Childhood pranks

Childhood pranks

My younger sister and my eldest sister’s son were almost of same age. They both were just less than two years younger to me. Here I have to mention some of the childhood pranks that our eldest sister’s children and we had together. During summer vacation they used to come and stay with us. Some of the incidents make me laugh whenever I think about them. My mother used to make ghee at home by melting the butter. She used to mix rice flour and sugar with the sediment (kasandu)and give to us. Once after making the ghee she went for her afternoon siesta without giving us the mixture. My sister’s son had no patience to wait until she woke up. He told that he would make it himself and give it to all. He went to the kitchen along with my younger sister who always used to give him company in whatever tricks he was up to. He went and searched for the rice flour and told my sister that he got it and told her to get the sugar. Then they mixed it with the ghee sediment and just tasted it. Alas! It just burnt their tongue and they came running to me and told that the mixture got a funny taste and burnt the tongue. When I asked them to show me what they had mixed they showed me the white substance that they assumed rice flour. In the meanwhile hearing all the commotion my mother came and they asked her what that was in the tin. She told that it was washing soda and gave all of us a big scolding and threw it away.
Another incident also happened that also I could never forget. During the Vaikasi Brammothsavam lot of people used to come to our house. My mother would buy lime stone and make sunnambu by pouring hot water over it and used to give it to the guests with betel nut after lunch and dinner. There was a wooden horse with wheels in the house in a dilapidated state. One of us would sit on the horseback and others would push it. As usual my sister’s son had a novel idea to beautify the horse. He brought the lime pot and started painting the horse with it. My mother got so wild and started beating all of us.
I was the one who was timid and was afraid to take part in the mischiefs, whereas my younger sister was bold and would give company to my sister’s son. From childhood he was very mischievous and very intelligent also. If any one gave him any toy he would break it open and any one asked him why he did so, he would say that he wanted to know what was inside and how it worked. He could have become a very good engineer but for his father who wanted to follow him in his footsteps. Though he had become a reputed lawyer, he had implemented his novel ideas in his newly constructed house to save space.I think each one will have childhood reminiscences like this which makes us laugh later in life.
Pushpavalli