Month: June 2009

Lohitha Das died at the zenith of fame !


         The impact of death is maximum when the life lost has been shining in floodlight. The darkness and the emptiness will touch to the core.Really the place occupied by Lohi will remain vacant.  My first experience with the script writer was in 1988 , I think. The film was ‘Thaniyaavarthanam " . It was too poignant even to think about the story of the film. I still remember me crying , sobbing loudly while watching the stirring film.
 
          Except "nivedyam" all the other films by him were having the emphatic stamp of his genius. The film "Kireedam" was unique in all respects. He himself is on record to have said that he wrote the script within the time-space of three days , in a single sitting ! Incredible indeed !  That was he .His god was "love" itself. He was not against human gods if he or she was an embodiment of love. He believed thet Christ was such a person .. Matha Amruthanandamayi was another one for whom he had admiration.
      
        Once he remarked that he was not loved by others. This was in his youth. Later on he found out that once u began loving others u would also be loved by others.Those who will give love will always receive love..The significance of love in the making of a writer was well emphasised by him on many occasions.His love for a woman in his twentieth year has exerted profound influence in the moulding of him as a human and as a writer as well.
 
            His capability to increase his own blood pressure by unbinding the wild dreams and thoughts seemed to me quite unbelievable. Any human with a feeling heart will always have the risk of  premature death as a result of mounting blood pressure in the veins. He died due to heart attack for he had a heart, a feeling heart.
   My tributes to the great writer…..

SELFLESS SERVICE


         As usual I was coming home by bus from Ettumanoor there was a disconcerting incident. The K.S.R.T.C. bus was some where two Km away from Pala town. Abruptly the driver called out the conductor of the bus. Nobody expected anything untoward. The driver told the conductor that blood was flowing profusely from his nose. Hearing this I came nearer to the driver’s seat and had a closer look. Yes there was blood on his clothes and the towel. I asked the driver to immediately stop the bus so that he could be taken to the nearest hospital.. The driver replied in a tone of indifference that he had no fear of any thing not even of death. The passengers in the bus expressed too many views . One among them even commented that it was not a serious thing to have blood flowing from the nose as far it is not thick. Every one had an axe to grind. No one seemed to be sincerely serious about the plight of the driver. I thought how inhuman are humans ! Or is it that humanity is but inhumanity ? What does humanity stand for ? Selfishness or unselfishness ? I even thought that a crowd was even worse than a pack of wolves.
             None the less the selfless attitude of the driver was heartening . That gave an answer to my doubts. He was determined to take the passengers to their destinations come what may to his own life. I entreated  him to be taken to the hospital.  But my words fell on deaf ears. For him duty was first and life second !His service and simlar services of little ordinary men and women go very often unnoticed. unrecognised and unrewarded.. At least I have to appreciate him, that is why this blog entry….

routine OF TODAY


      TODAY IT IS HER TURN. yES, MY WIFE HAS GONE TO  AMRITA HOSPITAL ERNAKULAM WITH HER MOM.
      MY DAUGHTER IS TENSE ABOUT WASTING HER HOLIDAYS FALL BETWEEN SEMESTERS.MOM IS MOODY AS USUAL.
      WHY MY DAUGHTER IS SO CONCERNED ABOUT THAT? I SPENT MY YOUTH IN ABSOLUTE CARELESSNESS. THE TIME    
      WELL-ENJOYED IS TIME WELL-SPENT  AND IS THERE FORE NO TIME-WASTE. WHAT CAN I DO FOR HER DURING THE INTERIM PERIOD OF THREE  WEEKS ? I AM     WONDERING.!  CHILDREN OF TODAY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR FUTURE, WHILE ME IN MY ADOLESCENCE HAD NO SUCH WORRIES I LIVED IN THE PRESENT .. SO I ENJOYED. NO AMBITIONS I HAD. SO I GAINED .
 

A Touching Chapter taken from the Book of Life.


  
              Soon after my marriage I had to stay away from my parents.. The very thought of my aged parents living alone in my far off home village always used to prick my conscience. In the small hours of that particular day I had had a nightmare… that they had fallen ill.. I remember that it was a working day. I set out earlier to the office that day…
       
        When I reached my office there too I had to solve some unforeseen issues. I told my office assistant the agony I was passing through… She agreed to look after the work in the office so that I could visit my parents at the earliest.
   Ther was no second thought  ,Immediately I climbed up the bike and sped like an arrow .. Within 30 minutes I coverd 35 km distance.
 Yes I reached my home where I used to play, study, love. quarrel during my childhood, To make it an event of unexpected pleasure I entered the kitchen through the backdoor. I saw there my mom.. She was stroking the pet cat, She was not seen earlier loving pets. I know that she had always an aversion for pets, especially cats. All on a sudden I appeared before her. Her joy had no bounds, She called out my dad and shouted in sheer cheers ‘ look here mohanan has come ” She also told my dad to go to the shop and buy something special for me. My dad was always more than willing to go to any extent to fulfil the wishes of his offspring. No sooner hearing the words of mom than he went out ..
    Father came back within no time with all the bakery available in the village shop. They were soon busy with preparing lunch. I sat down on the floor, that was my practice,  for lunch. My dad served me delicious food , there was paayasam too.. Yes my dad was an expert cook, It was a joy to watch him cook, and certainly eating what he has cooked was an unearthly experience. The mouth still watering thinking about the taste !
      After my lunch it was their turn .. I served then .. They took stomachful.. Mom said it had been many days since they had eaten that much food. I was happy to see them in their real and happy mood once again. I chewed betel with my mom, of course without tobacco, though my mom took a pinch of tobacco.
         The pieces of areca had played some trick or foulplay , I was affected badly by that. I was sweating and there was a feeling of naseau too.. I wanted to vomit , still could not or did not vomit.
     
  My mom and dad were worried . I  was given some butter milk.. I had fallen into a  cat nap and when I woke up after 30 minutes or so I found myself perfectly ok. I looked at my watch. It was 3pm. I had to reach my office before before 3.45 .  I got ready to go. My dad and mom soon became moody,  I went out without saying any formal words of seeing off ..They also did not come out,….. I walked out with a heavy mind… Yes I had to reach miles before I sleep.
     
      I could hear again the voice of my mom calling out for her , pet cat…’chukkeee (she-cat) now you are my only relief’ , I turned back and entered the room  and saw her weeping in the agony of separation. I made up my mind not to leave them that day . They were happy again…That moment I decided to come back for good from Mundakkayam and to live with my parents.. My desire was fulfilled .in December 2006 .We lived together upto February 17th 2009 ..That day my father passed away…..

I am paid for my pen !


         Today is a cherished and memorable day in my life. I have been paid Rs.6000/- for translation of a report from English to my mother tongue, Malayalam. I am expressing my gratitude to my friend Mr.Roy Kuruvilla who has entrusted the work to me. With this I am confident of writing original stuff , besides translation. I am going to attempt the retelling of the Play The Tempest by Shakespeare.
        Many of my articles and stories have already been published in msn contribute and have had good readership as well. If I try more I am sure that  I can wrrte better stuff….

My younger daughter leaves for hostel life…


          My two daughters are my treasure, I give them whatever I have. I am happy that they are given proper education.The younger daughter is unable to stand with the tedious journey as a day scholar. Unwillingly I had to agree to her request to join the school hostel. Unwillingly because I cannot just live apart from her. She has not so far stayed away from her family either. My daughters are everything tome. Initially I felt bad at having two daughters and no male offspring. Later on I realised that female children will forestall the presence of daughter-in-laws in my family. Ther will be only  my daughters and son-in-laws in my home.. I am happy and relieved in not having a son since I will be saved from the excesses of the intruder, I mean, the daughter-in-law.
My views are only mine ..no generalisation need be attempted
         I am to leave for the school hostel with my daughter in the afternoon. Let the life in the hostel be a period of apprenticeship to my daughter.. I can also be trained in the art of coping with separations which I will have to undergo as the father of two daughters.. I wish all the very best to my dear, dear daughter…Angel
 

I AM ON LEAVE…


     I was having a busy life in office during the last six months. I had no time to look after my personal and family matters. The  volume of work in office was so heavy that I was even mentally affected by it. I am on leave for two days , today and tomorrow, as I had a small surgery in my  left eye> The illness was left unattended due to the hectic and irrevocable work in the office.
I am upset to perceive the fact that I am not adequately assisted in office in exigencies. Most of my colleages appear to be preoccupied with their personal affairs. They seemed more commited to maintaining, refreshing, improving and establing aquaintances and relationships. In the alacrity of debates and talks on any matter under the sun they unfortunately do not find time to carry out their bounden duty. Most of them spend their precious time in the office for improving relationships, creating new circles of friendship. Such activities are of course good .. but….
    Let me note how an average member of the staff spends his time in the office. He reaches at 10.30 am. Put his initial in the attendance book.. Goes to canteen with his friends . There he spends half an hour. Comes back to his section at 11 ‘o clock. Again he debates. His friends either come there or he goes to them. And it is lunch time.! 1’ o clock. Those who have houses in the vicinity goes home and have lunch and sleep. Comes back at 3 o clock. Does some work only if exigent otherwise he procrastinates.By then it is time to put the initial  at 4.30. Thus the day is spent without doing anything worthwhile.. I am extremely unhappy with the conduct of most of my my colleagues with respect to their discharge of official duties.. otherwise they are good to me .. and are sincere as friends. I like all of them except their indifference to their assigned duties.
   I also like to debate and to have more and more friends, but I hold my primary alliegience to the work assigned to me, for which I am paid from the public exchequer. I , there fore. am responsible to the little man whose tax is paid to me as my salary. I also appreciate the fact that some of my colleagues are doing exceptionally well in their service. 
   I sincerely hope that my colleagues may live upto my expectations.  I write  this to express my uneasiness in not going to office today and tomorrow though due to illness.
 I begin to doubt whether I have turned  out a workaholic, though I dislike to be taken as belonging to that lot. I am least botherd that I am not taken into account and that am not important in the eyes of many.Sad
       If any of my friends reading this, I hereby request to take my views in good spirit …. As you also are aware of the fact that I too do such deviations during relaxation time and less busy times.

tHE DEMISE OF AN ORIGINAL WRITER


                  Madhavikutty or Kamaladas is well-known for her versatile genre of writing poetic fiction with unique sincerity, ingenuity and openness. She always spoke what she thought and the same things she wrote too. Hypocrisy was alien to her. She had no scruple of telling lies about herself in order to make herself more inviting and imaginative. Nonetheless she never lied on matters concerning life of others. Her dreams were not conforming to the norms and ethics of an average conformist. Yes, she was fearless. She might not have written what had happened in her life, per se. but she wrote in-depth on her wildest dreams. These dreams may be dirty or obscene or immoral to a hypocrite and a conformist. She was a nonconformist by all means.

     She was more conscious of her body than mind… if I can say so. She was uncompromisingly meticulous about keeping her body inviting and beautiful. She was not able to imagine the loss of attraction thanks to senility…She might have thought it convenient to hide the wrinkles of old age beneath the parddah. And also that she never wanted to exhibit her dead body lying in state and people filing past  in town halls ! Who knows !

    I was shocked when she converted to Islam since she had, so I think, drawn her literary sustenance from Hindu liberal credentials and lifestyle. If she were a Moslem woman in her youth I do not think that she could have written in her original nonconforming wantonness and versatility. I also do think that she had to live and write according to the orthodox Moslem conventions after the conversion. Though she said once that she was satiated with the overdose of Hindu freedom, I can not hold that statement as genuine.. There can be other reasons too!

 

                       I hold her a genius of sincerity and boldness. My tributes…