KAKKA- THE CROW 1.
Before writing about crows, I just went through wikipedia. I got a lot of new information about crow. I will be including those new information about crow at appropriate places in these postings, which are very interesting. In this posting nothing is included of the new information.
1. Feeding crow when rice is cooked.
The one thing I am most strict now a day is to ensure a small quantity of rice in chattukam is offered to crow immediately on cooking, as the hot rice. The cooking may be completed by 9 AM some days. Some days by 11 AM. But offering immediately is ensured important.
The crow will take rice most times immediately, some times late, some times late evening the rice kept on compound wall in front of my house .
Some times crow will take one beak and fly away keeping balance as reserve for evening or afternoon. Some times three or four crows will come, sit on electric wire or compound wall or parapet wall, wait for particular crows, they will take full as they require, then the others will take the balance. Seeing this I have made it a point the quantity of rice offered is more- a full chattukam or ¾ chattukam.
I have never seen crawling more by the crows. One or two times they will crawl, if the special crows are not coming, the others will leave of with out taking rice many a times. As an observer this has made me to wonder. Many times the specific crows are bigger in size. They come, take one or two beak full; patiently the others wait, and then take their beak full and fly off.
2. Crow – the representation of Pithru.
It is the general belief among Hindus, that crow represent the pithru. I used to think the two crows, the others wait can be my parents. The other two or three wait my late elder brothers. I cannot substantiate this point, but the waiting ensures, my elders waiting for my parents. Some times I have found feed one crow taking on beak the other.( The other is also perfectly OK)
3. Kakka- in born in mind as pithru
Probably as we have seen sraadha, from the days of memory and every day our parents offering rice to crow, the belief crow represent pithru get in born in mind. This is before the age we read books on this account.
Of late I used to think, since they represent pithrus, they never become close to us. They keep distance.
( Lakshmana story- we should not keep attachment more. He had attachment with a deer and born as deer)
It is very difficult as a bird to catch crow , put in cage and bring it up like parrots. Of course many years before I read in Kumudam magazine about a Muslim boy bringing up a crow. It was a news to me.
4. Kakka- to take pinda.
During sraadha, we ensure the crow come and eat the pinda. Since pinda is a big ball of rice, we add some spreaded rice also.
I do recollect the early days of my boyhood, my mother ask, by the time pinda is to be offered, crows are there on trees, coconuts etc. Some how for the cooking smell or for reasons unknown, crows will be ready by the time pinda is to be offered.
Many a times, my father used to say, when crow crawls before offering of pindas-"Avarkku dhiruthi aayi"(Pithrus are in a hurry). On such occasions, many a times I have seen the crow takes the pinda immediately on keeping and once or twice FROM MY FATHER'S HANDS ITSELF before keeping on the Tulasi matam.
( In Kerala Tulasi matam is used to offer pinda or daily offering in many of the matams. In the evening we used to clean. It is never seen as pathu.)
Even in places like Tutucorin, where crows have much seafoods we could see just coming and taking a beak full and going away. Sasthrikals there used to say- if crows are not taking do not wait. They will come and take at their own time. Let sraadha people get up.
On those days I was never thinking pithru himself is fed in sraadha and CROW IS AN ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATION. These types of deep thinking had no time while official work was much more on those days…
However always on thing is observed, if at all 5 or 7 crows are there on trees, only some special bigger crows come and touch the pinda. After that only others take. Today I think those on trees -are they represent Jnatha- anjatha pithrus? Whenever sraadha is performed, we refer to Jnatha anjatha pithrus positively.
5. Kakkae kaake Kooddevidae
I do recollect the poem taught in 2nd class o or so-
Kakkae kakkae koodevidae
Kootinakathoru kunjundo?
Kunjinu theeti kodukkanjal
Kunju kidannu karanjeetum…
Kunjintae Kayyilae neyyappam
Ayyo kakkae pattichho? (If wrong elders can correct the lines)
6. Buddiyulla Kakka.
Another story we are told or studied in 2nd class or 1st class is about the intelligent crow.
Most we grand fathers would have told our kids this in the night. My 2nd grand son used to ask me repeat the story again and I used to put questions in between, by the time the repetition is 3rd he would have fallen to sleep.
6a. intelligent crow story in nutshell.
Once a crow was very thirsty after eating some salty things. There it find no ponds or any water body to quench the thirst. Suddenly it located a mud pot kept for cleaning with some water. The crow tried to put its beak and drink water. But water was at a low level. It found some stones near by. It took them on beak one by one put in pot. Water came up. Crow drank water and flown away.
6b.No questions to the story.
No questions to the story like- it would have called other crows and put the stones quickly, all would have drank water or the pot would have been tilted slightly. (Crows are experts in tilting). I am reserving river Kaveri story for the part 2 of this posting.
7. Kakka and payasam story
Another story is about the crow, which wanted to drink /eat payasam.
Once in a temple after offerings to the god, some payasam was kept outside on a leaf for birds. One crow came and ate the payasam. It felt the payasam very tasty. It went to a patty put up near the temple. The crow normally used to reside in a coconut near her matam. (Kakka used to talk on those days to us.)
It told patti- I want payasam , I will get all ingredients for it. Patti told the ingredients like rice, jaggery, coconut, and firewood for preparation. The crow brought every thing one by one.
Patti started preparing payasam in an urului in the open area. Our crow impatiently waited in the coconut tree. When it was boiling with ghee, crow could not wait any more. It put its beak in to hot boiling payasam. The beak got burnt very much. Patti advised to drink water from the near by pond. Its stomach became full. The payasam was by the time ready.
But the crow , drinking water more and more for reducing the burning sensation, started peeying by the time. The water stared flowing everywhere through pee. At this time the grand son used to say – Moocha pochhu, appi pochhu…
Crow went to the tree and sang" Aatum matum koalm kolam, amyar veetum kolam kolam.
Patty sympathising with crows condition, kept it preserved. The crow some how ate the payasam and smiled with burned beak- craw,craw…
8. Malayalam sayings-
There are a few Malayalam sayings relating to kakka. One is kakkaikkum than kunju ponkunju( Their children are precious to every body).
Another is kakka kulichal kokkakumo ( By taking bath a crow cannot become a kukku).
Third one is Echikai kondu kakkayae virattila( The person is so misery he will not ward a crow with an eating hand, in the fear, the bits of rice in hand will fall down!).
The fourth one is Vella kakka marannu parakkuka. ( rarest of the rare- impossible) . But I am going to write ABOUT WHITE AND BLUE CROWS IN THESE POSTINGS LATER.
9 Kakka piduttham.
I do not know the origin of the synonym, it means blindly support a person with an inner motive of getting some thing done. In some stage or other, most of us would have done it, to get some thing done. I HAVE DONE IT IN TWO OR THREE OCCASIONS. It is also called seva pidikkuka in Malayalam.
I will continue with more interesting things about crow in continuing postings.
Before writing about crows, I just went through wikipedia. I got a lot of new information about crow. I will be including those new information about crow at appropriate places in these postings, which are very interesting. In this posting nothing is included of the new information.
1. Feeding crow when rice is cooked.
The one thing I am most strict now a day is to ensure a small quantity of rice in chattukam is offered to crow immediately on cooking, as the hot rice. The cooking may be completed by 9 AM some days. Some days by 11 AM. But offering immediately is ensured important.
The crow will take rice most times immediately, some times late, some times late evening the rice kept on compound wall in front of my house .
Some times crow will take one beak and fly away keeping balance as reserve for evening or afternoon. Some times three or four crows will come, sit on electric wire or compound wall or parapet wall, wait for particular crows, they will take full as they require, then the others will take the balance. Seeing this I have made it a point the quantity of rice offered is more- a full chattukam or ¾ chattukam.
I have never seen crawling more by the crows. One or two times they will crawl, if the special crows are not coming, the others will leave of with out taking rice many a times. As an observer this has made me to wonder. Many times the specific crows are bigger in size. They come, take one or two beak full; patiently the others wait, and then take their beak full and fly off.
2. Crow – the representation of Pithru.
It is the general belief among Hindus, that crow represent the pithru. I used to think the two crows, the others wait can be my parents. The other two or three wait my late elder brothers. I cannot substantiate this point, but the waiting ensures, my elders waiting for my parents. Some times I have found feed one crow taking on beak the other.( The other is also perfectly OK)
3. Kakka- in born in mind as pithru
Probably as we have seen sraadha, from the days of memory and every day our parents offering rice to crow, the belief crow represent pithru get in born in mind. This is before the age we read books on this account.
Of late I used to think, since they represent pithrus, they never become close to us. They keep distance.
( Lakshmana story- we should not keep attachment more. He had attachment with a deer and born as deer)
It is very difficult as a bird to catch crow , put in cage and bring it up like parrots. Of course many years before I read in Kumudam magazine about a Muslim boy bringing up a crow. It was a news to me.
4. Kakka- to take pinda.
During sraadha, we ensure the crow come and eat the pinda. Since pinda is a big ball of rice, we add some spreaded rice also.
I do recollect the early days of my boyhood, my mother ask, by the time pinda is to be offered, crows are there on trees, coconuts etc. Some how for the cooking smell or for reasons unknown, crows will be ready by the time pinda is to be offered.
Many a times, my father used to say, when crow crawls before offering of pindas-"Avarkku dhiruthi aayi"(Pithrus are in a hurry). On such occasions, many a times I have seen the crow takes the pinda immediately on keeping and once or twice FROM MY FATHER'S HANDS ITSELF before keeping on the Tulasi matam.
( In Kerala Tulasi matam is used to offer pinda or daily offering in many of the matams. In the evening we used to clean. It is never seen as pathu.)
Even in places like Tutucorin, where crows have much seafoods we could see just coming and taking a beak full and going away. Sasthrikals there used to say- if crows are not taking do not wait. They will come and take at their own time. Let sraadha people get up.
On those days I was never thinking pithru himself is fed in sraadha and CROW IS AN ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATION. These types of deep thinking had no time while official work was much more on those days…
However always on thing is observed, if at all 5 or 7 crows are there on trees, only some special bigger crows come and touch the pinda. After that only others take. Today I think those on trees -are they represent Jnatha- anjatha pithrus? Whenever sraadha is performed, we refer to Jnatha anjatha pithrus positively.
5. Kakkae kaake Kooddevidae
I do recollect the poem taught in 2nd class o or so-
Kakkae kakkae koodevidae
Kootinakathoru kunjundo?
Kunjinu theeti kodukkanjal
Kunju kidannu karanjeetum…
Kunjintae Kayyilae neyyappam
Ayyo kakkae pattichho? (If wrong elders can correct the lines)
6. Buddiyulla Kakka.
Another story we are told or studied in 2nd class or 1st class is about the intelligent crow.
Most we grand fathers would have told our kids this in the night. My 2nd grand son used to ask me repeat the story again and I used to put questions in between, by the time the repetition is 3rd he would have fallen to sleep.
6a. intelligent crow story in nutshell.
Once a crow was very thirsty after eating some salty things. There it find no ponds or any water body to quench the thirst. Suddenly it located a mud pot kept for cleaning with some water. The crow tried to put its beak and drink water. But water was at a low level. It found some stones near by. It took them on beak one by one put in pot. Water came up. Crow drank water and flown away.
6b.No questions to the story.
No questions to the story like- it would have called other crows and put the stones quickly, all would have drank water or the pot would have been tilted slightly. (Crows are experts in tilting). I am reserving river Kaveri story for the part 2 of this posting.
7. Kakka and payasam story
Another story is about the crow, which wanted to drink /eat payasam.
Once in a temple after offerings to the god, some payasam was kept outside on a leaf for birds. One crow came and ate the payasam. It felt the payasam very tasty. It went to a patty put up near the temple. The crow normally used to reside in a coconut near her matam. (Kakka used to talk on those days to us.)
It told patti- I want payasam , I will get all ingredients for it. Patti told the ingredients like rice, jaggery, coconut, and firewood for preparation. The crow brought every thing one by one.
Patti started preparing payasam in an urului in the open area. Our crow impatiently waited in the coconut tree. When it was boiling with ghee, crow could not wait any more. It put its beak in to hot boiling payasam. The beak got burnt very much. Patti advised to drink water from the near by pond. Its stomach became full. The payasam was by the time ready.
But the crow , drinking water more and more for reducing the burning sensation, started peeying by the time. The water stared flowing everywhere through pee. At this time the grand son used to say – Moocha pochhu, appi pochhu…
Crow went to the tree and sang" Aatum matum koalm kolam, amyar veetum kolam kolam.
Patty sympathising with crows condition, kept it preserved. The crow some how ate the payasam and smiled with burned beak- craw,craw…
8. Malayalam sayings-
There are a few Malayalam sayings relating to kakka. One is kakkaikkum than kunju ponkunju( Their children are precious to every body).
Another is kakka kulichal kokkakumo ( By taking bath a crow cannot become a kukku).
Third one is Echikai kondu kakkayae virattila( The person is so misery he will not ward a crow with an eating hand, in the fear, the bits of rice in hand will fall down!).
The fourth one is Vella kakka marannu parakkuka. ( rarest of the rare- impossible) . But I am going to write ABOUT WHITE AND BLUE CROWS IN THESE POSTINGS LATER.
9 Kakka piduttham.
I do not know the origin of the synonym, it means blindly support a person with an inner motive of getting some thing done. In some stage or other, most of us would have done it, to get some thing done. I HAVE DONE IT IN TWO OR THREE OCCASIONS. It is also called seva pidikkuka in Malayalam.
I will continue with more interesting things about crow in continuing postings.
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