Pranam Thinnai is a common outside the home portion especially in the village homes, where through window thinnai can be seen and weven passers by can sleep in the night and leave; in the day time it is a place of high sound chatterbox all india radio and place of cards game with vetrilai (betel leaves) seeval and sombu thaneer. Verandah is inside the home open to the sky as a rectangle or square where rain lashes, sun shines, legs are washed, and men and women are seated in some corners and talk; many rooms branch off from there, in each direction. And it is the first RAEZHI. Thereafter there may be 2 or 3 or even 4 raezhis and rooms depending on the wealth of the owner going to the end of the kitchen, backyard etc. End there will be one or two Muttram where ladies chat. Well and Garden and off the agricultural fields can be seen. Tiled homes, Machu veedu and Madi veedu were further classifications of the richness. KR IRS 281121
On Sat, 27 Nov 2021 at 20:13, 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 < [email protected]> wrote: > *THINNAI- VARANDA-ERAYATHU- SIT OUT-VERANDAH* > > Dear friends, > > The portion in front of the main hall of a home or building is called > thinna in Tamil and varanda or erayathu in Malayalam. In old homes still it > is there. In modern homes the same area is designated as sit out. In > buildings still it is called verandah. My home in native had verandah. > > During day time it was used to study and discuss things with class mates. > Elders used the area to discuss things with guests either sitting on the > bench/cemented floor provided. I had started my studies writing in sand > provided in the varanda of a nearby Variam house. Variasyar was my first > teacher. > > Present day sit outs are made either in the form of square or > rectangle type with sitting arrangement with back support. Back support > is made either in wood or in RCC to appear like wood by painting. Earlier > sit outs were small and closed. Present day sit outs are large and not > closed. My nostalgic memories went to thinna/ Varanda. > > Sincerely, > > Gopala Krishnan 27-11-2021. > > 1. Varandayil nilkkarathu. (Do not stand in the verandah) > > During examination time in the high school, there were black board > displays”VARANDAYIL NILKKARATHU”. (Do not stand in the veranda) > > Some examination for other standards may be going on. Teachers may be > rearranging the answer papers or re numbering the desks for next > examination. Students standing or talking might be a big disturbance. In > college display was in English. > > This display was changed in college before practical labs during > examination. “DO NOT LOITER NEAR THE LAB”. Either the arrangements in the > lab could go wrong on distraction, or the students may grasp from > arrangements the topic of examination > > The school and college verandahs were/are wider more than 8 feet in > width. > > 2. Enjoyments in verandahs. > > Rather than lecture hall verandah was liked by all students for personal > talks, either males or females or mixed. The freedom at Verandah could not > be in the class room. Especially during intervals it was customary to stand > out and talk. > > While the lecturer or professor came with a smile we used to enter the > class. The verandahs have witnessed budding of loves among many students > later flowering and developing to marriage. > > Though decades have passed after my college education the verandahs > enjoyment has not changed for students. > > I worked as senior lecturer from 1991-1996 in our Telecommunication > training Centre at Trivandrum. Normally it was a practice for lecturers go > together to lecture halls a few minutes later giving ample time for > verandahs talks. While we near the lecture halls, the trainees entered the > lecture hall. Coming from different areas many had to talk matters and > subjects among staff trainees. > > The training Centre verandahs become places for developing love and later > marriage among new recruit trainees. Many could be class mates from same > engineering or arts and Science College. They felt more freedom after > joining the training Centre. > > 3. Varanda and deepam. (Lighting Lamp in verandahs) > > In old nair families it is a practice, to light the nilavilakku in the > front varanda in the middle during evenings. Some nair houses had in > addition one or two suspended lamps which were also lighted. Reciting > “Deepam, Deepam” the youngster ladies after bath or wash bring the lamp and > keep in varanda. Nowadays people just pray after the lamp is brought for > one or two minutes. In modern homes the lamp is brought to sit out and > kept. > > However most Brahmin families lighted nilavilakku before AARA and not > in varanda except for religious festivals like karthika, deepavali, ashtami > rohini etc. Small lamp was lighted before holy basil mount. *Nowadays > lamp is lighted in prayer rooms; sit out and before holy basil. * > > 4. Thinnayilae ukkarungo (Earatthu Keri irunnattae) > > The first welcome to the just known or guests was inviting them to sit in > the verandahs by the receiving person. After the host came, either they > talked in the veranda or called inside depending on the type of guests. > > In old iyer homes Nera (wooden wall) was the support if sitting in the > floor of thinna. A small floor mat called thatukku was provided for > sitting. As years passed, benches and chairs were provided in the > verandahs. Thadukku disappeared. > > Nampoothiri illams have verandahs even now. With all courtesy, they > receive people to veranda and offer seat. About three years back I had been > to a nampoothiri illam for discussion about some offerings in their temple > at Ameda in Kerala. The modern built illam, had a spacious verandahs > with half wall, and the hostess received me asking to sit in verandahs > sofa. After three minutes the nampoothri came and occupied his chair by the > side of his table with a welcome smile for talks. The specialty I found > in the illam was the women freely talking with other caste men. > > 5. Verandahs as reading area. > > Many use the verandahs as the reading area, enjoying sunlight and reading > newspaper. Now most homes get newspaper subscribed though important news > repeatedly heard from TV news channels. My wife prefers her morning > coffee sitting in the sit out. > > 7. Raised verandahs and half closed verandahs. > > The verandahs could be in the same level of rooms or just half feet > below. For getting in to verandahs, steps are provided from ground level. > In nair houses and nampoothri illams, we can see water kept with a kindi > for WASHING LEGS BEFORE ENTERING. > > In Brahmin homes this practice is after upakarma and coming back to home. > Similarly after attending any death etc., though bath had taken, still legs > are washed before entering. Other times it is normally not followed. > > 8. Aramathil(partial wall) > > A finished wall with sitting slab arrangement about one and a half feet > above was provided in some houses except in the entrance for varandas. Many > use this sitting arrangement even for receiving guests. More than > sitting it is/ was a protection to verandahs. Many find this slab an > enjoyment place for chewing pan, watching outside etc. sitting on it. To > avoid falling later days grill work was provided in many houses above > slab. > > In an agraharam home I recently found a photograph of such a thinna with > computer kept and an iyer working SITTING IN THE FLOOR. > > 9. Mannarsala and thinna. > > In the mannarsala illam the valiyamma sits inside the thalam near the > ara close to the wooden door, and give darsan and remedies to devotees for > their problems. The devotees sit in the verandahs before the door and offer > prayers and talk of their problems to amma. > > 10. Desatanam- Malayalam film > > *Desatanam*, Malayalam film is based on a nampoothri Brahmin story. One > may recollect the scene where the Nampoothiri (Late Unnikrishnan > Nampoothiri) using veranda to play chess with variar .Erethu is the word > used by local nayar people for verandah. Offering sitting in varanda is > considered as a respect. > > 11 . Annan eppo povan, thinna eppo ozhiyum > > (When does the brother go out, I can relax on thinna cot) > > Some village people provided a small cot like fixed arrangement to one > side in thinna in Tamilnadu. This is the relaxing area. If elder brother > occupy it, younger might be waiting to occupy it when he released it. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "iyer123" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/2042700198.2251154.1638024228835%40mail.yahoo.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/2042700198.2251154.1638024228835%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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