Akka..the Jill of all trades

Importantly, I have to mention that Akka was much loved by all of us...She was a Jill of All Trades !
She cooked, she  handwashed everybodys'  clothes, she cleaned the house and dusted the furniture, she cleared the  table, she went to the grocery store....she did everything. EVERYTHING.


My mother washed only my father's clothes, and her clothes....and made  her special dishes, when we entertained guests for lunch or dinner. The rest of the time, she either read...in tamil.. her chosen non-fiction books ...like  Imam Ghazzali's Ihya Ulumuddin...or she recited pages of the quran...and occasionally played the piano...and I remember her playing ' A maiden's prayer'. 


It would  be worthwhile for you readers to give this melody a listen to..because it is such a  beautiful tune...composed by a Polish lady/girl in the early nineteenth century..go to youtube and you can listen . 


I had to explain to you about Akka lest you get the wrong opinion of this selfless woman...AND please do not...puleeze! DO NOT,........ think for a moment that Akka was possessed with a nether world spirit or that she was under the spell of some awful frightening mysterious element that was lying dormant in her physical body. ...No, nothing,nothing ,nothing, like that.


 Now, having let that out of my chest, let me proceed to tell you what happened when Akka woke up after the l..o..n..g sleep.  The children..that is Rizvi and I ..usually get back home from the ramparts or from whatever we were playing with our bunch of friends...to have our tea and biscuits...


Somehow even as children..we got used to dipping our CARR's Biscuits....unsweetened cracker biscuits in the  milk tea that Akka makes. 


I remember my mother called us into the lounge room ( where the piano was)....and asked us..Rizvi and I to wait..to wait there and not come in to the house because Akka was 'sick' ? and that umma had to see if Akka was sleeping... and to not  disturb her..


I did not think much of what umma told us because we drink our tea hurriedly and run back to the ramparts..because between 5 and 6 pm most ..or rather , very many of Galle Fort residents..take a walk on the ramparts..the marvelous gentle breeze...sea gulls circling around shoals of fish..and the orange/pink  sun... appears to plunge into the sea..in the horizon.


Then we heard umma scrambling ..half running and ..umma was calling out loud..." Soaratha, Soaratha, ( my aunty ava..my father's sister..whose name was Zohora..so, Zohora Dhatha..and everyone called her Soaratha)..Aiyo ! shurukker Varng go....(quickly ! come) Ennekaylo...which is roughly..I dont know/can't)


Something is happening to Akka !


to be continued