Going back-in time!

“May be I am like a frog inside a well, but what the heck, my life is still inside the well. “

So, here I am back again getting excited like a kid, when I find things which I don’t expect here - to be specific - in Ireland.

Last weekend as usual I managed to drag my hubby into Penny’s (Primark-the budget end clothing line in UK, Ireland and Spain) inspite of his tiring attempts to lure me away from the clutches of the store. (huh.. that sentence sounds more terrible than the original incident!)

My aim was just to browse, especially to take a longing look at the items for sale (that catches my attention), under 5 euro-just like any other normal female.

And then suddenly I saw this thing – of course on sale - there. And I am sure that at the next instant I heard my jaw dropping to the floor! I squealed to my hubby “Do you see what I am seeing? Can you believe it is ‘that’… is it available here?” And my hubby as skeptic as he is, answered “It is not what you think it is. It is something else”. But no, I was sure… it is THAT…I didn’t know its name – at least I didn’t know what it was called in Ireland(Europe) so I checked the tag…it read “beach mat”…

Now, the beach mat is not at all uncommon here, especially in summer season. But what made me squeal with excitement was the way it looked and the material with which it was made.


Because it was the same kind of traditional straw mat available in Kerala, India, which we call “paaya” or “pulpaaya” (grass mat) in Malayalam. From where I come, “paaya” is used for almost anything… to dry spices, to dry mangoes/bitter gourd/lemon prior to making pickles, to sit, to sleep, as temporary bed for both babies and grownups, in fact it can be used for anything. There is a saying that if new-born babies are made to sleep in “paaya” in floor (instead of beds or cots), their bodies grow strong! (I don’t know if it is correct or not). But it is so much close to our culture… in olden days we used special “pulpaaya” for special guests…

So, now you can get a vague idea about why I squealed. I never expected to see a “paaya” outside Kerala! I touched it first - the same feeling- I smelled it, trying to get the smell of the straw I used to get in “paaya”-no, it doesn’t smell, like that! I squeezed it—hmm…the feeling of touching something soooo familiar! But there was just one difference. This straw mat was made in such a way that you can carry it just like a small hand bag. Our own Kerala “paaya” didn’t have that facility. We could fold it only vertically, making it very difficult to pack. In fact the traditional “paaya” would never fit into a suitcase.




This was the second time, I am seeing traditional Kerala stuff in here. The first time was when I saw a broom made of dry coconut leaves – displayed as showpiece!
Note: In Kerala, we use it just to sweep and after that it rests in the darkest and the farthest corner of the store-room or kitchen. And just imagine my disbelief when I saw it as a show-piece in furniture shops!
I bought the so-called “beach mat” which is used in our place for everything except in beaches! What an irony! And yesterday I slept in “paaya” – feeling the texture- again trying to get the familiar but, non-existent smell of straw in it.