August 3rd 2025

It started on a fun-filled day.Gowri and me were heading to Rangashankara for a tamil play Kindhan Charitam @11am.

It was really entertaining  running to housefull shows at Chennai and Pondy.Had always missed watching it. The acting skills of the cast is beyond description. We didn't know how one hour went by.The old tamil songs,MGR was all nostalgic .Managed to understand the well knitted stories one after the other though I am not well versed in Tamil.

We had set out to watch two different plays on this beautiful Sunday ,one in the morning and the other late afternoon.

After a kulki chiri  happy watching Kindam Charitam we rambled into the cafeteria for some Sabudana wada  exchanging plesantaries with the actors and few other known faces.

Since we had some time in our hands took an auto to the Indian Music Experience Museum.it was a well spent one hour.Listening to different sounds of instruments and knowing about the different kinds of instruments.

Experimenting by mixing matching sounds of instrument of our choice.

Learning about different kinds of music and experiencing it by plugging in the headphones.I loved the dhol,on hearing it I go bindaas. Listening to the Dhol is very energizing for me automatically body moves.

I thought my scale was A but it ended being B after testing.

Then loitered around for some more time before leaving to watch the next show at Rangashankara.

The next show was Under the Mangosteen tree.This also ran to full house at Pondy and Chennai and in Bangalore also.

The well stitched stories of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer was beautifully potrayed by the actors to a standing ovation. We had a 10 minute break in between.

Pathummas Aadu was hilarious. The enchanting lovestory of a male and female prisoner on either side of the prison walls was well potrayed as Mathilugal. Love knows no

place and time .

The potrayal of anxiousness to eat "Poovanpazham"which was out of season was equally amazing during the heavy downpour with the river in spate.

The ghost of Bhargavi in the well,with mixed conversations was nicely depicted as Bhargavi Nilayam.

There was a really captivating dance performance which was very  noteworthy.The pickpockets were also hilarious.

The old hindi songs playing from the old gramaphone made me nostalgic and added a lot to the authenticity. 

Met Late Basheers son and twin grandchildren also.A living legend experience.

After exchanging plesantaries we headed back home with a musical nite in the car.

Got off at my little sisters place to wish her a happy birthday with my gift left at home.

A day well spent with sibling, offsprings and countless others slowly transitioning into sleep mode.

The Joy of Giving

The Joy of giving starts from the heart.Not many can do it.It requires a pot full of love brewing within you.Giving when you have plenty is not giving.The moment you learn to give from your quarter filled plate the satisfaction you get is unparalleled.

Everyone is not blessed with this joy because to give, you should expirience the feeling of not having.

Many a time the expirience of not having is thrust on you to show the "aukat"of not having by people of inheritance.

People sans inheritance mind their business and help with whatever is available.

If you feel happy to give don't rob Harry to pay Tom .Instead see that your cup overflows with your mehnat and then distribute.

That is giving,that is expiriencing the joy of giving.

It is not about how much you give or how little you give.It is about how much you are ready to part with from the fruits of your hard earned labour.That determines the quality of your joy.

LIVING

Life goes  at its pace,

Age moves unannounced,

 Living life  makes it beautiful,

Living has the accompaniment of emotions,

Emotions range in extremes,

Living is understanding  emotions,

Living is paying attention to the small details 

Without making a mountain of a molehill,

Living is breaking down egos,

Living is feeling someone is there,

Living is being wanted,

Living is looking at the bright side of things,

Living is overshadowing all that is negative ,

Mind and surroundings always play the game of disruption ,

Yielding to it is devil's delight,

 Choice of living life to the full with ups and downs makes it beautiful .

Facebook Nostalgia 2021@66

Happy birthday my ammachikuttyyy. Feels terrible to not be able to come see you today. That the times have us all safe and healthy is something to be thankful for. While my friends and acquaintances find themselves in very trying times, I am happy that I blessed enough to have you around me. I rememeber how I would say when I was younger than I wanted you to atleast stay alive till the 10th. So stupid of me to think of life as such a short span of years. I am going to be 29 next month and my latest updated wish is that you atleast touch 99 :D I love you, everything you were and have aged to be and will continue to grow to be. I take a lot of pride in the things I have learned from you and through you. I would have been a very different person, if I wasn't born to you. I would have been a very different person if you did not have the life experiences that you did.  I hope you see them all as experiences that made you the person you are today, with no regrets or pain holding you back. You have lived phenomenally and I can't wait to be around for the remaining. I love you. We are all lucky to have you to ground and nurture us in ways that are uniquely yours. As a teen I may have briefly thought that you do not love me, but that doubt is long gone. 

I love you ammachikutty. I hope you are proud of yourself. I hope I make you proud :)

My first Booking

It was quite funny, I booked an uber auto from my home and felt elated at my success.

Next time, again ,well ahead of time I got ready to book but luck did not smile.So I switched to cab but after well past my appointment I got one.

I was happy again but tensed for being late.I got into the cab and knew the pin also.I reconfirmed the place to where I was going.He asked for pin.I totally got confused why he is asking pincode.I thought now again I have to go back to the address for pincode felt a little uneasy.

I did go back but suddenly I remembered that he was asking the pin for booking.

I told him and we carried on.

What confusion we create for simple things and then shy away from doing it.Now I know how to go about it.

Many a time I have learnt to let go of things nowadays.Nothing is a big deal.

The Project Grandparents -VMKC-6

Now there was an addition to our family .Can you  imagine, my mother went into labour at the same hospital ,for a second time  with a gap of ten years and delivered our little brother Ramesh.

My Fauji father, a gem of a man, had got transferred to  a nonfamily station .So again ,we came back to Trivandrum when Ramesh was barely a year old.

We reached to the news of Valliammachi no more.My dad got his posting changed to Shillong.He once again came to take us but Valliachan was dead against us going as in those times naxalbari was very active.

But on cross checking with mom ,she says she was not willing to travel  with the four of us as it would take a week to reach Shillong.For me the former reason holds good even today.

Today, I questioned my mothers decision at having missed the opportunity to see Shillong. 

So we rented out Omana aunty's house.Valliachan joined us.We spent two years with him where my bond grew with him.

Now,I joined sixth std at Kendriya Vidyalaya,Pattom.Sarsi joined Arya Central school first std.Ramesh not yet ready for school ,was at home,Meena continued at Holy Angel's.

For me,it was full excitement.

New friends,new school.Most of the classroom were like sheds with walls mounted with palymra mat or pa as we call.

It was always fun for us giggles and laughter,with flying dusters and punching the palymra making holes so big as for our heads to pass through.

We were not many of us in a class maximum twenty.or some times less.

All friendly girls and boys.

When a teacher was absent we enjoyed running around desks and playing with one person looking out through the hole for Principal madam.

Then it will be hush.

One day we were caught off-guard she grabbed Jacob Thomas neck with the handle of her kalan koda.We were trying to stifle our laughter and that was it.

The Project Grandparents-VMKC-5

Now, my grandfather ,was a tall, handsome, sauve gentleman.You may have seen the group photo, which is there in every house.With pretty ,young madhubalas in puff sleeve blouse  or otherwise ,with kajoled eyes with an upward comets tail.

He was K.Padmanabhan B.A.,then a retired Excise Inspector.He was a well educated and widely read man.We did not have much interactions then, as we were just 8-13 years range ,annoying brats and we had plenty of things to be busy with.He never bothered us until we made loud noise. 

The BA was his educational qualification.Many people did not have it in those days.So it was the inthing to tag it to your name.It was also a mark of respect.

Everyday, for dinner ,he would be served something special, while we ate afternoons lunch.So, when he goes to the dining room ,we would silently stand behind the door waiting for him to finish.He was aware of us standing as he heard the hushed whispers.He regularly left something for all of us.His way of showing love.

The moment we hear the sound of the chair being pushed, to signal ' Iam done' we would wait with bated breath either for the call or ready for that quick sprint, as it was fastest sprinter first.Then polish and wait for dinner call.

I think soon after, Lucky and Dilip shifted to their house. Occasionally ,Lucky would tear 

the house down on wanting to see her parents immediately right now.

During these times and always, Meena was calm and peaceful.

I remember once Leela aunty and kids had joined us, maybe holiday times.Now Venukuttan was the youngest and we all adored him carrying him around.Jaya was always sulking and thumb sucking latched on to aunty's saree.Now our old man also loved Venukuttan.

Lots of sweet nostalgic memories .I miss Venu even today, eventhough he is not amongst us, as I was the one who used to carry him around always.Rema like Meena was always calm.

Vijayan Uncle along with Soman Uncle were my favorites.I think Omana aunty,uncle and Maya were also there.Maya used to call Soman  uncle achibi.Maya was the matron around but that never bothered us.

We used to feel strangely jealous then but now we understand familiarity breeds contempt.

Now we were more,and more the merrier.We enjoyed those days playing around.

As they say all good things come to an end.My father got transfered.He got the quarters ready and we left for Kanpur where I joined 4th std.Sarsi was still a kid my mothers pride.Meena stayed back.