Imagine India

On the anniversary of our independence, I could not help but feel proud to be born of the greatest nation. Unashamedly, I recounted the ideologies which makes our nation great. But as I read on, in BBC news, I came across Mukul Kesavan's article. He tells me why India is great without any reservations made for ideologies. I would not do it justice by quoting a few words.

Continuing to read, I chanced upon Kuldeep Nayyar's wish for soft borders like the EU. This is a step which I would like to see taken. Save for the last 60 years, we were one people who fought for independence - our toil in blood did not have distinctions in class or religion. I dream of celebrating this historic day together with our brothers and sisters across that white line. It is only a matter of hours that separates our festivities celebrating that same historic event.
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh - all owe it to each other to take care of one another for they are siblings born of one mother. India is in a position to do just that.

So that brings me to this white space now, inspired by the silent tears on reading and reflecting on those articles this morning. I would like to wind up by not following the wisdom I proclaimed earlier:

"If India didn't exist, no-one would have the imagination to invent it." - Mukul Kesavan @ BBC news.

Midsummer night's dream

Can't sleep tonight. I have around 30 unposted pieces and here is the next one, which will hopefully reverse that trend.

Summer vacations of my childhood were of a quality that evokes the smell of raw mangoes, the scorching terrace baking in the noon sun, eating lunch with my grandfather, salvaging cupboards and shelves for old books, reading from morning till night through meals and groans from other dining table attendees, bouncing a rubber ball off the garage wall for hours, relief from the heat by lying down on the cool mosaic floor, shuttling between the yard and the kitchen with eggs fresh from the chicken coop, green chillies, moringa drumsticks or a coconut from the store room, helping my appoo fix the black coconut sheller blade to shell a coconut, picking off the pink chaambaka, trying to scale the mango tree and jump onto the first floor balcony, shredding the coconut with a chirava for my ammachi, waiting for my kunjamma to return with library books, reciting the rosary in the powercut darkness diffused by the weak emergency light, playing with candles and heated compass points, try to block out the newsreaders voice blaring from the TV at 7 pm sharp, welcome telephone queries from friends relieving the monotone of the precessing ceiling fan from the reign of jambavan (a very well known eon in our household), the noisy rain drumming rhythms on any surface it meets - much like my fingers (much to the annoyance of family elders), a telephone ringing couple of doors down the road, the gentle screeches of the insect nation singing me lullaby as I drift into a heavy slumber...sweet dreams.

LMAAN

What do you want? (She asked with a tilt of the head and a raise of her brow.)

Hi, I want to go into that room. (I pointed to area where the blue door was just peeking through the plaster of people lining in front of it, listening to a health and safety talk.)

There's no one there.

That's ok. I can work in there.

But there's no one there. (She said even more forcefully.)

It's alright. I just want to use the computers.

Mr. A is not in there now.

That's fine, he said I can use the room when he's not there.

There's no one in the room!

That's alright, I can go in. He said it's fine. I've met him.

But you can't. There's no one in there.

(I was getting indignant.)

Yes, I know. He told me to go in when there's no one there. I met Mr. A yesterday. He said I could use the computers.

(She was getting irritated. I was going to stand my ground.)

How will you get in?

(Is that a trick question?)

I can open the door... and go in.

Have you got the keys? It's locked!

Oh I see.

Sorry- (she realised that I just understood the meaning of "There's no in there".)

Long-winded much ado about nothing.

Duel

So here I was, relieved to find one seat in the furthest carriage on the busiest train of the week - the first train after peak time fares. It was facing the front, and there was only a eerkil-like woman sitting on the other side of the table - no nausea and lots of leg space.. Placing my snacks on the table, I slid into the seat.

...straight into her trap. She extended her eerkil-like legs to the aisle. I could not extend my legs in either direction. Her bag was on the floor, a man was sitting near the window. She was even sliding down her seat to lengthen her reach! I was trapped.

These tricks of limiting my large frame in a tiny area were already well practised by my sister - so I knew this eerkil will start aching in those train seats without proper support. I started reading my book.

Then I started munching on my snacks - she is beginning to squirm. I was reading and eating my sandwich and enjoying the view of the countryside as it floated by.

She moved.

I extended my knees like a jack-in-the-box. Haha!

Journey

Run, Rubberman and jump. Spring off the tree-tops and dance on the electric poles, Bounce off the wires-

That was my long-car-journey game, when I'm relegated to the back-seat, without any say in the choice of music. The Rubberman, who can run along with the car, as fast as my eyes could dart across the road-side posts. He is an acrobat and escape artist, a Houdini-meets-the-trapeze. He would perform for me on the electric poles, or on the trees, the buildings, jumping on and off the cars and trucks like Jackie Chan.

Good-bye

He slapped me on the face and gave me a pinch on the cheek. My eyes were filling up. I couldn't show him that.

Nanniyi paddikkanam. Appayum Ammayeyum annusarikkanam. Ninte pengale kathu nokkikonum. Nee allathe avalke ara ullathu. Appayum ammayum officil pokumbol, neeyanu avale nokkendathu. Nannayi varum. Adutha vacationu varan nokkanum.

He pinched me on the arm. I was distraught - I couldn't breathe. I just have to hold on till I get past the entrance. I couldn't show him. Then I noticed his eyes, they were getting red, moist and shiny. I couldn't stand it - I have never seen him so emotional, so vulnerable. He was the strongest person I've ever seen and he has never been sad or soft for anything. And he was on the verge of tears too.

I quickly murmured my assent and give him an umma and move forward into the terminal building. I could feel the heat in my eyes and the cool stream that was flowing down both cheeks. I waited till I was out of sight from the entrance before I wiped my eyes.

Adi kolli

Nmouse! where are you?

I was upstairs, raiding the forbidden cupboard. full of books, novels, story books. In those houses, there were storage spaces near the ceiling to put in suitcases and boxes.

He's coming upstairs.

I remove all signs of the cupboard being opened and climb up on the table, using the window grill and heave myself onto the luggage space. I fold myself, it's a tight squeeze. He's opening the door.

NMouse!

I try not to laugh. He's right in front of me. I always used to wonder how the people in movies always missed a person hiding behind an open door. If he catches me not answering when I'm right there behind him, I'm dead for sure.

He goes into the bathroom.

Nmouse! veruthe adi kollatharuthe!

It's too much, I have to laugh.

He turns and closes the door. I chuckle and giggle. I'm going to be a detective, and a spy, like Jupiter Jones in The Three Investigators.

I still wonder how I managed to fit into that small space, barely fitting two suitcases.

Nee evide ayirunnu! Villichal vilikekkanam! (Where were you! Why didn't you answer me!)

Marry and love thy Flavia

I was helping my sister out with her English homework, discussing Shylock. And as way leads on to way, I ended up with the quote of "No man is an island.." I had the sudden urge to read the whole thing. So I went to the library and took out The Complete Works of John Donne and started reading it on the way back.

It was then I came across "The Anagram". Intriguing! Poetry puzzle?

Marry, and love thy Flavia, for she
Hath all things, whereby others beauteous be;
For, though her eyes be small, her mouth is great;
Though they be ivory, yet her teeth be jet;
Though they be dim, yet she is light enough;
And though her harsh hair fall, her skin is tough;
What though her cheeks be yellow, her hair's red,
Give her thine, and she hath a maidenhead.

Though all her parts be not in th' usual place,
She hath yet an anagram of a good face.

I was laughing my heart off!

I remember my English teacher praising Donne's virtues, the timeless words. We didn't discuss the "romantic" side of Donne, possibly because the analysis of the fairly conservative Romeo & Juliet did set off pesky giggling teenagers teetering at the cliffs of puberty.

Tilaka

I was 4 or 5 when this happened.

"Wake up, go bathe (poyi kullike)."

It was still pitch black outside. It was the quietest I'd ever known, save for the noisy insects 'kee-ing' outside.

"I'll keep your clothes ironed on the ironing board (a table with extra layers of bed-sheets). You can go upstairs and take a shower. "

I liked taking a bath in the guest room upstairs. I sat up and manoeuvred myself out from between my cousins, wincing as my well-wrapped (pothachumoodi kiddanna) feet touched the cold mosaic floor.

The sole street-lamp cast its feeble white light, through the misted windows, casting contorted butterfly shadows of the window grill on the furniture in the living room. Amma was ironing rummaging through shelf (wardrobe). I trotted upstairs and into the bathroom.

Shivering cold. Where are my shirt and nickers (shorts)? I peeped out from the bathroom, and found the nickers. Amma must be ironing the shirt. I switched off the lights before leaving the room and navigated downstairs in the dark - I know my home like the back of my hand.

5 steps down. Landing. 9 steps down. 1big step and 1 small step.

The green polo shirt was laid out on the table. Amma is not there. Gingerly, I grasp the iron and laid it down on the shirt. I wanted to iron my shirt, it's satisfying to watch the creases disappear and making the surface as smooth as you can. I moved it up and down-

It's gone too far. I felt the rim slide across my chest held tight against the table.

It was hot. Very hot. VERY, very hot. I try to blow away the heat and the pain. I can't stand the pain, the burning pain. I can't make a sound. If I do, I'll get in trouble, big trouble for ironing without permission. I don't like getting scolded, especially in the morning, during the holidays. I was going to keep quiet no matter what.

Amma is coming back with some of her clothes. I slid my T-shirt on without letting it touch the raw burn. It's very hot. Luckily, I pulled off my nonchalant face and made it past her to the settee (sofa) where I could nurse my single horizontal tilaka branded on my chest. I blew on it. I dripped water on it. I opened the fridge and bared my chest to it - the freezer compartment was too high.

"Stop playing with the fridge. Drink the milk, it's on the table. "

I must have missed my prayers in the morning or did something bad. God is repaying me. It's going to be a long and tortuous train journey on the Venad.

Juvenile Rituals

"Ennikeda!"

"5 minutes koode please, ammachi!"

"Samayam ethrayayennariyo! Chakka pothane pole kiddunnurangunnu!"

"Please, please, please..."

She goes into the kitchen. I go back to sleep.

"DA! ENNIKEDA!"

A rolled-up newspaper is used to swat me.

"Appooppa please, 5 minutes, please" I murmur and go back to sleep.

I feel a sharp pain on my on my arm, as he effortlessly rolls my skin between his thumb and index finger - I am awake, fully.

Sitting up, I pray, thank you. Going to the toilet, I find my toothbrush displaced from its careful perch, the bristles facing down on the ledge. Sshho! Needs an extra wash.

"Prathicho? Engil dha paalu kuddike. njan nannayi panchara ittittunde."

I grimace. She sees it.

"Angu vallichu kudicha mathi, valiya pose kannikunnu (!)"
I manouevre the cup and blow away the top layer.

"Athinu oru kuyyappavumilla. Dha, paada mati."


It's 8.05.

I don't want this much. Just a little.
Just eat it.

The bus gets there by 8.15. I run up the slope, eyes fixed on the junction up ahead, ears pricked for the sound of the groaning of a bus. Perhaps it knows that

9.00
O God, our Lord and Creator, help us to be good and learn our lessons well. Teach us to know You and ourselves rightly.
Goood morning, maadum.

10.35 Interval. I never have snacks.
10.45 First bell
10.50 Second bell

12.10 Lunch break.

3.30Thank you Lord for all your..

Grab the pandaaram (school bag) and get the bus home.

Tea - much as I try to eat two pieces banana fritters in half an hour to cover an episode of what ever is on TV, they're gobbled up before the first set of ads in 5 minutes.

5.30/6 - Start by doing the work I didn't like.

8.00 - Supper - again see tea-time strategy.

9.30 - Read myself to sleep.

After lights out - Thanks a lot, God.

The boundaries of my day were marked by prayer.

Responsibilities, rights and privileges

Eve-teasing, Plastic litter, Blogging, Journalism and media responsibility, Universal, comprehensive, free healthcare: is it possible for 1,800,000,000 people by 2050?, Domestic violence, Ageing parents, old age homes, Marriage, arranged marriages, Women's rights, Racism, bigotry, prejudices, Parental responsibilities, Doctor-patient relationship and patient autonomy, School's/Teacher's responsibilities, Next generation of Kerala youths, Malayalam language, Internet in Kerala, Criticism/Satire of political, religous and cultural issues, Comedy programmes on TV, Anti-privacy laws coming soon?, Alcohol, Smoking, Sex, Drugs.

What does an Indian, a Keralite, a Malayalee think about these issues? I want to find out what I think about them (after my exam - this is just another procrastination deed.) During the last couple of days, I've pretty much read all the archives of these bloggers which gave me the inspiration for taking this on: angel-doc, jiby216, malaysianincanada, poomanam, thanurambles.
Other excellent procrastination sites covered during this time: wikimapia.org, ted.com, def poetry slam videos on youtube, rives.