Au Revoir...

And finally its here.... My mom has been transferred back to Thrissur, our native, after an eternal waiting for 15 years. The feeling of joy is inexpressible, undefinable in words.And its time to look back into the past for a quick glimpse.

The year was 1994 when she bade farewell to Thrissur, when I was in my first year of schooling and my brother still in kindergarten. Time flew by, and came the year of the dreaded Y2K virus. As per the rules of her firm, a transfer could be expected after minimum of four years at a place and we were into our seventh year at Thiruvananthapuram, where I completed my studies till 7th from Kendriya Vidyalaya Pangode. Obscure memories are what remain in my mind about that place. I gained back a few of those forgotten friends from the online friends network of Orkut.

The first transfer from TVPM was to the exotic hills of Kodaikanal, which she refused much to our dismay. The reason was the absence of a K.V there. The transfer to Mysore( or Mysooru) soon followed which she was obliged to take up and proceed with. We were "transshipped" to K.V Mysore, a school with a brief history and modest academic background compared to the giant from which I left.

It was really hard to adapt to the new circumstances ab initio. The major trouble was with communication. Though K.Vians are taught Hindi and English from primary classes, the medium of communication was often the local language among the students. As a result, we were more fluent in Malayalam than all the school's Kannadiga students combined!!

The next trouble was with food, and it really pisses you off, I swear! Though Malayali cuisine is liked universally, I could not somehow adjust with the Carnatic counterpart. It became traumatic during lunch breaks when everyone shared their tiffins. I was reluctant and this offended many!! Hey, what else could have I done??!!

The troubles ended almost as soon as they had come. I started learning Kannada and my first words ( other than swears) were " Nanige Kannada Baralla!!" (I don't know Kannada!). This single connected string helped me to hustle through the trouble of conversing with local Sabji vendors( called "tarkaariwaala") and shopkeepers who would soon switch to their version of English or Hindi, two languages that were known to almost all of them.
The Carnatic cuisine, on the other hand, turned out to be equally delicious as anything and I'm sure of missing the Bisibele-bath and Mosaranna among other delicacies.

If asked what I liked the most in the years I spent in Mysore the answer would be the beauty of this Royal City. The clutches of Urbanisation were defenceless against the expertise of the city planners in keeping the reminiscence of royal splendour exist in perfect harmony with the demands of the present. I haven't been to Paris or Kashmir, but would definitely dare to make the statement that 'here, is the heaven on earth'.

Every child's dream is a bicycle of his own. I got my "Hero Devil" as soon as we reached here. The cycle was sold later to make way for yet another hot entry in the market- The All-New Hercules Top-Gear :). Cycling through the wide roads which were once traversed by the kings themselves, exploring places and new hangouts had a special fervour of their own.

Its hard to digest the realisation of this moment to bid farewell to this city, the city which manured my childish dreams, my ambitions and my "firsts" in many matters.Hoping to return back here once again, after a brief period, alike M. Mukundan's return to Haridwar, to cherish these golden, nopes, priceless memories.
Adios Mio Splendido Paradiso......................................

Svarito Fotografia...

Since the moment I received my Sony Ericsson K550i Cybershot Mobile, I've been taking snaps of anything and everything that I felt like capturing. Nature is the theme here though this post also showcases other miscellaneous photos( svarito fotografia!)
Do post your comments about the deficiencies or proficiencies...

Exhibit 1:

The beginning of a new day...

Exhibit 2:

An evening @ Kuttimukk fields, with sunlight glimmering in the canal below..

Exhibit 3:

Sunset through the trees...

Exhibit 4:

Raindrops resisting the fall to sodden earth..

Exhibit 5:

From Nelliampathy with Love....

Exhibit 6:

Remains of a glorious past... Location: Karalam Fields, Irinjalakuda.

Exhibit 7:

Flowers on sale at a Bud nursery en route Palakkad

Exhibit 8:

Miles to go before I sleep...

Exhibit 9:

The Hills beckon you..

**********************************************

Now for some pics which caught my amusement!

Exhibit 10:

The picture is from the streets of Mysore. These hawkers are trying to sell what apparently is a Pain balm. Humongous crowd gathered but buyers were not many..

Exhibit 11:
Rays of Hope...

Exhibit 12:

The final Showdown.. Interzone '08

Exhibit 13:

Dedicated to my GEC Comrades...

Exhibit 15:

Its time to celebrate...

Exhibit 16:







Bleeding Hearts, Aching Minds...
from an Anti-Chinese Protest in Mysore..
Here I met people, people like us, flesh and blood, fighting for their rights, fighting for their homeland, fighting for what is rightfully theirs...



*******The Beginning*******

Adithyan: Man in Making

The name is Adithyan. Came onto this world on December 10, 2007. Many of you may still be remembering him from my post dated the same.
He is five months old now. But these five months have brought with them dramatic changes in the baby's appearance. He now has a face, one that bears resemblance to mother. The bright skin has given way to a slight brown tan-like color, thus ensuring him being a typical Asian! There are long strands of hair, indicating immediate attention by a barber, and from being a description-less one-in-a-million, the baby is on his path to obtain his identity, some thing that will belong to him, just him.
The deficiency shows up only in the vacancies between his upper and lower jaws- the teeth! :) Still his juvenile efforts to smile at every face brings cheers, and at the least, a return nod. Quite pleasant during the day, he turns to tormenting parents by staying awake all night, and the usual choir of changing diapers and breast feeding. My cousin sister, the victim, could be found with swollen eyes from lack of sleep, taking a quick nap when his sonny sleeps by 6 or 7 in the morning.



Take good care of your teeth. Its a difficult world without them.I had the curiosity to taste babyfood the other day. Sneaking into kitchen I took a spoonful of it and yuch!! a sugary paste with no flavor whatsoever. I pity all the babies of the world for having been forced to eat this. It would have been less of a punishment had he been born with tooth and was ready to bite into something solid and masala-fied. No wonder kids start puking and spitting it out once the process of feeding starts!
Five months are pretty enough for a kid realize his kith and kin. I had seen a documentary on Discovery( yup, I do watch channels like these!) related to the "vision development stages" in a baby. The sight of a baby clears up completely by his first birthday or so. till then he identifies his parents and close ones by the size of the shadowy figure and smell. amazing isn't it??! Adithyan or Appu, as he'll be called at his home now on, identifies fairly everyone. He is pretty clear in understanding when I'm around and doesn't wait a second in breaking the dams and crying out! A lil devil he sure is!
I guess that's what I wanted to tell ya all after this brief period of isolation from the blogosphere...
buzzing off
dd