By Rajaram Ramachandran
Shabdaavali: Nisarna (v): Slipping (English), Vazhukkudhal, Vazhukkugiradhu, Vazhukkuvadhu (Tamil), Fisalna (Hindi). We find some wet parts of our house e.g. bath room, toilet, etc. slippery most of the time unless we attend to the area and keep it dry and clean with a view to ensuring that moss does not collect. Moss is mostly responsible for making the ground slippery. Even a little water on the present day tiled or marble flooring is sufficient to make it slippery. During my school days, from sixth standard to eleventh standard when I was to walk four miles up and four miles down thru’ agricultural paddy fields, I had a virtual problem. We had to walk on ‘varappu’ (divider between two fields which would be very narrow. In rainy season the mud thereupon would be slippery and I would trip and fall down on the slushy paddy fields. The other boys would manage as they were accustomed to working in the fields on holidays and could negotiate the slippery areas. Even the mud roads in the village would be slippery at several places. The ‘aangana’ (Mutram) in our house would become slippery during rainy season. During nights when we tread on this area there was every chance of slipping and falling. I fell down one night – carrying a kerosene lamp (no electricity those days in the village) I walked on to the aangan and fell down face down, the glass bulb of the lamp broke into pieces with one piece piercing the middle of my forehead just above the nose. My grandfather deftly removed the glass piece, applied Tincture Iodine (a dark coloured liquid which was always available in our house) after ensuring that it did not get in to the eyes, covered it with cotton and a bandage was put with a torn dhothi. Next morning I appeared for the Madhyama Examination. That is why we even now insist that we must keep the bath room, toilet and other areas where water gets accumulated neat and clean and also dry. It took fifteen days for the wound to heal and even now the scar appears like a third eye. Soon I was to slip down the mossy steps of Srivanchiam Temple tank – Yama Theertham (what a name!) and went down. I did not know swimming then and but for my maternal uncle who saw me going down got into the water and pulled me out, it was a close shave for me and I almost met Yamraj! But when mother says to son; ‘toiletaala jaathaana paavun jaa, nisarala’, and when he returns, she asks, ‘nisarlakini?’, to which he replies, ‘ Nankara nisarlaaskacha ghelon, amma.’. The son’s reply has a different meaning altogether for ‘nisarlaaska’!
Corrigendum/Erratum: The name of the Temple Tank mentioned in the subject post is 'Gupth Ganga' and not Yama Theertham. Yama Theertham is an uncared for tank outside the precincts of the temple and on the southern side of the temple and very close to the temple. I sincerely apologise for the error and also the sarcasm (what a name!). Perhaps in the back of my mind (while writing the subject post) I might have thought let Nakkeerar find out the mistake but our Nakkeerar does not find fault, with me at least! I intend visiting the temple in the third week of April 2014.
Shabdaavali: Nisarna (v): Slipping (English), Vazhukkudhal, Vazhukkugiradhu, Vazhukkuvadhu (Tamil), Fisalna (Hindi). We find some wet parts of our house e.g. bath room, toilet, etc. slippery most of the time unless we attend to the area and keep it dry and clean with a view to ensuring that moss does not collect. Moss is mostly responsible for making the ground slippery. Even a little water on the present day tiled or marble flooring is sufficient to make it slippery. During my school days, from sixth standard to eleventh standard when I was to walk four miles up and four miles down thru’ agricultural paddy fields, I had a virtual problem. We had to walk on ‘varappu’ (divider between two fields which would be very narrow. In rainy season the mud thereupon would be slippery and I would trip and fall down on the slushy paddy fields. The other boys would manage as they were accustomed to working in the fields on holidays and could negotiate the slippery areas. Even the mud roads in the village would be slippery at several places. The ‘aangana’ (Mutram) in our house would become slippery during rainy season. During nights when we tread on this area there was every chance of slipping and falling. I fell down one night – carrying a kerosene lamp (no electricity those days in the village) I walked on to the aangan and fell down face down, the glass bulb of the lamp broke into pieces with one piece piercing the middle of my forehead just above the nose. My grandfather deftly removed the glass piece, applied Tincture Iodine (a dark coloured liquid which was always available in our house) after ensuring that it did not get in to the eyes, covered it with cotton and a bandage was put with a torn dhothi. Next morning I appeared for the Madhyama Examination. That is why we even now insist that we must keep the bath room, toilet and other areas where water gets accumulated neat and clean and also dry. It took fifteen days for the wound to heal and even now the scar appears like a third eye. Soon I was to slip down the mossy steps of Srivanchiam Temple tank – Yama Theertham (what a name!) and went down. I did not know swimming then and but for my maternal uncle who saw me going down got into the water and pulled me out, it was a close shave for me and I almost met Yamraj! But when mother says to son; ‘toiletaala jaathaana paavun jaa, nisarala’, and when he returns, she asks, ‘nisarlakini?’, to which he replies, ‘ Nankara nisarlaaskacha ghelon, amma.’. The son’s reply has a different meaning altogether for ‘nisarlaaska’!
Corrigendum/Erratum: The name of the Temple Tank mentioned in the subject post is 'Gupth Ganga' and not Yama Theertham. Yama Theertham is an uncared for tank outside the precincts of the temple and on the southern side of the temple and very close to the temple. I sincerely apologise for the error and also the sarcasm (what a name!). Perhaps in the back of my mind (while writing the subject post) I might have thought let Nakkeerar find out the mistake but our Nakkeerar does not find fault, with me at least! I intend visiting the temple in the third week of April 2014.