The boy who made it to the Capital: Reclamation of lost time!We were losing time. Al...

The boy who made it to the Capital:  Reclamation of lost time!We were losing time.  Al...:   Reclamation of lost time! We were losing time.   Always checked if a day could be more than 24 hours. But it never could be stretched. T...

 

Reclamation of lost time!

We were losing time.  Always checked if a day could be more than 24 hours. But it never could be stretched. The amount of information we wanted to take in and the kind of work we wanted to do in a day was enormous.  Earlier, there was a set of works for a day.  It slowly changed with the telephone and internet.  The writing machines were also there.  First the radio and afterwards, the TV were also to be given time.

We did all that.  Earlier more time was spent with father, mother and siblings.  Slowly we took the best out of them and avoided them to attend to the new items which appeared.  They felt the erosion in the love and affection.  They explained it by the time erosion in their common spent time.

Children growing up is like a steam engine being prepared for the long haul.  The father and mother are busy supporting the little ones and enjoying their lovely antiques of childhood.  They grow up and their needs increase.  The father and mother never give up.  They increase their effort to fulfil the needs of the young ones who also grow up in between.  Like the firemen throwing more coal to the furnace and the train picking up speed.  The train pick up speed and whistle!  What a joy, the parents think.  What a joy, the children think.  Then all are certain of the level speed. 

 

Then the children notice they have grown up.  They notice they can manage the train by themselves! New acquaintances come into near proximity bringing in new knowledge and advices. The big station comes and the youngsters think the parents can get down.  That is a beginning.  Those who get down can get back in when the train returns!  The youngsters who leave will always return and be reunited! 

The ones moving away fondly remember the good times, but has to take care of new works and assignments.  For which all gadgets are useful! From practice of the old type-writing to electric, electronic type-writing to computer and associated equipment and floppy drive – pen-drive mechanisms are all used.  One has to keep up with the day to day news for which the TV and its connected stuff all come into daily lives. Connected are the radio and the present ubiquitous Android. 

Whenever they get cut of,  one remembers the old times and the good old times. But alas, we have lost precious love time.  At times, the loved ones are not there and at times they are too old to enjoy normal matters of life. 

Now I am reclaiming time.  By putting off my TV set and not watching my android. Covid has taught me that.  The authorities have given us more time by clamping up the lock-down.  No going out any where like spirits who don’t get any respite in the netherworld.  Absolute peace! No ride outside, no going for drive, no going for taking in the breeze and no stepping out of the house!

I had previous experience of this during the time of my youth hood when I used to travel to Delhi in the Jayanthi Janata express.  It used to take around 56 hours who later became 48 and still after wards was curtained to 36 hours.  In those trips no body ever going anywhere out of the train coach.  Timely food and drinks are served by very efficient stewards who used to find joy in that work. That was roughly two and half days at a stretch in a train coach.  With 72 to 80 people in every coach, it was not thought to be so strenuous in those days.

Even though such travels were enjoyable, the love time with out parents were being curtailed as we were going away from them. Neither of us knew or thought of it at that time.  Slowly it dawned on us, by the time one parent was gone, one was ailing and siblings who went far and wide were scarce to  interact due to their own new lives.

 

Now we all have returned to the roots to count the old days and reclaim the times lost..!  But the some of the near ones are lost, parents and gone and the many are ailing.  Still the silver lining is there.  Even though ailing they are alive and without major problems!  Is that not a great thing to thank God?

The mass and prayers during Covid…!

 

The mass and prayers during Covid…!

 

The news of not more than 5 people or 20 people to assemble for mass was the beginning.  Added was the addition those above 65 years and below 10 years shall not attend to avoid Corona.

From March 3^rd week on wards on 2020 this has been the state.  By this time the small television channels through which Holy Mass was telecast became a solace in the morning mass.  There was mass in all the rites available in Kerala including Latin Malayalam Mass which is usually telecast at 8 in the morning.

The mass in the Latin, is always crisp and to the point and generally takes half an hour.  Usually it is telecast on 'Shalom'TV at 8 am.  The Father blesses all with absolution and proceeds with the mass procedures and deep prayers!   Our Father in Heaven is said after the main Mass Hymns ae pronounced by the celebrant.  The peace is exchanged and the declaration and hope of the death and resurrection of our Lord is declared and the pronunciation of the Glory and Honour to the Lord is done.  The father receives the Holy Communion.  Then the final blessings follow and the Celebrant declares the end of the mass and asks the attendants that ‘The Mass is ended, Go and serve the Lord…!’

The same mass in the Syro Malabar rites would take about an hour if not more.  Some prayers would be repeated and there may or may not be singing in between.

An evening walk during the Covid days...!

The evening walk is a 40-50 minute exercise.  The dress up and leaving is complete with a face mask which is made by a white cotton hand-ker-chief.  It is cumbersome in the beginning but one gets used to it.  That is how I found it.  Only thing is the exhaling air moves up into the spectacles and grounds its surface which we have to remove and swipe often times.

Walking out, the by-lane roads are mostly empty due to the covid threat and only very necessary people come out.   As it is rainy, there could be an occasional shower any time and water crossing the road or at places stagnating is usual.  There are hens checking the mud for little worms and competing with them are the crows, minahs and n occasional copper smith.  As long as it is the road up to the paddy fields, this is the state.  Once I enter the paddy field area, just after the "Konchira Muthi" shrine,  (Muthi is the Malayalam for Grand Mother which the local people have given to St. Mary of Pompey, who is venerated in the shrine) I make a sign of  "In the name of the Father...." and proceed on to the paddy field road where there are intersecting canals carrying a lot of water where a few guys are sitting with long fishing rods and on the green fields are the small cranes, water birds looking for the fish available in the water.  An occasional king fisher sits on a lonely tree waiting for a rare sighting of his daily meal which is a small fish.  Once he locates one, now he located one, he went into the water and flew up with the little fish in its beak.!

In this drama, there was a little commotion on my left side water body from where a small crane fluttered out giving a "eeek..eeek" sound.  It was a small frog in the beak of the crane which was making its sos call.  But in the natural scenario there is nothing much to be done as the crane was going over a water expanse and going to a choice place to take his early dinner.  Since it crossed me I turned around to see its trajectory.  It went over an exanse encircling me,  reached a place on the road which I had already covered and settled to have its dinner.   I walked on.  The field expanse if a 10-12 kilometre area or more which is said to be 'kole-padam'  (said to be below sea level paddy fields).
One gets to see a good expanse of the free sky here with various cloud formations and wind movements and the evening skies make a colourful canvas at times.

Walking up at the end of my country road and turning to the tarred road between various houses the land scape changes to house compounds on both sides and an occasional motor cycle or car or any kind of other vehicles coming at times.  Those who walk for walking a too little or nil.  But there are people going or coming with daily errants or needs such as going to the market etc. would be there. In some houses children will be playing at some other vehicles and cars would be seen parked.  The vehicles mostly don't run after covid.  They all are parked mostly.  Rare occasions they try to run. The earlier days before covid, most of them rarely used to stop, now the plate is reversed.

On the way comes the city market of the village where most of the wares are sold and purchased.  This place too people are less out marketing.  And those who come are all in their masks and keeping a fair distance.  After the market comes the church of St. Mary, now so silent, the mother blessing all of us passing by.  As all are taking precautions and directions given by the local government, the daily mass etc. are conducted with very few able bodied only in attendance and other programmes are generally postponed.

After the church, a few more steps, I hear my next compound neighbour firing his bullet motor cycle for his evening run.  That makes my evening walk during these covid times, my friends!

The boy who made it to the Capital: A 'Morning Mass' in the Line Bus

The boy who made it to the Capital: A 'Morning Mass' in the Line Bus: This is a story from one of my earlier trips..!          We reached the bus stop early in the morning.   Had just come out of the Rai...

A 'Morning Mass' in the Line Bus

This is a story from one of my earlier trips..!

         We reached the bus stop early in the morning.  Had just come out of the Railway Station after a strict health check up.  But we were a bit too early for the next bus.  The bus stop lacks space as the on coming buses for Kozhikode and Kunnamkulam come almost to your toes.  One has to be careful here and paste oneself to the boundary wall not to get hurt.  And there are other travellers or those waiting for other buses.  Most of the people left for Guruvayur, a pilgrimage centre and to either Kunnamkulam or Kozhikode.  Now we were left with ourselves (my wife and I) and an elderly poor looking Tamilian lady.  As we could be spotted as travellers the auto rikshaw operators will come one after the other to  invite us as their passengers. We refuse. Next is the Guruvayoor Bus conductors.  We refuse them too as their route doesn’t suit us.  Then they would want to know where we are headed.  Out of courtesy we blurt out our destination.  They tell us as much guidance as a return courtesy.  Next was the old lady standing near us. ‘Where are you going?’ We feel we don’t have to. But don’t want to be counted arrogant, we reply ‘Enamavu’.  She explains we are too early.  The first bus in this route is six fifteen.  ‘I also take that bus ahead to Guruvayur’ .  A sudden feeling of closeness comes among us.  Now we are free to talk. But we don’t have nothing much to speak.So the lady continues by hearself: “I go to Guruvayoor everyday to sell jasmine flowers.” I reply to show courtesy ‘Oh..’   And she takes it as my interest and continues:  “I live here in a big house of a big officer. They never take any rent from me.  I can live there all my life”   “Oh….” I say again and she continue “But I shall never become a burden or trouble for them”  “I sell flowers in front of Guruvayoorppan.  He keeps me well in life”.  By my next Oh….the bus came and she hurried to the front gate of the bus as ladies enter through the front gate in buses  in this part of the country.  That kind conversation so ended.

        Even other wise a bus conversation  or a bus stop conversation does not go far or stay on.  These are chance meetings like the far flying cosmic objects passing near by.  Most satisfying little conversations lasting few seconds or minutes.  At times they make an impression, at times not and are forgotten.

I scrambled in with my two little suit cases and kept them behind the last but one seat where there is a little more space.  Once that was settled, I noticed the one going to be my seat fellow.  A fragile dark hued fellow in a blue shirt, most probably a Gentleman from a neighboring state, looking away through the side window of the bus..!  His fragile stature struck me…! Since he was looking away, I could view him closely.  For a moment I wondered if I have to sit there or in a near by different seat as there were plenty of free seats as it was an early morning first trip for the bus.  But then, it will be construed that I dislike a person who is not that good to sit with as he is poor!   It was time for the morning mass.  Had I been at mass, I shall be praying to Jesus who would have definitely asked me “Didn’t you see me when I was in the bus?”  That would be a question, I may not be able to answer.  That decided it for me. I sat in the seat along with him.    Once settled, my task was to fix my two little suit cases on the huge tyre placed behind a half seat.  Once it was being done the fragile man turned to me and was helping me adjust the boxes.!  Touching that was!  He was not thinking of me, perhaps.  He was only just helping a hand which was trying to adjust his luggage.  Now that was done!  I sat back. And the fragile man also sat back.  The Bus Conductor has started collecting the bus charge now and each one is now taking out the charges in their hand.  I took out the needed amount and kept ready.  My friend in the seat was keenly counting a lot of coins in his fragile hand.  Now the charges have gone up and most of the passengers give their charges in notes mostly.  But here this gentleman was counting a number of coins in his right hand.  He was counting them with his left hand.  In my old times my childhood there was a time when we used to keep small coins in the ‘gullocks’ (piggy-banks) and open it during our festivals to buy possible guddy-guddies.  By the time my friend finised counting the conductor was near us and he gave his coin stock and the conductor counted it at a glance and simply told the old man “The amount is two rupees less” for which my friend did not give any reply.   The conductor did not linger on it, he quickly turned to me.  I paid our charges and he moved away.   Now I was free to inter-act with my friend.  I asked him: “Where are you going?”  “Guruvayoor” he replied.  “Do you have family and other members?” I asked.  “Yes, at Vellaloor”  He was fragile but his answers were simple and straight forward.  “Where is this place” I further blurted out.  He said “Near Kadalur” .   “Oh…I got it, it was near Kadalur which was affected badly in the Tsunami?    I asked.    And he replied:  “Athu than..!”  (That’s it).   “What are you going to Guruvayoor for?” I asked again for which he did not answer but showed both his hands in a gesture as some one would beg for alms with both hands open.    For a moment I was ashamed of myself, I should not have asked that question.  The man was unknowingly very clean in his answer.  He is going to beg till the evening when he may, perhaps, catch the bus back.  That was why the conductor did not ask him where was going.  I scrambled my pocket for a small note which I put into his hands!”  His face lit up a bit….   And that was my morning mass!  It was time for me to get down.  I got up and unbuckled my boxes for which he too was helping me with his fragile hands!  I waved him a good -bye saying   “We will meet some other time, friend” I said.  It brought a wide smile on his face and he waved me back.   And my day was made!  I got out of the bus and the bus moved on to Guruvayoor..!

അക്ഷരമെഴുതാൻ ഒരു മോഹം (A desire to write letters) (Malayalam)