Thursday 5 December 2013

CHACKO CITY - PART 2

CHACKO CITY PART II

A place with no name

Progress of Chacko was steady. He earned well from farming and spent it also well. He took good care of his parents and  his younger sister who completed Nursing degree and got employment in the US.

When Kambum Kumali Road was taken up with the participation of Local residents, Chacko readily put in his best, from the first day of starting the work. The work was completed in record time and as a token of appreciation government promised 1 lac rupees for any development work the locals wanted. There were many suggestions. They could not agree upon one. So a vote of all who participated was taken giving due weight-age for the days they worked for the road. Vote of Chacko carried the maximum weight-age and his vote was for a road to the cupola, so every one readily agreed with him.

With the road the cupola became more popular and that led to a plan to build a large church in the place of the Cupola. Chacko readily agreed to supply rubble for construction.

Chacko was about to construct a good house for his parents and himself. Timber for construction of the house. was stored in a shed behind his dwelling. While transporting rubble for the church one of the prominent members of the church noticed the timber. Next day the forest guard was at Chacko's. For a large bribe he agreed to help. But as the offence had already been informed to his higher ups the only way out was to hide the timber. Chacko buried it at night leaving no trace and escaped punishment but In course of time the timber rotted and became useless. But that did not deter Chacko. A house with concrete roof and least use of wood came up on the road where he started living with his parents. He tried to search out his elder sister but  her family had sold their properties and gone to Tamil Nadu leaving  no address

New house and sick old parents forced him to marry. Two children,  a boy and a girl, were born to him. He continued to work hard and took good care of his parents till they died.

In place of the cupola a large church became the land mark, still the place had no name, It was known as just pally pady (Church Gate).

Birth of Chacko city

Old age, though late, caught up with Chacko. His daughter married a US citizen. His son, a very successful  business man,was in a far away City. Thus death of his wife rendered Chacko a loner, with only nature for company. He stayed in the house alone, still toiling in his field during the day and drinking though the night.

The Priest came counselling every week, but the old man had seen too much in life which the priest could not explain.

'Kunnele Chacko” …......... a small girl going home from the school called after her kid brother who was running a head of her. The resemblance of the girl to his older sister was so striking that Chacko followed them to their house. Yes, they were the grant children of his sister. The Old woman was bed ridden, she was almost blind, still she recognized him as her brother Chacko. The small boy was named Chacko after him though they were not Christians. The old lady's husband had died many years back and she had only one daughter who was a teacher in the pre-primary school newly opened in the village. The family was in difficulties as her husband had deserted her.

Chacko became a frequent visitor to the house. He liked the children much and wanted to help them. He even thought of building a small house for them. But the old woman was reluctant to accept as she was afraid that it may hurt his children.

In an evening prayer meeting the priest mentioned that Chacko's son was very kind and had offered the house after his father's time to the Parish. Chacko's son who was present. He confirmed it and said a Parish Hall will  be built in its place in due course. Chacko was very unhappy that they had not consulted him. Hurt Chacko did not say anything then. That night Chacko drank heavily. At midnight he had dream, in it his sister and the children were chased by the loner elephant . He ran out of his house shouting. His son who was in the house was shocked, he took his father to a hospital. He was afraid the fate of his grand mother may follow Chacko. But Chacko was normal next morning and started doing his routine and the son left for his. But not before consulting the priest about admitting Chacko to an old age home

For weeks priest tried to convince Chacko of the advantages of staying at old age home. Then one day Chacko went missing. They searched for him for a week. At the end Chacko returned healthy and pleased. But he refused to tell anyone where he had been for more than a week. So they were convinced about the need to admit him in an old age home. Chacko wanted a few days to make decision and went missing again . This time for a long time no one bothered to search. They assumed he will return as in the earlier occasion. Which he did not.

Then the search began but not very earnestly. They could not gather what happened to Chacko. So it was decided to hand over the land to the Church. But when the documents of the land were verified they were shocked. Chacko had relinquished his right over the property  when he was missing first. And he had requested the Government to convert the land back to forest. 

Soon the board which announced 'THE SOCIAL FORESTERY PROJECT Chackos land' Government of Kerala appeared in front of the house. The new bus service had a stop in front of the house. They started calling the bus stop 'Chackos'.

Then a third shop was opened opposite to  the house. It had a big name board 'POPULAR STORES Chacko city'. People readily followed by calling the place Chacko City

Thus Chacko City came in to existence. But no one heard any thing about Chacko there after.

The Man Chacko

I met him at 'Life long' an old age home run by a philanthropic. In those days I was a sporadic visitor to Life Long. Chacko, one of the inmates there, was a pleasant old man enjoying everything that comes to him .
' We all like gains. What about losses?. The gains we make, does it not carry losses to some one else. Why not anticipate losses also and take it gracefully along with gains?. I always appreciated the animals who enjoy liking their wounds after a fight'. Chacko Achayan's  (  a name usually used for elders meaning- elder brother ) philosophy attracted me.
He used to talk to me for long when ever I went there. Giving me glimpses of his life. Once he asked me whether I knew the song Kunnele...... I told him that I had heard it long back in my school days. He sang it for me.
Years passed. I had lost touch with Life Long due to change in my Job. One day a call  came from life long inquiring whether I knew one chacko who had no relatives and I may the only friend he had.
I went, He was bed ridden. I  was glad that I came. He was so old and sick that he could hardly speak. He requested me to sing 'Kunnele... There were many around me and I was not at all good at singing  but still i started singing. The tune being very simple all around joined singing in chorus "Kunnele.. Chacko ni pura kettiyoda. Purakettikko pura kettikko Mazha vannal nanayum......There was smile on his face. His last.

Monday 18 November 2013

CHAKO CITY - PART 1

Have you ever heard about a city called Chacko City?. It is one among the numerous cities in Idukky (The hilly district of GOC) known only to its residents (usually less than hundred) . Chako city just like its neighbor Balan city had three shops and a bus stop. I used to wonder who these cities were named after

CHACKO CITY Part. 1

'Kunnele Chacko ni pura kettiyoda
 pura kettikko pura kettikko
mazha vannal nanayum'

(Chacko of the hill
Did you thatch your house?
Thatch your house,Thatch your house
You will be drenched if it rains)

Young Chacko was lucky to hear the lullaby till he was ten. First from his mother who became mentally ill after the birth of his young sister and then from his elder sister who was very fond of him. He too was very fond of his sisters. His father, a sawyer traveled through the High Ranges which were  thickly forested in those days. After drinks he had very little money to provide for his family, the money they received was just enough to buy rice. Curry was the responsibility of the children. So Chacko shouldered the responsibility at a very young age by doing odd jobs in fields

 Chacko though good at studies finished his school at the age of twelve. 'Tuition' from a local school teacher in English and Hindi would be more useful in getting a job in Bombay' he thought. He could not grasp the languages but by sixteen he was an expert in cultivation of local crops.

A letter from a cousin wandering the high ranges doing odd jobs, informed chacko of the availability of land in Kallar and gave him a new direction .

Those were the days of encroachment. The government in its bid to increase agriculture production alloted five acres of land each to identified farmers in Kallar. It prompted many unauthorized people to encroach the near by hills.

 The dangers were many. There was total lawlessness. It was the rule of might. There was no assurance that the land encroached by one remained with him, another more powerful could easily throw him out. The harsh climate with too much rain and non availability of essential commodities and services together with wild animals and poisonous snakes made the place barely habitable

 Food scarcity forced many of the encroachers to work in the lands of others who were alloted land from the Govt. A trader who thought out an easy way to get his thickly  wooded land  cleared offered full crop of the first year to any one willing to cultivate. Chacko was quick to see the the opportunity.

By cutting branches of trees and under growth during sunny days and burning them Chacko got the required level of clearing. During rains he mixed buds and decaying  leaves to soil while tilling and used the seeds he knew well. The first bumper crop gave Chacko confidence, food for a year and more to sell.

 In spite of the lawlessness he cultivated his own field alone.  The rocky terrain and young boy's courage made many spare him and charcoal making  at night eliminated the threat from wild elephants. The  velleetty ( a type of hard wood in rocky terrine ) Charcoal  he made fetched more in Kambam ( Tamil Nadu ) market eight miles away. Chacko carried the charcoal on his head to the market.

But the progress did not last long. The forest guards arrested him for possession of charcoal with out permit.    The bribe of Rupees twenty five he had to pay to escape punishment landed him in debt and it took an year's  hard labor to recoup. But the set back did not deter him from planting his land.

It was at that time that his elder sister, leaving her husband who ill treated her, joined Chacko. Food and home encouraged him to diversify into pepper and coffee. But the comforts did not last long. She ran away with a young man of different religion to Chacko's dismay. Though she came back and explained that she had no chance of getting married in the  normal course and that what she did was in the interest of both of them as she  she did not want to be a burden on him. But the hurt Chacko was not convinced and did not make charcoal for a week.

 The elephants took the opportunity to attack the plantation. A herd of five and a loner were on rampage one whole night. At day break the herd left but the loner stayed back. Chacko was in no mood to forgive, He fought the loner with crackers and stones. The loner chased Chacko but he escaped by climbing a large tree. The loner waited till noon for Chacko to climb down the tree.

Angry Chacko resumed charcoal making with vigor and transported it at night by bullock cart making good money. His plantation also started yielding. Chacko readily spent his money for treatment  of his mother. Seeing no improvement he turned  to the quacks and then to religion. Most of the  treatments were not in line with his faith . Bhajana in temples and sucking poison out with magical pipes all led to no cure but  only to the guilty feeling for having deviated from his faith.

 The Tamil sooth sayer of the Cross of Theynam petty Christian village was a mystery of those days.  Every year one of the elders of the village was selected by lot to play the part of Jesus on the cross on good Friday.  After the act such persons were considered to have been bestowed with powers by God.  Desperate Chacko went to sooth sayer, who prescribed hard work and building a place of worship for remission of sin.

Chacko spared the land to build a cupola from his holdings. Soon the cupola was built accepting nothing from others. Many attended the prayers at the cupola and bought goods from the Two shops that opened in front of the cupola. But that did not bring any name  to the place. With no roads or buses there was no need either.

-----------------------part two comming up-------------------------