Had got up around 7, gone through the chores and was ready well in time. The clothes, along with the extra ones, that were washed were dry thanks to the fan in the large hall a floor above thanks to Bipin, the steward. Didn't see him this morning before we cast off as he was off on another job. Felt bad, yet again, that we couldn't tip him as he'd done a lot of running around for us last evening!
We'd set off for the Edavaka panchayat by a half past 9, later than usual. We'd to pick up Arjun enroute and by the time we reached our destination it was a quarter past 10. A sumptuous breakfast was served and soon after, without much ado, we'd begun our interaction with the 'Gram Sabha' of Ward no.18 with Usha, the panchayat president on the chair. The quorum was not up to the requisite numbers against the ward's population of 1,300!
The crowd wasn't that enthusiastic and lively as yesterday's Gram Sabha but the interaction had gone on thanks to a few bright sparks!
The panchayats with which we'd a tryst with today, were:-
(a) Edavaka.
(b) Thirunelly and
(c) Thavinjal.
We're at Thirunelly by a half past 12 but the panchayat was in a flux as to how it had to conduct the reception for us. Within no time, however, the leadership had filled the huge hall with people and we'd an interactive and lively audience. It was a satisfying session, that was spread over two hours and we're provided with a scrumptious lunch in a popular hotel in the town.
The Thirunelly temple is the only temple in the world where the devotees can perform all the rituals related to life starting from birth to death and life after death. It's one of the most ancient temples with Maha Vishnu as the deity. It's snuggled within the forest area of Brahmagiri and is famed as the "Kashi of the south". An urn of Muthachhan's ashes and Lekha's dad's ashes were immersed at this place in '95 and '16 respectively!
There were many of my friends who'd inquired as to whether I'd visited the temple on What'sApp. It was just not possible within the tight schedule that we're running.
The last of the receptions was at the Thavinjal panchayat Yesterday, we're told that the authorities had made great preparations for the function and a crowd of 200 was anticipated. Consequently, I'd asked two of the policemen, in our team, to postpone their return to Thiruvananthapuram. It worked out all right though the crowd was lesser than anticipated. We wound up our interaction with the street play and set off for Kannur district half an hour before sunset.
We passed through thick forest and hairpin bends to reach Thalasserry by about 2100 hrs. After dinner at the Indian Coffee House, we made a beeline for the PWD Rest House. We did a lot of adjustment to fit into a total of five rooms - we're 21 in all, remember?
Tailpiece.
After having travelled through Wayanad, we're now poised for the two day move through Kannur district and we start with the Dharmadom panchayat that's the focal point of the chief minister's Assembly constituency.
We'd set off for the Edavaka panchayat by a half past 9, later than usual. We'd to pick up Arjun enroute and by the time we reached our destination it was a quarter past 10. A sumptuous breakfast was served and soon after, without much ado, we'd begun our interaction with the 'Gram Sabha' of Ward no.18 with Usha, the panchayat president on the chair. The quorum was not up to the requisite numbers against the ward's population of 1,300!
The crowd wasn't that enthusiastic and lively as yesterday's Gram Sabha but the interaction had gone on thanks to a few bright sparks!
The panchayats with which we'd a tryst with today, were:-
(a) Edavaka.
(b) Thirunelly and
(c) Thavinjal.
We're at Thirunelly by a half past 12 but the panchayat was in a flux as to how it had to conduct the reception for us. Within no time, however, the leadership had filled the huge hall with people and we'd an interactive and lively audience. It was a satisfying session, that was spread over two hours and we're provided with a scrumptious lunch in a popular hotel in the town.
The Thirunelly temple is the only temple in the world where the devotees can perform all the rituals related to life starting from birth to death and life after death. It's one of the most ancient temples with Maha Vishnu as the deity. It's snuggled within the forest area of Brahmagiri and is famed as the "Kashi of the south". An urn of Muthachhan's ashes and Lekha's dad's ashes were immersed at this place in '95 and '16 respectively!
There were many of my friends who'd inquired as to whether I'd visited the temple on What'sApp. It was just not possible within the tight schedule that we're running.
The last of the receptions was at the Thavinjal panchayat Yesterday, we're told that the authorities had made great preparations for the function and a crowd of 200 was anticipated. Consequently, I'd asked two of the policemen, in our team, to postpone their return to Thiruvananthapuram. It worked out all right though the crowd was lesser than anticipated. We wound up our interaction with the street play and set off for Kannur district half an hour before sunset.
We passed through thick forest and hairpin bends to reach Thalasserry by about 2100 hrs. After dinner at the Indian Coffee House, we made a beeline for the PWD Rest House. We did a lot of adjustment to fit into a total of five rooms - we're 21 in all, remember?
Tailpiece.
After having travelled through Wayanad, we're now poised for the two day move through Kannur district and we start with the Dharmadom panchayat that's the focal point of the chief minister's Assembly constituency.
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