- and Radha left with TVS to live in his home in Santacruz, where he lived with his mother.
Subhadra came back from Malad for the wedding but this time she dug her heels in. She was not going to leave Amma’s side to return to Ammuchitta’s home. Ammuchitta, of course, started to complain again. Amma came up with a practical solution and asked her to come and stay with us instead. This worked well for her and she readily moved in with us, happy at the thought of fresh meals cooked by her elder sister and two young ladies available to attend to her every need.
Amma would wake up early and happily immerse herself in looking after the needs of the family. She would cook lunch for those going to work and then prepare hot breakfast for them, as and when they were ready. Tea would be ready for us as we woke up and after our bath, we would get our packed lunch boxes containing rice, a curry and one dry vegetable. Ammuchitta would normally pack her own lunch while Amma would pack and keep our boxes ready for us. We had just one stove and yet Amma would have full meals ready by 6 am. On our way back from work, we would buy the vegetables and provisions requested by Amma.
I assumed the responsibility of ensuring that the household ran smoothly. I’d give my whole salary to Amma and she would immediately place the envelope at the altar without looking into it. Amma believed that by doing this, the money would last the whole month. Ammuchitta’s financial contribution to the household was not as regular and she would occasionally give Amma some money. Amma, on her part, took great care to see that Ammuchitta did not face any hardship when living with us. Chitta was unmarried and Amma was sensitive to her needs and ensured that we children treated her with due respect. Achu, now the man of the house, was handed charge of the finances and he began dispensing the money for the month. Subhadra landed a part-time job and her salary was added to the income of the house. Achu soon changed jobs and got a good job with the Bank of Baroda and this further improved our condition at home.
In the meantime, Radha came home for her first delivery and we booked a bed for her at Pandya’s Nursing home in Borivali. The maternity home was decided by Amma in consultation with the ladies of the colony. On 2nd July 1963, Shreedevi aka Jayshree was born. The baby was named Shreedevi in my honour. I suspect this was partly because there was a prevailing sense of guilt at home, that I was not yet married despite being the oldest eligible girl of the family. Amma was already beginning to show signs of slowing down and having to attend to a daughter during her confinement added to the fatigue. Radha who had not been working at the time, had not employed an extra hand to help bathe her and the baby. Seeing Amma’s exhaustion, I took leave from work and helped with caring for the new arrival. Amma trained me while I worked under her strict supervision. Not having had a baby yet, I was not considered qualified enough and Amma made sure that everything was done correctly. Only after Radha and the little one’s needs were looked after could either Amma or I rest.
It was TVS who took the initiative to send my horoscope and that of Kochettan’s to his uncle in Kerala to scout for a pair of siblings for an exchange marriage. As luck would have it, such a proposal came up soon enough. On September 15th of 1963, we got the details of the match. It seemed that the horoscopes matched well. On 2nd October, because it was a holiday, my future husband, Appukuttan and his sisters who lived and worked in Mumbai came to see me. His approval was communicated back to his family in Trichur and the marriages were fixed for 25th October 1963. It was decided that both Kochettan and I would be married into this family. This was even though Kochettan had not yet seen Appukuttan’s sister. He was away in the army and had earlier made it clear that he would be happy to marry any of Appukuttan’s sisters as long as she was younger than him. Kochettan finally saw his bride-to-be just 6 days before the wedding when he went to Trichur to get married. Amazingly, this was a man who was very clear that he would not coerce any of his siblings to get married to people or into homes that they were not happy to go to. Yet, he was happy to marry someone he had not seen, just so that I would get a husband at the same time. Marriages were very different then compared to what they are today!