A Novelette On Certain Uncertain Myths...
Prabha Shankaran Nambudiri/Prabha.S.Nambudiri, is the name
she was known by, until she got married to Mr. Matthew, a business tycoon based
in Kochi. To the feminist slogans of Identity crisis, I have heard her replying
“Marriage might have changed my name but not my identity...though I miss my
dad”. Prabha was born and brought up in one of the highly, aristocratic &
orthodox Brahmin families, garnished with the traditional & cultural
superstitions of the pastoral villages of Palakkad. If you can imagine a narrow
path formed by the pedestrians between the lush green woods, leading to a
typical Nalukettu, fenced by mantras,
with an aura of Ayurveda, yes that’s where she belongs. Just beside the Nalukettu, there is an outhouse – the Kootupura, thatched with palm-leaves, meant for the women in the
house, to stay during their menses, as they were “Ashudh” for 7 days. Shankaran Nambudiri, a local physician &
priest, & Narayani Varasyaar, a well adored home maker, never led their
orthodoxy to eye their only daughter’s education. Tradition and culture used to be in a constant
conflict in her mind as she grew scientifically. She used to cry silently, when
she was helpless and had to follow the ‘outhouse culture’, with nobody to
reveal the reason why.
