Freedom

 A piece I wrote for English class. :)

Freedom, the word has several dimensions; it means different things to different people. It is a word that one would naturally associate with the freedom struggle, revolutions, movements, rights, speaking up and what not. But freedom, to me, just a simple student of standard 12 is not much a big fuss. For me, freedom is basically doing what I want without being questioned, without being judged, without being dismissed. As every teenager of my age would say, for me it’s about having my own space and liberty. Nevertheless Ruskin Bond’s idea of freedom got me thinking about whether freedom is really something that one needs to insist upon. Personally speaking, I've never had to ask for freedom. Having a chilled out dad helps sometimes. I have, and I consider myself lucky for it, always been given what I want/need without having to ask or insist on it. I have always considered freedom as a thing that changes according to situations. You have to work and wait sometimes and you have to demand sometimes. It’s quite a transient thing. Of course handling it responsibly by being sensitive to other’s feelings is involved no doubt. My idea of freedom revolves around simple aspects of my life that affect me and my moods like having my own room, dressing the way I want, socializing with my choice of people, not having too many rules about going out of the house once in a while, choosing my own career path. Freedom is what lets you define your existence, let’s you take charge of your life’s direction, it sometimes just comes your way or sometimes make you pursue and work for it. I basically want to control my life and want my life to reflect who I am and not be a product of anybody else’s judgement and desires. It’s my life and I want to live it my way.

         

When I first read Ruskin Bond’s thought on freedom being something that one has to often insist upon, it got me thinking. First of all what can I categorize as freedom in my life of 17 years? It’s quite weird you know when you spend nearly 5 years of your life demanding rights of various kinds and now you’re confused about whether to bring those under the spectrum of freedom! After giving it a four hour thought, I came to understand that freedom involves simple things like having the right to argue with your parents when they lay down rules without giving you a proper reason, standing up for your choice of friends when certain people find them ‘lame’, making your choices and living your life the way you want so that it exudes your vibrancy and not the aspirations and expectations of everyone around you. Having my private space is one important part of my idea of freedom. My sense of freedom is having the liberty to make my own choices and not a slave to anyone else’s opinions. Most of the time I have had to demand, as being a girl normal expectations are that a girl must be soft spoken, well behaved and what not. But I like to let my hair down sometimes and have fun. And freedom comes with a whole lot of responsibility. We must be sensitive to others, see if this sort of liberty is worth it in the long run, we have to practically ponder over it like adults, which is the sad part. Freedom though is not something that you always insist on, sometimes one has to persevere and be patient to get rights sometimes or sometimes it may involve both as is the case of our freedom struggle. To sum up, I want to be the one who holds the reins of my existence; I want my life to reflect who I am and what I stand for. I want to be the driver of the chariot of my life. 

Revisiting my Roots: A Trip to Kerala

         Chennai was getting hotter and hotter, baths were becoming increasingly useless. I was waiting for the trip to Kerala, hoping that the cool breeze from the backwater sides and the sky reaching coconut trees will offer some reprieve. The usual excitement was missing, it was just desperation, to get out of this oven called Madras for a while, from the monotony of daily life and see some different places and faces. And Kerala did not disappoint.
         On Sunday morning, my mom and I sat in the train to Coimbatore, flagging off a long long journey train and then by road in 3 buses to our destination- Manjeri, a town near Calicut. The whole journey takes about 10 hours, that's practically a day, given all the stops and breaks for food. It was such a transition, from the barren lands and short, well trimmed and organized fields of Tamil Nadu, to the lush greenery, uneven terrain, bumpy roads and the tempting fish curry smell from the houses of Ende Keralam! Aaah, the good days had set in. My brother met us up at Coimbatore with a new phone ( ^_^  wohooooo ) and from there, with a good start to the holiday, we set off to our tharavad :). Reaching there at around 8.45-9pm we were exhausted! There was absolutely no strength left to carry our bags or do anything. But yes, our stomachs didn't share our exhaustion and were all waiting for refills. Disappointment wasn't written for us, as shawarmas made their way into our hands, after which we had quite a deliciously simple dinner, complete with the puffy pappadam. Kerala and its essences were here to stay.
        The next day was the family Puja, an annual puja where representatives of all branches of the family tree congregate and pray for all our welfare. This year was no different. Loads of people, so many relatives to catch up with., so many kids, yummy food, it was a mini celebration. So many stories to shared,  so many laughs, many more silent tears, each moment had its own specialty, its own beauty and depth. The best part of the puja was yummy chicken gravy and kadai chicken as prasadam. The men got toddy too! Bhagavathy as your family god comes with its perks, especially in kerala ;)
        Our next stop was Guruvayur and an appointment with the little naughty Krishna there. It was a good road trip with cousins, their two extremely naughty kids and a good good car. Good darshan and good food marked the day. But probably the best part of our trip was in Kannur, when we visited the ancient Shiva temple at Taliparamba and the bhagavathy ksethram at Madayikaavu. Two amazingly beautiful and scenic places, so typical of the state in which they are located. Oh and how can one forget to mention the beautiful Kannur seaside where one can see the backwaters and the sea merge, with waves gentle falling against the rocky shore. Beautiful isn't strong enough a word to describe that sight.
However breathtaking these places and scenes were, it got tiring, with all the sitting and bad necks and backs. In a way it was a huge relief to see "Chennai Central" first thing when I woke up in the train this morning, because it meant my bed, my home, back to that routine once considered mundane. It is a relief nevertheless from all the work, to be able to sit around lazy doing nothing.
          Through this entire journey, and through the various people I met and heard about, I realized that we all think we have problems that are the biggest and trickiest in the planet.We often want to give up in the face of adversity. But I saw people living with troubled circumstances but one wouldn't be able to tell looking at them. Their bravery, their strength despite such neglect and loneliness in their lives is really intriguing. How they face their worries and still manage to keep a cool face is something all of us in the city must learn. It's a trait one truly imbibes from the countryside. In an age where we have numerous media to rant about our life, this silent resilience stands as a striking yet very amazing contradiction. The second thing that stood out was that, in Manjeri and for that matter everywhere, peoples lives were no secrets. Everyone knew everyone else, their stories, their gains and pains. There was so much interconnection and interdependence. Simplicity was the dominant trait everywhere. Such simple lives but such complicated stories these people have. It was something that truly caught me surprised.
We see and go through so many things, we get caught up in our own lives and problems. Often we forget to see the brighter side and never really try to make ourselves and our lives different. But I guess a few days in this beautiful and simple state will change your perception of things, bringing in a serenity and loads of wisdom.
I guess it isn't called God's own country for nothing.

Vishwaroopam, the madness and sadness

 The vishwaroopam mess has been taking centre stage for quite a lot of time now. A lot's been said, a lot's been done. People are aghast, the court is making us all lose faith in justice, our amazing chief minister is ruining any reputation that she had. We as students and fans of ulaganayagan wanted to just do something about this and so we started this little signature campaign to gather some support so that we can take it to the govt, (now considering I'm an adult and a soon-to-be voter i thought of taking it up) here at change.org ( http://www.change.org/en-IN/petitions/government-of-tamil-nadu-and-india-lift-the-ban-on-vishwaroopam-allow-free-expression-for-artists?utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition#supporters) but to no avail. a lot of people hesitate, or have no time.
its sad. everyone has time to go about posting statuses but not to help out in some way. Politically too, nothing's being done.

I don't know if there are appropriate words to describe this nonsense that's happening in our state. This is just getting annoying now.  Kamal Hassan is just another actor (a great one no doubt) who wants to show the world what he has created. how can someone stop him from doing that? I feel sad when he says he will leave this country to find another one that is secular,happy now jayalalitha? mahatma gandhi died with a sadness in his heart that the partition had divided what he has fought for his whole life, what would he say if he were to see this? vote politics has hit its cheapest bottom. The govt has so enthusiastically banned the movie, why cant our CM give a press statement about the same? Funny that it was this very woman's channel that carried the audio launch and over the top promotions. Everyone who saw vishwaroopam said that it has nothing that hurts any muslim. whichever muslim man started this has got to know that had they just let the movie be, people would have seen it as just another movie. if u guys are gonna keep perceiving tht every hindu is out to kick ur butt and then go around protesting for it, thats when people turn against u and ur rigid mentality. please see sense here. if not for anything, the poor man has invested his life in this movie. But i don't want to ask for pity coz he deserves a lot more. I'm ashamed of this government. JAYALALITHA, disgusted, just disgusted. She is an actor herself, she should understand the pains of this happening, yet she is sponsoring this restriction. I really wish the central government comes out and takes a stand. We aren't a centralized federation for nothing.

 What's the point of calling ourselves a democracy when we don't live upto that tag? what's the point of calling us free if an artist doesnt have the liberty to showcase his masterpiece? I heard countries like UAE are screening Vishwaroopam, what is TN's problem? Why does every movie have to be a political fulcrum? Why cant they just let him be? 

I was brushing through my news feed earlier today evening and i saw this status from a person my age who happens to be a part of the Islamic community, which said-

Create controversies and your film becomes a hit.
Indeed, an amazing way to seek public attention. 

How much sadder can this shit get? A man of Kamal Hassan's stature does not need to do anything to get attention. He is a brand by himself and i dont think gimmicks like this which are hitting his stomach are of any use to him. His house is apparently on mortgage, his life time's savings have gone into this film. Attention??! I dont think that even matters. The film industry is coming out now and showing support. It's a good gesture no doubt. But isn't it a little late? Did they turn up coz they knew they might be in the same place one day?

Islam is a beautiful religion.Islamists who think movie portrayals will show them in bad light as so wrong, coz they are doing it amazingly well themselves. If they want to be safeguarded from all the shit they claim they face, they must ignore and focus on things that can actually make differences in their lives. This is just a case of making a mountain of a molehill.

The fact that Kamal Hassan came down to agreeing to cut some footage is a clear indication that the battle is lost. Why should a movie be censored? Why? It was cleared by the censor board. If that decision is going to ignored. what's the point of the board (which has a muslim member). Tamil Nadu govt has just let down the state in front of everyone else with this move that can be called nothing short of idiotic. Kerala also has muslims, very very conservative muslims. Trust me, I'm from there. They faced protests too. But the Chandy govt made it clear that they would post their cadres outside theatres to take care of law and order and ensure that the movie ran. That's what a good move. If law and order was the problem, then pacify the mobs, don't silence the artists.
For the first time in the 18 years of my life i'v lived in this state, im ashamed to be a part of it. I wasn't ashamed when A.Raja blackmarked our state, when karunanidhi played his dirty politics, maran was pulled up. I dont care about the stupid politics of this country. But this is outrageous. I am no Kamal Fan but I dont stand for such curbing of expression. It's sad that Kamal is having to fight this battle alone. Support from the rest of the country is a far goal coz he's alone in his state too.  

we have had movies about Hindu terror too!! eg: hey raam. movies abt gandhi's assasination, books abt it, articles, describe godse as a hindu extremist and a terrorist. No one protested. Its sad that none of us are judging ppl here by religion but others all just choose to make the religious lines darker. Its sad that to appease the unfounded hurt of a community that also on the basis of some rumours stirred up by ppl who i bet didnt watch the film, others are having to put theirs down too to show that it doesnt matter if others respect ur faith.. faith is personal u respect it good. wen others dont attack it, dont perceive any on ur own. its just sad !! every religion has been portrayed in bad light somewer someday. if we go on attacking we wont have anything called art!!! its a viewpoint a perspective.. u dont like it ur free to ignore it. u have no rights to censor it, not when it has proved to be harmless. the riots the fights, the protests didnt happen because of people who SAW the film and felt offended (those guys came out feeling proud abt the movie) the bomb throwing, riotting is all being done by people who havent seen the film and are going by rumours to satisfy their assumptions. this is sad!! 
 if u dont want people to look at your community as terrorists, stop indulging in these little acts of terror (blocking a film tht actually doesnt say anything bad abt ur community) ur concerns are fine. but the film wont make us angry or look down upon islam, such comments from its members will. u want to have respect then just ignore the bad. u know its not true and its just some of you right then forget it. do good things and earn a name. dont hit someone else's stomach for the sake of proving ur righteousness! its a sin! if u want equality, voice that out, change those mindsets not the ones of an artist jus coz he can succumb to ur whims and fansies!

My support is with Ulaganayagan. I want him to win this battle. But honestly i dont mind if he leaves India, coz he will go to a better place, where he will be free to show his movies and enthrall his audiences without having to worry about pleasing every other person on the face of the earth.
Sad times for cinema, sadder times for India

Until Death Brings us Together

The clouds came dense and dark
waves crashed heavily on the shore
the day's run was cancelled for the second day
and they were locked in the stables once more

everyday they yearned to go out in the sun
and once in a while cross each there's way
in between their numerous savages, they cud have
together spent the day.

The torrential rains poured day and night
keeping these two hearts out of each there's sight
little were they to know that their wait wed go to waste
now that one of them were to be sold off in haste

they didn't even get to bid farewell
they lay separated realizing this is what was hell
food, sleep was all o no avail
without each other, their lives grew pale

soon upon them came a great curse
the war had begun and there was only blood everywhere in sight
then the came the news to make things worse
that all horses, trained or not, would have to come to fight

the two mates, each miles apart
were broken, completely distraught
they knew they were on opposing sides
fight again the other they just could not

with each passing day, the battle drew near
the two were trembling, filled wit fear
eager through they were to meet after ages
they knew their fates rest in the hands of the other savages

finally they went to war
their masters spotting each other from far
they charged at each other with all their force
but the horses, they couldn't bear it, brimming with remorse

valiantly they tried to serve their kings
but fr duty to each other, their hearts did, many times, swing
their ends were drawing near
shot at, they fell down, in each others eyes, a solitary tear.

What fate it was!
 live together they couldn't, hence united in death
their throbbing hearts, were now together after being apart, a mile
their eyes shut, life departed, but upon their lips lay their last smile...

The Little Crab

waves hit the shore, one by one
the sand, piping hot due to the blazing sun
for miles and miles there wasn't a single soul in sight
the little crab lay in its hole, alone, waiting for the night

he had no friend, he had no foe
he had no home, no where to go
he knew no faith, no god, no myth
in troubled waters, no one to be with

the other crabs didn't care a bit
about the little crab's plight
a lonely little crustacean, in his hole he would sit
with no companion to share his fright

he had to learn to wade the waves
he had to learn to hide
he had no choice but to live alone
and bear the jeers and chides

all alone, beaten and hurt
the little crab felt like dirt
with not a soul lending out a hand
to save him from drowning into, of worries, the sand

i guess that's life, the little one thought
alone we go as alone we come
maybe every battle is best, alone, fought
no need to be a burden for anyone

and so the tiny crab walked along the shore
looking into the sunset eyes full of tears
sending out a silent prayer to anyone who would care
to come deliver him from his sufferings and fears

Words Left Unsaid...

By the time you swear you're his
Shivering and sighing,
And he vows his passion is
Infinite, undying -
Lady, make a note of this:
One of you is lying.

—Dorothy Parker

In the middle of the city, hand in hand we walked

About everything under the sun, we vividly talked

But somewhere inbetween your eyes caught me off guard

Your gaze went deep within me opening that side of me from which everyone else was barred.

Slowly within me something began to churn

To be with you every moment, my little heart began to yearn

Every single heartbeat began to chant your name

All this thanks to your eyes playing games

Your voice suddenly sounded sweet

Your gaze seemed to warm me up

Your every touch hiked my heart beat

Your presence seemed to have me, in joy, enveloped.

Your eyes are the glasses through which, this world, I see

Your arms are the bed where every night I want to be

Your lips are medicines that straighten my every frown

Your voice is that elixir that gives me life, when I am down.

A day out together we had

A day to forget the past, everything bitter and bad

A day to cherish you and me, a day to cherish us

A day to cut loose and not make a fuss

 

A day to seal our love

A day to thank the one above

For giving me my angel, my life’s goal

For giving my existence some life, for giving me a soul.

Though we’ve been together half a year

Off late to my heart, you are going more and more near

I have started falling for you like crazy

When you’re around, nothing else matters only you stand it among everything else hazy.

I don’t really care if we don’t make it to life’s finish line

All I know is that you were and will always be mine

Together forever, never apart

Maybe in distance, but never at heart.

Pooram Vannalo! :)

                                   

May 1^st saw a beautiful congregation of people at the Vadakkunnathan temple in Thrissur, Kerala. Why, you ask? For the Thrissur pooram of course. Kerala’s most spectacular elephant and fireworks festival, the Thrissur Pooram enchanted thousands who experienced the best of temple art and culture including colorful pageants and ensemble of percussion drums, pipes and cymbals. Residents of Thrissur take to streets on this day, Pooram Nakshatra day in the month of medam to witness the most enrapturing display of decorated elephants with their nettipattam (decorative golden headdress), beautifuliy crafted kolam, decorative bells and ornaments etc. Add to this is the panchavadyam, the rhythmic beating of the drum, and what would be a cacophony otherwise is turned into an organized but spontaneous symphony. For all those who thought Kerala was only about backwaters, coconut oil, mallu accent and fish, well this is the splendour of god’s own country for you.

While watching the pooram yesterday, I was thoroughly mesmerized by the way the tuskers were made to assemble there, their majestic stride and the even more royal panchavadyam. But then, it was odd for me because I didn’t know why this was even happening. That led me to research about the very beginnings of this pooram. Take a read. Many Hindu rituals and festivals date back centuries the Thrissur pooram is only about 200 or more years old. It was orchestrated by the then ruler of Cochin, Sakthan Thampuran or Raja Rama Varma, in 1798. Sakthan Thampuran, so known for his firm and decisive administration, decided to break tradition and create a venue for the temples belonging to his region to celebrate their pooram festival. Before the advent of Thrissur Pooram, the largest temple festival during summer in Thrissur thaluk was the one-day festival held at Arattupuzha, 12 km south of the city. Temples in and around Thrissur were regular participants of this religious exercise until they were denied entry by the chief of Peruvanam Gramam. The delay caused by the temples from Thrissur and Kuttanellur, was one of the reasons for denial. This caused the Thrissur Naduvazhi, the chief poojari of Vadakkunnathan, known as Yogadiripad and the Kuttanellur Naduvazhi started the pooram in Thrissur. This pooram started as an act of reprisal quickly lost its charm, after infighting between the two main Naduvazhis. It required the intervention of the ruler to get this right. Sakthan Thampuran unified the 10 temples situated around Vadakkunnathan temple and organized the celebration of Thrissur Pooram as a mass festival. Sakthan Thampuran ordained these temples into two groups, Western group and Eastern group. The Western group as Thiruvambady consisting of Kanimangalam, Laloor, Ayyanthole, Nethilakkavu and the Thiruvambady temple, as the main one. The Eastern group called as Paramekkavu, consisting in addition to Paramekkavu temple, Karamukku, Chembukavu, Choorakottukavu and Panamukkamppilly. The pooram was to be centered around the Vadakkunnathan temple, with all these temples sending their poorams (the whole procession), to pay obeisance to the Shiva, the presiding deity. The Thampuran is believed to have chalked out the program and the main events of the Thrissur pooram festival.

Confusing names? I know. I myself had to google all these places. But yes I sat and watched the amazing array of festivities yesterday from 2 till 8 and I wasn’t a wee bit disappointed. If there any elephant lovers out there, the pooram is one thing you just CAN NOT miss. 15 elephants from both groups, decked with their magnificent nettipatams (which btw an increasing number of people be it mallus or otherwise hang in their cars) and bells and garlands are quite a sight. What is even cuter about them is the way their tails wag. It’s amazing how huge animals that look so mighty from the front can look so baby-ishly cute from the back :P okay enough with my obsession with tusker butts. The Thrissur pooram, is celebrated every year in the month of Medam (mid-April to mid-may) as per the malayalam calendar. While all poorams have a huge influence on surrounding neighborhoods and towns, few other festivals require their active involvement. Thrissur town plays host, for 36 hours from the wee hours of the pooram day, to one of the most largest collection of people and elephants. The richly decorated elephant, as seen during the Thrissur pooram, is now globally recognized, and its associated with Kerala. On the pooram day, fifty (50) or more elephants pass through the very center of Thrissur town, the Vadakkunnathan temple. The kodamattam is like the main event in this celebration. Beautiful umbrellas all made for the occassion are changed and adorned over the elephants during the ceremony. 


One can definitely see the royal way of going about festivities in the fact that umbrellas (made out of costly materials, some even having jewels embedded in them) and the nettipatam that the elephant wears (that is made of gold and fabric) used this year will not be used again. I have no clue what they do with them but imagine every year new previous stuff in their storerooms! Quite rich, don't you think? Raja Ravi Varma will be quite a proud man if he was to see his brainchild taking place even today. 

Having been to the vadakkunnathan kshethram once, I can tell you that the place is amazingly beautiful and very serene. Despite being in the thick of things in Thrissur this Shiva temple has a certain aura to it. The pooram could not get a better background than this age old temple.

The magnificent celebration isn’t called the pooram of poorams (festival of festivals) for nothing.