Reminiscences 01 Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon

My Mother, Everybody's

At the time of my childhood, food was scarce. In Kerala, as in many parts of India, food meant rice. There existed a Public (Food) Distribution System run by the State Government. But rice produced in the state was not enough for it to procure and redistribute among the needy. For that matter, the case was not much different in other parts of the country.

At home we didn't feel the pinch, because we had a few acres of paddy field. The rice produced was enough and more, to feed the family round the year. Labour was abundant in supply and wages, paltry. Looking back, I fail to imagine how these labourer families clould have at least one meal a day!

As I said there were more unskilled farm labour than in demand. Finding work even ten days a month was difficult for most of them. Especially during the month of Karkitakam (July-August) , when it rained cats and dogs incessantly and there was hardly any work in the fields. We had a few regular workers for our farm needs. And my parents made sure that their families are taken care of, all round.

Round the year, we used to have a number of uninvited guests. I would speak about them later.

Any day my mother would expect a few of our farm labourers and their children at the time of meals. Not our regular labourers. If their number exceeds her expectation, she may skip her breakfast or lunch or both. But, she made it a point that she religiously fed us all, her children. During my growing-up years I started to notice this sacrifice she made often.

Once I asked her, 'why do you skip your breakfast to feed the labourers? '
Her answer was simple. 'We have three meals a day, round the year. Nothing will happen, even if we skip one or two, here and there. For these people, who help us have our food, this might be the only food for a whole week.'
"And by sharing my food with a hungry soul, I seek His blessings for you, my children, so that He assigns someone to feed you, when you are hungry.", she continued. I did not understand what she meant. But I do now!

These fasts were apart from those regular fasts she had, on religious grounds. About this again, I will write separately.