Page 14 - Memoirs of Sarasworthy Somasundaram

Aiyah

Fear of Snakes
If I were honest, I’d say Aiyah was a physical coward. As children it amused us and
we’d laugh at how he would go out of his way to avoid dogs, snakes and mad men!

One-night Thumby (Bharathan) woke up suddenly to the sound of some stealthy
movements. He opened his door and walked out to the front veranda. He saw Aiyah
standing at the other end of the veranda flashing his torch onto the ground, with hands that
shook.

Thumby walked up and saw a snake caught up in the light of the torch.

Thumby snatched up a walking stick from the stand near-by, taking the torch from Aiyah’s
own hands, said “Aiyah, move off” and hit the snake on the head. With one blow, the snake
lay immobile.
3
That was Thumby and that was Aiyah.

I suspect this instinctive/irrational fear of snakes is an Amarasingham trait. Periapa, my
father’s eldest brother, was home about half an hour’s walk from our home and probably
about 10 minutes away via the fields. They were both retired for the evening. They would
walk over to each other’s house for an hours chat.

One evening, Periapa and Aiyah were in a side room on the right wing of Packiagiri chatting
away. Suddenly Perriapa’s voice was raised in a cry “Packiam Packiam… quickly… oh
quickly” My aunt rushed in. (Probably followed by one or two of the children, we wouldn’t
have heard the story otherwise!)

The two brothers were standing up on the bed, and there was a large snake crawling under
the bed. My Aunt chased the snake out, for it was discovered that it was a non-poisonous
snake after all!!

்
A - சொகை பொமபு fairly common in Jaffna.
The children had a hearty laugh and the brothers probably looked foolish.

I am afraid I share Aiyah’s fear of snakes. One day we saw a snake crawling on top of
a cupboard. Both Aiyah and I picked up two long solid sticks and climbed up a large solid
stool. The snake was lying still, we raised our sticks and “Bang” went the sticks in unison.

Both of us lost our balance and came crashing to the floor and the snake crawled away.

Aiyah and I both missed the snake!! Thank God snakes don’t strike back, they slither away.

3 Note from the editor: Bharathan was to be the husband of Chandra Amarasingham and later the father of
Jeevan, Vathani and Chandran. At the time of this story, Bharathan must have been under the age of 12.

13