In Memory of Raju

In my ample free time, I have been recollecting the geography and social structure of Kombur village. The village is on a ½ mile winding road, close to the larger town of Velukkudi (which is much better known than Kombur, perhaps due to the famous religious lecturer Velukkudi Krishnan – who is somewhat distantly related to our family). Velukkudi itself is a small town in the outskirts of Koothanallur. In fact, after 5^th standard, village kids had to go all the way to Koothanallur to attend high school or college, since there were no nearer options. From the village, we could barely see Koothanallur’s neon lights blinking in the distance at night. Kombur village, which had no electric lights, was given to frequent floods due to the seasonal swelling of the Kaveri and its minor tributary Vellaiyar – which bordered the village. As a result, the village temple was built a short distance away from the river, on the high-ground. The organization of the village was very much caste based, with the Brahmins occupying the high-ground near the temple, and the lower castes crowding near the flood-prone river. There were two public wells, the Kizai Kollam (East side) and the Mela Kollam (West side), with clear rules on who is permitted to use which well. There was also a washing pond called Kuttai between the two wells which the womenfolk preferred to use. The big town nearby, Koothanallur, was a Muslim majority town (though all the teachers at the school and college were Brahmins), with large houses built from money made by expats in Singapore, Malaysia, Gulf etc., who exported lungis from India. It was not uncommon for the wealthy Muslim merchants in that area to contribute money toward celebration of Hindu festivals and for maintenance of temples etc.