Self respect - Jab tak hai jaan

Palayam Fish Market - Candle Life courtesy zmanjith
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13471746@N05/5560048717/

Every Saturday I go to local market “Chanda” for buying fish and meat . the market starts around 7:30 in the morning and the fish stalls closes down by 11 am .In this Chanda (Nalanchira market) most of the fish sellers are men , but otherwise most of the time it’s the women who sell the fishes , and in Kerala you will find women selling fish till late night almost till 9 – 9:30pm in the city market (Palayam market) and in one place near Manacad the fish market begin after the night catch around 11 pm and you get fresh fish till 1-2 am and its women who sell fish …that’s the only place in Kerala where I see women working late hours without any fear ..

Most often you will see 2-3 women selling fish in main junctions like Pattom (in the evening) and Girls high school Pattom during morning, infact when we lived in pattom I used to buy regularly from these women, Rita, Maraiamma, Jessy, Susy all old ladies, grandmothers selling fish on the footpath holding an umbrella … I always used bargain and still bargain , and I get to hear lot of “Therri or Gallis” from these ladies but I would buy only after bargaining and now they all know that with my limited knowledge of Malayalam I care a damn about the abusive words :) Every time I make a point to buy 2 different variety of fishes from 2 women .. my idea, anyway old women sitting in hot sun to sell fish , instead of one let 2 get business :D and then I talk to them while they clean the fish , and get to know little bit about their family – like their children are not any more in selling fish business, most of them have some education and they are either working somewhere or have their own small business, like Susy’s daughter is studying for nursing… majority of them Christians, and they still sell fish because they don’t want to be dependent on their children … Infact they were featured in ‘The Hindu’ on Women’s day edition …

Janamma Chechi is Ezekiel’s nanny , around 65 -67 yrs old she is Ammumma Aunty for Esther and Ezekiel, jannamma has 3 sons and 6 grand children , she lost her husband to brain tumour 3 yrs back , and she is still working so that she can help her children’s family financially , though I keep telling her that she should save for her needs , she ends up giving her every penny either to her Children or Grandchildren , … there are times when she complains that her sons are not looking after her but still she gives all her earnings to them …

There is another Ammachi (maybe in her late 60s) at ‘Chanda’ who sells jackfruit, fragile very old but she is there selling Jackfruit , every alternate week I buy some Jackfruit for 10 or 20 /- from her (sometime its not worth) but the fact she comes there to sell , I just buy … at her age if she has to come to sell jackfruit there must be some reason …. There is another Ammumma who sells Curry leaves and ‘Kaanthari Mulagu’ variety of very Hot green chillies , again 10 /- to this amamchi , though she gives very little curry leave for 5 /- when I ask for 5/- only this much ! she smiles and replies, “its as fresh and pesticide free as from your own kitchen garden!” I don’t bargain further :) ….

Then we have our Milk waali Shantamma – well of the lot she is younger and Tej :D She brings milk in the evening around 5:00 pm and her trick is whatever extra milk she has she manages to sell all that to me :) but she gives good quality milk , btw our place which is just 1 Km of MC road has got all the benefit of rural area, we get fresh milk, fresh ‘Desi Anda/Egg’ both Chicken and Duck , some time fresh vegetables all these Shantamma brings home …. And my weakness is I don’t know to say NO to these things …

Though I know Shantamma takes advantage of my weakness but one thing I admire about all these ladies is their entrepreneurship … I see so many much younger women begging in front of church or coming home asking for ‘Sahayam’ (help which is again begging) but these women , irrespective of their age or health , work to earn .. and they rightfully earn respect also … I think their motto in life is “Jab tak hai Jaan – Hum karnge Kaam “ :)