Once upon a time, there lived Indi, a girl, and her brother Indan. They had cherished the desire to eat Neyyappam for a long time. Finally, one day, they decided to make Neyyappam. To do this, they went to the forest to collect wood and made two bundles. First, Indan took a bundle and placed it on Indi's head. "Who will put the other bundle on Indan’s head?" Indi put her bundle down and helped Indan lift his load onto his head. Then, who would help Indi carry her load of firewood? Indan set down his bundle and assisted Indi in hoisting hers. This way, they both helped each other carry their loads on their heads. Although they tried many times, one bundle or the other remained on the ground. At that moment, Puliyachan, an old Tiger, was passing by. They asked him for help. Puliyachan inquired about the purpose of the firewood, and they replied in unison, "To make Neyyappam." Then Puliyachan asked if they would give him a share. They fell silent. Consequently, Puliyachan refused to help. Eventually, they agreed and invited Puliyachan to come home in the evening.
Indan and Indi returned home and made Neyyappam. They could
hardly wait for Puliyachan to arrive before tasting the delights. A sweet and
tasty aroma wafted from the pot. Unable to resist, each of them took a bite.
They could not control their gluttony and decided to have another. After a
short wait, they indulged once more.
As dusk fell and night approached, Puliyachan had not yet
arrived. In the end, they devoured even the last one. Fear enveloped them as
they devised tricks to scare Puliyachan away. They set up the following: hung
an ammikkutty (a barrel-like stone used for crushing grated coconut) above the
gate, ensuring it would fall on anyone who touched the gate; installed many
other traps along the way to the kitchen; placed a packet full of chilli powder
at the kitchen door that would fall on the face of anyone who opened it; and
applied tali paste (hibiscus leaf paste) on the slippery floor near the well.
Around seven-thirty in the evening, they heard Puliyachan
calling. They hid in a corner and made no sound. They heard Puliyachan
screaming with pain when the ammikkutty fell on his head. He somehow made it to
the kitchen. When he opened the kitchen door, the packet of chilli powder, hung
above, fell on his face. Puliyachan screamed again but could not find his
way. He eventually figured out where the well was to wash some off his face. He
tried to unknot the bucket clipped onto the wooden bar fitted with coir wire
for lifting water from the well. As he approached the well, he slipped on the
tali paste and fell in. Indan and Indi sighed with both sadness and relief.
NB
When I was a child, my maternal grandmother would start
telling this story to put me to sleep, but she would fall asleep before
finishing it. Much later, I asked her and found out the rest of the story.
Mukundanunni
Comments