Chemmarathi is dead. Did she write her name as Chemmarathi, or the correct form Chembarathi?! Doesn’t matter now. Oh well, she couldn’t write for that matter.
She is the last among Grandma’s friends that I can remember. They used to have gossip sessions in the evening. She looked the same for as long as I can remember. And beyond, I am told. For a lady who lived past 100 and saw too many things changing around her in that time, she wasn’t much of an “in my times” person. She lived as if every age was her age. She was an exceptionally talented woman, for any age.
In the older days when thieves were usually from the same locality, Chemmarathi the detective could identify any culprit by his footprints. People came from neighbouring villages to get her help. Legend has it that Chemmarathi never went wrong. Another of her talent was in catching fish from the sea – by throwing a particular seed coated in a paste! Upon eating this seed fishes would become drowsy and would be washed ashore by the waves. She used to just pick them up then. Like grandma, she was a good vadakkan paatu singer too.
Just saying.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Unknown heroine…