Nurungukal..2..contd..

    It was very heavy as I lifted the bag of a 6^th standard student. She was stooping while scurrying to the nearby school. Out of curiosity I requested her to open it and show me the contents. There were a dozen text books neatly wrapped in brown paper. Another set of note books much larger in size than what we used in our schooldays, a lunch box and water bottle made the bag bulging. With much strain she lifted it with her weak hands and adjusted to rest on her back. Now I knew why she was stooping.

     I made my memory chip to open and the display was quite different and interesting. With much less number of books, secured by a rubber band cut out of a punctured and abandoned  cycle tube, me with my neighbourhood friends ran up and down to our school freely, kicking what ever that came on our way, a pool of water, an empty coconut shell or a rotten mango, or lingering here and there to catch a dragonfly or to bring down a bunch of mangos by a sharp shoot. Our books were  wrapped in old news paper or old calender sheets. Some came with a cover showing the smiling faces of film stars. And my text books were that of my elders, never a new one  denying me to enjoy the  fragrance of a fresh print.

     She had a colourful umbrella neatly rolled up which fitted correctly into the side pocket of the bag. Mine was the one which my father was using for many years with long bend handle refusing to flung as the bamboo handle might have swollen in the middle due to absorption of moisture. To camouflage the grey colour of the old cloth we used to dip in water. The cloth too would have several patch work and looked like the coat of Mammed Kakka in the film Kandambecha coat. I used to hang it on my right shoulder folded and tied with a piece of jute twine as we covered the distance to the school in batches.

     I envy the neat and crisp uniform the children wear  now, some with a neck tie and shoes. I went on bare foot and my shorts rarely had all the buttons intact, instead we used sharp thorns of koovalam to pin.  We knew the exact time to start from home not from a clock but by  looking at the position of the sun light falling on the floor of the nadumuttam  of our nalukettu  house.

     I looked for a long time at the frail girl walking away from me briskly, swaying her hands right and left, often adjusting the bag and thought about the burden she is carrying  which I hope can ensure her a bright future.

Nurungukal..2..contd..

    This summer was unbearable. The mercury went high unusually. The water table went down. The change in the climate though predicted made all of us to think about the ways to combat it effectively. It was an anticipated phenomenon. Still we were unprepared. Global warming, el-nino etc are subjects discussed in every forum.It is my apprehension that these effects might have set in ever since we triggered a development based on fossil fuel. And now it has reached the peak stage, damaging the environment and human life irretrievably. All of us know that how many million years it might have taken to accumulate the fossils and how soon we depleted it, making an irreparable damage. Now we calmer for remedies.

       Many are in the fray to provide a soothing touch. Most of us think that planting a few saplings here and there with much fan fare would help in rejuvenating the earth. It is not the planting of trees alone that can come to our help. The most important aspect is that who will sustain them, who will nurture them, or who is concerned about their growth. Every year come June people come with plans like vanamahotsavam, thanal marangal or ormamaram etc. etc. depending on their imaginations to coin catchy glossary and also derive support from social forestry etc and plant numerous seedlings, mainly on both sides of our highways and waste lands. But if you take stock of the survival a few years later a dismal picture will emerge.

       There is no dearth of trees in Kerala. When compared to other states we are blessed with a better greenery and eco systems. There may be short falls here and there. But over all the situation is not so alarming, if we can arrest the plunder in future. For that I believe that corrective steps should be initiated in the cities and towns where the pollution is at its peak. Our cities and towns have attained the present status by demolishing fragile eco systems. Take the case of Olavanna village near Kozhikode. It was once a serene and salubrious place to live. The undulating terrain, ravines, paddy fields,wet lands and stretches of coconut groves, a perfect blend of nature and aboard of many species of flora fauna and animals birds etc. It was the scenario in the fifties and sixties. Now look at it as you pass through any one of the by pass highways. The contrast will  make a shudder in any nature lover’s mind. Need no explanation. Here also the real villain is the so called development based on petroleum products.

      Now our young Agriculture Minister has vociferously declared that he will not allow not an inch of paddy field or wet land to be reclaimed here after. A declaration we all look forward to be implemented in its true spirit. At first let me tell you that paddy eco system is not one created by nature. It is one evolved as a result of man’s intervention on mainly marshy lands for meeting his food security. And now only very few small or medium farmers hold paddy fields. With the existing facilities provided by the Sarcar a farmer derives only a meagre income, often resulting in loss, and due to the vagaries of nature.  Law does not permit him to grow any other crop. So he will be always looking out for a better income. Very often such a quest will result in the sale of his beloved land to a land mafia. The mafia is an expert in manipulations and disposes the land by virtue of the loopholes in the law.

         What the government should now think of doing to avoid the distress sale of paddy fields is to ensure a better price to paddy and also to provide irrigation systems besides other incentives so that a farmer can take more than three crops in a year. The huge funds available with the Government on account of carbon trading or carbon credit can be channelled to create a corpus fund exclusively for helping those farmers who conserve an eco system, be it be paddy field or a sacred grove or any other nature friendly biodiversity preservation work.

        Be frugal .avoid plastic,paper cups,napkins at functions. Try to retain our traditional systems. O.K let us work together.

Nurungukal…2…contd…

       I have been lucky to be part of many a  work shops or seminars on various subjects, mainly related with conservation and biodiversity. Now at this age of 75 years, when I look back and evaluate the end product of such gatherings, a sort of dismay creeps in. Because many, the majority of them, were conducted for the sake of spending a fund. There was no sincere effort to follow up. You can notice that in our society the months of February and March are always busy for people like me with such programmes. Because before the end of the financial year the organisers have to utilise the funds. I have struggled to comply with the schedule, many a time.

       Professionalism in managing the proceedings of such events is a matter to reckon with. Some institutions,for example , M.S. SWAMINATHAN FOUNDATION, have a retinue of manpower, who knows the pulse of the faculties and audience as well. More over the infrastructural facilities with them are most modern and flawless. The home work such institutions do are meticulous. Even in such arrangements I have come across instances when the power point system failed and the speaker grappling in the dark. Most of them now depend on such gadgets to ensure the flow of their presentation and any failure in the system will force them to draw a blank. Some used to manage the situation with ingenuity, but many struggle to put up with the it. I was also once or twice the victim of such embarrassing situations and that too before an elite audience of scientists and scholars at a workshop organised by CFTRI Mysore.

    The scenario is entirely different when it comes to a village level programme. I had the opportunity to conduct many in my capacity as the president of a milk co-op society. Here we have to observe some strict schedule of protocol. The printing of invitation letter itself is a difficult process, because if we by chance make a mistake in positioning the name of a dignitary, it can attract his wrath,which some time may even be by boycoting the function not only by him but also by his political followers. The omission of a personality may lead to even more dangerous situations. The most difficult task is to get an impressive gathering and to make them patiently sit till the very last event. The ring tone of the mobile phones very often interrupts and above all one or two will be always on the move to the sides of the hall  to attend to their calls, distracting the speaker. The functions usually as a matter of routine take off at least one hour late from the scheduled time. So now the organisers have started requesting the dignitaries to report only after a call.

    The last minute cancellation of the invitees to attend the function always put in a difficult predicament, especially when it is the person to preside over the function or the one to inaugurate it. After noon sessions used to be always very drab as many of the participants, especially the elders like me will prefer to enjoy their routine siesta unintentionally. Usually the kids from the nearby schools used to oblige us with welcome prayer. But on most occasion it has become convenient to satisfy with a silent prayer, leaving it to the choice of the audience to make mental recitation.

      Now when I sit back and take a mental stock of the results of such elaborate exercises in the process of knowledge imparting and efforts to induce a change in evolving policies and above all the impacts on our practises, it draws a pathetic picture. How many hours  and how much public funds we have spent on matters such as conservation of biodiversity, waste management,discarding of plastic etc. Still the issues stare at us often unresolved,questioning our sincerity of purpose and commitments to the society at large.

Nurungukal..2..contd..

     For the last two months it was election festival for keralites. I do not know whether Kerala Tourism dept. ventured to attract tourists like last time to enjoy the mela. This time there was not much processions and rallies in Wayanad, organised by the political parties to show their might. Instead they preferred to make house campaigns. Only the main contestants viz UDF,LDF and NDA  were in the arena as far as canvasing was concerned. Although it started in a subdued tone, as days advanced the intensity increased reaching a high crescendo in the last lap.

       The social media also played an important roll depending on the choice of the user. This of course made the posts either jovial or informative. The roll of such reactions in influencing the electorate will remain as a case for research to the political Pundits.

       It gave an opportunity to the common man to witness the big guns in action, pleading and even performing snap shots of mimicry. Candidates made marathon visits in their constituency with folded hands. No wedding function remained unattended and during the last few days they never failed to make condolence visits. And the public took every such reaction in good spirit and hope.

        No wall paintings, thanks to Sheshanji. But the blaring of slogans and parodies virtually did more damage to our organs. The positive change this time was the distribution of some serious manifestos explaining their vision and future plans. But it remains to be seen how many will be complied with once they come to power.

     I hope that when the event is over each one will take care to remove the posters and hoardings, instead of abandoning them to be decayed and polluting the nature.

         The most important change which I experienced was that none came to collect funds for their election expenditure. I wonder what the reason is?!. Anyway it is a positive sign. Thanks for their self sufficiency.

        Tomorrow is the D day. Let us hope that the enlightened electorate of Kerala will choose the most eligible without fear or ferver…contd

Nurungukal..2..contd…

      Mithuna our grand daughter is just seven years old now. She is sprightly and have all the prangs of her age. As time changes  children also adapt to noval acivities atune to the changing lifestyle. For instance in our time we were satisfied with what was provided by he parents. Our toys were made out of things available locally, say a ball or bird made out of a coconut leaf or at the best a rubber ball purchased at a festival market. And all this depend on the time elders can spare or the availability of funds. But now things have changed. If we fail to satisfy  their demand, which sprout according to their moods you are in a danger zone staking the peace of your home.

        Mithuna, if she do not hve any one of her age group to play with the choice falls on my wife, who at her age 70 has to play the roll of a student often, or that of a patient or of any oyher character. The teacher student scene is enacted in perfect harmony with what happens in a her class room. With a cane in her hand and a black board on the dining room wall,she makes my wife  to learn what ever she has been made to in the school, starting from the morning greeting, in exact sequence. At time she appears to be very angry when my wife’s attentions wanders to the food on the stove. The enactment is meticulouse in details to that of a very temporamental teacher. I always used to wonder whether she is imitating her class teacher in true sense and how much anger the teacher might have transmitted to the the tiny tots.

         She can perfectly show you the Baratha natyam mudras in the correct order while reciting the relevant sanskrit sloka. Similarly  she has learned many tamil film songs ,many of them having tongue twisting lyrics and can also perform some items in the gyrations the heroines make.

        During this vecation she learned cycling within a few hours herself. I have seen my daughter persivering for hours to teach cycling of other children a few years ago. I think human capacity to adept a setuation increases as generations progress. My children were faster than me in learnig cycling ,swimming etc.

         When they are at home my computer and mobile phone  are at their disposal. Infact I have learned many of the applications of these gadjets from them.

       Now they have returned leaving us once again to our solitudes, devoid of laughter. With many of their demands remain unfulfilled we bid good bye looking yonder for the next holidays.

Nurungukal..2..contd…

      Mithuna our grand daughter is just seven years old now. She is sprightly and have all the prangs of her age. As time changes  children also adapt to novel activities attune to the changing lifestyle. For instance in our time we were satisfied with what was provided by he parents. Our toys were made out of things available locally, say a ball or bird made out of a coconut leaf or at the best a rubber ball purchased at a festival market. And all this depend on the time elders can spare or the availability of funds. But now things have changed. If we fail to satisfy  their demand, which sprout according to their moods you are in a danger zone staking the peace of your home.

        Mithuna, if she do not have any one of her age group to play with the choice falls on my wife, who at her age 70 has to play the roll of a student often, or that of a patient or of any other character. The teacher student scene is enacted in perfect harmony with what happens in a her class room. With a cane in her hand and a black board on the dining room wall,she makes my wife  to learn what ever she has been made to in the school, starting from the morning greeting, in exact sequence. At time she appears to be very angry when my wife’s attentions wanders to the food on the stove. The enactment is meticulous in details to that of a very temperamental teacher. I always used to wonder whether she is imitating her class teacher in true sense and how much anger the teacher might have transmitted to the the tiny tots.

         She can perfectly show you the Baratha natyam mudras in the correct order while reciting the relevant sanskrit sloka. Similarly  she has learnt many Tamil film songs ,many of them having tongue twisting lyrics and can also perform some items in the gyrations the heroines make.

        During this vacation she learnt cycling within a few hours herself. I have seen my daughter persevering for hours to teach cycling of other children a few years ago. I think human capacity to adept a situation increases as generations progress. My children were faster than me in learning cycling ,swimming etc.

         When they are at home my computer and mobile phone  are at their disposal. In fact I have learnt many of the applications of these gadgets from them.

       Now they have returned leaving us once again to our solitudes, devoid of laughter. With many of their demands remain unfulfilled we bid good bye looking yonder for the next holidays.

Nurungukal…2…contd…

     Many of us are very inquisitive about the proceedings of a marriage function. I have heard many a time people critically commenting on the correctness of the sequence of events. Sometime on the positioning of the bride before the nuptial knot, Whether she should be on the right side  till the nuptial knot is made  or the correct custom is to keep her on the left side of the groom from the very start. Or there was a lapse in the way the father of the bride offering  her to the groom. All this happens because there is no pattern set by an institution, as in the matter of other communities and no authorised person to conduct the ceremony. In our case , I have seen on many occasions the couple succumbing to the instructions of the camera man. At one instance even the nuptial knot had to be retied  on the demand of the camera man as he failed to get a good shot at the first try. On another, he even ventured to arrange the frill and pleat of the saree of the bride at places, which normally a lady is allowed to manage.  In another case the couple was asked to re-do one or two steps again and again just for the convenience of the photographer.

         Now a new breed known as event managers have appeared. They own the last word in what ever happens during the function. The magnitude of their roll and events depend on the bulge of the purse of the parents. From a to z every thing will be taken care of by them, even a marriage function at a distant destination.

          The other day we were received and ushered in by two beautiful girls whom I have not seen in any of our family circle. With folded hands and Namaste they flowed in style before us  like a pair of air hostess. Many such girls were positioned at all the strategic places, even on the stage  and they were the best attractions  than the best attired guests.

      One by one the camera crew with back packs and long baggage entered and encroached the space below the stage. There were about twelve of them standing in a row on the stage like a wall, obviously showing their posterior to the audience and some of them were holding huge umbrellas  obstructing what ever little gaps through which the crowd strained their necks to witness the proceedings. The concerted efforts of a host to  crack the wall were in vain  and we were satisfied with a grand view of the changing positions of the “buttock wall”.

            Helplessly I derived  solace in remembering my roll as a boy in sprinkling the rose water on the bride groom party and distributing lemons to the guests during the wedding  function of my sister a few decades ago.