Got up later than usual at 7, went through the chores and was ready well in time. We, finally, left around a half past 8. The team was told to proceed to Madayi straight because we didn't want their breakfast to be delayed on account of our late arrival at the destination. Therefore, when we reached the place we found that the fleet of vehicles were lined up all along the road and the team had finished their breakfast.
Eager to start on time, we'd a couple of vadas and a cup of tea to start the proceedings in right earnest. The interaction was getting along well when, hard pressed for time, the panchayat leadership had brought in additional audience of special children for the next event, involving the Sub Collector. We wound up and left the premises without much ado.
The panchayats with which we'd our trysts with today, were:-
(a) Madayi.
(b) Kalliasserri.
(c) Pariyaram.
(d) Cheruthazham and
(e) Karivellur Peralam.
The reception at Kalliasserri was a grand one with traditional 'panchari melam' by women and youngsters on the 'chenda' and girls with ceremonial umbrellas greeted us beside the highway and walked us to the venue. It was a well attended, lively and interactive crowd at the venue and our police team had performed their street play much to the delight of the crowd.
The reception at Pariyaram was on a lower scale when compared with the previous panchayat. We could interact, however, with the children and the 'Kudumbasree' trainees. We're provided with a scrumptious lunch on completion of the function.
We're on time, around 1530 hrs, near the gates of the Cheruthazham panchayat. The car was parked near the kerb, I'd gone to a textile shop on the opposite side to buy a couple of ceremonial shawls. Couldn't get the appropriate ones and as I was returning, I was witness to a road accident. Actually, it involved the vehicle with the panchayat leadership coming to receive us and a mobike, with a middle aged couple.
The panchayat vehicle turned right abruptly and the mobike, that was on its starboard quarter touched its bow, the rider tried to hold his bike but lost balance and in the resulting instability, his pillion had slipped backwards and hit her backside on the road. I'd quickly rushed to her, picked her up and made her stand but found that she'd taken a serious thud and was walking with difficulty. She was made to sit on a chair, offered by the nearby auditorium - we'd our interaction there, subsequently - guys. The couple was taken by the panchayat staff to the nearest hospital and the panchayat president reported that all was well as the lady had suffered a minor concussion on account of the impact!
Was I and the lady connected, cosmically? I saw the lady, in anguish with pain, looking deeply into my eyes as though she was expecting me to be there just then. Or was it all my imagination, I wonder?
The interaction was good though the crowd could have been better. On completion, we'd headed for the next and last panchayat - Karivellur Peralam. Here, the crowd was better and the interaction lively. The street play was also staged much to the thrill of the crowd!
Our night halt was at Payyannur where the team was put in a comfortable home stay and the three of us were put up in Karayil Sukumaran's - our district co-ordinator and Muthachhan's ardent follower - house. The evening, therefore, was comfortable! He told me an anecdote about my grandfather, "Panicker sir had gone to a colony near here and had returned by midnight. He insisted on calling up the Collector that night itself despite the others trying to dissuade him. Eventually, he'd his way and told the Collector that the people in the colony should be issued with ration cards, without delay". And the cards were issued soon after!
Tailpiece.
After our two days at Kannur, we're now poised for our move through Kasaragod for the next couple of days!
Eager to start on time, we'd a couple of vadas and a cup of tea to start the proceedings in right earnest. The interaction was getting along well when, hard pressed for time, the panchayat leadership had brought in additional audience of special children for the next event, involving the Sub Collector. We wound up and left the premises without much ado.
The panchayats with which we'd our trysts with today, were:-
(a) Madayi.
(b) Kalliasserri.
(c) Pariyaram.
(d) Cheruthazham and
(e) Karivellur Peralam.
The reception at Kalliasserri was a grand one with traditional 'panchari melam' by women and youngsters on the 'chenda' and girls with ceremonial umbrellas greeted us beside the highway and walked us to the venue. It was a well attended, lively and interactive crowd at the venue and our police team had performed their street play much to the delight of the crowd.
The reception at Pariyaram was on a lower scale when compared with the previous panchayat. We could interact, however, with the children and the 'Kudumbasree' trainees. We're provided with a scrumptious lunch on completion of the function.
We're on time, around 1530 hrs, near the gates of the Cheruthazham panchayat. The car was parked near the kerb, I'd gone to a textile shop on the opposite side to buy a couple of ceremonial shawls. Couldn't get the appropriate ones and as I was returning, I was witness to a road accident. Actually, it involved the vehicle with the panchayat leadership coming to receive us and a mobike, with a middle aged couple.
The panchayat vehicle turned right abruptly and the mobike, that was on its starboard quarter touched its bow, the rider tried to hold his bike but lost balance and in the resulting instability, his pillion had slipped backwards and hit her backside on the road. I'd quickly rushed to her, picked her up and made her stand but found that she'd taken a serious thud and was walking with difficulty. She was made to sit on a chair, offered by the nearby auditorium - we'd our interaction there, subsequently - guys. The couple was taken by the panchayat staff to the nearest hospital and the panchayat president reported that all was well as the lady had suffered a minor concussion on account of the impact!
Was I and the lady connected, cosmically? I saw the lady, in anguish with pain, looking deeply into my eyes as though she was expecting me to be there just then. Or was it all my imagination, I wonder?
The interaction was good though the crowd could have been better. On completion, we'd headed for the next and last panchayat - Karivellur Peralam. Here, the crowd was better and the interaction lively. The street play was also staged much to the thrill of the crowd!
Our night halt was at Payyannur where the team was put in a comfortable home stay and the three of us were put up in Karayil Sukumaran's - our district co-ordinator and Muthachhan's ardent follower - house. The evening, therefore, was comfortable! He told me an anecdote about my grandfather, "Panicker sir had gone to a colony near here and had returned by midnight. He insisted on calling up the Collector that night itself despite the others trying to dissuade him. Eventually, he'd his way and told the Collector that the people in the colony should be issued with ration cards, without delay". And the cards were issued soon after!
Tailpiece.
After our two days at Kannur, we're now poised for our move through Kasaragod for the next couple of days!
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