Cutchi Language Tutorial, Kerala

Aaliya was her Daada's pet. He loved her dearly. Aaliya too was equally fond of her Daada. She was also aware of the fact that her Daada did not love his other grandchildren the way he loved and pampered her. A few days later it was Aaliya's birthday. Her grandpa presented her a blue colored pencil case, shaped like Mickey Mouse. She loved it a lot. She took it to school the next day and proudly showed it to all her friends. She took great care of the pencil case. When Aaliya went back home from school that day, her mother asked her to go and meet her grandpa. So she went into her Daada's room. She saw him resting on his armchair with a big white plaster around his right arm. He smiled as he saw her enter the room. "Daada, what happened to your hand?" she inquired. "Nothing much, little one," he said, "Your Daada just slipped and fell as he was stepping out of the bathroom." "Why couldn't you be careful Daada?" she asked angrily. "I will be careful next time sweetheart," he said and kissed her gently on her forehead. From then onwards Aaliya would spend most of her time with her grandpa. She would hold his hand and take him out for short walks in the evenings.

Months passed by, and Aaliya's grandpa began feeling weak. He would find it difficult even to stand for a few minutes at a stretch. He no longer had the strength to go out for evening walks with Aaliya. One evening as he was walking across his room he felt dizzy and fell unconscious on the floor. As he fell, he had hit his head against the corner of the wooden cot. As a result, his head began to bleed profusely. He was immediately hospitalized. His condition remained critical for days together. The doctors said that up to fifty percent of his skull had been severely damaged. They assured Aaliya's father that they were trying their best to save him.

Aaliya's mother took her to the hospital one evening. Aaliya was very excited at the thought of seeing her Daada. She was made to wear green hospital robes and was silently taken inside a room. She was growing impatient. But the very sight of her grandpa numbed her. He lay there with his entire head plastered. There were all sorts of machines around his bed that beeped every few minutes. Thin pipes were attached to each wrist and an oxygen mask covered half of his face. Aaliya slowly walked up to him. She gently touched his shoulder and called "Daada". He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. He smiled. "When are you coming home Daada?" she asked. All he could do was look at his granddaughter and smile. Aaliya longed to hear her grandpa's voice. She cried and kissed his palm.

That night Aaliya did not stop questioning her mother. "Maa, when will Daada come back home?" "When will he be free of those bandages?" Her mother's eyes filled with tears. She hugged her daughter and lulled her to sleep.

Two days later Aaliya woke up in the morning and stepped out of her room. Her house was filled with all her aunts, uncles and cousins. In one corner she found her father standing quietly, his face damp with tears. Her father carried her in his arms and took her to the place in the middle of the hall where her Daada lay wrapped in white. She knew what it meant. She knew that her grandpa had slept forever. She also knew that he would be taken away from home soon, never to return.

Aaliya remained silent that whole day, looking at her grandpa now and then. In the evening when he was taken away, she went into her room and sat quietly on the bed. After a few minutes, she opened her school bag and took out the blue colored pencil case her Daada had gifted her. She took it with her and ran into her grandpa's room. She sat behind his armchair, hugged the pencil case and began to cry.