Friday, July 10, 2020

Remembering Muthachhan.

The Reading Month activities are on in full swing. This afternoon I'd participated in the webinar, chaired by the head of the CBSE, which was nice.

Today also happens to be Muthachhan's Remembrance Day as per the Malayalam calendar. He'd passed into the mist of time, 25 years ago, on the Malayalam star of 'Poorooruttaathi'. Since crows are very scarce in this part of Guruvayur, I had refrained from placing the offering of cooked rice. This was because, last year when I'd done it, no crow fetched up and I felt bad that my offering had remained untouched. Probably, the departed soul was not amused for some reason or the other and it had manifested in a situation where the crows studiously stayed away!

Thought about Muthachhan intensely soon after lighting the lamp, early in the morning. Again paused for a while at 1913 hrs, the exact time at which he'd breathed his last. It was a quick rewind of those halcyon days with Muthachhan and Ammachi in that ever happy joint family!

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Lekha had gone to the ration shop to collect the rations available on her card, today, just before lunchtime. Suma had accompanied her and Suraaj, with his auto rickshaw, was in attendance. It was for the first time that she has used her card, after its issue and we thanked Suma, yet again, for having made it possible. The government's 'one India - one ration card' programme needs to be lauded and the porosity, long associated with the ration issue and the public distribution system seem to have been effectively plugged by the introduction of biometric identification! And mind you, the quality of the rations is good and that, too, at quite low costs!!

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Ramesh, the gardener and his assistant, the shy youngster, Appu had come in to trim the grass and clear the weeds. The potted plants were individually trimmed and treated with the 'slurry' got from our compost waste dispenser. It has been done, midway through the monsoon.

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Some time, late in the afternoon, one of the women executives of the ICICI bank had called up to say that I hadn't cleared my credit card dues for Jun. I was incensed because I'd cleared it through my niece's account in that bank and had got the acknowledgement receipt in my mail, 9 days back. I hate people who do not do their homework and the young lady was conveyed my annoyance in no uncertain terms. She must have realised her mistake because she quickly hung up.

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Today's new cases of Covid, in the state, have crossed 400, for the first time and the spread seems to be crossing limits. The cynic in me believes that we've already reached the point of community spread, though the government is yet to announce it. Restrictions in movement have been clamped by the police; consequently, my next visit to the dentist has become the biggest casualty!

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The overnight rain carried on for most part of the forenoon but by afternoon, it was bright and sunny. I was worried that it would play spoilsport during my news viewing time at 2100 hrs but thankfully, it had held around that time. Phew!



Tailpiece.

Got up at our usual time, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. A quiet day otherwise.


    

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