Another rainy day in Puliyara (my village) and another story that found me when I wasn’t looking. I was walking back to where our jeep was parked, slowly making my way through the slushy path, stopping now and then to take pictures and videos. The greenery was glowing after the downpour, and the Siruvani river was in full spate, overflowing and rushing along with a kind of wild beauty that only the monsoon can bring.
As I was taking it all in, I noticed a woman walking towards me, carrying a bundle of fresh green grass for her cattle. She stopped when she saw me and asked, “Joy chettante mol alle?” (Aren’t you Joy chettan’s daughter?)That question instantly warmed something in me. I always feel a quiet pride when someone remembers me through my father. She smiled and introduced herself. I must have crossed paths with her before, but growing up in a boarding school meant many faces blurred over time. But I did recognize when she mentioned her husband’s name. Funny how familiarity lingers even when memories fade.
She told me that her husband is bedridden. And from what she shared, I’m assuming that her family’s livelihood might come from selling the milk from her cattle.(I could be wrong as well). Still, what touched me most wasn’t the details of her life, but her quiet determination.
It was raining heavily, but she was out there, making sure her animals were fed. She said she needed to cross the bridge quickly. Sometimes the water rises and covers it, making it hard to pass.There was no complaint in her tone just a calm, purposeful sense of duty. Rain or shine, these four-legged lives are looked after with love and consistency.
Moments like these stay with me – simple, quiet, and deeply connected to the land.
Joy’s Joy of Giving
A little note:This post was originally titled ‘The Quiet Joy of Giving’. A friend of Appa, who had experienced his generosity himself, suggested Joy’s Joy of Giving as the title. I loved the suggestion, especially because Joy Mathew is Appa’s name, and the title seemed to capture something so essentially him. It felt so fitting…
The Kindness of Showing Up
You meet someone, barely know them, and then months later, they show up on a day when you really need someone. I first met Ramya in December 2025. She was staying as Peter’s guest at Tai Farms and had come to our farm for a day with her family and her father. I was there…
Kopi Luwak: The World’s Most Expensive Coffee Was Part of My Childhood
Kopi Luwak is known as the world’s most expensive coffee. For most people, it’s something they read about or order in a café. For me, it was simply part of growing up on our family’s coffee farm. I wrote this last year, but every time I read it, I felt it was too short. I…
Home between the hills 
Just read this simple but heart warming blog. kind thanks to Ms. Neethu joy for this post as it brings the solid memories of this place and people we will meet there.
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Thank you, Anila. It means a lot to me :)
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