Random Thoughts

R eading was a passion that started sometime in my childhood. Of course, in the beginning, it was limited to reading Balarama, Poombatta, Balamangalam and other children's publications in Malayalam. But they helped in fostering the habit of reading. And once I mastered the nuances of English, I took to reading English books too; whenever the oppurtunity arose. Hailing from a small village of Kerala, it was not easy to lay one's hand on English books. The school library held a magical aura as I discoverd the world beyond.... Now, as I look back, I realize that we only had a limited time with books there! It was not until we were in higher classes that we were allowed to take books home. But, having an uncle who had a good collection of books with him, helped a lot. Every time I visited him, I could read a book or two. He never allowed us to take them with us - I had always wondered why! Now, when people borrow books from me and never return them, I know why he was p...

After many years - perhaps a decade- I took time to roam around the surroundings at home and was instantly lost in the natural beauty... When others cut beautiful lawns and build boundary walls to make their homes more beautiful, we believe in giving nature a free hand. As a result, there is a lush green cover -especially after the rains - and a wide variety of plant and insect life thriving around the place. To add to it, the pond offers water and also some fish for the birds (like kingfisher or a heron)..  As I wandered along in the shrubbery, I noticed at least six or seven different varieties of butterflies, many birds, and even an owl. Supposedly owls cannot see in the morning; but this fellow could easily fly from one tree to another as I tried to get a closer look and capture its picture...he was quite fast too! I lay in wait for the kingfisher; but was disappointed as not even one of the two types showed up... As I moved around trying to click snaps of butterf...