Reading through the books by OV Vijayan and Madhavikutty......

Travelled with OV Vijayan in his Thalamurakal (The generations). Ponmudi Tharavaadu is somewhere in Palaghat as introduced by the author. Went with him to see the story of the 'before the freedom' times of Palghat in Kerala. The tharavadu (the clan headuarters) was slowly coming to its end days as the book which came from the public library.

The letters danced from page to page but the pages themselves were tattered and were coming of from their bindings as the pillars of the great 'tharavadu' called 'Ponmudi'. Reading through the pages, my own old recollections of Palghat came up. The road leading to Palghat from Thrissur was full of cycas scent as it was the flowering time of the cycas plants which abound the large compounds on either side of the road. The rest of the places were paddy fields adorned with rows of huge 'Yakshi' palm trees. A huge bright moon lighted up the road and looked at the red bus we were travelling in!

As the bus sped on the moon seemed to travel with the bus. Some where along with way, among the various village houses and house clusters there was the 'Ponmudi' tharavadu, Vijayan was introducing. Palghat was a rich district full of greenery, forests and a simple loving people. There would have been ups and downs of generations there, no doubt, which is so cleverly introduced in the book.

The bus I was travelling ultimately stopped at the Corporation Bus stand which was only a place called the bus stand. Once the bus stopped my brother with whom I was going took me to our stay at the drivers' stay behind the bus stand. It was a small hutment with a number of small rooms a number of toilets and bath rooms at one side. Our aim of sleeping there for the night to go in the morning to the near by Victoria College for a Railway Test was the eason we were there. Few drivers who ended their trip there were the only occupants, all in transit! We simply slipped into sleep after the tedious journey, of course, a pleasant one in a summer evening, to get up refreshed in the morning to the chirping of birds.

We made it to the exam hall in time and after the exam we took a tour to the nearby forest area where brother said he used to know some of the forest villages. The thrilling journey by foot to the jungle areas soon turned out to he a desparate one as we lost the way in the thick jungles and were fumbling for the correct way in the thick green foliage which did not allow sun light to come in even at three o' clock of the day. Brother said, we seems to have lost our way and shall return back fast as sun light will not last long and when the evening settled down it will be difficult to get out of the jungle. We returned and walked fast with awe as various birds were making their sounds from all around. Luckily no wild animals came our way. A walk of about two hours brought us back to the outside village and we easily took our way back from there. However, we could never, find out the village, my brother was up to and wanted to show me.

Back to Vijayan, his expert ways of story telling enthrals the reader in the ways he relates the story of the thravadu (which seems to be a soliloquie of his generations before and after him). One can get a whif of the old Palghat and also the travels of the boy called Chandran, who later becomes a 'Newspaper man' (Journalist)! He isthe generally relating the story from the point of view of an athiest, at times, with kindness, and at times some what relating the irony of things or the way ups and downs occured in the 'Tharavadu' ..!

The book became a good read in my travels to Chennai after the floods. The flood waters had receded and we could travel without any difficulty as we were heading towards south Chennai which was less affected compared to the main Chennai ..! But tell tale signs of receding water was every where to be seen.

The two books I carried as an after thought was 'Thalamurakal' by Vijayan and 'Neermathalam Pootha Kaalam' by Madhavikutty. Both were saying the stories of their respective generations in one way or the other. First has to fifnish 'Thalamurakal' before starting 'Neermathalam Pootha Kaalam' ..! Both are worth reading and having a glimpse into the past generations of both the authors and through them to the general ways of old Kerala and its people.

I am sure, those of whom, read the books would have enjoyed those best sellers of their times, through and through.

The Afternoon thoughts!

December s gone and January is in with the heat of winter during the day and the slight cold and fog at night! The Palakkadan wind is blowing all through cooling the extra heat. But the sun is closing in. Or are we right to call it the climate change, the way the television channels call it?

Television channels! They have less time for the change as change overwhelms them. But, they keep trying – they have to tell the world, the story of what happened! When I listen to it, I forget what to do next. The I go to the filmy channels. Some are good, but too sad, some are ferocious with a lot of blood shed, the good ones with humour – the ones I want to see are few and far between. Science and discoveries are strewn in between. But this is not a college. One does not learn any thing by heart – all one can do is just watch. Watched it for a while and shut it down. Oh.what peace! When the blabber of too much wisdom and sale is over, what peace!

The birds and minahs are making their usual sounds and going around searching for their meals in the garden. People do not care for the birds of the air and there are far too less seeds in the soil for the to prey upon. The little rivulet near by is making a last gurgle before it dies off. A little white pelican is patiently waiting for its fish! Trying till the evening it earns something.

Had it been olden times I would have been in the capital among the hustle and bustle! The office I was working, the officers who bossed over me, the lower staff who assisted me all busy with work! Set systems, set agendas, set programs all going from time to time to help the largest mass of people! The capitral had huge wide roads with the stone palaces which we called the office. There were medows in the English style and water ways called boat club which was sparingly used. The fountains and the gladiola filled gardens gave a solace during our walk during the lunch hour!

The large post office became old and just disappeared. The huge jumbolana trees and peepul trees also became old and left the place for more sophisticated arrangements.

The old DTC buses changed colour first into red buses and then blue buses. They took rebirth as green buses and cherry buses! The old travellers left the town for new places in the villages! Times change! But the villages too had changed! The village anybody left was different! They had lost the earlier serenity and tranquility! Huge vehicles called tippers and many axled vehicles squeezed into the roads which earlier had only buses and few cars. Now all roads big and small had cars and trucks all the time with endless number of motor cycles and scooters. The old pulling rikshaws and their pullers are long gone and their place is taken by three wheeler autorikshaws.

Capital life is punctuated life, like a clock it ticks. Flock to office in the moring, settle down and do paper work, errant works and keep tab of endless office matters! Have teas in between and have a munch at lunch! Again over see the office works, continue to work with tea in between and take a break at five to have a stroll to energize and get back to complete the day's work and get out at nine to flock back again in the next moring. The great night comes down as a peace, the traffic die down and all are quiet! Reach home and refurbish, sleep and hop back! Days fly off.

No other programs, no functions in the village which all are thwarted off ' no, difficult to get leave' that one sentence saved and kept us off from all functions in the village for forty years. Now we are back. The village we left was different. The old 'Sreeramachandra' bus with the loose gear liver which a boy precariously kept holding for the driver to shift whenever he wanted is no more. The rythm of the old buses is not there. The present ones are new and they roar and overspeed with blaring air horns! If one is in front of it in his smaller vehicles do give way quickly or even stop on the side as the very young drivers at the wheels are far too impatient then the old drivers!

All people travelled by one or the other mode of motorised transport and walkers are too few. One really got frightened on the road for fear of whiffing motor cycles or cars! Buses ..oh..keep off and be watchful, to save yourself. The old bullock carts which made the length and breadth of all states are all almost gone and replaced by little mini trucks or autoriksha boxes.

The new transport mode went over our coconut trees. They contacted us with their sounds only. But that too has become far too many ..Flights, helicopters and such others. Once in a while we saw them as small steel pins in the air. But mostly in the mornings and evenings. Not now, in the hot sunny afternoon.This time, it is the solitary birds and squirrels and one or two workers here and there in the near by compounds.

Had to attend a function at noon. But not going though. It is good to relax at home to write a few lines on the blog or watch the movie on the box. Going is by the four wheeler which the young boys at home are happy to if they are available. Today the youngster was there. The four wheeler car was his choice. We earlier had the two wheeler. But with two children and husband and wife it became difficult as the children grew up. Four wheelers do not fall down like two wheelers. That is a great comfort. Plus they care covered equipments.

Earlier cars were only with the Government for officials. The while ambassadors. Outside generally people had yellow topped ambassadors. A gentleman had an ambassador if he was rich enough. The lesser rich had a fiat! The so and sos had a two wheeler and the poor had either a bicycle or nothing at all. All could in any case use the public buses which was better organized in those days.