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JACOBKUTTY & FAMILY

when Daddy and Mummy lived pachan was quite busy when he
in Abu Dhabi, I would come to was young and didn’t spend much
Thiruvalla for the weekend and time with her, but as he grew old-
Ammachy would call me every er, he wanted her all the time with
Saturday morning. She would in- him. This was very true. I still re-
vite me to Mallappally for lunch member the days when Appachan
and say that Appachan was miss- would be in the verandah every
ing me. I used to love those trips. morning reading the newspaper
Ammachy loved talking about and Ammachy would be in the
how she raised the kids, how she kitchen cooking and he would
used to get them to stand in a narrate the entire news to her. It
line before a bath in the “thodu”. was a daily ritual and there was
She would get them to do drills, a wholesome charm to it.
apply oil on their bodies and give During those trips to Mallap-
them each a spoon of “fish oil”. pally, I would ask Ammachy if I
She was quite proud of how she should bring her something and
managed to have a routine for all she would always say no. How-
of them and often attributed it to ever, I knew she had a real sweet
her Nicholson School discipline. tooth and I would get a box of
I loved listening to her stories jalebi or ladoo for her. As I hand-
and what was special was that ed over the box, she would say,
Appachan would come and sit “Ithonnum vendayirunu (There
next to us too. I always felt that was no need for this.)” But that
he wasn’t really aware of these cute little blush and smile on her
events as he was rarely at home face was a giveaway and price-
those days, being out on business. less. The irony was that when
I could see how proud Appachan Kochupappan and others would
was of Ammachy and the way she call her, she would boast about
took care of their kids. how she got a box of sweets and
I used to pull Ammachy’s leg how that was what she always
by telling her how much Ap- wanted.
pachan loves her and she would She wanted each family mem-
blush. In fact, there were many ber to love each other and nothing
things that made her blush like a brought her more joy than what
little girl. She used to say that Ap- we as a family did for each oth-

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