Malar Vizhi

Malar Vizhi ( Flower eyed)

Malar Vizhi in her nine long years of her life , has smelt it all.

She remembers her first smell of the sea as a child. Her mother Kannagi used to carry her in her hip, helping her husband Kannan with the nets at night as he set out to into the sea.

Smell of fresh catch of fish early in the morning collection for the market.
Smell of meen curry as Kannagi cooked for the tired Kannan.
Strong smell of Karuvadu ( drying fish) on the nets for a rainy day.
Above all these, the over powering smell of her mother as she hugged her green sari.

Then, one day, the sea smelt strange. They ran as the sea level rose.
Suddenly the giant waves lashed.
The last words of Kannagi was “ Aiyo! Malar Vizhi! “
Smell of rotten bodies.
They identified Kannagi by her anklets.
The smell of her mother’s body burning.

She can smell the meen curry now as she hugged her emotion drained father in the relief camp.
But the smell is not the same. The smell of meen curry has changed for ever.

The only comfort is the smell of her mother as she hugged her mother’s green sari.

K.Jayaraman ( Jay)