Gramam is a cozy life game set in a Kerala village between 1950 and 1980. The village keeps real time. Dusk in the game is dusk outside your window; Onam is Onam. While you are away the village goes on, and when you come back the milk is at the step and a letter is under the stone on the charupadi.

Nothing is scored. Nothing decays. There are no menus: you tap the kettle, the pulley, the lamp, the person. Everything you see and hear was drawn and composed in code by one person who grew up with these things.

The first morning: the poomukham at dawn, mist on the lane

ഒരു ദിവസം

One day, in its five parts

Velupp, ravile, uchha, sandhya, rathri. Light, weather, sound and who is about all follow the hour, and the hour is yours.

Dawn on the verandah — **വെളുപ്പ്**velupp · the lamp still lit, the milk at the step

Kuttan the milkman at the gate — **രാവിലെ**ravile · Kuttan with the milk, the crows

Drawing water from the well — **ഉച്ച**uchha · water from the kinar, hand over hand

The poomukham at dusk with the lamp lit — **സന്ധ്യ**sandhya · the nilavilakku, the temple bell across the paddy

The kitchen at night — **രാത്രി**rathri · the hearth, kanji, crickets

കൈകൊണ്ട്

Done with the hand, not a menu

Every big slow thing in the village starts when you start it. Sit on the station bench and the train comes. That is the only rule the station has.

Grind അരയ്ക്കുക

Coconut, green chilli, shallot and tamarind on the ammikkallu, side to side, until it is chammanthi. Cooking is step by step at the real places in the kitchen, with the ingredients on the ledge.

Lay the flowers പൂക്കളം

Ten mornings to Thiruvonam, one ring a day, with your finger round the muttam. Thetti, chembarathi, thumba, konna.

Call it in വിളിക്കുക

Wave the anavandi down at the kavala, call Pappan’s thoni across the river, pull the pally bell rope, light the deepastambham tier by tier, haul the shore net with the men.

കൊല്ലവർഷം

The year turns on the Malayalam calendar

Real dates. The pookalam begins on Atham, the kani is set on Vishu eve, the Ramayanam is read in Karkidakam, and the art forms come on their own days.

Chingamചിങ്ങംOnam: ten days of pookalam, the sadya, Kummattikali and the Onappottan at the gate, Pulikali on the fourth day

Kanniകന്നിThe rains thin; a wedding at the ambalam; Vidyarambham at the school on Vijayadashami

ThulamതുലാംAfternoon thunder and quick rain

Vrischikamവൃശ്ചികംCool mornings; pilgrims in black on the road

DhanuധനുThiruvathira night; paper stars and carols; Margamkali round the lamp at the pally on Christmas night

MakaramമകരംHarvest; Theyyam at the kaavu

KumbhamകുംഭംThe utsavam: elephants, kudamattom, fireworks, Ottamthullal in the afternoon, Kathakali all night

MeenamമീനംHeat; mangoes; the pond lower every day

MedamമേടംVishu: the kani at dawn, the konna in gold, sparklers at the gate

EdavamഇടവംThe first rain breaks the heat; ploughing

MithunamമിഥുനംMonsoon; women singing in the flooded field

Karkidakamകർക്കിടകംThe lean month; Ramayanam in the evenings, kanji at night

Kathakali at the temple at night — Kathakali · കഥകളി

Theyyam in the sacred grove — Theyyam · തെയ്യം

Pulikali tigers at the junction — Pulikali · പുലികളി

Margamkali at the church — Margamkali · മാർഗ്ഗംകളി

Duffmuttu at the mosque — Duffmuttu · ദഫ്മുട്ട്

Vidyarambham at the school — Vidyarambham · വിദ്യാരംഭം

Ramzan, Eid and Bakrid at the masjid; Christmas and perunnal at the pally; the utsavam and Theyyam at the ambalam and the kaavu. One village, all of it.

ഗ്രാമം

Twenty-two places, as I remember them

A folded hand-drawn map. Seven places in the tharavad, the rest down the lane and across the river.

The folded hand-drawn map of the village

Poomukhamപൂമുഖംthe front verandah, charupadi and nilavilakku
Nadumuttamനടുമുറ്റംthe courtyard open to the sky, the Murphy radio
Adukkalaഅടുക്കളthe smoky kitchen, aduppu and ammikkallu
Araഅറthe inner room, the pathayam, the Vishukkani
Thodiതൊടിcowshed, hens, plavu, the fallen coconut
Thattinpuramതട്ടിൻപുറംthe attic, Achan’s trunk and harmonium
Kulamകുളംthe pond with laterite steps
Ambalamഅമ്പലംthe temple; the utsavam in Kumbham
Sarpakkavuസർപ്പക്കാവ്the sacred grove; Theyyam in Makaram
Chayakkadaചായക്കടVelayudhan’s tea stall and the day’s news
Kadaപലചരക്കുകടKunjappan’s shop and his credit book
Vayanasalaവായനശാലthe reading room, carrom, Thakazhi
Kavalaകവലbus stop, post office, the talkies wall
Angadiഅങ്ങാടിtailor, barber, the Wednesday chanta
Pallikkoodamപള്ളിക്കൂടംthe L.P. school, its bell and uppumavu
Paradise Talkiesടാക്കീസ്Chemmeen on a bench ticket
Vayalവയൽthe paddy, planting to harvest, the kite
Kadavuകടവ്the river landing and Pappan’s thoni
Pallyപള്ളിthe church, the bell rope, Christmas
Masjidമസ്ജിദ്the mosque by the river road, the bang, iftar
Stationസ്റ്റേഷൻsit on the bench and the train comes
Kadappuramകടപ്പുറംthe shore net, the kattamaram, the sunset

ആളുകൾ

People who remember you

Nobody makes speeches. Five villagers greet you by the hour, and what each one leaves behind shows on the house and in the diary. Letters come from a brother in Madras and then the Gulf, and you write back.

അമ്മിണി ചേച്ചിAmmini chechi next door, who brings a jackfruit when the tree is heavy and plants a chembarathi by your step. You will know when it flowers.

കുഞ്ഞപ്പൻKunjappan at the kada, who writes everything in the book and never adds it up in front of you. The list for his shop writes itself from Amma’s notebook.

രവിRavi, who writes from Madras about the sea and the office, and comes home one day by the morning train if you have kept the station bench warm.

മലയാളം

Written in Malayalam, not translated

Every caption, letter and diary line exists in a village Malayalam of the period, in the register of the Malayalam novel. Choose how much of it you want.

Kada · shopKerala words in Latin letters with an English gloss. The default.

Kada · കടThe same, with the Malayalam word beneath.

കടEverything in Malayalam: the whole village.

“At sandhya the bell from the ambalam carries all the way across the paddy. Amma used to light the lamp at the first ring.”From the diary. Four Carnatic ragas tied to the hour, Mohanam at dawn, Kalyani at dusk, Neelambari at night, and a soundscape synthesized note by note: wind in the palms, the chenda across the field, rain on tiles.

No ads, no purchasesPay once. That is the whole arrangement.
No account, no trackingNothing leaves the device. Works fully offline.
No streaks, no decayMiss a month and the village only has more to tell you.
Real time, or story timeA day in twenty-four minutes if you prefer. Both keep the calendar.
Made to be read aloudText size, reduced motion, high-contrast slips, a screen-reader layer that names every touchable thing.
For children tooA quiet pointer shows the next thing the first time; every chore is one gesture.