Agraharam I Lived In

Sun broke the night five decades ago Sanctified the cow dung soil to glow An Agraharam woke up Fabulous brahminical kolams rounded up Prototypic in two rows adjoined Houses erected, front and rear entered, exited Uniform with a semi open porch Unique style spoken on a stone bench My train of memoirs unfurls... Flips off a feather; pass by walking Iyers Ahead to Balasubramanya temple devout Maamaas Back from river ablution some Maamis Throne on me their blessed smiles An exquisite feather down drops Lo, the western ghats A tiny cut trident over the ranges Farther though glitters; hurrying up pupils Footing on further, mm...tomato rasam Meenakshi maami's mess; gastronomy awesome In goes one cup; then Mess Mahadevaiyer's home Fill up my belly soft idlis some Now seeing a bullock cart Lub-dub lub-dub pats my heart Papa to the civil court A day I join him up to the spot Back in the Agraharam... Women fuss over a 'nine yards' theorem Iridescent; Yet an unlikable tradition-syndrome All for a wedding tantrum A wedding I'm invited too Vratham, Kasiyathra, Oonjal...ooh Nagaswara band and mantras boost Finally a new lif's debut; Tying the sacred knot Modernisation, untouchable to our 'Vaadhyaar' Remains tufted within his vedic structure Move on I to 'Bhajanai Madam' a prayer-culture And a school of triumph over there Flaps a butterfly on my dancing train Watches lawyers, doctors, teachers..a changing brain Waltzs around 'Pavalamalli' trees Flips away enjoing the Agraharam fragrance By now feathers recollected dusk Radiating Kalahasthisa and Varadharaja temples prismatic Night-break, kolattam and karakattam aesthetic Agraharam then closed, poetic Extinct and absent some say In mind mine does stay Fresh and extant Agraharam now and again unfurling out