Pachiamma `Kura’

The year was in the ‘40s. Japanese occupation was at its height in Malaya. I have written before on the atrocities of the Japanese soldiers when they were in Malaya. The Chinese communities were beheaded on sight, their shops raided, their women raped and killed. The Indian immigrants were not spared as well. Most were estate workers who had to leave for rubber tapping as early as 5 a.m. constantly fearing wild animals, ghosts…and Japanese soldiers.

                                                (Not my grandma 😂😃)

That day, my late grandmother, Rosemary was out tapping rubber, minding her own business. Along came a Japanese soldier also minding his own business, but late grandma had not forgotten the spat she has with another Japanese soldier where she had broken a bottle of rice broth (see https://survivingemptynestmyway.blogspot.com/2019/10/who-is-responsible-for-our-dignity-and.html ). So, in her style of resistance, she spat on the ground to show her displeasure over his presence. Firstly, grandma should not have done that. What was the need? Secondly, spitting on to the ground is like 9/10 kind of insult. The Japanese soldier didn’t take it well. He called her `Kura, kura’. I believe in Japanese language `kura’ means come. She went and stood in front of him, a midget of a woman dwarfed by the not so tall Japanese soldier. He had said something in Japanese, she did not respond. Then he asked for her name – surprisingly, in English. Grandma Rosemary knew she was in trouble by then, so she said her name was…yes, you guessed it – Pachiamma! I do not know whether it was her ingenuity to have done that or she had thought that the Japanese was just asking for her name and no consequences to be expected, but nevertheless, she pulled the stunt. So, Pachiamma it was.

Later that evening, at their estate quarters, Grandma Rosemary was cooking when she heard some vehicle driving into the estate complex. A moment later she heard a familiar voice calling out `Pachiamma, kura’. Guess that Japanese soldier didn’t forget after all. During Japanese occupation, rule of the thumb was, if any Japanese soldier coming looking for you, it ain’t good news - RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! And that was what late grandma did – she ran for her life and hid in the jungles behind the estate quarters. Another person also ran, too – the real Pachiamma!