Paadha yaathirai - Episode 6

Blows the cold January pre-dawn southern breeze
walketh hundreds of saamis in groups of varying gait
swift passing milk-van tells him its not ease
declares the boy 'be whatever, i swear to reach kandhan's height'

from just passed chattrapatti, comes 'kaa vaa vaa kandha vaa' song
harmoizing with susheela's sweet 'sollacholla inikkudhada muruhaa'
kaNakkambatti cone couterpoints ramani ammaL's 'velava vadivelavaa', at long
spirits up the boy, withers sleepy mood, involutarily sings 'maayOn maruhaa'

says the boy "there's kaNakkambatti then two aayakudis; its easy i can make it "
smiles the father and uncles so does The divine Boy atop the hill
exclaims to his kins "no trees, no hinderences there's pazhani hill, see it"
"here comes, oh! lord, your devotees group, stand there still"

chattarapatti to kanakambatti its flat ground no hurdled view of hill
teasing pazhani rock in front goes back as it stands not still
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In the entire paadhayaathirai the stretch from Chaththarapatti to Pazhani adivaaram is the most testing, will-shaking one. It would make even those with years of walking experience to wear-out and the innumerous public transportation vehicles plying between oddanchaththiram to pazhani would tempt one to abandon the tiresome walking and board one of those buses. The plight of first-timer would be double triple folded, the temptation would be more.
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Worse will be the Chaththarapatti KaNakkambatti 8 kms route
Each step forward towards the hill you see
Not the road but the longing thats more bad and stout
coz one mile farther goes the hill against your plea

"I can't make it", cries the little boy loud
"oh! God why you deceive me so bad"
sitting on the 4 km stone staring at passing crowd
Hands out the younger uncle a bottle of water he had

Composing himself after a while
Asks the boy an interest question - "where
is Nagarajan mama who sings hail -
of this God, shouldn't he be here?"

Father said "Comes your mama walking with the vel party
in 2 days from chettinad singing kaavadichchindhu hearty"

to be continued...