Ever since I remember, I have loved dogs. Amma used to say that when we were in a small tenement in Aurangabad, there used to be a huge black dog in the compound and I used to ride on him as a toddler and the black dog was extremely protective of me. I have always played with strays, have been clawed at in jest and here and there some tooth marks playfully. Then I had Brownie and Chikku two indies at two different points in my life that helped me cope up with two extremely tough stages of my life.
Now at 42, in an alien city, in a small rented house on the second floor of an old building, one mother cat decides to befriend me and brings her litter of kittens to me. Billu and the kittens are now there for over a month. The kittens are all naughty and exploring in nature tipping down flowering plants and creating mayhem getting into my walking path almost making me trip and getting their tails stamped.
Billu and her kittens – munching dinner
I don’t know how long they are going to be here. Perhaps, once the kittens grow up a bit Billu will take them away. As of now I have got a litter box, a colleague gave me a bag of cat litter, I am giving them dry cat food and diluted milk. If I go away somewhere for a couple of days, what will they do? Will they go find another place. Need to see what happens.
They are a welcome distraction as of now! One more chapter in this journey called life. People have disappointed and broken hearts and backstabbed, but no animal has ever wantonly hurt me!
When Mukundan got up the next morning, he had a clear idea in his mind in terms of what he wanted to do. After a bath and breakfast, he went to the place where Sumithra used to sell fruits. She was there, he spoke to her and conveyed the previous day’s events. She was happy to hear that the two women were safe.
Mukundan then said that he was leaving for Chennai and would be back soon. He handed Sumithra some money and said. Let it be there, it will be helpful. Once I am back, there’s a lot to speak.
Mukundan took the passenger train to Coimbatore and from there boarded a bus. By 10 PM he was back to his house. He looked at the house its belongings, the framed photo of Alfred, the gramophone record player, the library, there were a lot of memories associated with this house.
The next morning he visited his school, the principal was surprised. Mukundan narrated a brief summary of all that had transpired, he said, “I would like to spend the rest of my life in Kerala with my stepmother and sister, I would like to be relieved from my role.” The principal understood Mukundan’s request and said, “We are losing a good teacher, but family comes first, submit the letter, I will handle the paper-work, good luck Mukundan!”
Mukundan then called up Rajesh. After the initial pleasantries, Mukundan said, “Rajesh, I am going to relocate to Kannur, can you get me the help of a house-broker and arrange a house for me in the town, if it is closer to Sheelu’s college, even better?” Rajesh replied, “Yes, will get it done, I will keep you informed.”
A week later
It was an independent house, spacious with a garden at the front, coconut and guava trees, and a bunch of flowering plants, there was a well and a dedicated washing area as well. Mukundan had transferred the advance amount and asked Rajesh to collect the house keys. Then he reached Kannur and facilitated the shifting of his mother and sister’s meagre belongings and set up the house. His mother and sister were immensely happy.
Mukundan then told his mother about Sumithra and Lekha. He explained to her that he wanted to marry Sumithra and secure her and Lekha’s future as well. His mother agreed wholeheartedly. A week later, there was a simple wedding at the Vilvadrinathan Temple in Thiruvilvamamla, Gangadharan, some neighbours of Sumithra, Rajesh, and Mukundan’s mother and sister were in attendance. When Mukundan had asked Sumithra to marry him, she had broken into tears, the tears gave way to relief, and she hugged him. It was young Lekha who was the cynosure of all eyes as she saw her mother getting married to the new uncle who had got her toys and dresses. She was also happy.
They all lived together in the new house in Kannur. Mukundan found a job as a teacher in a school run by the Franciscan brothers, his stellar academic records, and letter of recommendation from the principal of his previous school secured the job for him. Thus Mukundan, the boy who ran away, returned as a man, took control of his life, found his lost family-members, found the love of his life, and began to live life with happiness and joy!
Purpose and meaning in life are strange terms, one may find it by chance, one may already have found it and never know, or one may keep searching for it and never find it. Like Mukundan, your time may also come, find a reason to be happy, do good, it comes back to you manifold.
Image by Freepik
Let there be light and bloom where you are planted!
The train took about four hours to reach Kannur from Palakkad. Mukundan decided to make Kannur his base and found a “Yatri Nivas” near the railway station. The simple, functional lodge had been running for over 50 years. Mukundan refreshed himself and ate a hearty lunch at the Kudumbashree Mess.
He then took a couple of buses to reach Thodeekulam.
Image – Kerala Tourism
It was about 5 PM by the time he reached there. He looked at the magnificent temple, the beautiful murals on the walls mesmerized him. After a satisfactory darshan he came out of the temple. The small eatery that Gangadharan had mentioned was not there. He asked the temple security guard, he said, that there was an eatery managed by an elderly lady and her daughter, but they had shut shop a few months ago.
Mukundan was disappointed, but he did not give up hope. As he was speaking with the security guard, another man walked up to them. He asked Mukundan, “Why are you inquiring about them? What do you want?” Mukundan replied that he was the lady’s stepson. The man said, “Come with me.” He then called for an auto from the auto-stand near the temple.
They got into it, the man introduced himself, “I am Rajesh, I run a small coaching center in the neighbouring village. Your stepmother and sister, they live in a room in the center, they clean the center and live there. Your sister is studying in college now.” The auto reached its destination, the board said, “Winners Coaching Center”. Mukundan paid the fare and stood in doubt for some time.
Rajesh gripped his hand and said, “Come let’s go.” He called out aloud “Chechi, nokku, oru aal vanutundu kaanan.” {Sister, look someone has come to see you.}
At first, the elderly lady could not recognize Mukundan and then there was a faint glimmer of recognition, her first emotion was anguish, then she slapped him hard on the cheeks. Then she broke into tears. Mukundan consoled her, “Amme…karaiyalle.. ellam sheri agghum..” {Mother, don’t cry, everything will be fine.}
Mother and son, just sat for a long time, looking at each other, the silence, the pain, the fears, the love that was lost and found again, the guilt, the helplessness; everything that was bottled, flowed in that resounding slap, and Mukundan’s efforts to console his mother. Rajesh looked at them in silence, he went into a smaller room serving as the kitchen and brought some water to drink. At that time, Mukundan’s sister came back from college. She had no recollection of Mukundan. Her mother explained slowly who he was, the young girl was shy and reserved, and smiled at the man who had come and was now introduced as her elder brother. Rajesh said, “You be here, discuss all that you want. I live in the house adjoining the compound wall. Take care.”
It was a long-awaited reunion. Mukundan said, “Amme, Sheelu, what do you wish to do? Will you come to Chennai with me? Or you wish to be here?” His mother replied, “Mone, did you not marry yet?” He replied, “No Amme, not yet!” Mukundan said, “Come let’s go to the town for dinner.” Sheela was excited, as was her mother. Mukundan said, I will wait outside on the verandah, both of you get ready.
The family had a nice, relaxed dinner, as usual here too, Gulf-money had pumped up development with fancy mini-shopping plazas and restaurants. They had ice cream after dinner then Mukundan took mother and daughter to a garments store and got a couple of new sarees for his mother and a selection of kurtis, salwar, and a set-mundu for his sister. There was lot of happiness all around. His mother said, “Sorry – I slapped you.” Mukundan just smiled. He was in a happy place. He dropped them at the coaching center and handed over some money to both of them. He collected his sister’s mobile number and gave them his number. He said, “I will be back in a couple of days Amme.” There was joy, a sense of fulfilment in his heart. From the town bus-stand, he got a direct bus to Kannur, and reached his room late in the night. He was exhausted. He changed into a pair of bermudas, drank some water, and fell deep asleep with a smile on his lips!
Mukundan dropped Lekha and Sumithra at their home. As he was leaving, he saw an old black and white photo that had been framed and was on a table. It was a photo taken when the election campaign was on and the participating candidate had drunk a glass of tea that Sumithra’s mother had made. It was a big event that had been covered in the local newspapers at that time. What was unique about that photo was that it also had Mukundan’s stepmother and sister in the frame. He took Sumithra’s permission to click a photo of it using his smartphone. He bid the mother and daughter “Good night” and walked to the auto-stand.
At the auto-stand, he had another surprise, the auto that he boarded, the driver turned around and said “Mukundan alle?”. Mukundan tried to place the elderly man in his sixties, wondering who it was! The man smiled and said “Eda Gangadharan maaman aana!” This man had worked in the school that Mukundan had studied as a handyman doing tasks like electrical repairs and minor carpentry work.
As the auto went through the village, Gangadharan spoke of all that had transpired in the intervening years. He said, “I went to Kannur last year for a wedding. Your mother and sister are there. They are running a small eatery near the Thodeekulam Shiva Temple. Go meet them.” Mukundan had tears in his eyes. The years of anguish came out. Gangadharan hugged him and said “Mukunda, mone, nee raksahapattu, poi ninde Ammaiyem, anniyathiyem, kondu va da!” {You saved yourself and have reached a secure place, go bring your mother and sister.”}
Mukundan reached his room in the lodge. He drank a glass of water and then went into the attached bathroom. He splashed some water onto his face and looked at himself in the mirror. The reflection looked back at him and said “Alfred has gone Mukundan, go save your stepmother and sister, you owe that good turn. Go.”
Mukundan broke into a smile and wiped his face with a towel. He switched the ceiling fan on and lay down on the cot. He fell asleep thinking of this stepmother and sister. Tomorrow he would leave for Kannur, at first light!
Sumithra was overcome with emotions. Her friend from childhood had landed up in the most unexpected way possible. When he had run away that night, most people expected him to be back in a day or two. But as days turned into weeks and months elapsed, everyone lost hope, a police case also yielded no result.
Mukundan asked Sumithra if any of his family members were still there in the village? Sumithra replied, that his father died due to liver failure. After that his mother and the little sister had left the village one night as money-lenders threatened to take away their meagre possessions. No one had heard about them afterwards, someone from the village had said that he had seen mother and daughter in Kasargod once when they had gone to a temple there, may years ago. After that there was no other update.
Mukundan asked Sumithra if she had married? Sumithra’ s smile vanished “She replied, I did, but my good-for-nothing husband, he abandoned me. I have a daughter – Lekha, she is studying in the government school. It is a tough life Mukund etta! We manage somehow.”
She told him that she had to sell the fruits in her basket and would meet Mukundan in the evening at the Devi kshetram near the base of the hillock. He replied he would and told Sumithra to bring her daughter along as well.
In the evening Mukundan, was waiting with great expectations near the temple gate. Sumithra came along in a while with her daughter Lekha. Mukundan had bought a small doll for her. As soon as they met, he greeted her and gave the doll. The little girl was shy, but she smiled and accepted the thoughtful gift.
They prayed in the temple and came out. He then told them, come let’s go and have food. He said – “Sumithra, don’t worry, I will drop both of you back home. Let’s spend some time together.” The little village had grown into a semi-town of sorts. There were some restaurants and a couple of super-markets, there were also some textile shops. Mukundan told Sumithra – “Sumithra, come let’s go into this shop and get some clothes for you and Lekha.” She hesitated, Mukund etta, but.. but…” Mukundan rebuked her, “No ifs and buts… I am getting it for my childhood friend and her daughter. No over-thinking.”
It was a pleasant evening, shopping was done with new dresses for Lekha and Sumithra. They then had dinner followed by ice cream which Lekha enjoyed. She said “Maaman – Dhanks” – It was her way of saying thanks to this new uncle who had generously got her new clothes and a doll. As he dropped them back home, Mukundan wondered, what if…!!!
Mukundan got down at Palakkad Railway Station. So much had changed. Now announcements were being made in Bangla, there were messages being displayed on the digital board in different languages. The migrant labourers now formed a substantial part of the population.
He walked out of the station and walked slowly towards Mani’s Cafe. One thing that remained constant. He remembered once, a faint memory, his father and mother and him, savouring on masala dosa and coffee. A faint glimmer of happiness from another life. What was it that one’s native land possessed? As soon as he reached, memories of the past resurfaced. Near the cafe there was a small lodge. He got a single room and refreshed himself. Then he went to Mani’s cafe and ordered a filter coffee and masala dosa. He looked at the varied crowd in the restaurant. Passengers from other places, some locals, regulars for breakfast, and some foreigners, the usual tourists.
After breakfast, he walked for a while, got a copy of the newspaper, and returned to his room. He read the newspaper for a while. Then he decided to take a bath. The heat was quite intense in Palakkad not very different from Chennai. He decided to enquire at the reception desk about buses to Thiruvilvamala. Once he got the information, he stepped out, and bought an umbrella and a bottle of mineral water. The heat seemed intense. A short walk to the bus depot. He was still able to read basic Malayalam, he got a bus, that was about to depart, thankfully, a place to sit as well.
The bus slowly moved out of the depot and crossed the main town limits, the driver was playing songs of Raveendran Master, unknowingly, Mukundan hummed some old songs. After being an Ilaiyaraja fan for all the years that he spent with Alfred, this was a sudden recollection of his own origins, and his father’s drunken singing of some old melodies, which were registered in his mind. He looked at the massive development that had taken place in the region. So many churches, so many mosques, and restaurants, and super-markets that had come up everywhere. Gulf-money had pumped up development to a great extent.
The bus reached Thiruvilvamala village. He got down, went to a nearby shop, and had a soda-sherbet. The sweetness of the syrup, the refreshing flavours of nannari, and the fizz of the soda, had a cooling effect on him. As he stood there in the shade of the shop, his attention was drawn to a young woman selling sliced cucumbers and green mangoes. There was something vaguely familiar about the young woman. Could it really be her??? After all these years. The girl from the neighbouring hut. Was it Sumithra?
He walked up to the woman and said “Maanga kashnam tharu” – The young woman smiled, sliced a fresh mango, applied a mix of salt and spices, placed it on a sheet of newspaper and gave it to him. He handed over 20 rupees. He bit into the green mango slices. Again a wave of nostalgia flooded in, reminding him of his mother. He opened his eyes to find the young woman looking at him carefully. “Yaendha saare?” she asked. He replied – “Onnum illa.. Sumithra alle.”
The young woman was shocked. She registered surprise and then joy. “Saar endha josiyan aano? Ende paeru engane ariyam?” {Are you an astrologer? How do you know my name?} He replied – “Orkunnu ille, Mukundan aana. Baalyathil odi poyi.” {Don’t you remember, I am Mukundan, I ran away, when I was young.}
Once the lawyer had conveyed this news to Mukundan, he felt a strange sense of despair. After many years, he felt uncomfortable and unsure about what to do. The years spent with Alfred had given him security, hope, and lot of love and affection. He in turn by taking good care of his students was admired and respected by his colleagues at the school. He had led a simple and uncomplicated life in the company of Alfred, their library, and collection of old gramophone records. Alfred had been a free thinker and never imposed his religious choices on his ward. He had let Mukundan be and find his own path in his spiritual quest. Mukundan would often vist the Vallalar Sabhai meetings that used to take place in Egmore. He was influenced by the teachings of Vallalar Swamigal and believed that a bit of God existed in every living creature, and one should not harm any living creature big or small. Now that Alfred had also left and there was a generous sum of money in his name, Mukundan took a decision, he wanted to take a break from school, and travel, perhaps visit his village and see if his parents were still there. He spoke to the school management, they gave him a month’s leave. Mukundan gladly accepted the offer and booked a train ticket.
That evening as he walked into Madras Central Station that was now renamed to Chennai Central, he stared with wonder. In the last few years, there had been a rapid growth with the Metro station making connectivity even better. But inside the main station, the things still looked similar, the hustle and bustle, the stray dogs running about, the porters with their sly smiles, some destitute elders and beggars looking for alms, the irate passengers looking at the digital announcement board, the new food court with its enticing fragrances; Mukundan felt a strange sense of peace within him as he stood in the waiting hall and awaited his train.
Train 22639 – Alleppey Express – what a twist of fate – a similar onward train had brought him to this city that had been home for all these years. This city had made him a man. The love of a father that he had craved, he had found here. As the train arrived, Mukundan picked his bag and walked slowly towards his coach. How things had changed. From coming in that unreserved coach that night, the small and scared boy, in a half-shirt and his school’s khaki pants. Here he was now clad in a white half-shirt and a kaavi veshti boarding his seat in the 3AC coach. He had packed a simple dinner of idlies and molagaipodi wrapped in a banana leaf. His co-passengers were an elderly couple. They smiled at him. They said they were going to Kalpathi for a wedding. On the other side, there were a group of NCC cadets going to Alleppey. The train picked up speed as it crossed the city limits. Mukundan exchanged his lower berth seat for the elderly lady and lay down in the upper berth. The lights were switched off. The blue night-light glowed gently as the train picked up pace and hurtled into the darkness of the night.
Mukundan set foot in the village after 22 long years. He had left home in a fit of rage after his father had chided him for getting 0 in his Maths test. He had wandered moving from city to city. The overnight express had taken him to Ernakulam. From there he had reached Madras Central Station. That night he had left home with just Rs 50 in coins that he had saved up. He had felt no remorse or love lost for his family. He was tired of his father’s beatings. He sometimes wondered about his mother. His actual mother had died during child-birth of his younger sister. His father had remarried and his step-mother tried her best to be a good caretaker, but after she gave birth to her own child, there was no time to dedicate to Mukundan.
He had reached Madras. The TTE had caught him as he tried to exit the station. Mukundan had said that he was an orphan. The TTE, an elderly man nearing retirement took pity on the boy. He was a chronic bachelor and lived in the Railway Quarters in Perambur. In Mr. Alfred Devasahayam, young Mukundan found a genuinely caring father-figure. Alfred, gave Mukundan a good education. He introduced a love of books and music in Mukundan and Mukundan gave him the love and affection that the elderly man had never got in his life. By the time, Alfred died because of a sudden cardiac arrest, Mukundan had completed his college degree and secured a job as a Physics teacher in a school nearby in Kilpauk. For some reason, Mukundan had never pursued any woman. His life with Alfred who had been a chronic bachleor all through and the bitter experiences of some of his classmates in college had led him to the conclusion that staying single was the best way to maintain one’s inner peace.
Once Alfred died, he arranged for the funeral. Some of Alfred’s colleagues from the Railways came and offered their condolences. Seetharaman the lawyer came and handed over Alfred’s will to Mukundan. He had left the small flat in Kilpauk in his name along with about 3 lakhs held in a deposit in a bank.
Basil Joseph is the one who has truly taken forward the legacy of Sreenivasan’s brand of movies and acting with his self-depreciatory humor and in “Falimy” the entire team of stars comes together to deliver a humor-filled story of a dysfunctional family on a trip to Kashi. Streaming on Disney Plus HotStar. There is a reference to the iconic DDLJ train scene that will leave you in splits. Highly recommended.
Chaaver
Style overcomes substance as Tinu Pappachan crafts a tale on political killings and merges it with Shakespearean magical motifs that delve into the supernatural. Kunchako Boban and Arjun Ashokan shine. Justin Varghese for his music score deserves special praise. Streaming on Sony LIV. Violent, bloody, but an inconvenient truth.
Mast Main Rehne Ka
Somehow was never a big fan of Jackie Shroff in my younger days. I think it was Gardish – the Kireedam remake that changed things for me. Then his interviews and the amount of work that he does for charity that hardly get spoken about, plus his famous views on life and ‘meru-dand’ changed my views about him. In this beautiful ode to Mumbai and its people, Vijay Maurya crafts a beautiful tale that I truly believe needs a wider theatrical release. Jaggu dada, Neena Gupta and the younger stars all come together for a feel-good movie. Streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Must-watch.
Poetry in English in India is seeing a revival of sorts. In the last few years, dedicated sections for poetry in larger bookstores are featuring more Indian names. Instagram poetry celebrities like Rupi Kaur have found great global fame with their verse and influencer style campaigns and have given birth to clones everywhere who try to mimic the blank verse style that intends to shock and titillate.
In such troubled times, when one comes across a book with genuinely heartfelt poetry it feels good. Poetry unlike fiction or non-fiction cannot be read super-fast in a flow and one cannot predict how the words will emerge. Recently, I received a copy of the book – “Before I Become” by Aarthi Jayaprakash for review. The hardbound book published by Sixth Sense Publications, Chennai is an interesting book. It includes poetry, micro-stories, and tales that are like glimpses from the author’s life.
The book can be purchased from popular book shops, the publisher’s website, and leading online retailers.
The book is dedicated to the author’s father and starts with a note about those who dream and believe in the everyday magic of life.
The poems are divided into interestingly named sections – “In Pursuit of”:
1 – Self
2 – Love
3 – Dreams
4 – Wonder (Micro stories)
The poems cover a wide range of topics and show a deep understanding of the human mind, empathy, gratitude, and care that the author/poet has expressed in her verse. From turning everyday events and random moments into thought-provoking verse, Aarthi does an excellent job with her writing.
The micro stories cover topics like – removing old files from the computer, a crow, a wristwatch that’s a highly treasured gift, a man looking for validation in the kitchen as a chef, a daughter inspiring her mother, and much more.
I would like to recommend this book to those who would be interested in reading thoughtfully written poetry and prose.
Teerthadanam 