Pitrupaksha

According to Hindu calendar, months are called as "masa" and after Shravana masa, we get paksha masa. During this masa, in my place, we do pitru paksha. One day in this masa we do pooja to our ancestors, who are no more. So relatives are invited. Food (especially Non-veg) will be prepared. Then they do pooja and all.

People of Thirthalli will be very busy during this masa. Everyday they will be visiting their relatives house for Pitrupaksha. For me, as usual Pitrupaksha means, one occation where I can skip school and go to Kadidal.

One pitrupaksha was very special. Ajja's house in Kadidal is in very beautiful place. Backside there is forest and front paddy field and then one small hill is there. Sometimes cows of other people used to enter Ajja's paddy field. Ajja used to ask us to send them outside. But our aim was to somehow catch those cows. Why? Reason we gave was, to teach lesson to the owners of those cows, that they should not leave their cows to others field. But truth is just for fun we wanted it. Me, Vasuki and Abi tried to catch them. But failed every time.

There was a servant called Ramesha. He gave one idea. He asked one of us to lie on the way to main gate. Remaining two must somehow try to send cow in the direction of main gate. As soon as cow try to jump on the person who is lying on the way, he should catch, back legs of cow. We were kids that time. We didn't even think, what will happen if cow put its leg, on the person who is lying.

We appreciated Ramesha for his brilliant idea and asked him to lie there. He said that he is having some important work. Then we decided that Abi must lie there. He agreed for that. We two went to handle that cow.

Ajja, came back from his farm as soon as he entered main gate, he saw some boy lying there. As abi was fat, soon he recognized it as Abi and he ran to him. Abi was lying there and was singing some song. Then Ajja shouted at him, "why the hell are you lying here?" Me and Vasuki, we heard Ajja's voice. We left cow there itself and ran to Ajji and sat there as decently as possible as if we don't know anything.

Abi there tried to tell some tales but finally he explained everything to Ajja. Ajja entered house with red face. Started scolding on everyone. We three started crying and pointed on Ramesha.

But on one Pitrupaksha, somehow, with the help of Ramesha, finally we caught one cow. Next day morning one person came crying, and he started blaming Ajja "You are aged person. By mistake my cow entered and you have kept it for yourself blabalbala" Everyone was shocked. They were not knowing about our adventure. They started arguing that his cow is not there in our house. Argument went on for a while.

We three were completely confused. Then slowly we told truth to one of my uncle. He got scared for few seconds. Then suddenly he changed his argument. "How can you leave, your cow to our field. You are doing this for so many days.............". My Ajja and other uncles, looked at him in full confusion. He pointed towards us. Then it was clear to them, that we have done some great thing. They also changed their argument completely. At the end, Ajja asked us to say sorry to him. And he asked that person to take his cow along with him. Once he left, we got scoldings from our elders. But that Pitrupaksha was really different.