A Malayalam lesson

Well it was the day for another Malayalam lesson today. Today being Budden of course! And the theme was the alphabet and in Malayalam there are over 59 characters. Every sound has a unique symbol not like English where one symbol or set of letters can sound very different in different words. And we no longer sit on the wall for the lessons – I am now invited down to the centre of the homes.. and we get an audience.. usually laughing in a very good humoured way at my attempts at the words. Our lessons have become a source of fascination but I think in part it is because we laugh a lot and that attracts. Sometimes I suspect there is not a lot to laugh about. Sona’s father is no longer fishing .. apparently there are not so many fish in the sea this year. It doesn’t surprise me when I saw the quantities that were being caught last year when we were given a private tour of the fishing harbour. So instead he drinks as do many of the local men here. There is a liquor which is drained from the coconut trees – toddy – a potent beverage. Sadly this is so readily available and if a man has no work this seems to be what they resort to. So we laugh and I love the honour of being invited into this dense of area of plastic clad shacks where the women usually cook on open fires made on bricks outside the home … and chickens run free. No concept of anything other than free range!