Tuesday, May 31, 2016

To Raj Nivas for Farming - phase II.

For me the day began at 4 and I went about my chores without disturbing mom and Lekha. Half an hour later Lekha was up and about to give me my morning cuppa tea and packed breakfast. I wished her many happy returns for it happens to be her birthday. The Malayalam calendar shows her big day as 11 Jun which will be celebrated.

Ashraf was bang on time when he honked outside our gate at 0520h. At the railway station the queue for tickets was short but the newspaper kiosk had not opened. The train was on time for a change and I could get hold of the day's Malayala Manorama that was gifted to me by a gracious passenger before he disembarked. I tucked into my breakfast at Ernakulam, around 20 minutes past 8.

The heavy rush of passengers dwindled after Ernakulam and there were four ladies who were on a non stop chatter about all that's happening in their family. Couldn't help but overhear about a youngster battling it out for his life and they're headed to the hospital to see him.

The train reached Kollam at 1230h and I'd bought myself a vegetarian meal which was quickly devoured. The train resumed its journey though now on a westward course. My copassenger was a young lady who seemed to be regretting the decision to have chosen the train journey to reach her school at Anchal, which could have been undertaken by a bus journey of a much shorter duration both by virtue of time and distance, which I explained. She teaches English and has taken up the job just a year back. She hails from my grandmother's place in Kuttanad and was thrilled to hear that I was the grandson of PN Panicker. She did tell me that come next week, her school would be bracing up for the 'Vaayana dinam' on 19 Jun. I've added one more follower for myself.

Raj Nivas looked nice with the grass clipped short but the ongoing rains is gonna change all that. We couldn't go for collection of the saplings, this evening, because the pick up truck wasn't free.


Tailpiece.

The do at Sasi's place was nice. Today was his last day in office. Met most of the local crowd. I made it a point to meet Kamalamma chechi, his mother.

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