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As children, we used to remain under water, to know how long we can remain, holding our breath; something like a competition!
I would be the first to pop up, as I cannot suffer it, even for some seconds.
The Moplas (Muslims) of Malapuram district in Malabar, can dive under the water, for as long as half an hour!
On the thirtieth of January each year, we stand up and remain silent in the offices at 11AM, the time Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead, to mark our respects for the person, who died a martyr. I would lose patience, after a few seconds, and look at the watch again and again, two minutes seeming like half an hour!
With your beloved in your arms, half an hour flies like two seconds.
At the traffic lights showing red, we feel like flying in the air, like those heroes in films.

HOLIDAY IN A REMOTE VILLAGE

Kaithapram is a well known Malayalam film music director and lyricist. His village is known as Kaithapram.

More than five hundred years ago, a group of twelve namboodiri families came down to an uninhabited area, almost encircled by a river and settled in the uninhabited,fertile valley. Then three more groups followed.

Now this village has more than two hundred families, all of the same caste and is known as Kaithapram.

Long ago, when my niece was married to a family there, we felt sorry for her. The village was too remote for us to approach, equidistant from Kannur and Payyannur stations on the Mangalore-Shoranur railway route. After leaving the station, we must travel by bus up to Plathara and then walk for an hour or so. Not a single terrace house and the only toilet, thankfully belonging to a lady who recently came there from south Malabar, was my relief. In those days, people just defecated any where outside the house!

Now I was taken aback by the changes, during the last two decades, which were a pleasant surprise. Almost all houses had concrete roof. Most of them have a car. We were picked up from Plathara by one of the twins of my niece (one is studying for engineering and one for medicine, with government scholarship) in their jeep. They had internet connection at home. Most namboodiries are computer shy. Many do not know what a blog is.

That evening they took us to the Parssinikadavu temple. It is an impressive big temple, right at the bank of the river by the same name. It is full of clean water. There are some boats, but something could be done to remove plastic bags and bottles.

The deity is Muthappan or grand- uncle. The head of an old man is worshiped here. The devotees are offered tea and dhal free of cost. Free meals are also given all the time.

Next morning I went for my walk with just a bath towel, after my bed tea. Within a few minutes, I reached the river. As the water was dirty, I reversed the direction and reached the Srikrishna temple, with good clean water in the pond in front. As there was no one around, I removed the only cloth I was wearing and plunged into the water It was my first dip in a pond, on coming to Keralam, this time.

After praying in the temple I roamed about for some time, but returned early, as I had not taken my break fast. I saw two old men reading newspaper, at Kaithapram Grameena Vayanashala (library). I too had a look at the head lines. I am a newspaper addict.

We were confined to the house, because of a hartal (bandh). In the evening, we climbed the highest hill in the locality. The top of the hill was a plateau, quite wide. I could not believe the spectacle of palatial buildings, constructed in feudal, artistic style. I was told that it was meant to be a music and dance academy , but the man found it impracticable and sold it to an engineering college.

There is a wide road along the periphery of the hill, from which we could see the surroundings.

The whole village is encircled by mountains and the river, which originates beyond Kerala border, in the Western Ghats. This explains the fertility of the soil and the abundance of water.

There is a well at the top, near a Shiva and Devi temple under construction. Water is available just ten feet below the ground. A large pond near by, also has plenty of water. This can only be explained by my theory of subterranean water channels, connecting the entire rocky crust of the earth ( Saraswaty- myth or reality? ).

At the foot of the hill, water level in the wells is fifty feet deep.

There is a rain gauge, well protected by fencing. I wonder if any one takes readings, climbing all the way up the hill.

RAILWAY LEVEL X-INGS SHOULD BE REPLACED BY SUBWAYS

Yesterday, on our way from Guruvayur to Ernakulam, via Kodungallur  by road, we were held up at the railway level crossing near Amritha Institute of Medical Sciences, Edapilly, for an exasperating one hour, because the crossing was closed, opened and closed several times. Only some vehicles are able to pass at a time. People waited patiently. Some started going by walk.

This is not an isolated instance.

A rule made when the railways which were owned by private British Companies, that the cost of any level crossing to be constructed after the rail line, must be born by the Government of the region, still holds good!

Making an overbridge or fly over takes decades. My suggestion is that we must make subways, which can be completed in record time, and the cost should be born by the Railways. Contributions from all may be accepted.

A Subway Authority of India may be constituted with the sole aim of converting all rail crossings, manned as well as unmanned, which should function uner the joint supervision of the Railway and the State Goverment.

PYTHRUKAM – A CULTURAL FESTIVAL AT CHERPU

There was a ten day festival at CNN High School Cherpu to honour artists and other gifted people.

The star attraction was Usha, a very beautiful lady belonging to our village Vallachira. She is practicing nangyarkuthu, a  form of dance with background music, both vocal and on a special drum called mizhavu. She has performed in several European countries, being a well recognized artiste, and is imparting training to several young people in her “Mizhavukalari” at her home.

I was eager to know what it is and reached the venue in time, but had to hear speeches of people, in which I was least interested. One point mentioned was that not a single painting exhibited in the hall was sold. For one thing, the public did not know about it. It seems that sculptures too were exhibited.

A few years ago, a similar function was organized to honour local artists. It was in a specially made tent which looked like a temple, in the ground in front of the Shiva temple at Peruvanam, near the present venue. It was so attractive and looked like a real temple that all people in the locality started visiting it even before the formal function.

People in a village like ours, may not buy a painting. At least, they would have enjoyed seeing it.

I waited patiently for an hour, but there was no sign of the dance.

Some artists picked at random, not necessarily local people, were given a colourful silk cloth and told to say something. One “grass root scientist”, who did not have any formal schooling, but was the author of many ingenious inventions of mechanical devices, spoke about the failure of the government to make use of these. He was allowed to attend the Kerala Science Congress, several times, but now debarred from doing so.

As there is no bus to our village after 7 PM and even auto stands are deserted, I decided to return home, disappointed.

LATITUDES AND LONGITUDES – ANSWER TO A QUERY

My friend wrote:

 On your write up on international date line and your rejointer to it, one of my friends have reacted like this:

 “Here is then a question for you to ponder. If you are standing on top of the north pole, can you tell which direction is east? ”

YES, WE CAN SAY WHICH IS EAST.

STAND AND WATCH ANY STAR, WITHOUT TURNING OR CHANGING POSITION. IT IS BEST DONE, BY FIXING A PIPE, THROUGH WHICH YOU CAN SE A STAR .

YOU WILL FIND A DIFFERENT STAR, AFTER ONE HOUR.

IN THE NORT POLE, YOU WILL BE TURNING FROM EAST TO WEST. IN THE SOUTH POLE YOU WILL TURN FROM WEST TO EAST.

 STAND AT THE CENTRAL PIVOT OF A MERRY-GO-ROUND AND WATCH THE TREES MOVING. YOU WILL SEE THE CHILD OPPOSITE YPU ALWAYS; BUT THE TREES WILL BE MOVING IN A CIRCLE.

IF YOY HAVE A WATCH, LOOK INTO THE PIPE, EVERY DAY AT THE SAME TIME. AFTER 365.25 DAYS, YOU WILL  SEE THE  SAME STAR  AGAIN

This is how the Malayalam Panchang was made, observing the position of stars every day at the same time.

Every point is due south, when viewed from the North Pole.