Often we hear from ones in their twilight ages, of the charm which their eras carried. we often scoff at their ignorance and conservatism. true it is, for each generation carries its own list of greatness attributes and the ones who don't realize that, end up as foxes who lost in pursuit of "sour" grapes.
But for one moment, one fleeting moment it's worth remembering bygone eras. The inherent attributes which soothes ur mind of those times.
I was a kid when I used to set out to my birthplace in kerala, an almost village, called perur which lay near Ottapalam in Palakkad. Vacations were the times for these detours of mine and they began with "yuck, yet another trip from my city life to the poor rustic lands!!!" not with snobbish outlook, yet that distinct city bred kid attitude. funny part was that, it took me just an hour to mingle with the dwellers of the same rustic ambience. I was one among them in no time. From then on, it was running around in muddy fields, chasing away the crows from the mats which bore the crackers drying in sun, climbing trees competing with my cousins (obviously i used to be the last), bathing in the clear waters of the nearby river till sundown, walking back all the way to gulp down simple delicacies like idiappams, dosas, chapatis and then the stories from granddad, aunts. Oh those were some of the best moments of my life.
I guess each one among us has similar stories to tell. But, I wonder if today's kids get to do all of this. Those simple pleasures somehow now feel much much precious than a trip with friends to Goa or a costly trip on a cruise. Its true we all graduate in terms of education and money over previous generations (of course, there's a big "if" attached to that), and on same reasons the pleasures we lend to ourselves too, but, I will never be able to equate them with the aforementioned experiences. It's extremely gratifying to explore my roots and the legacy attached to it. As i explore that, I find an interesting and mystical intricacy each time at every step.
unfortunately, i was never brought up in my roots. I guess, I would have called myself unfortunate if I had been brought up there, for, the conditions in those days were not conducive enough for me to reach where I am today. but, I guess, I would have reached irrespective of that, considering the progress some from my generation have made from the same lands.
well then, so I search for those roots in malayalam movies of those days, staying in touch with people in those places exploring places whenever I reach back to my ancestral home. Recently, I laid my hands on a book by Anita Nair which is a collection of some great works in malayalam. It;s titled "Where the rain is born". Let me tell you, monsoon in Kerala is divine. When I was a kid, I would just sit watching the rains pouring and washing away everything in its fold be it mud, leaves, trash. It was like a war of marathon rains. It just went on and on for hours and when it was over everything looked clean and pure, so it was time for us kids to steal our little joys before the next dosage of rains began. We played in water ponds which had accumulated, the eternal paper boats, running to the nearby tea shop to munch hot pazham poris (banana bajjis), sukhiyans, appams.
I wish, i wish with all my heart I am back to the same place doing the same things one day.
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