THE ROMANCE OF THE SUN AND THE GREENS

THE TREES WILL REMEMBER

When I was into my early years at school, Dad would take me to our ancestral home in Kerala during my summer holidays and leave me there with my cousins for almost a month. I have witnessed mid summer rains and the ensuing floods that would fill up the paddy fields and come up to the steps of our house. Sometimes it would come into the house too.

My cousins were so good at climbing trees and they would do it in a jiffy. I would struggle but finally make it with their help. Many times I have sat on very nice seating trunks and watched the flood water below me, so full with fishes, frogs, water snakes and tortoises. We would buy a fishing hook and a nylon string from a shop close to our home and then catch a few innocent tadpoles and use them our as our baits. We would tie a thin banana stem that would be the float indicator giving us the signal when the bait was being taken. I have caught a few fishes and my cousins were really good at it. We have caught several varieties like the stone sucker (referred to as  kalle mutti in Malayalam), the banded snakehead (referred to  as varaal in Malayalam) and the catfish (referred to as kaari in Malayalam). The sizes of these were pretty big and we could either keep them in a vessel of water or keep them bound in a wet cloth and they would still be alive for a while. I am sure that the trees in my ancestral home will remember the company I gave them during these times.

As soon as I would see the floating banana stem getting disturbed and pulled I would become a shade desperate. Timing was a problem for me but my cousins would time it very well. I would either pull it up too early or too late after the fish had dragged it far into some thick bush from where it would be almost impossible to pull it out. Once when I thought I had timed it well and pulled it up, what came up was a fresh water snake (referred to as pulavan in Malayalam).

My daughter will be into college soon God willing and am still over protective of her. We have never let her stay alone with her cousins in Kerala so far. All that has happened till today has been just a few days with her cousins, with my wife giving her company. On the flip side, I doubt whether the children in Kerala today, affected like everybody else world over with the invasion of the digital devices into daily life, really venture out for these natural adventures. I feel really sad for my daughter as she may never get to experience this anytime in her life. Maybe we as parents could simulate it for her in some holiday resort but nothing comes so close to a beautiful natural package gifted by Mother Nature.

GREEN AND PRISTINE MEMORIES

When I was a little boy, my father took me and my sister to Vakathanam every year during our school holidays. This is the town in Kerala where my mother's home is located. Being a person following very staunch principles, he would always prefer to visit the place and leave on the same day. My mother also was very particular that he did so in order to keep up his dignity. I could not understand how anyone could leave such a beautiful and rustic country in less than a day. It took real time for me to decipher the nuances of this dignity concept.

At this very spot where you see me sitting in this snap, my Dad would stand and point to the farmers who would be busy with their work in the fields and several rafts of ducks slowly making their way in the water. We would watch the fishes, the frogs and the tadpoles. It was such a beautiful sight with the air so fresh all around. He would ask me whether I would be able to paint this landscape. I would stay silent without giving a response. After the few minutes of silence between us, he would point to the trees in the distance and tell me "That place so faraway may seem far and unreachable. But you can reach there if you will try and walk towards it. So try to paint this scenery. You will be able to do it".

Today, the place still remains green and pristine. The seat where I am seated is probably the only new thing that has come up over several years. The greenery is still young but Dad is no more. But his memories still remain so fresh always.

THE ST.PETER'S AND ST.PAUL'S ORTHODOX CHURCH, KOYAMBEDU

I feel sad that we lost a lot of greenery with the last cyclone that went by in 2016. The church also took a huge brunt during the 2015 floods in Chennai.

But still, the grace remains.

A BABY START AND A BABY FINISH

FOR MY WRITINGS, PLEASE VISIT THE LINKS BELOW (FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED):

POEMS OF LOST LOVE

Poetry book 'INDELIBLE ETERNAL ETCHINGS':

https://www.amazon.in/INDELIBLE-ETERNAL-ETCHINGS-emotions-unbridled-ebook/dp/B072J4L656/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=indelible+eternal+etchings&qid=1583428166&sr=8-1

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STORIES

Short Story book 'A PEARL FROM EVERY OYSTER':

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RANDOM ART USING MICROSOFT PAINT - A CROWN

I have often been fascinated by the crowns worn by Kings who ruled India, be it the Hindu kings or those from the Mughal dynasty. More than the embellishments that the Kings had on their crowns, it was their ability to retain the crown for long that fascinated me. Anyone having a crown, knows how difficult it is to retain it. We don't need to have a real crown like that of a king to feel this situation. Even I went through this at school for many years with the first rank crown. Only later did I realize that in the huge kingdom of life, the first rank crown meant nothing.

Here's one random crown I designed using the Microsoft Paint package. May be a few more plumes and some gems studded on the borders would have made it even more superb :)) Shall post more.

THE BEAUTY OF THE MOUNTAINS