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.
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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
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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.
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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!!!
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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!
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#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.
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Cut the clutter – Start afresh

January 13th, 2023
Very often, you and I are overwhelmed by the day to day happenings in our lives, at home, at office, in our friends circle, among relatives and so often, it weighs us down.

The meaningless clutter, the chatter of the mind, the noise in the head that seems to over rule anything that is productive in our lives.

An individual who is rude and insensitive, a system that is unfair, a person who doesn’t acknowledge you or value your contributions, a lover who walked away, a child who is cranky, a spouse who is impossible, others who are getting more than their due and so on and so forth.

How difficult it is to be normal, straight faced and focused in such times, how much one struggles to put the smile back on one’s face. ..

Truly, it is a challenge.

That is when it becomes all the more important to think of a greater goal, a travel you want to go on, a person who you want to help, a business you want to set up, a research you want to embark on, a soul mate you are in search of, an experience you can’t wait to have, and the moment you think of a greater goal, the small noises of the day to day life suddenly lose its significance.

The mind now realizes that everything else is mindless chatter and like an athlete you would focus on the goal again, that which you really want to achieve, that which is greater than the daily humdrum of your life.

So, go on peg your mind, heart and soul to long term visions for yourself, allow the small inadequacies to fade away, re focus, re group, re align as many times as you want and with the singular focus of an athlete’s mind, hit back at the larger goal.

The clutter is lesser, the mind is clearer, coz there are bigger, better things to do for you and for me…

So dream, visualize, achieve your goals, personal and professional!

Good luck!

Have a super duper day!!!

cut the clutter
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#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.
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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!!!
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#Daily prompt 9

January 6th, 2023
What is the greatest gift someone could give you?

Tough question!!!!

I would love to receive opportunities to grow as a writer. To be able to explore by travelling, meeting people, spend days after days just writing.

Such trust and faith in my creative abilities means the world to me.

Or maybe I just want to be gifted some love, some time, some care…..

I do respect the question though, because when my friend Anwar asked me, did you have a crush, Lekha, I was so surprised, I wondered why no one ever asked me such a question before.

Then I had another friend, Binu Peter who, though casually, asked me what do you look for in a partner, I loved it that he chose to ask me this question.

And my daughter who asks me, ‘what would you like to eat ma? where would you like to go? what color do you like?’

Or sometimes my students who ask,’ what do you want to do more mam?, what place would you like to visit? who is your favorite student? or why do you write?’

I realize why questions are important now and relish it when questions are asked because well! for one it rules out assumption, doesn’t it?
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Daily prompt #8

January 4th, 2023
Significance of being stupid

Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?

Word play, I do love words!!!

Ok, so I have a few secret games which makes me brighten up though it is true I might look an odd ball while at it!

But who cares??? I certainly don’t.
1. While walking back home after work, I look for reasonably healthy looking pebbles, I don’t find them everyday, some times I even forget my own game, but when I find them, I toss them and take the pebble the half a kilo metre way back home, tossing it with my feet and if it reaches the gate to my apartment, I pick it up and place it under a tree on the pavement park. I believe that this successful tossing of a pebble to this secret place of mine will bring me some good news. Believe me, it has worked so far!!!!
2. When I see a raised platform, I immediately get on to it and walk, if possible, I mean!)
3. When walking in corridors, or anywhere if there are blocks I try to step into a block only once, this looks a bit eccentric to onlookers, coz I am like what, 49!!!! but I love doing it and usually I don’t care if someone sees me.
4. I play scrabble
5. Hide and seek with my cat, Andrew
6. Hit and run to save from being hit with my daughter
7. Add the numbers of license plates while travelling or driving
8. Talk gibberish in suitable company
So, there came a time in my life, when I realized that my ever present smile had gone missing and looked strained at its best. I had lost the spontaneous giggles and sudden spurts of joy that were my best identification, I realized then that regaining that inner laughter was my priority, ever since, I have boldly, joyfully embraced these eccentricities to this day.

Well! before you laugh at me, did you know that there was a certain good looking mathematician by the name G. H. Hardy, whose first task upon entering a hotel room was to cover all the mirrors!!! I know this thanks to C P Snow’s interesting account, Variety of Men!
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The Thrill Of Writing

January 3rd, 2023
It was many years ago when as a 10 year kid, I secretly dreamed of becoming a writer. At Varandhiappilly, I found interesting books, texts prescribed for college, and devoured then enthusiastically cooped up in a corner some place. That of course, when I was probably playing hide and seek or not being told a story, which were my favourite past times apart from dreaming and loads and loads of sleeping.

I did manage to translate a small part or two of a big Malayalam compendium on great minds into English, which brought some attention to my writing but surely, it was not taken seriously by anyone, neither my parents nor me.

I continued fantasizing about my columns in the newspaper and books that were written by me being read around the world, a la Jane Austen or a Charlotte Brontee or more.

Then I am thrilled when someone tells me, ‘write that will you’, when a certain faith is placed in my writing, and I am in raptures, thrilled that someone could be kind enough to think of me as being capable of writing, yes, putting thoughts into words and words on to pages.

So, I write on my blog, on linkedin and now on instagram and on facebook and quora and more, as someone obsessed with the idea of being called a writer, and when they do, the joy is pure, so great is experienced as to bring tears to my eyes!!!

Small joys, great hopes, dreams and wishes, and the many challenges of being a writer…still worth it, any day, any where.
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