Blowing Hot, Blowing Cold

Zephyr, spring's harbinger, caressed the trees,
Susurration, the wind's whisper, filled the air,
Clouds rained pebble drops,
Wrapping all in chrysalism,
Cooling the earth scorched by the summer sun,
Healing the land chapped by the blistering heat
This is the course of Nature
Blowing hot, blowing cold and so it goes.

We saw the Power

Faraway in the mountains, sheared a mammoth ice chunk
Earth tremored, river swelled, water coiled in funk,
The weir breached, the darting deluge swallowed the obstacle,
Making the crown of creation watching in despair the spectacle,
Boulders rolled like marbles, buildings tumbled like deck of cards,
A splash of dirt here, a lash of water there, trespassing your yards,
The torrent wreaked havoc, with its course errant, nature enraged
We saw the power, we saw the powerless and we gauged
When the mighty is messed up, invincible is the force!
(Dedicated to the tragedy of Nepal 26th August, 2026)

Flashback-II

Once upon a time, in Kerala, people used a vehicle called villuvandi. My great, great grandfather owned one, the scraps of which were seen in our ancestral house when we were kids. It was a decorated bullock cart pulled by bullocks and manned by a handler. Though we have never seen it, we have heard of certain travel stories of my ancestors in that vehicle. (More to come in next post)

Flashback to the 70s- Part 1

Recently, I met a friend of us who had come from abroad after a long time. During the conversation we discussed the conspicuous changes in children post covid. The most alarming observation made by my friend, who is a Bharatanatyam instructor, was the cognitive tardiness of students. Pre covid, her students used to learn the dance in a year, but the present-day doom scrolling addicts find it difficult to maneuver hand-leg-eye in co-ordination, leaving them struggling to learn even after two and a half years. A sad reality, which hopefully will change in due course. Some countries had already shifted away from technology-based learning to class room teaching and pen and paper. As a quinquagenarian born in the 70’s I consider myself lucky to be able to grow up in world devoid of technology, albeit technology helped me later. It opened a world of knowledge, information, tai chi for health, global cuisine and so on.

In my childhood we connected with relatives and friends through regular get-togethers and letters. We got to know about what happened around the world through newspapers and radio. During vacations, at my maternal grandparents' place, we used to sit with them and cousins at night listening to drama aired through radio, which was a prized possession in homes at that time. Other major entertainments were outdoor games such as tag, hopscotch square, hide and seek, blind man's bluff, watching movies at the local theatre etc……. TO BE CONTINUED

Let it Go!

I have mentioned in my previous post about burning of Pappanji. The details of it are given here. In May 1498, Vasco de Gama, a Portuguese explorer, landed in Kozhikode, which led to a series of expeditions and trade deals. This resulted in the assimilation of Portuguese culture in Kerala. The remnants of the occupation are still found in Fort Kochi. The steaming process in cooking of Kerala cuisine comes from Portuguese.

The Dutch Bolgatty Palace and its corridoor.

Another tradition introduced by the Portuguese is the burning of Pappanji on New Year’s Eve in Fort Kochi. The place will be choc-a-block with traffic which sees a massive turnout. This fascinating spectacle is now adopted by many other localities.

Pappanji in Kottayam

Pappanji means ‘grandfather’ or ‘old man’ in Portuguese. The effigy is lit fire symbolising the end of the year.Children make tiny Pappanjis and the original effigy has coat, suit, shoes and hat resembling an old European man with a cigar. Some mistake Pappanji for Santa Claus, but historians and locals refute this. Another theory behind the myth of Pappanji is that, it originated from the Jewish culture as Fort Kochi still has remains of Jewish settlers. Moreover, the burning ceremony is on the eighth day after Christmas Eve, akin to the festival of Enoch.