Ammasi
Manur was a small village in a coastal district.There were thirty huts in it . The population was around two hundred and forty only. All the people were agricultural coolies. They depended upon the land owners for agricultural works. Most of the times , they were workless and so lived in poverty. The coolies were ready to do any work in and around the villages.The nearby town was fifteen miles away from the village. There was no electricity, transport and even road in the village.Ammasi lived in the village. He was born on ammavasa ,new moon day .So he was named Ammasi by his mother. According to Hindu mythology,it was believed that a person who was born in ammavasa he would be a thief. He was a coolie.He was very tall and had well built body. His hands were very rough . He could easily lift two ,forty eight marakkal jute bags on his shoulders.He worked loading and unloading work in the town a few years ago. He had two young daughters and his wife was also a coolie.They lived in a small hut near the Yedayar river. Ammasi worked hard but he could not meet out the expenses of his small family. His poverty led him to do small thefts. He had stolen goats,cows, things and paddy in and around the villages.He was warned by the local police station so many times. But he could not change his mind. The paddy harvest was over in the villages during Thai , the Tamil month. The farmers were very much interested in celebrating the Pongal festivals. Ammasi decided to steal paddy from the neighbouring villages during the new moon day. One midnight he crossed the river Yedayar and reached the neighbouring village.The village president stored the paddy of the sampa harvest in a paddy pattarai near his fields.His two farm labourers guarded the paddy pattarai. The paddies were heaped like a circular cone and it was covered tightly without a gap by the straw ropes to protect it from the rain, animals and thieves. Cow dung water mark was drawn on the paddy heap by the mark manthani to protect from pests and thieves. Ammasi went near the paddy pattarai and looked around it.He found that two farm labourers were slept near it. Ammasi took his folded knife and made a hole in the paddy pattarai easily. He collected the paddies in a jute bag which shedded from the paddy pattarai. When he collected the paddy in a second jute bag he was caught red handed by the two farm labourers. Ammasi was not able to escape from them too. They tied Ammasi with a neem tree. The news spread nook and corner of the village .Men, women and children came and saw him .At last the president visited the spot. Ammasi was surrounded by the village people .They shouted against him. But the president ordered the farm labourers to un tide him . Ammasi fell before the feet of the president with folded hands. The president called Ammasi to his house . The president not only a kind man but also a great philanthropist.He walked towards his house and Ammasi followed him silently. The president asked Ammasi to come inside his house.The mother and the wife of the president stood behind the door and saw Ammasi.The children of the house saw him through the window. The president called his mother and serve food for them. They sat on the ground. The mother served pongal for them. Ammasi felt shy to eat food with the president . But the president ordered him to eat the food without any shy. Ammasi ate the food silently. After some time the president asked the details of his family .And then he ordered his farm labour to give him twenty four marakkal paddy. The president had given ten Anna's for him also. Then the president said that he would help him anything ,he needed. Ammasi thanked the president and left the house with head bending . After a week Ammasi visited the president's house .He brought four viral fish and gave them to the president's mother. The mother prepared viral fish curry and served to his son and Ammasi in a banana leaf. Like wise Ammasi visited the president's house many times. The president treated him very kindly and made him a good man. Ammasi realised his mistakes and became an obedient servant of the president's family.
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