Thottuva - Our Ancestral Village

From Kalady , Thottuva is around 12 Kms across on the opposite banks of the Purna River. We have two options of reaching Thottuva from Kalady - drive around via the road bridge over the river or take the direct "thoni" crossing (boat crossing). We preferred the road crossing. My two distant cousins Vasu & Viswam (both brothers) live there - their main occupation is farming. They grow coconuts, pepper & other spices and have rubber and bamboo plantations. Between them they own around 12 acres of land of which around 10 acres is cultivable. The land was purchased by their mother Thangamma from my grandfather K.R.Ganapathy Iyer. (Thangamma & my father were first cousins. Both are no more now). This transaction took place some 50 -60 years or so ago.We visited both families - had breakfast at Vasu's comprising "Gnali Poovan" (small yellow tasty bananas) and "boiled kappai" (tapioca) and this washed down by generous volumes of steaming hot Kapi (coffee). I must have swallowed about a dozen or so of these delicious bananas. At Viswam's house we  had a refreshingly cool coconut water from freshly picked coconuts. Here are some pics taken during this visit:

Approach Road to the river from Thottuva

Scintillating river view

Country boats for ferrying people & goods

Another view of the serene river

Portrait of the late Thangamma & her husband

Thangamma's grandson Suresh & his newly wedded wife

Thangamma's son Vasu, son Suresh, his new wife & my spouse Shobha

Lush Bamboo plantation in their campus

Small rivulet flowing through their land