UK has included India in the amber list as my friends whatsApped me. Hey you could now book your travel to visit your daughter’s family in the UK. Great news indeed..
Yes I am ready. I am fully vaccinated with the so-called safer vaccine Covishield. So is my husband.
Now to find out the ideal flight.. it has to leave from chennai. Not too early in the morning as Jacob hates late night hanging around in the airports..Have just one stop in the way.. and reach Heathrow at a time not too early or late so that my daughter would find it not too difficult to pick us up.
Nothing fitting these criteria appeared on the screen. Am i going senile that i cannot find the right link. Are travel agents playing pranks on us to get us to cough out more money. Ahh i found one and gladly typed in my details and checked the price. It was a heavy 5 Lakhs rupees for 2 persons both ways. Na na.. not possible. Yes it was 5 Lakhs. No way am i going to throw around my hard earned money.
after such futile attempts I ate the humble pie and asked a new travel agent recommended by an acquaintance to find suitable flights. After a few attempts she said that Emirates airlines would come up with fresh flight announcements soon.. And true enough she was able to suggest convenient flights the booking of which were filling up. The costs of travel were double those of 2020.
Should we go? Well the gates are open now and may not remain so for long depending the mood of the corona Virus its possible mutations and the possible new vagaries of the disease. Go go go soon. So I asked our travel agents to book the flights.
well what are the rules and regulations that we should abide by.. Link the vaccination certificates to our passports. Be careful while keying in the details. It cannot be reversed says the app. With trepidation I first did mine and then my husband’s. There you go. I found a link which would deliver the document through wA right into your phone. Presto .. the vaccination certificate landed on my phone through wA.
Then was registering for tests in the UK when you arrive there. Days2 and8.. day 2 and 5..Also day 2, 5 and 8. Am o fully vaccinated. Of course the jabs and Cowin website confirm this fact. But wait a minute.. uk portal says that i am not unless I have taken a particularly named Covishield. Scurry around. Hey does anyone know the brand of Covishield vaccine that was given to us…Drew a blank there too..
Well, my pride was hurt. As an Indian doctor I KNOW I am vaccinated but here is another country doubting the credibility of my vaccine.. Now do i want to see my daughter or not.. So I started looking for an RT PCR testing lab nearer where my daughter lives. 20 to 150 sterling pounds was the cost of tests for ine person. Now wait.. why such a discrepancy in pricing.. that too in the UK. I thought that was the right of my country alone.
My nephew Vivek opened my eyes to the fact that almost all the labs charge you more than a 100 British pounds per person for tests for Days 2 and 8.. This is like you discover the hidden costs. Got the tests booked for the 2 of .us.. through vivek.
did i get the passenger locator form PLF as referred to so glibly by everyone. Yes I thought I did. But it never generated a form so being smart i took a screen shot.and saved it in my phone.
visa? YesI have a valid one. All set ? Of course. Am i not a seasoned traveller..Have globe trotted in my career so long. I took umbrage at my nephew for telling me what a RT PCR test certificate looked like. Look man I may be senior but remember i am a doctor..
So the day came for us to trVel. Armed with 3 sets of files with all the documents including the per test done within 48 hours we arrived at the airport 4 hours ahead asadvised by our travel agent. The gates were not even open..The verandah had about 15 travellers with relatives hanging around. The gates finally did open and we were ushered inside. The counters were still not ready if you please..
has the pandemic made everyone slovenly we wondered. Jacob complained of lack of sufficient sleep and yours truly reminded him that this was just once in a way sacrifice.
we were one of the first ones at the counter when opened. .The young lady went through all the papers and found our PLF papers missing. Mam kindly show the PLF form. The what? The passenger locator form. Oh certainly. Have i not the screen shot ready? Well. These don’t seem to be what we want. Let me check with another colleague…Who called another .. and finally some senior asked me for a reference number. Now whats that.. Madam he said just show us those numbers and we will issue the boarding pass.. Well i said sure. Its a matter of minutes. I came and seated myself and went into uk immigration website. The net stopped. The wifi of airport didn’t work. I was panicking. Could i use any if tour PCs to get those documents. Sorry Ma’m. That’s not allowed.. oh no that cannot be. How do I generate those PLF forms with QRCode and reference numbers. Ma’m see everyone has it. Do they… But how? My website page didn’t move beyond a certain page and so how did i know that the PLF form isn’t my smart screen shot.
A brilliant idea flashed through my mind. My nephew and niece who recently had returned to the uk had worked through these. So let me call them. Sure enough Vivek and his dear wife Dipali took my call sat up in the midnight and
generated these forms and that’s how we were permitted to fly into the UK.
Times have changed folks. Just sit down and get acquainted with the new norms and normals. Learn what QR codes mean; how to generate the forms. Don’t skip reading sentences and small letters in the websites as I did. Your last experience whatever and whenever it was, needs to be upgraded. Good luck
Those were times of turmoil in Sri Lanka where there were many Terrorist problems and uncertainty everywhere. I belonged to the minority group that faced terrible attacks. There was fear in many hearts. During the civil riots in 1958 and also in 1977, many in my community lost their belongings and also their lives. Although the government tried to solve the problems, there was no lasting peace. Terror reigned in many hearts. Poverty and uncertainty added to the existing problems. News of thieves snatching gold chains from young women was fairly frequent. In fact, I heard of a woman whose gold chain was snatched from her neck, very close to where we lived. In spite of that, I wore my gold chain all the time.
One particular afternoon, I had set out to accompany my friend, Lakshmi. She needed to go to an office five miles away. She was very outgoing and full of vitality. She raised her daughter by herself and took care of all her affairs with very little outside help. She was a very independent, self-assured woman who knew how to handle her affairs. While I would have liked to be self-confident like her, I was a timid young woman. She did not need my help, but I needed her help to get out of my comfort zone. But I was like most young women in Sri Lanka, who had the protection of their parents or their husbands. I was a home-bird who felt secure most at home. I would venture out alone, only to places I was familiar with, and always returned home before it got dark, which was around six o’ clock.
That is why I agreed to accompany her to the office. But I was wondering if I could return home before it got dark. Seeing my concern Lakshmi said, “That’s alright. I can go by myself. It may get dark by the time we get back.” She added, “I am used to getting around by myself; but you are not.” I hesitated just for a moment. Then I decided to go with her because I wanted to spend time with her. I thought that we would have time to talk on the bus, at the bus stand, and even in the office.
We finished the work in the office. Then we waited for a bus for quite a long time. It was already getting dark. Once we got into the bus and settled in our seats, Lakshmi said that she would walk with me to my home before proceeding to hers. “It would mean only an extra thirty minutes,” she said. I was aware that she had to take another bus to her home a few miles away from mine. I assured her that I would be fine in. At this time, it was raining heavily. Outwardly I sounded very confident: but inwardly I was full of fear. So Lakshmi continued her journey towards her home, reluctantly.
I stepped out of the bus and sought shelter under the eaves of a small store next to a post office that had closed almost two hours before. I had an umbrella; but the rain was heavy. I saw a few men also waiting for the rain to subside. While I waited I was aware that there were no women or girls around. Of course no women or girls would venture out in the dark by themselves!
I was afraid. I was standing under the shelter of the roof of the small store, looking at the pelting rain. It was eight PM. It continued to rain heavily and it was dark. The awareness that all the stores were closed and that there were very few people on the street added to my fear of darkness that I had always had.
I started praying that the stormy rain would cease, or at least become milder. My little umbrella would have offered no protection for the ten to fifteen minutes’ trek up the hill, to my home. In answer to my prayer, the rain eased a little and I decided to leave.
A part of the road to my house is usually lit by some dim street lights and some light from the buildings nearby. But on that night it was so dark that I could barely see the road because the street lights were not working. But I started walking. Then I noticed that a burly man also started walking in the same direction. I started walking fast. He too seemed to be speeding up. I slackened my speed; he did the same.
About five minutes away the road would branch into two roads; one would lead to my home up the hill and the other, on the right, would lead into a thick forest. The forest had no wild animals. It had monkeys, snakes and birds. People would walk into it only at day time. The thought that I might end up in the forest was terrifying. Nobody would hear me even if I screamed aloud. The raindrops that were falling still would drown my voice and the forest would be too lonely a place for anybody to hear me. Anything could happen. I was petrified.
So I moved to the middle of the road hoping the man would go past me on the side. I prayed softly; I prayed loudly. Nobody would have heard me anyway because the rail drops continued to fall on the umbrella. Nobody except God could hear me. I looked back slowly under the umbrella. The man seemed to be getting closer behind me. I walked as fast as I possibly could, praying all the time. Just then a big ring of bright light appeared in front of me, just about a foot above the ground. I wondered if I would walk through it. But it kept moving in front of me at the same pace as my steps. I looked behind me to see if an oncoming vehicle had caused the light to appear. But I saw none.
I continued praying, wondering at the same time if the man had also seen the bright ring of light. To my great relief, the man overtook me on my left and walked away while I slackened my pace. I breathed a sigh of relief as I continued my prayer. But this time my mouth was filled with praises because my Lord had been my Refuge and Strength and a very present Help in trouble.
As I walked up the hill with my heart full of thanksgiving, I did not even realize when the ring of God’s protection and love disappeared. I continued home in the comforting thoughts that He would always be there, just a prayer away. God is my help and strength, a very present help in trouble.
As PREPARE we commenced health and development work mainly among the dalit communities in Sriperambadur because the District administration had classified this as one of the most backward areas in Kanchipuram District.
The villages were connected by mud roads. Villages were laid out as clusters. There was always a part of the village where the higher caste lived and a little away was a group of houses where the people of lower caste lived. and this was called the colony. For example there was the main Nemily village and adjacent was the Nemily colony. The main village had the village government buildings, the schools, the shops, markets temples, water sources . The roads were much better. Houses were pukka, as the landlords and the rich were from here. The agricultural lands were nearby. There was always an air of confidence that came from a much easier ife without
oppression and discrimination.
The colony always bore a somber look. Mud huts with thatched roofs. people tired, returning dirty in small groups at the end of the day. At other times, the huts were nearly empty with only the older women and men doing some odd work or having a nap on the verandah. There was hardly any food inside the huts, as they may have eaten some old rice or ragi kanji and gone to work. The main meal is cooked once the daily wage is receivd and they buy rice and vegetables on their way back. Naked or scantily clothed unkempt children below 3 years will be around, playing or sitting on their grandmothers’ laps.
Malnutrition, skin diseases, diarrhoeas, worm infestation were extremely common and more in the colonies than in the main villages. Literacy was very low . Their main occupation was as agriculture labour in the fields of the higher caste. They were paid poorly. On their way back from the fields the men stopped at the liquor shop and arrived home staggering , broke and in a stupor. It is mainly the earnings of women that fed the entire household. Many of them were also indebted to the landowners and could never repay as the interest charged was exorbitant.
We selected some girls who had completed school education and trained them on basics of health, health care delivery, monitoring , and in social skills as well as in midwifery. we then divided our the target area into convenient circles and selected strategic villages mostly in the colonies and hired a small house in each of these to be converted into a village health post. These VHPs would serve as a mini health centre offering curative service for simple illnesses, a referral point, coordination centre with government outreach workers, the place for health checkups, antenatal care, screening camps, health education, with the mobile health team visiting them on a fortnightly basis.
We visited the villages and discussed with people there to identify all traditional birth attendants, and recruited 1 or 2 to officiate as our contact persons in the different villages. We held an initial 1 week training followed by weekly training basically on maternal and child health, safe delivery, high risk pregnancies, immunisation, Growth monitoring, common infections of the newborn , warning symptoms and signs that warrant immediate referrals especially among antenatal mothers and children under five.
These TBAs /Dais 9 as they were referred to by the villages, were continuously supported by the Community health assistants (CHAs) who were in charge of the village health posts. The TBAs were provided a medicine box which contained medicines such as paracetamol, antihistamines, Oral rehydration salts, bandage, cotton and a delivery kit. The delivery kit had simple instruments for enema, cord tie, cotton, antiseptic, gloves, and a rubber sheet. The different medicines were marked with pictures to facilitate usage by illiterate dais. During weekly reviews, we found out the morbidity details, as well as about pregnant mothers, births and deaths pertaining to their villages. These data were gathered by the CHAs and reported in given formats at the monthly meetings with the coordinator.
The entire data was analysed by the project director every month and feedback given to the entire team including the TBAs, and whenever a harmful trend or a problem was detected these were attended to.
José Guadalupe Posada
José Guadalupe Posada
There were no toilets and fields were used for defecating. Potable water was scarce. Water was never boiled. There were some lakes and people went there to bathe, wash clothes, But their livestock were also cleaned in these places. Nutrition was poor not only because of poverty but also because of lack of awareness. For their health needs they relied mainly on home remedies, the knowledge of which was handed down over generations. Immunisation was given in the main villages but the mothers away at work and could not ensure timely compliance. Antenatal care was a non existence. Deliveries were always at home attended by the familiar TBA /dai. at the last minute women whose delivery ran into problems , were taken to the neary Primary Health Centre which had no blood bank or facilities for surgery if it was required. So young mothers ad difficult deliveries and had long term comlications or even died. e same applied to the newborn as well. Tetanus wasnt commo as women had immunisation during pregancy but neonatal asphyxia, jaundice, neonatal sepsis, were common.
The caste oppression was blatant. there was violence, murder and rapes especially if dissent arose among the dalits against the non dalits. However the overall dalits were significantly much more than the others. There was also a dalit leader called Moorthy who used violence to terrorize the non dalits if there were atrocities against the dalits. This indirectly facilitated the change we wanted to bring about in health and dignity of the dalits, and for women in particular.
We had a small team of people who coordinated and implemented the interventions. Our entry was through mobile health and formation of women’s sangams (madhar sangams) in every village, including the main villages as well.
Health was a neutral platform and healthcare was a greatly felt need. We visited each village once a fortnight and thus we were able to reach the 60 villages we had chosen along three main roads from Sriperambadur. Our team of a doctor, trained health assistants focused on maternal child health while taking care of others as well. We collaborated with the local Primary health centre and assisted them especially in immunization of mothers and chidren. It was always more easier to function in the main villages, but we had made it a point to hold the clinics closer to the colonies.
At the same time, our development team visited all the target colonies in the evenings and spoke to the elders there. This led to formation of madhar sangams in each village, with a leader chosen among them. They met every week on a fixed day and one of our team members was there to discuss their life situation , sensitizing them to the fact that they need to organise themselves and gain the strength , skills and strategies to liberate themselves from their caste oppression and from poverty
We identified al the Traditional Birth attendants (TBAs) in the vilages and trained them on pregnancy, safe delivery, newborn care, and in common ailments. They were provided a tool box containing some essential medicines, bandages, and safe delivery kits.
By this time we had built a dais training centre in Sriperambadur
Once there lived a little bunny in a forest. He loved to go to the woods with his Pappa Bunny and Mamma Bunny. They jumped over puddles which shone in the sunlight. The leaves in the trees were dancing ..one step here- another step there. Right-ho Left-ho. Right-ho Left-ho..
The little bunny also made beautiful boats with leaves. Small boats, big boats, green boats, yellow boats. He put the boats on the sparkling water. And away they went. Sush, sush.sazzy ho sazzy ho. Little bunny jumped up and down. Clapped his hands clappa clappa clap.
The next day little Bunny had to go to nursery to see his friends. There was Ruby the bird with bright blue dress. Little bunny and Ruby the bird were good friends. They played with toys. Coloured chalks .. listened to so many nice stories.. They stomped on the floor together. chompa chomp chompa chomp.
But little Bonny just felt lazy. He did not like changing his clothes to go to nursery. He was sitting on his little rocking chair saying “I don’t want to change my dress…I am not going to nursery today..”
Then Maybelle the butterfly flew into the room.. She called little Bunny.. Come on Bunny. Let’s run and play. Maybelle looked smart in her red and yellow dress, but little Bunny was wearing the crumpled night dress..
Butterfly said “Hey little bunny. Get dressed fast. You sure will look smart in your other dress..Put on your shoes. Let’s run and play with Ruby the bird.” Maybelle hopped from the flower to the leaf and to little bunny’s feet..
Little Bunny became enthusiastic. He did want to go out. He knew he could not go in his night gown. So he asked his mamma to change the dress. He put on his socks and shoes. He and the butterfly held hands and joyfully ran away to his nursery to spend the day with all his friends there.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2010 growing up in Jaffna 7 Nov 2010 Tellippalai is a small village in Jaffna, in North Sri Lanka. This is where I was born as the last child of my parents. My father Joel Paul belonged to Tellipppalai, but my mother, Petsy, moved in from South India, after their marriage in1933.
There were two main roads intersecting Tellippalai – the one that leads to KKS (Kankesanturai airport) and the other one leading to Mahajana College. Our house was situated along the Mahajana road. A long private road led to our gates. We had a sprawling garden in front on one side; and lots of coconut trees and a deep well, and the bathing room on the other side. I remember the smell of Jasmine creepers growing on iron arches in the pathway to our house. I also remember the verandah where my father sat on an easy chair at nights talking to the gardener or some visitor. His voice used to ring loud and clear in the silence of the night.
We had a large house, and each room was spacious. The heads of 2 deer adorned the main door. An oval mirror was placed just opposite to the door on the wall on which one sees himself as he walks in. The hall had a red cemented rectangular floor with a border around it. There was a piano which my mom played. And on which some of us children practiced our piano lessons. At the back of the hall was pappa’s office. a large table with his business papers and letters and a kerosene lamp, all neatly arranged. A typewriter sat on the side table. There was a small library too. The room was airy and sunny as it had no wall, but large windows overlooking the backyard with mango and guava trees. One could see also see the garage and the tall palmyrah trees behind. We would step ever so silently into pappa’s office –‘cos if anything was found missing later, he would shout at us. The dining room and the visitors ‘ room was on the right side next to the hall
We all slept in a huge room which had a very large bed and a smaller one. I can still feel my mom next to me and lots of pillows around. There used to be 2 cupboards which had all our clothes, and precious stuff, including my mom’s carpet from India, which was used at her wedding.
Pappa slept in the room before ours. We used the smaller rooms as wash rooms at nights because our main toilet was outside the house, and there was no electricity to light our paths. There were plenty of slithering snakes around too.. We had to pass the cowshed and the goats and walk on the tiles to reach the main toilet and hence this arrangement.
Kitchen section was separate. There were servant’s quarters too. One used firewood for fuel. We used mud pots and Aluminum or brass vessels to cook. Coconut shells with long sticks were the ladles.
We had good cutlery and crockery and entertained many white missionaries. I remember Samuel the cook who knew to make many exotic dishes that they liked. So custards, cakes and puddings were common at home.
Kerosene lamps were used at nights. There was a ”petrolmax light” too, which was used if we needed stronger light. Every evening at about five, we girls would clean the lamp tops with vim powder and paper… the soot came off easily with this. We would pour kerosene into the bottom small jar, turn up the wicks, trim them if needed and keep them ready to be lighted when it gets dark.
My older sister Leela mainly carried these lamps as they would break if dropped. Mom helped. We studied at the dining table. All homework was done under this light.
Saturdays were cleaning days. Bed linen was changed. Door knobs had to be polished using Brasso. My mother would give us stored coconut scrapings from which she had extracted milk every day for cooking. We had to use it to polish the floors. We would laugh, fight and polish the floor and get filthy. If we were tired then mom or Leela would take over..
We always had servants.. To cook, to clean.. But there were days when my mother single handedly broke leaves from the trees, or cut grass from our land beside the house to feed the goats and cows. I have also seen her milking the cows and goats. There were hens and cocks clucking all the time. We would feed them. We would catch the hens and cover them with a basket if they were laying eggs during that season. My mom’s favorite were parrots. She taught them to speak and they kept chattering all the time. They could scream HALLELUJAH!
Remember the moonlight and stars on those quiet blue black skies. white clouds floating.. we would sit on the long steps on the verandah and talk. Mom would tell us Bible stories. or teach us choruses. Leela was always around to talk to us. Padma my sister was sick very often as she had a heart disease. Rheumatic valvular disease. There was hardly any treatment then, only penicillin and digoxin.
Wesley my older brother was always at a boarding school and was not there most of the time when I was growing up.. But when he turned up we had a great time…Sam was 4 years older to me and he was my play companion. We would fight with each other like cats and dogs but also had fun playing. Some of our cousins of our age lived in the 4th house from ours and they would come over to play.
My father Joel Paul was a building contractor. Hailing from a backward caste he did not get to practice his profession as a teacher and hence took up building as his career. He made millions and was famous for his knowledge and skills. Along with his brother Samuel, he bagged all the coveted contracts. They built most of the schools, hospitals, libraries, light houses and the famous Town hall of Jaffna. My father had an explosive, hot temper and was quite arrogant, challenging everyone who crossed his path, especially if they were unjust or discriminated against people of backward caste. This isolated us all the more.
We were part of a larger family. My father’s brothers and sister lives in the lands accompanying ours. Most of them also had big houses and lands adjoining their houses. My mother was from Madurai, India, a doctor from the prestigious Christian medical college Vellore. She was careful to see that we did not mix up too much with the locals. We were taught to converse in English also… kept our house neat and stylish…Therefore we were envied by our other relatives.
Before sleep we always had family prayers. We beat the drum, played the cymbals and sang choruses and songs. One of us read the Bible and Mom would pray, after one of us say a short prayer. Many a time we kids would fall asleep also. Then we would dim the lamps and go to sleep. Pappa was often away in Colombo on work and then we had to manage by ourselves, with a watchman at nights as our security. My mother always checked under the beds to ensure no one was lurking under. It was scary to wake up at nights and see the shadows of the wick, dancing on the walls. I used to see the leaves on the Palmyrah trees when there was moonlight and imagine all kinds of shapes and figures. The dogs used to bark for every disturbance and this made us afraid too. But Mom’s unshakable faith in God kept us all strong. She would tell us stories about her life in India, her work as doctors in the villages and this was a great inspiration to me. Her parents were evangelists and had a long period of service in Cumbum, Madras. They caste out evil spirits regularly as people used to come to them for prayer from remote corners of Tamilnadu and nearby states. Her father was a headmaster and married a Hindu convert who was an excellent pianist and a great cook of meat dishes although she was a Brahmin. These stories kept us mesmerized, and we would ask her for more and more when she talks about them. This also helped to build up our Christian faith
Christmas was a time of all kinds of exotic chocolates and food.. Home made cake was the rule and we merrily took part in beating the cake.. I can still smell the aroma of cake being baked… There were lots of toys too. Pappa would bring rolls of cloth and my mom would pour over design magazines and stitch clothes for us every Christmas and New Year. The poor and the people who worked with Pappa would visit us during this season and they were given cash and eatables. We would also carry a platter of sweets and cake to our relatives every Christmas.
Sundays were special. We would get into our best clothes and travel by car to the church in Jaffna town. It was a great time if Pappa was not in town. Otherwise we would always be quiet and nervous afraid that we would irritate him and make him angry. We attended the English service of the Assemblies of God. Sunday school was a time of great enjoyment where we would learn new choruses and draw and act. There were Danish missionaries then and we got the best from them. My mother enjoyed the services for it was only then that she met her equals in education and faith.
POSTED BY DR.DAISY PAUL DHARMARAJ AT 11:28 PM NO COMMENTS:
This is the life story of my mother. She was born in India in 1910 graduated in Medicine at CMC Vellore, and migrated to Sri Lanka after marriage. A dedicated woman, smart, caring, and intelligent. But destiny had brought various twists in her life.
Childhood.
Aurelia Dhanamony was the first born for Sophie and J I Manickavasagam belonging to Cumbum, in Theni district, Madurai. Her father was a local convert . He had met Sophia in Madurai- she belonged to a Hindu Brahmin family – an accomplished woman; daughter of a high court lawyer. She was a believer in Christianity and fell in love with Isaac Manickavasagam. When they got married, Sophia was disowned by her family. Sophia and Isaac chose to settle in Cumbum.
Aurelia pet-named Petcy, and was an obedient, quiet and religious girl. She was very good in her studies and was always a favorite of her teachers. Invariably the youngest in class she was smart and active. Her mother was a pianist and Petcy also learnt to play the piano.
Their’s was a large family.. Dorai, Jeya, Dhana, Victor were her younger brothers. Pankajam was the only sister. It was a happy family. Isaac was the Headmaster of the local school. He also had a church, where he was the pastor. Sophie was a faithful wife, bringing up the family. She was a great cook, having learnt to make non vegetarian dishes as well.
Around this time Dr. Ida Scudder had started her medical school in a place called Vellore near Katpadi. Petcy dreamt of becoming a doctor, and was encouraged by her parents.
Her friend and companion in the house was her aunt Tracy. She was slender and had very long hair .She used to correspond with Petcy regularly. Petcy’s younger sister Pankajam was mischievous and petted by everyone
She was also fond of her cousins James And Raj Isaac in Vellore. Petcy was a quiet and prayerful girl, good at studies and was everyone’s favorite.
In 1927, she was the youngest student accepted by Christian Medical College Vellore , in the Licentiate Medical Practitioner (LMP) course. Though for the first time she was far away from home, Petcy settled down to an exciting study period of 4 years. There she met another beautiful girl called Zeline Parker and became friends with her. Zeline was from Parker Home, an orphanage run by American missionaries. It was to be a lifelong friendship, which carried them through thick and thin. Zeline and Petcy always travelled together going home and returning to CMC.
As a doctor in Madurai
Petcy enjoyed her time in CMC. She loved medicine. She was happiest to care for her patients and interact with them.
On completing the course she joined Madurai mission hospital. She also worked in Cumbum, Theni, Bodinayakanur. She was the only lady doctor for miles around in those villages. Therefore night calls for deliveries were common. In the pitch dark, when there was no electricity she had delivered babies with the help only of lantern lights. She had tackled obstructed labour by craniotomy or decapitation. She often travelled by bullock carts with a helper, she served the people in those areas
She also worked in Kenneth Hospital Madurai.
Marriage
She was barely 21 and there was a missionary from Ceylon, who was looking for a bride like her for one Joel Paul who incidentally was a very rich man 44 years old, from Tellippalai Jaffna. He was a builder and contractor. He had married twice. The first wife died of tuberculosis. The second wife had mental illness and was divorced. He had no children. If Petcy were to marry Joel she will have a very comfortable home indeed and could support her brothers to study. Petcy’s parents were in a dilemma. They were not rich , and could just make ends meet. There were 4 more siblings who needed to be educated. Mother Sophie was not well – she had bouts of asthma.
Joel was twice Petcy’s age and a widower and divorcee. Was this marriage essential at all?
Joel visited Petcy and was lavish with his gifts to everyone. Petcy agreed to marry him. And so they did marry. For the first time Petcy left her beloved family behind in India and flew to Kankesanturai Jaffna in Ceylon.
Petcy in Tellippalai, Jaffna
Petcy started her life in Tellippalai. Everything was different. Tamil intonation and words were peculiar to Jaffna, and so even conversing with common people needed an effort. People were curious to see whom Joel married… a doctor from India. The house was in a huge campus and was large, Helpers were scarce and so Petcy had to work hard from morning till night to care for her husband and keep the house. In the meantime she was trying to get herself employed. Ceylon medical council did not recognize her LMP degree. Hopes and dreams of career as a doctor crashed for this young woman. Joel refused to send her back to India for one year of study which would have qualified her with an MBBS degree, eligible to practice in Sri lanka. Aspirations of a medical missionary went flying through the air.. she was heartbroken.
In 1934 Wesley a son was born to her. Three years later Leela a bonny baby arrived, followed by Padma. The Tamils in Jaffna looked down on Indian Tamils, because many Tamils from South India had migrated to the tea estates in Ceylon, recruited as laborers. This did not help Petcy who was scorned by Joel’s relatives and neighbors, despite the fact that she was a doctor and much more educated than them. She was close to one sister in law, Jeeva wife of Daniel Paul. Jeeva was also from India. These two families were close to each other. Jeeva was also a pious lady like Petcy and hence this friendship thrived and helped both of them to cope in the tough circumstances.
By this time Joel was busy in Kandy, a hill town in Central province. He and his brother Samuel Paul were famous for their building skills and had won many accolades. They were sincere, hardworking skilled and principled, Lighthouses in Kankesanturai, Puttalam, Schools and colleges and hospitals in Jaffna, Colombo and Kandy were the handiwork of Joel and Samuel.
Joel became financially very comfortable. He had built 3 houses in Kandy near Kattugastota- very attractive compact houses. But he had frequent attacks of malaria, which then was an epidemic in Ceylon. Petcy did not know anything about the financial aspects of the family. Money was not important to her and did not tempt her in any way.
Petcy went to live with Joel in Katugastota. Joel’s nieces Gnanam, Chellamma also lived with them. They were much older to us children, pursuing Teacher’s training course. Joel Petcy’s children Wesley, Padma and Leela joined the local schools. Another child Raja was born here- and he grew up to be an intelligent affectionate kid. Petcy was a good housewife and loved her family.
One of the maids was from India, and she started a romantic relationship with a man next door. That man had a grudge against Joel, stemming from some business deals, and he tried to harm Joel through this girl. Twice she tried poisoning his food. Joel sent it for analysis and it was found to be Arsenic. This attempt to murder Joel failed. One day, Raja was struggling for breath, and Joel’s niece found marbles in his mouth and removed hem- was it an accident or was it a murder plot?
One sad day, Raja went missing. People ran helter skelter. The police arrived and investigated. It was a nightmare. Petcy’s heart was broken to bits. There were notices everywhere asking for whereabouts of this little boy. Two days later, they found Raja’s body washed ashore on the banks of Mahaweli ganga river. An accident again? The coroner who examined the body and brain of Raja said that Sri Lanka has lost a great man- because of the convolutions in the brain.
A few weeks later, the maid confessed to Petcy that it was she who had thrown Raja into the river. Petcy was stunned and was contemplating how to tackle the situation as this maid was from India. That night the maid committed suicide, leaving a note about her relationship with the neighbor. At the autopsy she was found to be two months pregnant. Petcy and Joel were devastated realizing that their dear son was murdered by their maid. Heartbroken, they managed to find solace in prayer.
Joel had a temper. He would flare up for trivial issues. Many times if there was less salt or too much salt in the curry, he would topple the table- crockery, cutlery and all. He threw plates around. He loved his wife and children but would rarely show affection openly. Communication between them dwindled so much so that Petcy was afraid to talk to him. This affected the children as well. They hardly spoke to the father. Whenever Joel returned home, the children who were happily playing till then, would run and hide themselves in the rooms.
Joel was facing financial difficulties and had to sell the 3 houses one by one. The family decided to return to Tellippalai Jaffna
A day in the life of Petcy (at Tellippalai)
She wakes up by 5 a.m. as the cock crows. Her first half an hour is spent talking to God. Her prayers were loud and intense, claiming God’ s promises. She prays for each and every family member. Then she goes to milk the cows. Not an easy job. She has to sit on a stool, talk to the cows as she draws the milk. She feeds the cows with hay and water. In the ’40s and ’50s, maybe even now, Jaffna villages were infested with snakes, and she had to watch her every move, as well as the surroundings.
Then she makes coffee or tea for the children. Breakfast is either idiyappam or puttu or bread. For Idiyappam she had to pound soaked and dried rice and – which she always kept in stock. Some of the maids around used to help her for a fee. Side dishes had to be made. Cooking was done with firewood and was not easy. There was a vent pipe. Sometimes she made aappam – hoppers and these tasted yummy with coconut milk and sugar. In Sri Lanka coconut was indispensible. Every meal had at least one dish made using coconut which needs to be scraped using a special gadget – another difficult task to do twice or thrice a day.
She sets the table for breakfast – This is always done very neatly. Plates, glasses, cups and saucers, water jug, dishes. Each child has to be coaxed to eat after morning ablutions. The table was cleared, in which task all of the children participated. Cleaning of the house begins next. Bed making, sweeping, setting everything neat, bringing back the night lamps to where they belong. The verandahs need to be swept as leaves and branches would have littered the place.
Water has to be drawn from the well and poured through a pipe into the bathroom nearby and the tub in front, All vessels had to be filled as there was no running water. Vegetable lady and fish seller come home as the market was just a few yards ahead. They exchanged pleasantries before selling .
By the afternoon the all familiar bread man will come ringing the bell of his cycle. The smell of hot bread and the buns and the cakes was welcome by all children who will run to him. He will make a note of his sales in the notebook and collect payment later.
Clothes had to be washed by hand. Leela the elder daughter helpsed Petcy along with maids if there were any. One gardener came daily to water the trees. Each tree had an area with a small entry which was open and later closed, as water flowed along the shallow mud canal from the well.
In the evenings when dusk was settling, Petcy and her daughters cleaned the glass of all the kerosene lamps, with vim powder and paper. A petrolmax light was lit to be kept in the verandah till we closed the doors. The kerosene lamps were carried to each room that was being used. Lunch and dinner had to be made daily, by Petcy who tirelessly toiled for her children. By 7.30 pm there were family prayers. Children took turns to beat the drums, play the tambourine and sing. After Bible reading Petcy always prayed. After dinner children retired to bed. Petcy would ensure all doors were locked in that lonely bungalow. She even looked under the beds for thieves.
The house was spic and span. Beds were made up with white bed sheets and pillow cases. Brass on the doors and tables always sparkled. Whoever visited the house was in admiration of the housekeeping of Petcy. In the mornings Petcy would get the children ready for school. Bright white uniforms and polished shoes were the norm. In the evenings homework was done with help from Petcy or the older children.
Plucking leaves for the animals at home also fell on Petcy’s shoulders. Children accompanied her as she did that. Feeding the animals with “penance” was done by her if the gardener was absent. Medical emergencies were attended at home- probably the only place where Petcy used her professional skills.
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