Adhyapika

3 movies – 3 languages – Netflix

January 29th, 2023
We are in times were entertainment is immediately accessible. The OTT platforms is a boon for someone like me who love to tell stories as much as to listen to it or watch it. What better medium is available for story telling than the cinema?

As Pathan rides high in the theatres, I caught up with three films in three days, a romedy called 18 pages in Telugu, Action Hero in Hindi and Kaappa in Malayalam.

While Kaappa seemed to be a rehash of similar themes and stood out only for the slow menace in Prithviraj’s movements, and 18 pages touched a tender cord of love and longing, I was thrilled by Ayushman Khurana’s Action Hero.

Catch them now on Netflix.

Advertisement
Share this:
Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Like this:
Like Loading…
Life as a river – Morning Meditations

January 17th, 2023
Have you ever thought of life as a river? A stream of continuous emotions, thoughts, actions and experiences, a mixed bag, an ever changing eco system.
Have you ever thought of life as a river that is fed by multiple inlets of streams, small rivulets that replenish it from hills and plains of varied experiences alike?
Have you ever thought of life as river that needs multiple sources of joy, of love, of appreciation, of expression so that the life energies are well expended?
As a river that is in a state of flux, life demands that we explore multiple areas of self expression, that are creative, challenging and therefore, satisfying.
As you and I explore, new forms of art, new areas to travel to, new problems to work on, new ways to contribute to the society, life looks more interesting.
Let’s then have multiple rivulets of joy, love, appreciation, expression in our life, so that we don’t burden those in our immediate surroundings with our need for validation.
Let’s replenish our river of life and may new experiences of joy and abundance visit us more frequently!

Life as a river
Share this:
Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Like this:
Like Loading…
കാത്തിരിപ്പിന്റെ ക്ഷീണം

April 16th, 2021
സൗഹ്രദം
അറിയാതെ തുടങ്ങിയതായിരുന്നു
വേണ്ടെന്നു വിചാരിച്ചിട്ടും

നർമ്മം എന്നും ഒരു മോഹമായതോണ്ടായിരിക്കും
അങ്ങനെ സംഭവിച്ചത്

സഖി അതിഥി സൽക്കാരത്തിന് തുനിഞ്ഞത്
ഒരു സപ്ന സാക്ഷാത്ക്കാരത്തിനു വേണ്ടി ആയിരുന്നു

ഒരു തുടക്കം എങ്ങോട്ടോ ഉള്ള ഒരു തുടക്കം
അല്ലെങ്കിൽ നിശബ്ദതയുടെ കോട്ടക്ക് ഒരു അനക്കം

സത്യത്തിൽ ജീവിതത്തിൽ സ്വയം സന്തോഷിക്കാൻ
പഠിച്ച,

സ്വയം ജയിക്കാൻ പഠിച്ച,

സ്വയം പ്രോത്സാഹിപ്പിക്കാൻ പഠിച്ച
സഖിക്ക്,

അങ്ങനെയും ആഗ്രഹമുണ്ടാകുമെന്നു ഞാൻ വിചാരിച്ചില്ല

എന്നാലും രണ്ടു നല്ല വർത്തമാനം ആഗ്രഹിക്കാത്തവരുണ്ടോ
ഇത്തിരി തമാശയും കളിയും വേണ്ട എന്ന ആരാണ് വിചാരിക്കുന്നത്

ആമി പറഞ്ഞു, നീ ഇന്നും കുട്ടി തന്നെ എങ്ങനെ സാധിക്കുന്നു നിനക്ക്

വാങ്ങി വച്ച വീഞ്ഞ് കുപ്പി എടുത്തവൾ തുറന്നു
രാത്രി ഇത്തിരി വീഞ്ഞാവാം എന്താ
ആവാലോ. ഉത്തരവും അവൾ തന്നെ പറഞ്ഞു

എങ്കിലും ഒരു മാറ്റത്തിനുള്ള വകയുണ്ടല്ലോ?

ആണോ, ഞാൻ ചോദിച്ചു

പിന്നെ ഒന്നിലെങ്കിൽ മോസസ് അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ജീസസ്

എന്ത്?
ഒന്നുമില്ല
സഖി പറഞ്ഞു
അല്ലെങ്കിലും പകുതി തിന്നും, അവൾ എന്ത് പറയുമ്പോഴും

ചിരി കൊള്ളാം
എന്നും കാണണം എനിക്കീ ഇളി
ഹും

എന്നും ഒരേ പോലെ അല്ലല്ലോ ജീവിതം
എല്ലാം മാറും
എന്റെ ജീവിതവും, തത്വജ്ഞാനി മൊഴിഞ്ഞു

സിഗരറ്റ് കുറ്റി വലിച്ചു ഞാൻ പുറത്തേക്കിറങ്ങി
പെണ്ണിനെ ആർക്കും മനസിലാക്കാം!
Share this:
Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Like this:
Like Loading…
കുഞ്ഞി പൂവ്

March 6th, 2021
കുഞ്ഞി പൂവ്- short story

കുഞ്ഞി പൂവ്

ഉദ്യാന പാലകൻ തന്ടെ നീണ്ട ഇരുമ്പു കത്രിക പല വട്ടം ചലിപ്പിച്ചു. അരോചകമായ ആ ശബ്ദം കുഞ്ഞി പൂവിനെ ഭയപ്പെടുത്തി. അയാളുടെ നടന്നടുക്കുന്ന കാലൊച്ച അവളെ വിയർപ്പിലാഴ്ത്തി.

വരുന്നുണ്ട് ദുഷ്ടൻ, കുഞ്ഞി പൂവ് നെടുവീർപ്പിട്ടു.

കൂട്ടത്തിൽ ഉയരം കൂടിയ അവൾ സൂര്യനെ പ്രേമിച്ചു തുടങ്ങിയിരുന്നു. തന്ടെ നീണ്ട കഴുത്തു നീട്ടി അവൾ അവനെ നിർനിമിഷം നോക്കി കൊണ്ടിരിന്നു.

ഇടക്കെങ്കിലും ചുറ്റിനുമുള്ളവർ അവളെ കളിയാക്കാതിരുന്നില്ല . ഒരു മുടിഞ്ഞ പ്രേമം, പെണ്ണിന് പിരാന്താ. അല്ലെങ്കിൽ പിന്നെ അയാൾ നിന്നെ അങ്ങ് ദൂരെ നിന്ന് നോക്കിയിരിക്കുകയല്ലേ. വേറെ പണി ഒന്നും ഇല്ലല്ലോ മൂപ്പർക്ക്. എത്ര പൂക്കൾ, എത്ര കാടുകൾ, മഴ, മേഘം, ഭൂമി, എത്ര പ്രണയിനിമാർ , പിന്നെ എന്തൊക്കെ തിരക്കണയാൾക്കു , സ്വന്തം അവസ്ഥക്ക് നിരക്കണം പ്രേമം.

അവർ പുച്ഛിച്ചു, അല്ലാണ്ട്, വട്ടു അല്ലാതെന്താ.
കുഞ്ഞി പൂവ് ഒന്നിന്നും ചെവി കൊടുക്കാറില്ല.

വളരെ കാലത്തേ പ്രാർത്ഥനയും പ്രയത്നവും കൊണ്ട് ഉണ്ടായതാ താൻ . അത്ര മോശവമാവാൻ തരമില്ല അല്ലെ. അവൾ സമാധാനിച്ചു. പിന്നെ പ്രേമം അതൊരു തപസ്യയല്ലേ. ഇതുങ്ങൾക്കു എന്തറിയാണ്. പോട്ടെ അത്രേ വിവരമുള്ളു.

അല്ലെങ്കിലും നൈമിഷികമല്ലേ ഈ ജീവിതം. കരഞ്ഞു കൊണ്ടിരിക്കാനാണെങ്കിൽ പൂവായി ജനിച്ചിട്ടെന്തു കാര്യം അല്ലെ?

കാലൻ അടുത്തെത്തുന്നു എന്നാലും മോഹം വണ്ടായി പറക്കുന്നു ചുറ്റും, തന്ടെ നീണ്ട കഴുത്തിനെ തലോടിയ വണ്ടിനോടവൾ മുറുമുറുത്തു.

ആറ്റിട്യൂട് വേണം ആറ്റിട്യൂട് അല്ലാണ്ട് ഹ ഹ
കുഞ്ഞി പൂവ് തന്ടെ അഹങ്കാരത്തിനെ ഓർത്തു തല താഴ്ത്തി.

സൂര്യനോടായി അവൾ മൊഴിഞ്ഞു എല്ലാം നീയല്ലേ, ഞാൻ ആര്. നീയില്ലാതെ ഞാനെന്തു?

ഉദ്യാനപാലകൻ നടന്നടുത്തു. കളസം പിടിച്ചു വലിച്ചു നേരെയാക്കി ചിന്ത മഗ്നനായി നില കൊണ്ടു.

പൂക്കൾ ഒന്നടങ്കം വിയർത്തു കുളിച്ചു. ഇനി അസ്തമനം മാത്രം.

എല്ലാറ്റിനെയും വെട്ടിയും നുറുക്കിയും ശരിയാക്കാൻ എന്താണ് മനുഷ്യന് മാത്രം ഇത്ര ആക്രാന്തം, അവർ അമ്പരന്നു.

എന്തിനീ ദുർവാശി മനുഷ്യ, ജീവിച്ചോട്ടെ ഞങ്ങളും

ആര് കേൾക്കാൻ ?

ചലിക്കുന്ന കത്രിക പല രക്ത സാക്ഷികളെയും സൃഷ്ടിച്ചു. ചിതറി കിടക്കുന്ന ഒരു കുന്നു പൂ തലകൾ.

അശ്രദ്ദയോടെ ഉദ്യാനപാലകൻ കാൽ കൊണ്ട് അവയെ എടുത്തു മാറ്റി, മുന്നോട്ടു നടന്നു, പെട്ടെന്നുയർന്ന പൊടി പടലം അയാളെ അലട്ടി. കത്രിക മടക്കി അയാൾ നിവര്ന്നു നിന്നു.

ദൂരെ നിന്ന് സൂര്യൻ ഒന്ന് പുഞ്ചിരിച്ചു. ഉദ്യാനപാലകൻ തിരിഞ്ഞു നടന്നു. കുളിർ കാറ്റ് ഒരു നോവും ഒരു സ്വാന്തനവും ആയി വീണ്ടും വീശി.

rakthasakhshikkal
Share this:
Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Like this:
Like Loading…
Another incident – Short story

January 25th, 2016
Beefy biceps sunk, the massive shoulders hunched the man sat studying his palms in silence.

Tiny rivulets ran down his cheeks and on reaching his mustache lost their way sprinkling down on to his trimmed beard.

A drop or two fell in to the girls hands. She held the face up ,looked into the eyes and said slowly, this is not because of you.

He nodded and clenched his fists with a self deprecating shrug.

Its not because of you,father, the girl said again. Her feet cut her dress torn,her body wrecked but her spirit intact.

She looked at the silhouette of the man,her father. More than the assault on her body, the crumpled ego of her father pained her.

Its awkward to be discovered the way she was that too by her father. Its even more awkward when her father sits down in a corner and sobs to himself.

She had come to this garden many times before. She had often been to her friends house before for a home work, for a project and they had sat together until late evening to complete it.

Time stretched itself with Bollywood gossip and aunty’s yummy snacks. This time when Rama called her, she took off on her bicycle in no time. She shouted out that she will be back from her friend’s place in an hour.

At Rama’s house, she knocked on the door and uncle opened it. She had always thought that he looked at her strangely. She was careful to stay miles away from him.

Once or twice when she had gone to Rama’s house on Diwali, the man had hugged her, and she had wriggled free out of his arms. But she loved talking to Rama and aunt so much that, she did not give it much thought. She kept visiting them.

That evening, her bag slung on her shoulder, she stepped in happily. She had no idea that Rama had gone out with her mother to meet someone urgently. When the man tried to assault her she fled, pushing him away and fell on the road, tripping on a rock. She lay there bleeding when her father came looking for her.

She hadn’t expected her father to pick up a quarrel or fight the devil but she was shocked at his reaction. After rushing to her hurriedly and helping her to get back on her feet, he stood shaken, sobbing.

Nothing is amiss,Pa.I am alright. Let’s go home.

They walked home in silence.

She narrated the incident to her mother. Angry and outraged her mother picked up the sickle and threatened to cut the old man’s head.

There’s no use, ma. Nobody will believe us.

I will be careful hereafter. I will not go there.Besides, I love Rama. I don’t want her and auntie to feel hurt. Let’s not talk about this again.I am OK. I know to take care of myself.

She glanced at the hunched shoulders of her father and picked up her books. Her fight was hers alone. She sighed.
Share this:
Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Like this:
Like Loading…
Extraordinary gift of being ordinary

March 21st, 2023
Sometimes we rue our ordinary existence. Our life devoid of luxuries, joys of being rich and spoilt, of the continuous need to toil for basics and moon over the superlative lives of the rich and famous.

Ah! how foolish are we, not to realize the supreme value of being ordinary, an ordinary teacher, a postmaster, the regular clerk, the cook, the small shop owner, the bank manager, the corner shop wallah and so on.

The longer you exist on the planet, the more you revel at extraordinary nature of being plain ordinary, the richness of being common place, the small evening gatherings, the trips to the cinema hall, the boring, uninteresting activities like reading a book, enjoying a Sunday evening by yourself, or the pleasures of simple gardening.

The social media makes us believe that the roadside ‘samosa’ can’t stand a chance against the fashionable ‘meringue’, but don’t fall for the trap and believe that you are worthless because you are ordinary.

Believe instead in the extraordinary worth of being ordinary, plain, just normal, even average…

My brother, who passed away in 2013 was a man of few ambitions, did want nothing great or flashy for himself ever, was happy just being with his family, his mom, dad and his sister. Yes, he wanted to have a family of his own, but again, he dreamt of marrying a simple girl, leading a simpler life, and a small job to run his home. Fate did not allow him to pursue this ordinary wish, yet, he left a lesson to be well remembered and learnt that ‘ordinary’ is not what it seems, it is but truly beyond the extraordinary!

So, celebrate yourself. If you have missed a few chances at greatness, so be it, keep trying, do not be complacent, but know also that living a normal life is great against ‘living a life that is presumed to be extraordinary!’

Cheers to the pleasures of an ordinary life!
Share this:
Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Like this:
Like Loading…
Iratta & Nan Pakal Nerathu Mayakam -Malayalam Movies

March 18th, 2023
I watched Iratta twice to get what it meant, the mindlessness of violence against women hit a all new yet very familiar terrain in the movie and makes you sink into your thoughts.

For many women, it will remind them of unexplainable pain they would have experienced sometime in their lives and the fear for existence between the desire to move ahead and the dread of exploitation.

It is a must watch!

Nan Pakal Nerathu Mayakam is different, a peep into an alternate reality, a parallel universe, sometimes we have all perhaps experienced a doubt about our existence and a unknown, unlikely yet strong affinity to something hitherto alien, where does that come from.

Joju George scales a new high in his acting career in Iratta and Mamootty establishes his exalted state in the other!

Both movies are protagonist centered and do not allow other characters much growth!
Share this:
Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Like this:
Like Loading…
A whale of a heart

March 16th, 2023
I could carry you in my heart

my love, not just you,

but your granny too

perhaps we could go on a ride

you and I, with your granny in tow

maybe she will know why I need to be here

in times of our common ancestors

we could both exist on the planet

in waters which we lorded

you, on the land which you governed

respecting boundaries, knowing each

had its own role and significance

in the larger scheme of things

yet, Moby Dick onwards

things have gotten harsher

my kind are struggling to breathe

often marooned

in attempts to seek a ceasefire

doomed

to make you prettier or your dogs

smarter with our flesh and sweat

know that you need us

as much as we need you

for the sake of our blue materfamilias

shall we not stick to our fences?

Who would have thought you needed

an ‘Avatar’ to know of us

the ways of waters

sentient beings like yourself

Come look beyond shapes

water and earth are forever synkóllisi

militvA

gacchAma

namaste!
Share this:
Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Like this:
Like Loading…
ONE :-)

March 12th, 2023
Once send a smile

Now try it again

End it soon, if it does not return

🙂
Share this:
Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Like this:
Like Loading…
I used to be famous – a review

January 26th, 2023
It is been sometime since I watched a movie, a good one, and this was it streaming on Netflix. It is a story about a beautiful bonding between two unlikely men and how it turns their life around. You can’t watch it without being teary eyed.

No dream is too big!!!
Share this:
Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Like this:
Like Loading…
#Daily prompt 10

January 14th, 2023
What snack would you eat right now?

A chocolate bun, the thick bun parting to reveal rich chocolate base, not too sweet, nor sour either, just the right amount of yumminess that makes it a soul Saturday.

Sometimes food can evoke deeper emotions, and there are times when you literally fawn over the food on the table, that you go making sounds, a friend, the other day, rolled her eyes at my noisy appreciation of deliciousness but I was just taking advantage of it being just the two of us in the room!

I would like to go and sit at eateries and watch the people around there, making conversations, trying to make connections… that would be nice.
Share this:
Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Like this:
Like Loading…
#Daily prompt 10

January 12th, 2023
Describe an item you were incredibly attached to as a youth. What became of it?

There was a time in my childhood when I felt that we were rich and that was when my father was successful as a manager and when we had a basket full of toys at a time, a when I was six years old and my brother a little one year old kid.

Life at that time, did seem good though we did not have many material goods. When in 2 years time, tide changed and we had to relocate to my grand father’s home, I was attached to a red pinochio clapping doll. It did hurt me when our furniture, our play items which we had to leave at our relative’s place were used by others, kids though they were… as I see it now.

Another gift my father always gave me was books, which at that time cost very less and he always obliged my request for books.

Later times changed and the insecurity that came with father’s uncertain job situation, made my parents, extremely cautious, we never spent anything again on frivolities like toys or books. Though already meek and very polite, my brother and I never dared ask for anything to my parents ever after.

My father regained confidence in his financial status only when I had spent almost two decades on the planet, amma smiled more easily and achan took to the habit of bringing snacks everyday on his way back home.

Even to this day, years after retirement my parents shudder at the pain this injustice caused to both of them, the shame and guilt they carried for no fault of theirs.

It is in this exuberance of newly found confidence that they went ahead and fixed my marriage in an jiffy. Two events followed in quick succession, my brother was diagnosed with a painful disease and I lost what ever confidence I had in front of my overbearing in laws and husband. My parents, after years of struggle to bring us up now engaged in caring for a very sick young man at home, with a warrior spirit to keep the smile alive on his face.

Strange are the ways of life, stranger are the ways it chooses to test….that is life, a mixed bag at any given time! Love it or hate it, you are in the game of life as long as you breathe. So it makes sense to choose love. Period.
Share this:
Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Like this:
Like Loading…
Just positive – Switch words

January 12th, 2023
I learnt about switch words recently. Immediately, I shared it with my daughter and my friends, I said, use it, you should do it.

The frenzy lasted for a few days, but when it lasted there was more talk, some new thoughts and it was fun. The technique I hear is to repeat the switch word as many times as you please, something like a positive affirmation or the mantras we chant here in India.

I think the mind gets into an auto suggestion mode when it hears positive words on repeat and it sort of makes it happen.

Let me share what I learnt with you

DIVINE – is a switch word to use if you want to have miracles in life, who doesn’t !!!

REACH-HEALTHY-BE – is switch word to use for health

FIND-COUNT -DIVINE – is a switch word for wealth and prosperity

DO – is switch word to beat procrastination, like the Nike tag line, just do it

WOLF-MAGIC-BEGIN-NOW – is a switch word for quick solution

GIVE- is a switch word to sell anything

TOGETHER-DIVINE is a switch word for business growth

GOLDEN SUNRISE – is a switch word to use for any problem in life

TOGETHER DIVINE LOVE – is the switch word for love and relationship

There it goes, switch to positivity, use switch words!!!

Good luck, have a great day!!!
Share this:
Share
Tweet
WhatsApp
Like this:
Like Loading…