Real men and women

Kundamveettile Lakshmikutty teacher, Oduvankad Bhargavi, Raman, Narayani, Kochchunniaar, koma Panicker... these are some people who will remain forever etched in my memory. These are the kind of people you may love or hate but definitely not ignore. They are the symbols of a period of time when people were original; there were no fixed notions of accepted behaviour then. You were what you were, not what others decided was the way to be. I got the chance to see them on my short visits to kerala during my childhood. Then, when I moved to kerala after class X, I got the chance to know them. Villages are made of strong individuals. People here have their own unique character or individuality. Today, in the fast-paced world, most of us are more or less like clones with similar behaviour, attitudes, aspirations and even looks. Cities are usually made up of armies of people marching to the orders. Only few have the scope to be strong individuals...people who dare to be themselves...
Kochunniaar, the cute old man with ear studs, had the habit of caressing all women on the pretext of being very old. He was also known for his miserliness and for having a karinaavu (whatever he said supposedly came true). It was also said that he had evil eyes, his look was supposed to bring bad luck. He used to lend money on interest. Every morning, he would dorn sun glasses and go on his money collection trip, having free cups of tea and all possible things from shops and houses that owed money to him.
Lakshmikutty teacher, the firebrand woman, was once married to a man from AP. The rumours were that she threw him out of her house and life. Till her death she lived all alone in a big house set in an acre of land. She fought with everyone in the village, never bowed down to anyone. Aggresively independant, she was a terror in the village. Again, she was known to be very stringent. She never wasted one dry leaf from her land. Till her death she worked hard. She preferred male company and never let society decide for her. People were scared of her because she said whatever she felt like to whomsoever.