Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Kozhikkode / Calicut

I guess I am slowly falling in love - with Kozhikkode.. Though I am yet to explore most nooks and corners of the city, what little I saw of it has an endearing quality to it - as other lovers of Kozhikkode had suggested when they heard of our move here.

My earlier rendezvous with the city dates back to the 1990s... I would pass through the city in bus en route to Kannur to my cousin's place. Mostly I just had to get down at the bus stand to board the bus to Kannur. Sometimes, I would pause to buy the famed "Kozhikkoden Halwa", which I add to the items that I carried for my cousins. Once I get settled in the other bus, I used to turn on my Walkman and enjoy the sights with my favourite music playing in my ears. I still remember the looks that the fellow travellers gave me - they either thought I was deaf or crazy... but I was not very much bothered... I loved travelling; and music made it more enjoyable.

Another time me and my sister came her to visit the teachers who taught us at school. They were transferred to Kozhikkode from my home town. We both did'nt know the area much, but the bus driver was kind enough to drop us right in front of our destination, inspite of there being no stop in front of the convent! Little acts of kindness are never forgotten!!!.That day, we had our lunch at the convent as our teachers (or rather sisters, as we called them) insisted that we eat there. They wouldn't let us go without lunch as we had reached the convent by noon.

Other memories are revolved around the outskirts of the city, where my sister and family used to stay in the mid to late 1990s. Baypore, Faroke and Chaliyam will always remain special to my heart. But they remind me of my Ettan so much that I can think of them only with a feeling of loss... an unimaginable sadness heaves through the heart then... It is impossible to think about Kozhikkode without thinking about him. And I miss him; will always miss him... So, it was with a little apprehension that I came to live here. Because I knew I would remember the old times and Ettan was an integral part of my memories of Kozhikkode. Sometimes memories are painful. But life has to go on... At times, these memories provide us the strength to go on...

So far, Kozhikkode has been good. I found the people  more friendly and helpful in nature. They don't hesitate to smile at you, even when you are a stranger to them. At the same time, they don't unnecesarily interfere in your matters... It is in here that, after a long time, I got to see people travelling by cycle & scooter in a city. On a rainy day a man cycling on with an umbrella in one hand is a common sight here... Also, I could see a fairly good no of good old scooters plying on the road. That is something that I have not seen in any of the towns of Kerala in recent times.
I am slowly discovering the place and I do hope that it will be worthwhile!  

Friday, July 8, 2011

Writing Pangs..

Well, I never thought that not writing in the blog would make me so impatient. There were many things that I had wanted to write about, but owing to the shifting and settling down at a new place, I could never digitalize them or get them on to paper... the urge to write was too much to ignore and I ended up writing a Malayalam poem for my son.

Now as I write these words, I feel strangely liberated. Feels good to be able to write in the blog. I know that not many finds my writing good. I have tried marketing my blog; but results show that it has not worked. I guess I am a better in HR than marketing. I should have known that all along... Perhaps that is why I choose to be a HR professional when I got a choice.

I do hope that this forced silence will help me to churn out better writings... It would at least provide me the motivation to keep them coming - no matter what. This I know for sure - I love writing- a lot more than I thought before. And I sincerely hope that my pen will not stop...

Of Little Trips and Great Learnings

The other day, we (some staff, volunteers and service users of Mary Seacole House, Liverpool) went on a day trip to Llangollen. This wasn&#...