Moment:
June 28th at 7:31 PM IST
My uncle: “We have three cats:
PC, for pichi (dumb) cat
AC, for andhamaina (pretty) cat
NC, for nalla (dark) cat"
My aunt (from kitchen): "Those aren't our cats!"
My great grandfather used to walk from Panguluru, the village where my dad was born and raised, to Ongole, where my dad’s family currently lives, to pay taxes, which takes about an hour by drive, so it took about two hours to walk as the crow flies. After making the journey for many years, he realized that the trip would be a lot more manageable if he had a place about halfway where he could stop and rest before continuing on his way.
When it came time for his daughter to get married, he decided to get her married to a man who lived in Madhipadu for the sole reason that the village is almost exactly between Panguluru and Ongole, and literally means “town in the middle.” From then on, he would make a pit stop at his daughter’s home every time he had to make the journey to Ongole, so today as we were driving to Panguluru, we did the same.
In Madhipadu, we met my grandfather’s younger sister, Nagarathnam, and even though she is 81 years old, she has the wit of a teenager and remembers EVERYONE. That’s how my grandpa is too, so fingers crossed that I got that good memory (I really don’t think I did though, which is why I write everything down now and put it all over the internet.)
She and her family sent us on our way and we continued on to Panguluru, where we had the opportunity to go to our grandfather’s brother and other younger sisters’ homes.
We met a ton of relatives that I’ve seen maybe once or twice at most, and I quickly learned that our family tree is a LOT bigger than I thought. The only first cousin I have close to my age is Blessy, who is almost exactly a year older than me and is also studying to be a doctor in Vizag (our grandfather introduces us as Vizag doctor and America doctor), so it was nice to meet other cousins our age. Six of us were born one year after the other: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002, and as usual in my family...the youngest is the tallest.
Within walking distance was the house that my dad was born and raised in. My grandparents were teachers and would tutor kids in their home, my dad’s older brother and his wife got married in the courtyard, and all of their kids (my parents included) had a wedding reception on the roof of that house. My dad and his brother were reminiscing on the times when they would have to go out and fetch water from the village well or feed the chickens, and how they used to play cricket in the streets with the other kids (but ONLY when they got all of their homework and chores done).
They were totally in their element. My dad loves animals and animals love him so he would wander over and hang out with the buffalo or follow the roosters. This Snow White effect definitely runs in the family, because my aunt was lovingly cradling baby chicks and the other day, my dad came in laughing to tell me that my uncle buys 2 kilos of fresh fish every day to feed the three stray cats that have decided to make my uncle’s house their home. I wasn't surprised at all and was quick to remind him that he once bought a 15-pound bag of cat food to feed one single cat that would sometimes venture into our backyard.
Village life is so pure and simple. People are extremely self sufficient, as many of them have farms where they grow their own fruits and vegetables, and have huts to house the buffalos for milk and chickens for eggs, so the food is AMAZING (and definitely USDA certified organic). It’s cool to think that my uncle, aunts, and dad who all came from such humble beginnings were able to move on to bigger and better things by getting an education. I’m never going to complain about going to class ever again. Actually I take it back, that’s 100% not true so please don’t hold me to that. But the sentiment still stands: stay in school, kids.
