Diaries of a vacation - part 2

Diaries of a vacation - part 2

Rain gods have a special relationship with Kerala. They start their journey from this southern tip, and slowly move across the country bestowing their blessings. And the months of June, July and August find them at their capricious best. Low lying dark clouds hover perilously close to the damp earth, almost touching or kissing them; threatening to burst into tears (which they sometimes do with ferocious intent) or sometimes move away allowing streaks of Sunlight bathe its verdant skin with a warm, humid glow. They are as unpredictable as young lovers, reveling in inconsistency. It is not for nothing that this piece of land is called “Gods own country”. Surrounded by waters, enriched by luxuriant vegetation, relatively secure habitat, isolated communities formed, sustained and nourished on values and way of life that is radically different from mainstream – Kerala has always resisted distinct categorization. There is a fierce pride in its people one wouldn’t find in many other parts. Well groomed, relatively well educated, deeply conscious of their rich, heavy (some would call it smothering) heritage – one could almost term them as arrogant; but that would be a mistake. It is more a cultural trait than anything else. In fact, deep down they are a little shy of opening up. Like young cubs that loves to cuddle in the warmth of its mother’s belly and finds it a little discomforting to step outside its Rubicon; It takes time to draw them put. But things are changing. Proliferation of malls, prodigious influx of wealth, and expansion and spread of families to wider parts of the globe - is definitely bringing in cataclysmic changes. I was in an upscale gym yesterday evening, and got to see and hear vibrant, well-spoken group of people (men and Women) from different walks of life aspiring to live life by standards that would not have been common many years ago. There was a cosmopolitan quality to their conversation. Jim Morrison’s “The doors” was playing in the background. An odd album in a health club, but I guess , In a way, it symbolizes a severing of umbilical cord that was anyway imminent in near future, or probably it has happened already.

Since couple of years now, my mother has resumed attending religious classes on Upanishads, Gita and other Vedantic texts at the Chinmaya mission here. She is close to 73 now, and as far as I can remember, she has always had this tremendous discipline and interest to learn. It is extraordinary the kind of passion she brings to this enterprise: promptly waking up at 5.30 or 5.45, meticulously getting her books ready in preparation for class, timing her morning chores to perfection, promptly calling her driver to make sure he is on time and she is ready to reach well in advance for her class, bubbling with energy and infectious enthusiasm, greeting everyone in the mission with positivity and cheer, walking up to her chair with a reverence and commitment that would put many a youngster to shame. It is a sight to behold. For me, I can only contrast this abundant energy in her to the drab and dull faces that I get to see on many young “professionals” in many of my classes. Most of them have aged at 25 or 30; their mental edges blunted, and the flame of curiosity and intellectual appetite have almost died down. Our previous generation are definitely made of different mettle than us. What was even more amazing than this was the copious notes she has made of all lectures she attends. It runs into several notebooks I was dumbstruck!! When I held those notes in my hand. Pages after pages of cleanly written transcripts of her Guru’s utterances in English, Tamil and Malayalam, interspersed with her own interpretation, commentary and cross references. She tells me very innocently “I learn when I write down my thoughts...” What a beautiful idea? In early Christian and Hindu monasteries, priests and initiates were encouraged to read, write and copy ancient texts. The motive being: as one puts pen to paper, the mind has to necessarily focus; and in that process the alchemy of learning happens. In a way, this was one of the things that she really wanted to engage in; and I glad that she has found the right circumstances and conditions to do it. When I met Swamiji yesterday, he told me with a lot of pride and happiness in his face “Your mother is very dynamic. When she approached me two years ago, I was skeptical. How would she able to cope up, or climb two floors, sit at one place for two to three hours. But she has proved all of us wrong. She is the best student in this class...” There was nothing much for me say. I merely kept quiet with my heart brimming with joy and immense gratitude to life.

I am seeing my niece after quite some time. It is again incredible how a Human child matures so quickly after a certain threshold. She is now one year into college studying to be an architect in one of the finest educational institutions in India, away from home. And what a change! She was always a quiet girl, but now her quietness is accentuated by a maturity that comes with realizing responsibilities. That is the best moment of one’s life. When independence is tapered with discipline. I think she is in that phase right now. And I can see nothing but growth and increasing depth in her in times to come.

I am gorging on food... Nothing, I mean nothing can even come remotely close to home cooked food. Probably the warmth and love that goes into its preparation makes all the difference; there is a sense of deep satisfaction that cannot be matched in the best of Hotels. For someone like me, who live, thrive and sustain on food made in restaurants, this is as close as bliss that one can hope to realize. Kerala, as many of you may know, has its own cuisine - very traditional and in many ways only found here. Puttu, Kadalai and sweetened banana - a wonderful breakfast made out rice flour with red chick peas gravy as an accompaniment, followed by steamed banana in jaggery – is authentic Keralite fare (my breakfast today morning). It’s heavy, and as I write this post, I can feel the brain numbed by the fullness of its intake.

Contrary to all that I promised myself before I embarked on this trip, I am going to spend a couple of hours working now. Not the greatest of ideas, and Mom wasn’t too pleased, but got to be done.

Alight then…

Will continue later..

God bless…

Yours in mortality,

Bala