Much ado about nothing!

We fritter away our energies by indulging in trivia and in the process, perhaps, deliberately miss out on the larger issues, burning issues. Is it a ploy by the politicians, helped by the media? In most cases it seems to be so....

1. All About the Tamil Movie, 'Mersel'.

Take the case of the Tamil film, 'Mersel', starring Vijay. Its story line goes something like this. "A few individuals in the medical profession are murdered/kidnapped and the cop investigating the case suspects a doctor and arrests him. But is he the one who is behind these crimes? And why are they taking place?''

The story has been penned by a writer duo, one of which is the script writer of the all time money grosser of recent times, Bahubali. Mersel has all the necessary ingredients for a potboiler and it's indeed a hit! The cash registers are ringing and Vijay's histrionics has been lapped up by the audiences. But it has its share of controversies too.

In the movie there are humorous digs about the demonetisation and GST, prompting a local BJP leader to drag the issue to the court. The matter was settled in court but the controversy has enhanced the popularity of the film.

But my question is as to why a humorous dig at something that has happened/happening should be considered blasphemous? Are we so devoid of humour?

2.The Ease of Doing Business.

I can't understand the delirium caused in the Congress party about the IMF saying that India has jumped thirty points in the 'Ease of doing business' consequent to the reforms carried out by the country. To hint at the whole thing being fudged is preposterous let alone the utterer's childishness and a lack of knowledge about the subject.

On political platforms, the fight between parties must be ideology based and care must be taken not to stoop low so as to score brownie points.  Falsehoods and half truths should be avoided by everyone because the same can make uncomfortable comebacks and break the proponent!


Tailpiece.

Maman, along with Mr. Pamposh Kumar of the DST, had dropped by after their 'darshan' at the temple and after getting mixed up about the location of 'The Quarterdeck' to look up Lekha, he said. Damn sweet of him!

       

It's appalling!

It's appalling to see the wrongdoers going about trying to white wash their doings. What really surprises me is their no-holds-barred efforts to change everything so that they can come clean. Is that possible? Aren't they living in an illusion? Let's go through each of them and their activities.

 (a) Thomas Chandy.

       The minister, under a cloud for his lake resort's encroachment of a section of the Marthandam
       Kayal, today reiterated that he's still left with claiming more areas and has thrown a challenge
       to the opposition to stop him from doing so because he's in the right.

       In other words, what he's trying to do is to discredit all the records and the reports of the
       Collector as baseless. The sad part is that he showed this bravado at a reception accorded
       to the LDF's 'Jana Jagratha Yatra', led by the CPI leader, Kanam Rajendran whose party and its
       Revenue Minister are against minister Chandy's stand.

       Mr. Chandy, how long can you hoodwink the people despite evidence mounting up on you?
       Is the ministerial chair so important for you and I wonder as to how you're able to face people
       because their faces would be mirroring their disgust of you?

 (b) Dileep.

       In a major setback to the investigating police team in the actress' molestation case, a key
       witness, has turned hostile. The employee of Kavya Madhavan's online boutique, had in an
       earlier statement, said that he'd seen 'Pulsar Suni' at the store soon after the incident. Thankfully,
       the police has video taped the witness' earlier statement, if that were to be of some help.

       It should be remembered that Dileep was granted bail with the rider that he should not influence
       the witnesses.

       There's a sudden surge of songs from Dileep's pictures proliferating on the small screen, of late.
       Is it to influence and woo us, the viewers, to take a soft stance about the actor?

       Dileep, do you want us to believe that the entire episode was the handiwork of 'Pulsar Suni'?
       Are you under the impression that you'll be able to lead a normal life after manipulating out
       of the case? Don't you've a conscience?

  (c) Advocate CP Udayabhanu.

        The High Court has declined anticipatory bail to Advocate CP Udayabhanu, the 7th accused
        in the case related to the murder of real estate agent, VA Rajeev, at Chalakudy. It has also made
        a weighty observation that, it cannot give more time for the petitioner to surrender as, "Be you            ever so high, the law is always above you'.
     
        The prosecution had emphasised upon the fact that the interim order, restraining the advocate's
        arrest, has weakened the prosecution's position!

        Adv CP Udayabhanu, do you think you're left with any credibility after your shenanigans?
        Will this episode let you live in peace hereafter even if you're to manage an acquittal? 

  (d) Safir Karim, IPS Probationer.

        The 2014 batch probationer was arrested in Madras, after being caught cheating with the help of
        his wife at Hyderabad and a friend, who owns an IAS coaching institute. The idea was lifted
        from the movie, 'Munnabhai MBBS', by which Karim allegedly used a spy camera to transmit
        the question paper to his wife.

        He was appearing in the civil service examination to better his previous performance and join
        the IAS!

         Safir Karim, how will you erase the doubt that has crept into my mind that your success
         in the previous civil services examination was equally flawed?  


Tailpiece.

The grassy patch at the left corner of our courtyard has gone through a change of spread. With the coconut tree and the Labernum, there's plenty of shade and the China grass that was laid in '13 had become unmanageable with weeds sprouting all over. It has, now, been removed and country grass has been planted in place. Ramesh and Muniyappa have done a good job!

The only sadness is that my mom had seen and appreciated the China grass. Another vestige of her times has gone into history!!

      

The return.

Had got up around 4 and since there was a temporary break in sleep, I'd recited the prayers and turned off to sleep all over again. My mind was at peace in that Rema and Achu were with Lekha for the night.

We'd left for the venue by a half past 7 to monitor the arrangements at the venue, keep a track of the delegates - their arrival/departures, freshening up after fetching up at Thiruvananthapuram and ensuring that they'd their breakfast in time so that they could assemble at the Kanakakkunnu Palace, the venue. The forenoon session had begun at a quarter past 11 with a public meeting with Prof PJ Kurien on the chair.

The subject of today's daylong workshop was "Econext". It's making the coming generations, the youth, to understand the delicate nature of the ecosystem around us, the factors that are degrading the environment and the steps to protect and safeguard the system. 

Short presentations by the experts on the subject took place soon after the meeting, with me introducing each, to the audience and summing up on the completion of the presentation. Lunch was served to everyone, soon after, so that they could be seated back in time for the afternoon session that began at 1400 hrs.

As part of the IPLM(Indian Public Library Movement) initiatives, the innovators were awarded the essential accessories like laptops and software.

The session was dedicated to the initiatives on digital literacy/the use of the knowledge for practical purposes which was accepted well by the participants. The hall was jam packed and a few enthusiasts were seen standing and assimilating the inputs, until chairs were provided.

The days proceedings came to an end by a half past 4 and it was time for me to leave. Manu had dropped me at the railway station and the Guruvayur Intercity Express left Thiruvananthapuram at a half past 5.


Tailpiece.

It was a faux pas of a different kind. After paying for a magazine, I'd forgotten to pick up my copy. It was much later, when the train was about to depart, that I realised my folly. The train was on platform 4 and I'd to go on to the first platform and I'd begun running firstly, because I couldn't bear to leave my precious reading material behind and secondly, because the time available was short. Was there a  hint of a conspiracy, in that, the elevators suddenly became non operational at that point of time making me run up and down the flight of stairs for achieving the task! Phew!!   

A long day.

The day had begun at 4 and I still kept Anto waiting for more than five minutes. The queue at the station had formed up but the guy at the counter had taken care of the passengers, in the queue, quickly. Being a Sunday, the crowd was less.

I finished my prayers on the journey to Thrissur. Had to spend about two hours at the waiting room before the Kerala Express from New Delhi chugged in. Had got into a reserved compartment and got my ticket upgraded. The TTE took an extraordinarily long time to compute the additional charges, wonder why? He was apologetic though; again that baffled me but I left it at that.

Reached Thiruvananthapuram by a quarter past 2 and straight away joined the proceedings at the SP Grand Days. It was nice meeting up with the folks that had arrived from New Delhi. By the time we'd left them to themselves for the evening, tied up things for the meeting at the venue and had gone home, it was past 2230 hrs.

The plan to look up Vichani kunjamma had to be dropped and I'd to accept the feedback from Maman that she was much better. He and his family had met her over the last weekend.


Tailpiece.

It was a late night and therefore, a long day at that!

A variety of human behaviour.

The KSEB man had come this morning to take down the meter reading and give us the bill. I didn't like the way he'd irritatingly pressed the door bell. He seemed to be in a tearing hurry. He must begin to like his job and only then will he be pleasant; he doesn't realise that it will help his health too.

*                 *.                  *

Was short of Rs.87/- at the medical shop after making a purchase. I also remembered that I hadn't given Rs.10/- to the baker and it was pending for two days. Had finished my walk, fetched the money and carried out the payments and felt nice. But the reactions were interesting:-

  (a) Lekha. It can wait till tomorrow. Do you
        have to go out this late?
  (b) Gopan and Oommer. Sir, there was no
         tearing hurry. Come on sir, what do
         you think of us?
   (c) The baker. You aren't late and you
         don't have to apologise.


  

It's been six years....

Today's Leela kunjamma's sixth remembrance day but it seems that the sad incident had taken place just the other day...Looking back, I feel that it was my mom who was affected most by her sister's passing away; she simply refused to believe it.

I remember my sisters telling me that on returning home after Leela kunjamma's funeral at Paravoor, she'd lit the lamp in the puja room - as usual, in the evening - as though nothing had taken place. They have also told me that there were times whenever she used to be alone in the sitting room, she would cry with her sister's 'Sanchayanam card' in front of her. They're very, very close. Amma used to pull her sister's leg while the latter loved and respected her elder sister to the core. She used to be thrilled coming to Raj Nivas to spend time with mom and dad.

While dwelling upon their closeness, I must let you into this incident which, later on, had become a joke within the family. Kurup kochachhan being the secretary of a local library at his hometown of Paravoor had, once, gone to meet PN Panicker at his residence at Thycaud, Thiruvananthapuram. As he entered the house he saw Vichani kunjamma leaving for school and had validated what he'd heard about the Panickers' daughters being beautiful.

Not long after, his parents had come to the Panickers with the marriage proposal for their son. Everything went off smoothly and it would be best summed up in Kurup kochachhan's own words, "Rajeev, I could only have a glimpse of my would-be-wife as your mom ensured that by switching off the light at an inopportune moment." Those days, the girl and the boy, interacting before marriage was unheard of and everything that happened took place under the watchful eyes of the parents! Leela kunjamma had stood by the window of the adjacent room with its light lit. Mom had ensured that the light wasn't on for too long a time!!

Kurup kochachhan, endowed with a good sense of humour, used to later on pull my mom's leg by saying that he saw his wife - in the real sense and for the first time - on their wedding day thanks to my mom's little game! Time has dealt its blow, dementia has set in and now, he remembers events and people only on being prodded and egged on by someone. Wonder whether he remembers this day when his wife had passed into the mist of time, six years ago.

Leela kunjamma, you continue to be in our hearts and each one of us misses you.


Tailpiece.

1. Whenever the PN Panicker family used to have their gatherings, the three of them - mom, Kurup kochachhan and Leela kunjamma - used to get along like a house on fire, laughing at themselves.

2. Another one of those quiet days, when I hardly did anything.

Truth is stranger than fiction.

Today's papers carry this story.

   "The Malaysian High Commission has published in all the Malayalam newspapers an 
     advertisement with the photograph of an unidentified woman who died after falling from a
     building in Subang Jaya at Selangor."

Background.

This is another story but there could be a connection once the identity of the dead woman is established through scientific examinations including the DNA test. So, what's the story? It goes
like this:-

  (a) Omana Edadan was an ophthalmologist at Payyannur. Her husband and children live there.
  
  (b) She made headlines on 11 Jul '96, when she was arrested for killing Muraleedharan, her lover,
        by injecting poison while they're in the retiring room of the Ooty Railway Station. He - a 
        married man - was killed because she felt that he was drifting away from her. The lover was
        a Payyannur-based contractor.

  (c) She'd then chopped the body into pieces with a surgeon's precision and stuffed the pieces into
        a suitcase to throw it in a river.

  (d) However, the driver of the taxi she'd hired to go to Kodaikanal, for the purpose, grew 
        suspicious and alerted the police which resulted in her arrest. 

  (e) She manged to get bail on 21 Jan '01 before the trial could begin and nobody has heard of
       her since 29 Jan '01.

Other Related Information.

 (a) There were rumours, then, that she'd escaped to Malaysia under a fake passport.
 (b) Her children have confirmed that she'd called them just once from that country in '09.
 (c) Her husband and children confirm resemblance of Omana to the dead woman's photograph.

Nothing can be assertively said till the connected tests are carried out.

My take.

I've always wondered as to how a person can lead a normal life after snuffing out an other's life. If love is based on jealousy and possessiveness, it will hardly survive and if love is gone, the right thing would be is to walk away, the immense pain notwithstanding!


Tailpiece.

If the tests confirm that it's Omana then it would be yet another case of truth being stranger than fiction.

PS.

The police has, since, confirmed that it wasn't Omana who'd died. She's Merlin Ruby(37), a native of Valiyathura in Thiruvananthapuram.