7 Nov 2010
Tellippalai is a small village in Jaffna, in North Sri Lanka. This is where I was born as the last child of my parents. My father Joel Paul belonged to Tellipppalai, but my mother, Petsy, moved in from South India, after their marriage in1933.
There were two main roads intersecting Tellippalai - the one that leads to KKS (Kankesanturai airport) and the other one leading to Mahajana College. Our house was situated along the Mahajana road. A long private road led to our gates. We had a sprawling garden in front on one side; and lots of coconut trees and a deep well, and the bathing room on the other side. I remember the smell of Jasmine creepers growing on iron arches in the pathway to our house. I also remember the verandah where my father sat on an easy chair at nights talking to the gardener or some visitor. His voice used to ring loud and clear in the silence of the night.
We had a large house, and each room was spacious. The heads of 2 deer adorned the main door. An oval mirror was placed just opposite to the door on the wall on which one sees himself as he walks in. The hall had a red cemented rectangular floor with a border around it. There was a piano which my mom played. And on which some of us children practiced our piano lessons. At the back of the hall was pappa's office. a large table with his business papers and letters and a kerosene lamp, all neatly arranged. A typewriter sat on the side table. There was a small library too. The room was airy and sunny as it had no wall, but large windows overlooking the backyard with mango and guava trees. One could see also see the garage and the tall palmyrah trees behind. We would step ever so silently into pappa's office –‘cos if anything was found missing later, he would shout at us. The dining room and the visitors ' room was on the right side next to the hall
We all slept in a huge room which had a very large bed and a smaller one. I can still feel my mom next to me and lots of pillows around. There used to be 2 cupboards which had all our clothes, and precious stuff, including my mom's carpet from India, which was used at her wedding.
Pappa slept in the room before ours. We used the smaller rooms as wash rooms at nights because our main toilet was outside the house, and there was no electricity to light our paths. There were plenty of slithering snakes around too.. We had to pass the cowshed and the goats and walk on the tiles to reach the main toilet and hence this arrangement.
Kitchen section was separate. There were servant's quarters too. One used firewood for fuel. We used mud pots and Aluminum or brass vessels to cook. Coconut shells with long sticks were the ladles.
We had good cutlery and crockery and entertained many white missionaries. I remember Samuel the cook who knew to make many exotic dishes that they liked. So custards, cakes and puddings were common at home.
Kerosene lamps were used at nights. There was a ”petrolmax light” too, which was used if we needed stronger light. Every evening at about five, we girls would clean the lamp tops with vim powder and paper... the soot came off easily with this. We would pour kerosene into the bottom small jar, turn up the wicks, trim them if needed and keep them ready to be lighted when it gets dark.
My older sister Leela mainly carried these lamps as they would break if dropped. Mom helped. We studied at the dining table. All homework was done under this light.
Saturdays were cleaning days. Bed linen was changed. Door knobs had to be polished using Brasso. My mother would give us stored coconut scrapings from which she had extracted milk every day for cooking. We had to use it to polish the floors. We would laugh, fight and polish the floor and get filthy. If we were tired then mom or Leela would take over..
We always had servants.. To cook, to clean.. But there were days when my mother single handedly broke leaves from the trees, or cut grass from our land beside the house to feed the goats and cows. I have also seen her milking the cows and goats. There were hens and cocks clucking all the time. We would feed them. We would catch the hens and cover them with a basket if they were laying eggs during that season. My mom's favorite were parrots. She taught them to speak and they kept chattering all the time. They could scream HALLELUJAH!
Remember the moonlight and stars on those quiet blue black skies. white clouds floating.. we would sit on the long steps on the verandah and talk. Mom would tell us Bible stories. or teach us choruses. Leela was always around to talk to us. Padma my sister was sick very often as she had a heart disease. Rheumatic valvular disease. There was hardly any treatment then, only penicillin and digoxin.
Wesley my older brother was always at a boarding school and was not there most of the time when I was growing up.. But when he turned up we had a great time...Sam was 4 years older to me and he was my play companion. We would fight with each other like cats and dogs but also had fun playing. Some of our cousins of our age lived in the 4th house from ours and they would come over to play.
My father Joel Paul was a building contractor. Hailing from a backward caste he did not get to practice his profession as a teacher and hence took up building as his career. He made millions and was famous for his knowledge and skills. Along with his brother Samuel, he bagged all the coveted contracts. They built most of the schools, hospitals, libraries, light houses and the famous Town hall of Jaffna. My father had an explosive, hot temper and was quite arrogant, challenging everyone who crossed his path, especially if they were unjust or discriminated against people of backward caste. This isolated us all the more.
We were part of a larger family. My father's brothers and sister lives in the lands accompanying ours. Most of them also had big houses and lands adjoining their houses. My mother was from Madurai, India, a doctor from the prestigious Christian medical college Vellore. She was careful to see that we did not mix up too much with the locals. We were taught to converse in English also... kept our house neat and stylish...Therefore we were envied by our other relatives.
Before sleep we always had family prayers. We beat the drum, played the cymbals and sang choruses and songs. One of us read the Bible and Mom would pray, after one of us say a short prayer. Many a time we kids would fall asleep also. Then we would dim the lamps and go to sleep. Pappa was often away in Colombo on work and then we had to manage by ourselves, with a watchman at nights as our security. My mother always checked under the beds to ensure no one was lurking under. It was scary to wake up at nights and see the shadows of the wick, dancing on the walls. I used to see the leaves on the Palmyrah trees when there was moonlight and imagine all kinds of shapes and figures. The dogs used to bark for every disturbance and this made us afraid too. But Mom's unshakable faith in God kept us all strong.
She would tell us stories about her life in India, her work as doctors in the villages and this was a great inspiration to me. Her parents were evangelists and had a long period of service in Cumbum, Madras. They caste out evil spirits regularly as people used to come to them for prayer from remote corners of Tamilnadu and nearby states. Her father was a headmaster and married a Hindu convert who was an excellent pianist and a great cook of meat dishes although she was a Brahmin. These stories kept us mesmerized, and we would ask her for more and more when she talks about them. This also helped to build up our Christian faith
Christmas was a time of all kinds of exotic chocolates and food.. Home made cake was the rule and we merrily took part in beating the cake.. I can still smell the aroma of cake being baked... There were lots of toys too. Pappa would bring rolls of cloth and my mom would pour over design magazines and stitch clothes for us every Christmas and New Year. The poor and the people who worked with Pappa would visit us during this season and they were given cash and eatables. We would also carry a platter of sweets and cake to our relatives every Christmas.
Sundays were special. We would get into our best clothes and travel by car to the church in Jaffna town. It was a great time if Pappa was not in town. Otherwise we would always be quiet and nervous afraid that we would irritate him and make him angry. We attended the English service of the Assemblies of God. Sunday school was a time of great enjoyment where we would learn new choruses and draw and act. There were Danish missionaries then and we got the best from them. My mother enjoyed the services for it was only then that she met her equals in education and faith.
