1 Life in Anantharam Telugu original : Ooru, vaada, batuku, published by Hyderabad Book Trust, May 2009 Author : Devulapalli Krishnamurthi Translator : Gita Ramaswamy Drawings : Laxman Aelay Chapter 1 My village, Anantaram, like many others, is not famous for anything. Anantaram was earlier in Nagulapadu pargana, Suryapet taluk, Nalgonda district. My family had been living in this village from the days of our ancestors. Maybe our ancestors were from a village called Devulapalli; maybe that’s why our house name1 is Devulapalli. Our house (midde)2 was at one end of the village with the dora’s motabavi 3in front. At the edge of the well stood a banyan tree with two toddy4 trees in its middle, as if sprouting outwards from it.5 Close by were agricultural fields. On one side was a cattle shed, beside it haystacks, and manure heaps. There was a house in front of ours. Villagers from Kampadu and Dosapadu and travellers were up and about from dawn when the waterwheel began rolling till evening when the lamps were lit. Those who knew us stopped by to smoke a chutta.6 They a drink of water, rested a while and went on their way to the village. Lying covered with a sheet, I could hear Dasari Ramaiah singing at a distance while turning the waterwheel. 1 People in Andhra Pradesh have, like many other states in South India, a house name. This is usually prefixed to the name and sometimes, the caste names follows the name – as in Kasu (house name) Brahmananda (name) Reddy (caste name.) 2 Rarely is the generic name for house used in Telangana. The house is either a midde (beamed roof filled with tar and earth), or a gudise (thatched hut) or a kavvelu (tiled roof) one. 3 A well, prior to the times of electricity and diesel pumps, when water was pulled out by oxen 4 The toddy tree yields both toddy fruit and toddy drink, the latter tapped by the Goundla caste and fermented for a light kick 5 Birds would have dropped toddy seed onto the banyan tree, and this would germinate on the tree, giving rise to another tree on this one. 6 Locally made cigar 2 (She says) Oh, hero at the well, Why can’t you tell me the name of the well? (He says) The name of the well is Mohanangi7 Listen, dear! The name of the well’s ring8 is Bheemaragam9 (she) I thought you would be at the well I brought a pot for water Neither were you nor the oxen there Listen, dear! I filled the pot with my tears. You have never spoken to my elder brothers Face to face (about our marriage) (he) We are young and youth is passionate Listen, dear! It would lead to a quarrel Like the moon breaking through the hills on the horizon Does not need sandalwood paste to brighten it Listen, dear! Why does a good woman need to beautify herself? Sita was born and (then) Lanka was destroyed Shiva’s10 anklets erupted11 Rama and Lakshmana were born Listen, dear! Lanka was harmed. I could hear the birds, the cuckoo calling ku hu, ku hu, coming out of their nests and chirping, and the roosters heralding daylight. My mother pulled at my sheet, saying it was dawn, `Get up.' In the eastern room of our house, two looms stood apart, facing each other. Two of my brothers wove at the looms. There was a bench in the big hall where elders sat, and beside it, a hearth. Behind this was the kitchen and on its western side was the puja room. Rice and lentils were stored here, so no one but my mother was allowed to enter. If my mother had a few paise, she would hide it in this room. Ours was a hand-to-mouth existence, sorrow dogging our lives till death. The kitchen was but a bare space. Steps in front of it led to the roof. Beneath the steps were the nesting places of the hens. Close by was a grinding stone made of a huge rock. At a distance was a small thatched hut where the buffaloes were tied. Close by was the rear door which led to the street. And then a lot of bare space. The rest of the space on this western side 7 Beautiful woman 8 The ring of the wheel makes a whirring sound while turning 9 Name of a raga 10 Ravana was known to be a devotee of Shiva 11 indicating that a beautiful woman can cause much harm 3 of the house was filled with firewood and a heap of dried manure pats. The neighbour's neem tree shaded where mother worked during summer. In those days, walls were built with red mud and white lines with lime paste were drawn on them. Drawn with the feather of a hen, these were beautiful. My sisters-in-law sprinkled a cowdung and water mix and spread this on the floor, giving it a smooth shine. Doors and windows were painted red. Happiness can be had for just a paisa Because kumkum (costing almost nothing) heralds a festival My grandfather had two brothers. 12 Because he was the eldest and fulfilled family responsibilities like the weddings of his sisters, the care of the aged, house repairs, etc. we were poor. We called the children of his second brother `middle fellows’ and the children of the youngest brother, `younger fellows’. My own grandfather Papaiah had four sons. My father Pedda Narsaiah was the eldest followed by Chinna Narsaiah, Chandraiah and Venkaiah. Chandraiah left the village and went away to Mangalagiri. The others stayed together. Two families built their houses on rocky ground. They were called Bandameedi people, 13 those living on the lower incline were called the Bandakinda14 people. The family that had a tamarind tree in front of their house we called the Chettukinda people.15 In our village, there were 30 Padmashali16 caste households where everyone wove, and lived in a bazaar17, the Saalolla bazaar, the bazaar of the weavers. In between, were two houses of Goundlas, the toddy tappers, two houses of the Reddys,18 but the rest were all those of weavers. 12 In the Telugu book, the author writes that he had three grandfathers. Extended lineage in rural-based Telugu families are so strong that there are several grandfathers, grandmothers, and all cousins, whether removed twice, thrice or more, are termed brothers and sisters. 13 People living on top of a rock 14 People living below the rock 15 those living beneath the tree 16 Caste of weavers 17 A marketplace or often, a public street or group of streets 18 An agricultural upper caste community, largely in Telangana and Rayalaseema; they can be compared to the Jats of North India in terms of ownership of land, control of village power, and over the decades after Independence, control of state power 4 We visited each other's houses on weddings and on auspicious and inauspicious occasions. If there was a wedding in any house, there was excitement for two or three days. There was plenty of give and take among the households and we lived together harmoniously. We were four brothers, Venkatagiri, Satyam, Viswanathan and myself. As I was born on Krishnashtami,19 I was called Krishnudu. I was told that till I was a year old, it was my eldest sister-in-law who looked after me. When I had to go to school, my date of birth was given as 14 June 1940. All my three brothers were weavers. They were just about literate, as was my father. By the time I was aware of my surroundings, my second brother Satyam had separated from us and set up house independently. My mother's name was Ramulamma; the villagers called her Ramakka. She was fair, slender and to my eyes, beautiful. Bracelets on her ankles, rings on her ears and a stud on her nose, she had no other ornaments. She had a silver waistband which she stored safely only to wear at weddings and functions. She would chew betel leaves, adding kasu,20 lime and tobacco to it. There was a small cloth bag at her waist which held these items. It was women's work to wrap the yarn around the spindles. Men, women and children, all worked together. In weavers' households, everyone worked. From the little one to the old man who would die soon, each had his share of work. The loom runs only if everyone works. There was work at all times, weaving dhotis21, silk clothes and saris for weddings and functions of the Reddy clan. However hard we worked, we made no profits. We worked with thread for zari saris and white dhotis. Two people were needed to work thread. If my brother caught one end, my sister in law caught the other. Sometimes I too worked. While we wove, we sang to lessen the tedium. 19 Krishnashtami is celebrated as the birthday of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu 20 Catechu, an astringent substance obtained from the plant Acacia catechu 21 Unstitched cloth worn as a lower garment by men 5 There is a forest no one can see a ditch full of water without rain Oh, Yaganti Linga!22 There are sparks of fire that never die. In a forest without leaves was born an animal without a tail from the womb of this animal Oh, Yaganti Linga! Was born a bird without wings. Yarn was available at a controlled 23 rate at the Suryapet handloom cooperative society.