I have heard of people stealing everything that is valuable but it was only in Madras that I have seen people stealing dry chillies , and that too in broad daylight in the most ingenious manner.
The stolen chilli pods were kept by the chilli thieves in a place where even God would not think that they would conceal.
My house on Audiappa street had a veranda like space which was used by people to take rest and generally served as a rest area for tired coolies and labourers.After my return to Madras from my village in Gujarat, I used to look after our family business conducted from the ground floor and I could see people sitting or resting in the veranda.
Come January and new crop of chilli peppers used to start flowing in the chilli market. The people who carried the huge jute bags full of Chilli pods came in the afternoon to rest. One day, I noticed a labourer walking in the resting place and he looked around if anyone was watching . Suddenly he lifted his Lungi and I noticed a huge bulging "Komanam"(Langot which is an underwear ) .This male modesty saver had another compartment which can fill upto a couple of pounds of chili pods.
This man calmly removed his underwear and emptied Mundu chillies in a paper bag, put back his long Komanam and walked off.!!
He never even flinched when his body contact with these fiery little button chillies would have burned him in loins . I think that working for years together handling fiery chillies had made him immune to any discomfort. I came to know that employees did not do a body check at below the belt level and these labourers who mostly hailed from Ramanathpuram district had fashioned and perfected an ingenious modus operendi to steal chillies.
After this first encounter, I saw similar thefts all through the season year after year till we vacated the place in 1968.
I would be posting some more about these Chilli pepper handling coolies and their usage of chillies for some cruelest animal abuse. But that would be later.
The stolen chilli pods were kept by the chilli thieves in a place where even God would not think that they would conceal.
My house on Audiappa street had a veranda like space which was used by people to take rest and generally served as a rest area for tired coolies and labourers.After my return to Madras from my village in Gujarat, I used to look after our family business conducted from the ground floor and I could see people sitting or resting in the veranda.
Come January and new crop of chilli peppers used to start flowing in the chilli market. The people who carried the huge jute bags full of Chilli pods came in the afternoon to rest. One day, I noticed a labourer walking in the resting place and he looked around if anyone was watching . Suddenly he lifted his Lungi and I noticed a huge bulging "Komanam"(Langot which is an underwear ) .This male modesty saver had another compartment which can fill upto a couple of pounds of chili pods.
This man calmly removed his underwear and emptied Mundu chillies in a paper bag, put back his long Komanam and walked off.!!
He never even flinched when his body contact with these fiery little button chillies would have burned him in loins . I think that working for years together handling fiery chillies had made him immune to any discomfort. I came to know that employees did not do a body check at below the belt level and these labourers who mostly hailed from Ramanathpuram district had fashioned and perfected an ingenious modus operendi to steal chillies.
After this first encounter, I saw similar thefts all through the season year after year till we vacated the place in 1968.
I would be posting some more about these Chilli pepper handling coolies and their usage of chillies for some cruelest animal abuse. But that would be later.
2 comments:
Sometimes I put chillies in my pants just for fun.*
*Not really.
Keep up the stories dude, I enjoy them.
jj,
Have you ever tried carrying Naga Jolokia or Naga/Bhut variety peppers in your pocket?
Last year I did and after about 20 minutes, I found my thighs had become warm.
NJ is just wonderful.
Naga Jolokia Addict
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