A collage of thoughts.

The Thrissur Pooram.

It was the day of the 'Thrissur Pooram' yesterday. The annual festival at the 'Vadakkunnatha Siva kshetram' alongwith the 'Paramekkavil kshetram', the abode of the Goddess nearby, at the heart of the town of Thrissur, is an event that we, mallus, are proud of simply because of the bright colours and melodious sounds, seeped in heritage, alongwith the array of a large number of caparisoned elephants that have their own distinct flavour. Since we're back in Kerala, after what has been a long time, we'd wanted to see the event at close quarters but to no avail, as work kept us busy. The crowd is so overwhelming that one has to arrange for the 'darshan' well in advance.
Hope to view it in the near future!


To live without a stomach!

Tommy and Pinky are one of our hosts, at Bangalore, whenever we visit the city. The bonding had developed since my school days when I was his House Captain in his formative and impressionable years. Lekha and Pinky have become good friends down the years.

Tommy's mom, all of 76 years, had recently undergone a major surgery wherein her stomach was removed thanks to a malignant growth and the intestines have been connected up to the gullet through an external arrangement! Consequently, she's on a strictly controlled diet regime. But despite her medical difficulties, she continues to smile and that's what has endeared her to me.

She's anxiously waiting to witness her grand daughter's wedding next week and her excitement is outright infectious! God, pse do not put her through too much of pain.

The election results.

The election results, of the recently conducted polls in Assam, Kerala, Pondicherry, Kerala and West Bengal have been on predicted lines except in Tamilnadu, where Amma has trounced Karunanidhi. As I listen to the live broadcasts, the following come as a rewind:-
(a) The prophetic words of Parvez bhai, who was my 'saarthi' while on duty to Calcutta sometime late last year and I quote, 'sahib, is baar laal jhande ko Bengal mahasagar mein hum dubo denge'.
(b) Another forecast from Raghavan, yet another 'saarthi' of mine when I was on duty to Madras and I quote, 'sahib, jo Vijayakanth(we'd the ignominy of seeing him hit one of his party workers in full public view during the campaigning!) ka party se alliance karega, wo idhar jeet jayega'.
(c) The vegetable vendor close by our house who'd told me and I quote, 'sahib, sab political parties ek jaisa hai. Idhar is baar UDF ayenge, magar mere khyal se unko zyada seats nahin milna chahiye. Tab woh theek tharah se rule karenge'.

Simple people with infinite wisdom! It's no wonder then that their predictions have come true. They're the people of India and they dictate their own terms!