Family Time!

I haven't been blogging for a few days now because we've been on the roads meeting lots of family.  It has taken time on the road to get to places but it has been worth the journey.  Here are a few highlights:

Kolakkada Ammumma – This is my great-uncle’s mom.  She is very old, but does funny things. My great, great aunt lives in her ancestral home. Even though she is very old, and doesn’t talk much, she is sparkly. When I was there she refused to eat her lunch, eating mango candy instead. A range of cats of all colors were gathering around because she usually shares the remains of her meal with them which is pretty much her whole meal. Before she used to have a set of hens and cows to also share but they are all gone now.  I liked visiting her.  She didn’t pinch my cheeks or hug me super tight. She gave me a really warm smile. I was sad to leave her alone. I thought she was very cute just sitting there feeding the neighborhood kitties. I wish we could visit her more often. 

Ammavi, her daughter, Jyothi Chechi, and granddaughter, Lakshmi Chechi – This was a really terrific visit.  Lakshmi chechi is a fun 23 year-old. She is always playing around with me and teasing me. Her mom, Jyothi chechi, has been to many places including Washington, D.C where she studied in high school. Later, her older sister moved to Australia. They will take me there! She’s also been to Europe, other parts of Asia, and all of North America (except for Central America).  Her mom, Ammavi, is the greatest cook ever. I enjoyed the yummy lunch I ate there.  They all are very playful. I really love them. I really wanted to stay. They are my favorite threesome. They are always loving, caring, and happy to please. When I say something good, they give me more of whatever’s good. I love them very much.  

Right next door to Ammavi is my great-grandmother's (grandfather's mother's home) where my grandfather's sister (eldest) lives with her family.  Santha Appachi's son's family, Vinod Uncle and Bindu Aunty live here with their kids.  Pictured above are the co-conspirators of childhood fun, my grandpa and his sister, smiling together in front of her home.  I am sitting on Bindu Aunty's scooter right after she rode home from work to see us.  Man, I wish I could ride this set of wheels.

Anu Kunjamma – Anu Kunjamma is a very fun aunty. She is a teacher and has two playful and shy kids. She is a good person, and is always kind. I never saw her take off her smile. She gave my sister and I many gifts. She let us explore her whole big house, too. And, she let us pluck vegetables. I was happy the whole time there. I loved chatting with her. She is also a great reader. She gave me a generous number of children’s magazines to read in Malayalam. She helped me read Malayalam. We explored her enclosed terrace where she has all sorts of fun things, such as a hammock and a sewing machine which she showed us how to operate. This was my 3^rd time seeing her, yet she let me do everything. The concept of family is so strange and beautiful. It is as if there are all these people out there ready to love you even though they might be meeting you for the first time.

Renji Kunjamma, Manju Kunjamma, daughters of Syamala Appachi, my father’s youngest sister – This house was built on a sandy terrain. It is the home of my paternal grandparents, the home where my father, Kochappuppan and all their sisters grew up in. It looked fun to play in. I went into the house. Manju Kunjamma greeted me. Inside, her sister’s baby was asleep. He is a chuball baby boy. The cute roly poly baby was in a hammock made of soft sari cloth and wood made especially for babies. My sister and I passed time by playing hide seek tag. Then we ate a sumptuous lunch of fish, fish, fish, rice and vegetables, all made by Manju Kunjamma. After lunch, I wrote Malayalam in the sand. Finally the kids came. Renji Kunjamma is a teacher at their school.  For a little while, we all played with the baby, Shauri. He was now awake. Last the kids and I played outside. Tag, hide seek, and Badminton we played. When we left I was very sad.  But I had much fun with Unni Kannan and Sreekutty. I reflected on all the good things that happened. I hoped to see them again. Even though I barely see them, they prepared a feast. Even though I barely see them, they showed me everything. As family, the hosts always treat you like royals. I loved the two Kunjammas.  It was great to see them.  I wish they could come to Houston with us.

Prasanna Chittappa – Prasanna Chittappa is a cool dude. We went to their house. My mother told me that all the chittappas were such great company for Unni Ammavan, my mother’s big brother, when they visited Kerala for the holidays from Delhi – Unni Ammavan would join all the brothers to play cricket and have a lot of fun. At Chittapa’s home, Manus, we talked and ate cashews, then Prasanna Chittappa’s wife came. She is a great Sanskrit scholar, Dr. Geethamony Amma. She has written 4 books on Sanskrit scriptures. She was also very kind to us. She talked and was always happy. The couple have 2 accomplished sons, first in their exams. Eventually, I examined Chittappa’s motorbike. Chittappa found me on it. He asked me to go on a ride with him. I jumped for joy. My sister and I went around the village. The air whistled past us. After coming back, I hugged them all. I wanted to stay till the sons came, but we had to leave. I want to go back some day. Even though I’d never seen Chittappa, he offered to take me on a ride. He loved me so much, and I’d never laid eyes on him. I loved him very much too.

At Lavanya, Mini mami was very happy we were there.  If you haven’t guessed by now, homes have names here which is pretty cool too. We missed Mohanna Chittappa because he was still at work.  Mini Mami was ready to provide anything to us and kept beaming at us. We talked a lot. Both her daughters are very bright. Ammu Chechi is done with her school. She is aiming to be a doctor. Her other kid had many awards. The shelves were bursting with their medals won for all sorts of achievements.  The kids are Ammu and Akku. Akku even told me about her competitions and school. We talked for a while. Then I explored the housed. It was very big. I finally had to leave. They gave us chocs as a gift. This was the first time seeing them, but they were so warm.  They were so welcoming when I came to their house. They did everything they could to make me happy. Even when I was happy, they did more. Family, no matter how distant, always loves you.

We visited Salini, the home of my Nisha Ammavi, wife of Unni Ammavan. It is also my dear big cousin, Paru's home every summer when she visits.  She is a great dancer who comes to study at Kalamandalam and I will see her when she comes this coming Sunday.  In their home, we had so much fun on the traditional wooden swing which is apparently my Unni Ammavan's favorite hangout spot.  Here, you can see Paru’s grandparents (both sets).  Paru’s grandma served us so many snacks – samosas, vadas, juicy mangoes, that I was about to burst. Because my sister and I were getting a bit silly and having trouble sharing, Paru’s grandpa brought out the egg swing which was totally awesome.  We felt completely pampered.  I hope I can visit Salini again soon with Paru Chechi!

 Rajan Chettan-Uncle from Bangalore, visiting his mom! We had so much fun hanging out with him.  His daughter, Neetu, just got a puppy and she told him so on Father's Day.  Rajan Chettan is the one who drew such a nice family map for me and has challenged me to do a Wiki on our family map.  When I think about it, I have easily at least six-eight lines of family I can explore right away with my appuppa's parents, my ammumma's mom, my thatha's parents, and my paati's parents.  That is a big task indeed! When I do it, I will connect the link on this blog.  That's a future project :)

Thanks to my dear family who has encouraged me from afar - Unni Ammavan, Thatha-Paati, Kochappuppan, Anand Uncle, Sia and Haya, and my Appa! Please comment on my blog when you get a chance!

Family is loving no matter what. Even if you haven’t seen them for a decade, you still are loved. You get gifts, hugs, and treats. I think family is special, and life’s best gift. Without family, you would never be truly loved. So, it is a treat to get to visit all the relatives. This is what I have learned in this last week.