Athani

 During my childhood i used to spend summer holidays in my ancestral village .

There were no metalled roads near to my house .

We had a narrow red sandstone path called edozhi or path .

At nights since no electricity there were rare oil lamps but most carried a coconut leave frond burning torch which was swished in air on off to keep it burning .

Every time it was swished the surroundings became brighter and embers flew from the chootu as it was called .

Generally accompanying servants carried chootu as most of us were not familiar with it .

By the time we were safely deposited in house the chootu bearer would just gather some more fronds and make a new one .

Naturally rechargable indeed .

Torches had still not come .

It would after the Gulf era came into being .

Most gulf returnees would gift a long torch to thier uncles aunties so chootu was hardly carried by the well off .

The sharp beam of the torch would show the way and throw big shadows .

Another common thing one saw were these stone benches.obviously seeing its height one can conclude itsnt for sitting or sleeping .

These were called Athanis.

They were meant for the labourers carrying heavy weights to keep thier loads for some much needed rest .

Generally there were small tea shops nearby and the men had a quick kattan or black tea and a beedi to renergise themselves .

During summers big houses on side arranged sambhaaram or buttermilk in earthern pots kept on these for the weary labourers to quench thier thirst .

How concerned society was those days !

Feudalism was not there at all .

Each one had thier work and place respecting and supporting the other .

There was neither militant labour as seen

 today nor subjugated labour .

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