I grew up on a hill
With a Church next to my home
There were no roads back then
A path could let only one person walk
Along the steepness of the hill
I dreamed of a road and buses plying
one day
The tapioca fields filled the barren land
Coconut trees filled the other parts
A narrow river was the lifeline
of the paddy fields on the plains
There was an unfinished temple
On one shore of the river
There was a low stone bridge connecting the hills
Often get flooded during the monsoon
People used to catch fish using primitive ways
Sand miners dived from boats
to dig sand from the depths
Leaving many deep patches in the river
The paddy fields had big frogs and snakes
that was after them
Farmers used bullocks to till the paddy fields
and the mud spliced like art
Ponds dotted the landscape
With source nearby
Small streams took the water towards
the paddy fields
On holidays we used to sit on the walls
To look at the vehicles and rare buses
A small forest of rubber trees
Dotted in some parts
The market was vibrant with local produce
fish and other essentials
It hosts events at night sometimes
All major shops and restaurants were
closer to the market
People kept slices of coconut to dry on the road
The aroma of coconut oil draws
When you get nearer to the cold pressers
During summer paddy fields made way for
beans and vegetables
Some others tried their luck with plantains
The telephone was rare in those days
Even telly was there in a few homes
And the neighbours flock to watch
Until the voltage goes down in the eve
VCRs were hired to play movies
On the day before weddings
The stages and shades were set up with
Areca nut poles and coconut leaves
People were sent to faraway places
To inform the death
The whole village helped in the mourning
Older people would relish their paan
Old loudspeakers were tied to the electric poles
and trees during the festivals
A canal brought water from the Neyyar dam
for the farmers in the hills
I spent a lot of time playing in that canal
In front of my home
And I remember a literacy program
That helped the elderly people
To learn to read and write
And the people used to share the fruits
in their land with the neighbours
And there were drunkards who loved
drinking nearby the river and the canal slab
Image from Unsplash
