Category: A12– Everything under the Sun

With Dr. Vidhya, my Ambikuttan Athan’s grand daughter, who was with us in Baltimore for a short holiday.

When she called me for eating, once, twice, thrice, my thoughts flew back beyond oceans, beyond several decades to our Olavakkode house, when as a kid, I was fed by her grand pa, pleading, begging, ‘muthanna, chappiduda—-‘, 

No, I refused to eat. He didn’t scold me, slap me or threaten , ‘ummachi kannai kuthum’. 

He didn’t.  I remember so well .

I repeated my arrogant behavior when, during a college vacation, I bicycled my way to Puducode, to meet him. After spending a night, when I was about to return, he gave me a new veshti. I refused. He pleaded,’don’t wear the same cloth you had last night’ . He begged me to accept a veshti, a new one , with fresh smell from the Mill.  No, I didn’t heed.  My wrong conviction that I shouldn’t accept any gift from anyone, even from a very close relative made me blind, made my heart granite like. Or was it the unlimited arrogance of a college student? 

Many decades passed through, in between like the scenes we see from a moving railway compartment. 

The T shirt I was wearing while clicking this picture was gifted by my eldest nephew which I collected and wore proudly and told everyone here that it was a gift from Suresh. Today being his wedding anniversary, I wanted him me wearing his gift and tried to contact him through FaceTime

A millionth of the present common sense and courtesy, had I possessed, decades ago, I wouldn’t have hurt and damaged irreparably, a most affectionate, kind heart ! 

 

Hh

 

I’m in a totally worry-free,  relaxed mood while with my children in USA , for many reasons:

1. The first and foremost is the feeling that I’m in the correct place, where Parents of my age should be. 

2. I see their mother in my children and recall  their childhood days in my grandchildren.

3. I can live with the confidence that if I fall there will be someone to lift me up.  My brother Vicha is too fragile to handle me. I’m assured of good medical aid and excellent personal support as and when needed. 

  4. I need not worry about my food /drinks / clothings. I get the food I want and my daughter/ daughters in law does everything includng making my bed and also keep a strict vigil not only on my food habits but on other habits too, the old people are likely, to remember and vainly attempt to repeat! 😁😁

3. The house will be active most of the time with young men and young women and children, at times with guests too, remembering my good old days when my wife was alive. 

4. I need not worry from morning to evening whether the gates are left open by the servant women or tenants or dogs or cows or beggars or veg and fruit hawkers. 

5. I need not keep in mind the due dates for receipts and payments.

6.I can go to bathroom or do pooja without worrying whether the courier guy, postman electrician or plumber will press  the call bell or enter through the side door and carry away my iPhone or such small possessions (I lost two cell phones ) 

7. I need not rush out of the toilet fearing whether  the sound I heard was due to the fall of coconut from the tree or that of my brother from his chair or bed. 

8. When I am with youngsters , I feel that I’m not really that old as my pension book shows .

9. My grandchildren keep pooja idols and other items in proper places and I have to close my eyes and think of God or about my past adventures. In Hyderabad, my landline would ring at least half a dozen times, most of those wrong calls and the rest right calls for a wrong purpose! 

And above all, I need not answer a dozen questions everyday from the obese lady in the opposite house enquiring what was the name of the lady who came in and went out of my house and why she came and whether she was married or unmarried!😄😄😄

 

 

 

Farewell to another sweet coconut tree of my Olavakkode origin! 

A relationship of 40 years blown off!

Yes, I had to cut another coconut tree, as it started playing havoc not only within the compound  but also extending its head towards the road. It was a painful job, as I had brought the seed of a very sweet variety from Olavakkode.  Every time the axe struck the tree, the suffering was mine. I thought, it is OK, let me suffer now but not be a cause for the suffering of others.

Relationships, however strong they are, has to be severed, when it starts hurting us and others. 

Sentiments apart, the trees I developed long ago, have become liabilities now as many houses have come up in the surrounding areas and naturally no neighbor will keep quiet when a seed or branch  falls on their head or on their house, however friendly they are towards me. 

There is a belief that coconut tree doesn’t hurt others and my experience too is not otherwise. 

Old people, except good souls like me, don’t spend the entire night in sleep, especially when  they are in pairs. Yadayya  and Yadamma, both retired as professors, stay behind my backside compound wall. On the recent Pornami, full moon night, they developed instant intimacy and sneaked out for a stroll in the Central Park close by. A branch from my coconut tree fell very close to them, making a loud sound which woke up their son. He was shocked to see his parents trying to open the gate..

‘Where to at this midnight?’ enquired the anxious son.

‘To bathroom’,  replied the dad.

‘Yes, my son, I’m taking him to bathroom’, replied the mom. 

‘But, bathroom is inside the house!’, exclaimed the son. He was right ! 

Hearing the noise, came out the daughter in law and yelled,

‘Ayyo, ayyo! They both have Alzheimer’s disease. Rush them to an old age home’

The son consoled her, ‘wait, my angel! Let the night pass on’. He was right again!

The professor gave a strong kick to his wife and yelled,

‘See where your midnight romance is leading us – certainly not to the Harithavanam Central Park’

The professor garu too was right. 

 .

Visit to NIN, is like visiting a place of worship for me.  The long gap of a quarter of a century appears to be as little as a week-end that I was away from there. It was in its premises, in the B21 quarters that my wife entered  as a newly wedded girl, my first two children  were born and started going to schools. My father’s body was carried to the funeral ground through the same exit gate I’m facing in the picture.  Attending work was never a bore for me. In fact, I looked forward for that everyday. Holidays were plenty. Home was at a walking distance. Used to go for lunch and take a mini nap too! Plenty of friends and guests used to visit our home and during week ends, senior scientists used to gather in my house for playing cards. At times, the session started at Friday night used to end only on Monday morning. My wife never grumbled to feed my colleagues. 

My whole family is indebted to NIN and we are still reaping the benefits. 

While alone at my Habsiguda house, looking at the blank  high ceiling, I think about my active days and nights spent with the youngsters and  grand children of the family in USA.  

-not always, at times.

While in USA, I think about my Hyderabad house, whether someone has plucked the flowers or picked the coconut seeds or mangoes fallen from my trees or has the tenants left the water pipe opened or has a peruchazhi or bandicoot entered into the drain channel blocking it? Etc, etc. 

Worthless thoughts , but that is the nature of human mind!

‘Is it not the ge for you to withdraw from the world?’, asked a friend.

Withdraw from the world and go where.?

My family is my world! My house, my well, my trees and the three gates are my world!

‘I will give you a tulsimala. Sit in a corner  and meditatae’, suggested another friend.

I will give you a dozen malas , tulsi, rudraksham, spadikam.

I don’t need any rosary for meditation.  Meditation for me is getting up from the bed at odd hours and reciting :

“anor aniyan mahato mahiyan

atmasya jantor nihito guhayam

tam akratuh pasyati vita-soko

dhatuh prasadan mahimanam atmanah”

and forgetting myself.

Meditation for me, is singing aloud, without bothering whether I’m at home or in a bus stand 

‘Shivudano, Maadhavudano, KamalA

Bhavudano, Parabhramano nin-

Evarani ———‘

I enjoy my own company when I’m alone, though thoughts about my people and property intrude and try to disturb. 

That is OK. I’m not a Jnani or a Rishi. I’m a simple man,

with no worries about tomorrow and no regrets about yesterday.