THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Onam is special for her this year, having made a journey from a remote village in Wayanad to the corridors of power. P K Jayalakshmi, the first woman minister from a tribal community, who is also the only woman in the UDF Cabinet, is not quite at ease with all the attention yet. And it was no easy task to break the ice and get the Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Tribes, Youth Affairs, Museum and Zoos talking. The 30-year-old either nodded or shrugged her shoulders or gave a smile in reply to most queries, before we got her into a comfort zone at her official residence, Thycaud House. We knew she had just returned after watching a movie - Blessy’s ‘Pranayam’- and thought it better to start from there. “The film was okay... A couple of people had come from my native place and they wanted to go for a movie. Otherwise, I rarely watch movies...,” was all that she had to say, that too after much coercing.We were wondering how to make her open up about her Onam memories. As she hesitantly posed for the shutterbugs dressed in the traditional settu-mundu, we went on asking her about how different will be this year’s Onam. After all, her portfolio has changed from that of a Panchayat member to that of a Minister. “I celebrate Onam like most others,” was all that this archery champion who belongs to the Kurichiya community, which fought for Pazhassi Raja, had to say. Finally, she unwinded when her eyes fell upon the pookkalam laid along the verandah of her residence by her staff. “Well...you see these flowers? They are all bought from the market. That is unthinkable back home. We get it all from our backyard.” And she gave the list even. “Thumba, mukkootty, konkinipoovu, vadamalli, chembarathy and a whole lot of flowers are readily available in our backyard.”And she sounded very proud about celebrating the festival in the company of relatives. “When taken together, there are some 200 members. These days, you often find that the celebration is confined to just a family. But from the time of my grandfather, all relatives come together at the ancestral home and celebrate Onam,” says the Minister, who would be leaving for her home at Kattimoola, near Valadu some 15 kms from Mananthavadi in Wayanad. She is the eldest of the six children of Palott Kuhaman, a mail overseer at the Subdivisional Post Office at Mananthavadi and Ammini.What about Onakkodi? “Will buy Onakkodi for everyone after I reach there,” she said. Personally, she prefers wearing settu-mundu. “I used to wear that always as a panchayat member. Now, as a Minister, I have switched on to sarees. And my wardrobe has only sarees of light shades.” As we talked about the Onam feast, she sounded totally unhappy about the readymade sadya concept. “We make everything at home. I can’t imagine buying sadya or having sadya from outside.”And she was quite articulate as the conversation moved on to the sadya items. “You have this ‘parippu’ curry’ here, right? We don’t have it there. Also, here you find ‘adapradhaman’ an important item. But, we make payasam out of rice or go for semiya payasam.”The excitement over meeting her near and dear was quite palpable in her smile. “Last Onam, not even in my wildest imagination had I thought that I would be a Minister by next Onam. I don’t know how different will be the celebration this time... I can say that only after I reach there. I am still the same person for my family.”However, she has had to change many things about her after she assumed office. “The transformation has been extremely difficult for me. It is true that I am more confident now. I am getting accustomed to the capital city. I know that I need to change some more. I don’t like a lavish lifestyle and I have told my staff that whatever I have is more than enough,” saying which she breaks into a hearty smile.
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