All about 'Oonch neech' and other stories.

Rounding up of the news bytes as usual.

 (a) Aiyar Can't Hold It, As Usual.

       Mani Shankar Aiyar has done it again. He could be seen to be spewing venom at Narendra
       Modi. O, what hatred does he have towards the Prime Minister is to be seen to be believed. This
       was in response to Modi's taunt that the "Congress was seeking votes in BR Ambedkar's name
       but trying to erase his contribution to nation building".

       Aiyar was quick to respond, "Modi is a 'neech kism ka aadmi'(a vile man) who has no 'sabhyata'
       (civility). Since he's originally from the civil services, his deep disdain for the poor and the
       backward is very much real! But I heard several news channels saying that the Congress has lost
       its quest for recapturing the Gujarat Assembly by this singular remark.

       That, I suppose, is an exaggerated statement. Even after the opposition, despite major differences
       among themselves, having cobbled together a rainbow alliance, the guys on the ground say that
       Gujarat is gonna go the BJP way, the only thing to be ascertained is the margin of victory! No
       anti-incumbency fatigue? The governance has been goal oriented?

 (b) Was Recognising Jerusalem as Israel's Capital Necessary?

        All these years, we have been in the know how of all that are mentioned below:-

            (a) The US was always pro-Israel. The strong Jewish lobby in every aspect of life which
                  covered all the departments of its administration ensured such an unambiguous stance.

            (b) The US has been covertly at it, thus far, lest it antagonised the Arabs, especially the 
                  Palestinians!

            (c)  Donald Trump had included it as one of his priority actions on becoming President. He'd
                   very less achievements to show as he completes his first year in office. He seems to be
                   determined to erase that 'no score' issue and he's buoyed up with the successes of the
                   travel ban that he'd clamped on slowly breaking out of its judicial restrictions and the 
                   tax legislation going through!

          Perhaps, it's just as well that the move has been made public because it removes the
          tremendous strain on the US foreign policy that provides a no-holds-barred-support to Israel
          without antagonising the Palestinians or the Arabs! The initial reactions from the Muslim
          world might lose steam as they're a badly divided lot!

          India, considering its delicate position, has taken a neutral stand for the time being which is
          sound thinking.

  (c) The Numbers Just Don't Seem to Tally.

        The dance of the cyclone 'Ockhi' has long since been played out but the dichotomy about the
        actual number of the fisher folk who're still to return persists. There are two lists now in
        circulation, the government's and that of the archdiocese:-

          Type of boat         Government       Archdiocese

           Small boats                  96                      103
           Big boats                    301                      156

          The government has now put out that a total of 397 fisher folk are missing while the
           Archdiocese is pretty sure that only 259 are left to return. There have been reports that quite
           a few boats from Kerala's coast have drifted onto the shores of Maharashtra and Gujarat! But
           the harsh fact is that the government does not have an accurate registry of the entire lot of its
           people living in the state's coastal belt.

           The state government has been criticised for its slow reaction upon the receipt of the cyclone
           warnings. The retort was comical:-

                (i) Reiterates that the government did not receive any warning despite the fact that the
                     media was reporting it minute-to-minute. It was a feeble attempt to put the blame on the
                     central government.
               (ii) The chief minister went up a step further, saying that Tamilnadu's press had said things
                     in praise of his government's 'timely' action!

            If affirmative, why does the dichotomy in numbers persist? And the initial reaction was there
            for all to see. Sad!


Tailpiece.

Mohanachandran's medical bulletin.

"There isn't much of a change in his condition. Meanwhile, the family's reps have met the concerned doctors at the CMC, Vellore and an action plan has been made out to shift him and commence the PMR at the earliest".
             

                    

Adieu Ikka.

It was in the morning, when our maid told us, that we'd come to know that Abdul Rahim Rajah - our immediate neighbour, all of 77 years - had passed into the mist of time, last Sunday. I still can't believe it! He was fond of us and that too, immensely!!

I'd spoken to him on 24 Nov but since the coverage was patchy, he'd said that he'd call back which he did the next day. I was surprised to know that he was in Madras and I told him briefly about my itinerary for the following 10 days. I never knew, in the wildest of my dreams, that I was speaking to him for the last time, then. This evening, I gathered that he'd gone to Madras, by road, for a medical check up regarding a swelling of his hand and on the return trip, had expressed a desire to see his factory - an 'activated Carbon' producing unit - at Madurai. In the evening while at his guest house, he'd developed respiratory difficulties and the doctor, in attendance, had asked him to avoid travel. On Sunday morning, by about a half past 6, he'd developed complications from which he never recovered!

Our friendship had begun sometime in 2010, when Lekha and I had gone to visit our prospective neighbours, after buying our house at Guruvayur in end 2009. There was a cattle shed - which housed a combination of over 10 cows and buffaloes - just across our boundary wall within his compound and the associated smells along with a few typical insects that were overwhelming and I'd silently told myself that I'd request him to do something about it once we shifted into our house - lock, stock and barrel!

By 2013, once we'd the date of shifting fixed, we'd paid yet another visit to the Rajahs. After a conversation that lasted for almost an hour on various subjects and over an exquisite 'sherbet', he'd said all of a sudden even before I could broach the topic, "I'll have the cattle shed along with the livestock removed to my elder son's house where a dairy is being set up. You can also order fresh milk for use". His visit to our house during the housewarming made ripples because he rarely made social calls and we realised that, for us, he'd made an exception!

Mr. Rajah was a renowned industrialist and philanthropist who had a massive empire consisting of diverse activities. Beginning with tile factories, ayurvedic spa, a hospital - my mom had spent her last few hours at the Rajah hospital - a vineyard at Kolhapur, the list is endless. But the key industry was the famous 'Kajah Beedi', started by his father, which provides employment to thousands. He'd been wanting to take us to the spa at Chettuva, a few kilometers from here, for a weekend!

He has left for his eternal life leaving behind a host of memories which I'd like to share with you to show his kindness towards us:-

    * He used to address me as Captain sir. And I used to call him 'Ikka'(Elder brother) after taking
       his permission. Respecting his age, addressing him as 'sir' would have been right but my take
       was that it would sound too formal and distant!
    * One day he'd called up to ask whether we'd mind having food prepared by them. I'd told him
       in no uncertain terms that in my house we're never taught religion and I simply loved their
       cuisine. From then on food used to be sent across on every festival and bananas from the
       organic farm, grapes from the vineyard etc became a continuous trickle.
    * I'd called him up when mom was unwell and it happened to be a Sunday. The ambulance was
       arranged, the Medical specialist and the Cardiologist were standing by when mom was wheeled
       in. When it was all over, he'd insisted that no bill would be given, sent his wife, sister-in-law
       and daughter to pay the last respects as he was indisposed and arranged for an ambulance to
       take mom's body home.
    * He'd called up once while I was away at my parents' place, asking as to where we were and the
       duration for which we'd be absent. I remember him saying that he hated the sight of
       our closed, silent house. It was then that we'd established a covenant that I'd keep him informed           about my whereabouts from then on.
    * He, even, kept a track of my walks everyday and was fascinated with our frequent forays out of
       Guruvayur for meeting up with friends and family. He used to pass on this information to his
       children!
    * After hearing about my throat congestion, he'd a vial of 'Dasamoola Rasayanam' sent across to
       me and wouldn't take money for it. Further, he'd told me that I should ask him for replenishment
       because the ones that are sold have a commercial twang!"

RIP Ikka. My tears, prayers and salute to a fine gentleman and a fantastic human being who gave me kindness and love, in abundance. I'm sure there must have been a connection between us in our previous birth. Here's wishing that god gives strength to your family to tide over these stressful times.

Lekha and I had gone across, in the evening, to offer our condolences to the family and it was then that his daughters told her about every snatch of conversation between the two of us having been meticulously passed on to them! I felt humbled as I was too small a person to be covered so extensively. I did make a faux pas when I asked his son as to whether I could meet his mom and speak to her personally when he reminded me that the custom demanded that she didn't meet any man, outside the family, for thirty days!.......And I shall do so after those thirty days are over. Meanwhile, his daughters have requested Lekha to visit their mom more often, once they leave for their respective destinations after the mourning period was over.



Tailpiece.

Mohanachandran's medical bulletin.

"There's not much of a change from the last sitrep. The family is planning to shift him to CMC, Vellore for PMR(Physical Medical Rehabilitation) after discharge.....not as a referral". From Suresh Laxman,
         

Adieu Shashi Kapoor.

Yesterday evening Shashi Kapoor, the handsomest actor of the Hindi movies, passed into the mist of time. He was 79 years of age. A versatile actor who had stood his ground while acting with the other lead actors of his time. I can never forget Shashi Kapoor as a young, dashing Captain of the Indian Army in the movie, 'Sharmilee' opposite Rakhee. I don't think that I'd be wrong if I were to say that all the songs picturised on him and his heroine were immortalised just because of his personal charm in that movie.

I was sad and didn't really recover from it after hearing the news. It was as though I'd lost someone from the family! I shan't be listing his accomplishments as there are enough competent people who knew him personally and would be doing the needful.

RIP Shashi Kapoor. You'd enthralled an entire generation with your versatile acting and striking good looks. You shall always remain in the hearts of the people and I shall carry my personal grief along with me till my end!

        *                                         *                                       *

The day had begun, for us, at a quarter past 4. Packing had to be done, every item that had been taken out for use, had to be put back into its place and furniture and beds had to be covered to beat the dust. Finally, we could start off by by a half past 6. Passing through Adoor, I'd taken a wrong turn and was headed southward when Lekha had pointed out the error and I, too, belatedly noticed that the morning sun was to my left! Made the course correction quickly to avoid further loss of time and ground lost.

Breakfast was at our haunt, the Kalpakavadi Inn and the steaming 'appam and egg masala' were good. Praveen had looked after us and in my usual style, had asked him about himself. He's from the orphanage at Koonammaavu in Ernakulam. All of 25 years, he had a perceptible limp that he'd got while doing his earlier job of sales representative of a company. By his brisk service, he'd ensured that we spent the minimal time at the restaurant! Damn sweet of him.

At Alappuzha, there was a lot of time wasted in getting clearance at the 'Savakkotta Palam' as there was a long line of vehicles, waiting in queue. We reached 'Shenoy Care' by a half past 10 and after the initial administrative requirements of registering Lekha's name, paying up the consulting fees, meeting up with the junior doctor who'd inquired if she'd any difficulty and punched in the lab results into the computer, we could meet up with Dr. Padmanabha Shenoy who was pleased with Lekha's progress. We've decided to continue with the existing dosage of Folitrax. He wished us an advance 'happy new year' and we've taken up her next appointment on the 5th of March.

Since it was lunchtime, we'd gone to 'Sarovaram'. A nice place with plenty of parking space...and of course, it had a good ambiance! Our next stop was at the Naval canteen to buy our monthly requirement of grocery. We'd to wait for about half an hour before it opened its shutters for the afternoon session and in the course of our stay there, we met a few people whom we knew. And after about half an hour we made an exit through the rising number of vehicles that had come to pick up the children who were coming out of the Kendriya Vidyalaya at Katari Bagh.

The air conditioning system of the Chevy seems to be having a problem and I'd called up the customer adviser to tell him that I would be getting the vehicle tomorrow for the defect rectification. The journey was fine and we'd a tea break at the wayside facility, 10 kms north of Angamali. The Paliyekkara toll seemed to have the same problem that we'd encountered on our onward journey. They'd canceled a lane, creating confusion among the vehicles, in that lane, trying to scamper and squeeze into the nearby lanes!

We reached 'The Quarterdeck' by about a half past 6 and went about the unpacking process without delay. Meanwhile, my colleague at the Naval Headquarters, Narayanan and two other organisers of the '16 Dec - Vijay Diwas celebrations had called on to confirm my participation in the event. Thereafter, it was a quiet evening, as usual.


Tailpiece.

Mohanachandran's medical bulletin.

"Mohananchandran continues to be in the same condition as he was after the last sitrep. To begin physiotherapy, at the earliest, seems to be what everyone wants".

PS.
Was able to accomplish most of the things that I'd planned to undertake and we could meet up with all the elders while accomplishing other social necessities. We'd covered a total distance of 1,178.6 kms during the period!   
 

  

Finally, it's just the two of us!

Since there was nothing much planned for the earlier part of the day, I'd decided to take it easy and sleep till 6 AM. But it was not to be. In fact, I'd got up by 5 and gone through the chores before Mini and Lekha had woken up. In the meanwhile, Rema and gang had reached Palakkad, and their home, by a half past 3! I marvel at their stamina to cover their journeys by night so that the entire daytime is available for doing productive work. For me, sleep while traveling by bus doesn't work especially so when one has to break journey sometime during the night! And with Lekha in tow, I avoid all such combinations!!

We left for Ayoor - around 25 kms away, amid mad traffic and narrow roads - by a 10' to 10. I took the Veliyam-Odanavattom route and reached Sanil's house by a half past 10. Sanil's mom was taking a stroll in the courtyard and she kept telling us to have lunch and return. We'd to refuse her politely but what was important was that she looked healthier and cheerful - a pleasant change from what we'd seen of her, last time. Mini will go off to Kollam tomorrow, meet up with more of Sanil's relations and will return to Bangalore, the day after tomorrow. Of late, she has been having medical problems and is having medicines but I feel that she's not taking adequate care of herself which worries me.

After days of boisterous company, it was a quiet lunch with just the two of us!

My director was down with medical problems and hence, the day's programmes stood cancelled. It was a serious blow and I considered the remainder of my stay out here, wasteful and unproductive. Vishnu and Jayakrishnan - from my office - had dropped by to give me a resume of the training being carried out, the highlights and the lowdown, at every stage, which was a great education. I'd followed it up with discussions - one to one - over the telephone with the concerned trainers to collect more information that would help me suggest course corrections, if required. This was a poor substitute for my actual presence at each of those venues, I concede, but I couldn't waste time and had to make good with the best available back up to tide over the hopeless situation that had emerged.

After the duo had left, Soman, the supervisor of our telephone exchange and his son had dropped by. It was basically, a counseling session since the boy is 24 years of age and has still not found a suitable job for himself. He refuses to apply for jobs because he feels that he doesn't stand a chance while competing with the 'more competent' ones. I talked to the youngster and took on the role of a counselor and by the end of it, he's agreed to follow a few points that I've suggested. Yes and he's the boy whose professional career has been 'assured' by my mom to his father! She thought that her son could sort out everyone's problems in the neighbourhood.

Later, our caretaker was briefed about the jobs to be done over the next few weeks.


Tailpiece.

Mohanachandran's medical bulletin.

"Today in the morning Mohan was seated on a chair, in the presence of his sons. He was trying to hold the head in position. The doctors say that it is a good sign. When called, he was trying to respond and also trying to speak, but the tongue and lips were moving in a distorted manner. Pray for his speedy recovery". From Vipinachandran.    

The third wedding of the series.

Was up at 5 AM along with the ladies of the house. The usual morning chores were gone through and we're ready in our Sunday bests to attend my nephew's wedding at Thiruvananthapuram. Padmakumar had come by about a half past 7 from his home, had a quick breakfast and we'd set off from here at 8 AM. As we shaped our course southward from Kottarakkara, it was a quarter past 8 which meant that we're 15' earlier than the departure time of the day before yesterday!

The traffic was sparse being a Sunday and by a few minutes before 10, we'd reached the venue of the wedding - Alagapuri, at Edappazhanji. As is our usual style, we met each of our relatives and a few of their friends, whom we knew. It was a well conducted wedding with the Governor and Mrs. Sathasivam and Mr. VS Achuthanandan headed the plethora of guests. There were a host of people from the media as Akhil's dad is a part of it.

Akhil and Ritu make a handsome couple. Ritu hails from Alappuzha, has finished her course in banking and is awaiting her appointment, which she hopes to get at Thiruvananthapuram. So, now there are two young couples from the banking profession in our family viz. Midhun-Ammu and Akhil-Ritu. There seems to be an affinity for the profession, huh! Here's us wishing Akhil-Ritu a very happy and long married life yet again.

The 'muhurtham' was between 1215 and 1230 hrs. This time with an array of VVIPs spread among the audience, the photographers/the video guys behaved well and we didn't have the ignominy of watching their backs at the time of the wedding! Just goes to show that they can cover the proceedings without blocking our view! And if so, why don't they follow it as a sacrosanct rule in every marriage? I must hasten to add that here it was dictated by the Governor's security entourage!

At lunch, Mini - Padmakumar's niece - her two gorgeous daughters, Shreya(Class VI) and Shraddha(Class II) sat near us and it was nice to hear her chirpily updating about herself and the family. Sreedharetta, from Palakkad and Omana chechi - Santhan kochachhan's brother-in-law and sister - along with their folks addressed me as chechi's doctor just because I'd been with her at the Rajah Hospital, Guruvayur when she'd suddenly fallen ill while on pilgrimage, a few months ago! Damn sweet of them. We'd shaped our return course, soon after and had reached Raj Nivas by about a half past 3.

Lekha and I had dropped Rema and Padmakumar at the latter's house so that they could board their long distance deluxe bus by 8, this evening. Achu, who'd arrived directly at Thiruvananthapuram this morning, after work last night, will also be accompanying them as they've to attend office tomorrow morning. Soon after, the three of us had got down to setting up the small earthenware pots(Diyas) to light them as darkness set in as today happens to be the 'Karthik Purnima'. Seeing them lit, many of the passersby dropped by to tell us that it reminded them about the good old days when mom used to have them arranged in many tiers!

For the three of us - Lekha, Mini and me - it was the thrill that we felt in doing up the arrangements. In fact, the 'diyas' were picked and chosen by Lekha from Guruvayur. Can't really explain the wonderful feeling that I'd experienced all through the evening! With the full moon behind the house, Raj Nivas looked splendid!!


Tailpiece.

Mohanachandran's medical bulletin.

"Mohan has opened both eyes but due to the swelling on the left side, the left eye cannot be fully opened. Antibiotics have been stopped. Vinu, his elder son, says that when called, Mohan tries to turn his head towards the left side and not to the right side. Prayers must continue!" From Vipinachandran.
       

A reasonably quiet day.

The ladies of the house were up by 5 AM and had gone around, doing their chores. They were ready well in time to be picked up by Lekha's sister, Letha, to go to Mannarasala and Oachira temples. Maari, a professional driver and Letha's husband's relative was behind the wheel and they're off by a half past 7.

The programme that was charted for the day, by my director, had to be postponed due to unforeseen circumstances and therefore, there was adequate time in hand to pursue other things that were pending. Since I keep the main entrance open whenever I'm indoors, there would be a stream of guests to inquire about our activities, a few who just want to be with us and some others who seek assistance/help. It has been my endeavour to provide satisfactory solutions to the problems put across.

I did catch up on my reading and was also able to speak to quite a few with whom I hadn't been in touch of late. Meanwhile, updates of the activities of post yesterday's wedding and the run up to the one tomorrow kept coming in regularly. Though the news bytes kept screaming about devastation courtesy the Okchi cyclone, there wasn't any rain here and the sun was out but the heat was too feeble to dry the wet clothes!

The coconut mill next door was silent perhaps, because of the spillage of the Id celebrations that were celebrated yesterday. The caretaker had spent some time with me, discussing the impending work of making platforms for the rubber saplings which would entail the deployment of 55 men @ Rs.700/-, once the rains get over. The growth of the weeds will also be taken care of. Mind you, the removal of the weeds was undertaken just about three months back! This is what farming is all about, I suppose!!

The ladies were back by a quarter to two and we'd a delayed lunch together. By about a half past 3, they're off again, this time to visit Letha's would-be-second-daughter-in-law and her folks and the return was at a quarter to 8. The quiet house till then, had suddenly become noisy and it was followed by a boisterous dinner!


Tailpiece.

Mohanachandran's medical bulletin.

"No change since last sitrep". From Vipinachandran.






    

Meeting up with the family.

The day had begun at 5 AM and we went went about our chores with gusto. Dad's walking stick fell down with a loud clank even today! By a half past 7, we'd set off for Thiruvananthapuram through a slight drizzle. I'd fuel filled up in the Chevy and the tyre pressure checked at the petrol bunk at Kottarakkara, that I visit usually. We'd to wait for about half an hour for Padmakumar to fetch up from Pidavoor and were on our way by a half past 8.

As we entered the city, it had begun to pour and I hate such situations when you're scheduled to get down from the vehicle. Our first stop was at Lekha's uncle's place. All of 89 years, he was at his office adjacent to the house at PTP Nagar and wasn't he thrilled to see us? He looked weak but his sense of humour has not lost its sparkle. About 250 mts down the road was my aunt Vichani kunjamma's place and that was our next stop. My cousin and her family had already left for the wedding, that we're also going to attend.

Vichani kunjamma's memory has taken a toss. My shouting out 'Ninthiruvadi', on seeing her, did elicit only a smile and nothing else. During her heydays she used to, in the course of her morning prayers, utter "Ninthiruvadi, Karunanidhe, Bhaktavalsala" and it used to amuse me no end that the names were that of the chief ministers of Tamilnadu! From then on it used to be a covenant between the two of us that whenever we came in sight of each other, I used to shout Ninthiruvadi and she used to complete it by saying Karunanidhe, Bhaktavalsala! It was that retort of hers that I sorely missed this morning. She was lying on her back on the bed and was fully alert, so I thought. Her nurse told us that she had become very quiet these days.

I thought that the drastic change had come about when she was admitted into a geriatric home for a few days, a few months back! To my mind, she's registering each and everything but has taken a solemn resolve not to exhibit her emotions and she seemed to be thoroughly bored with the things going on around her. Her right knee has a bulge and the rest of the leg has begun to atrophy. The nurse said that her appetite was intact! The sight of a reaction-less Vichani kunjamma, which is a far cry from her actual ebullient and outgoing self, has begun to and will haunt me forever!

The wedding of Manu and Aparna went off like clockwork. His parents, Mohanachandran chittappan and Pappi kunjamma, looked very relieved at the end of it all because, at one time, they seemed to be quite sure that Manu would bring an American bride as he worked there! I met all our relations from my mom's side except for Sindhu, my cousin. Though I participated in the activities connected to the wedding, my mind was cluttered up with the sight of Vichani kujamma's helpless state.

A word about the dining hall of the Sumangali Auditorium which was the venue of the wedding. I believe its rental is comparatively cheap because it's the Devaswom Board's facility. Its defect is that the entry/exit of the dining hall is one, resulting in undue crowding and jostling. The authorities have made so much of profit over the years but haven't done anything to solve this dilemma!

Our next stop was at Indira kunjamma's house to look up Resmi, who has vowed not to attend any function during the year that follows her husband, Suresh's passing away. After having a cup of tea, we're off to Sree kochachhan's house. He's bereaved, in that, he had lost his younger brother recently and we'd dropped by to offer our condolences. Suma kunjamma's tales about her recent air travel from Madras to Thiruvananthapuram elicited a lot of laughter among us but it was also a grim reminder of the things that many of us overlook as passengers!

Our return trip to Raj Nivas was through darkness, after sunset. Padmakumar had got off at Kottarakkara as he was going back to his house to spend the night. We ended up yakkitiyakking but had a comparatively early evening at a half past 10! The good thing was that Lekha's dangling right toenail had fallen off sometime during the course of the day, without giving her any pain. Phew!!


Tailpiece.

1. Manu and Aparna, have a long and happy married life. You make a great couple! Take care!!
2. Mohanachandran's medical bulletin reiterated that he continues to be in the same state as what was mentioned in the last sitrep.