Kommandamparai  - My Childhood Stories

I am Savitha Shinto,I have a son named Anish Shinto, who loves to hear my childhood stories every night and wanted me to write a book about it. I was born in a beautiful small village in Coimbatore called Kommandamparai, which is situated in the edge of the western ghats. 
Dad { called Appa in Tamil} told us, the name  Kommandamparai means Kombu Adum Parai (meaning  Dancing Horns in the Rocky hill) was given by hunters in olden days, who use to hunt in the forest and tie the horns of the animals in the big tree in the rocky hill.

My parents are farmers. Appa`s name is  Mylswamy Muthugounder  and Amma is Velumani Mylswamy. We are three daughters Savitha, Priya and Divya. Grandmother, Lakshmi (called Aatha in Tamil) was also living with us.

Appa and Amma goes out in the morning to the farm and Aatha will be doing the household work like cooking , cleaning, washing and looking after us. We love Aatha so much and Aatha loves us very much too!

Aatha and villagers never call us with the given names instead they us with pet names.
My given name is Savitha but I have many pet names, perusu  my sisters and Amma call me , some times, periya samy was called by my appuchi who is our mother's father, who comes and stays with us very often, periya kaluthai - Amma calls when she is angry or in too much love, periya thangam - Aatha calls me always, Savi - Appa calls in my love always.

My next sister, Priya was called by many ways. Nadusu by Amma , Kunju  by appa and villagers, Kunja  by Aatha, me, Kanna mama who is my mothers brother and gundu periyama who is my mother's sister, Pri nowadays by everyone.

Divi was our last sister who was very adorable when she was very little. She also got lots of pet names. Chinna thangam and chinna kunju by Amma, Aatha and  villiagers, Chirusu  by Appa, me and Pri and Chinna 
Kaluthai by Amma when she is angry and Divi now by everyone.

We three dont have many friends near by so mostly we play on our own and we love each other so much.


Divi and Chickens 

We had a furious hen (verithanamana koli) in the farm who hatched her eggs recently and was in the barn covered by a big basket. She never likes anyone coming close to her chicks. If she sees anyone close to her precious chicks she  will start chasing them. 

One fine day, when I and Pri went to school, Appa and Amma went to work in the farm and Aatha was busy cooking, Divi who is only one and half years old was playing with the baby kitten in the living room and went outside cheekily without Aatha knowing.

She went to the barn, searching for the hen and her chicks. The hen and chicks were covered up in a big basket. She opened the basket and went inside and the basket closed over her. After that, she started playing with the chicks. Surprisingly, the hen didnt hurt her. Aatha was looking for Divi in the living room and the whole house, nowhere she was found.

Aatha started panicking and started searching everywhere and the villagers came to know the news and they also started searching for the baby.
Nowhere they could found her. Aatha started crying at one point. Supiyan mama, who works in our farm heard lots of chicks sounds in the barn and he went inside the barn and opened the basket. You know what, there she is!, the little cheeky baby was playing with the chicks. Aatha was relieved after seeing her. She took the baby and cuddled her and the villagers burst into laughter after hearing her story!