February 14, 2012
Dr. Sharadakutty has written her column in today's newspaper about the great Malayalam poet, P. Kunjiraman Nair, based on whose life the new movie, Ivan Megharoopan, has come out. She says how writers are inherently "failures" according to society since they will not play by the social rules of discipline and respectability. The poet was much abused and detested for his relations with several women. Sharadakutty seems depressed on Valentine's Day about living in a society that insists on minding other people's business. I would have loved it if she had mentioned that all poets need to be rebels especially in the grand arena in which India has mixed sexuality with morality. And for some inexplicable reason, the society seems to have this blissful belief that in a country so utterly rife with corruption in every sphere, majority of the people maintain clean marital relationship!
The Central Bureau of Investigation says that Indians have stashed $500 billion in secret accounts abroad. Clearly this is the country that simply loves giving to the rest of the world as our politicians, custodians of culture and purveyors of spiritual traditions insist. We would much rather make other countries rich than see the lot of others here improve. And we insist on our national motto that "Truth alone triumphs". Absolutely! Honesty is for sissies who live in other countries who haven't been blessed with world's oldest philosophies!
Newspapers today carried the mobile phone captures by an onlooker of a man freeing a stray dog that had its head stuck in a plastic container. For two days, thousands of people passed by that dog in its misery in one of the busiest intersections in the city. Finally one man stepped up to its rescue and freed the nearly dead dog. Turns out he is the joint director of a central government service. Much surprise has been expressed in the newspaper about how a person in such a high position came to the rescue of a dog. Afterall, if you have a good job in India, you are expected to be a different species altogether with no humanity left. I had been asked once long time ago how I could love dogs so much despite being an aerospace engineer. I still haven't understood that question.
The coconut tree cutting operation at home that had to be converted into a two day operation has been completed. Yesterday both the gentlemen who came to do the deed didn't feel quite well. One of them was tired after a teak cutting operation the previous day. The other one felt dizzy at the top of the tree after he had chopped three quarters of the fronds down. We didn't want to risk keeping him there. Their manager, cheerleader and contractor couldn't come today because his friend's lorry has been stolen last night and he needs to go to the police station. Most of the conversation in between the axing today was about how a truck could be driven away from inside the locked gates of a house in the middle of the night inspite of having a watchman in the neighborhood. Plenty of coconut tree related goodies in the diet for the next few days.
A ray of hope in the newspaper to contrast with the tree cutting. Kongode (Palakkad) police station's civil officer R. Mahesh and Bharani from Coimbatore got married yesterday. As soon as the marriage was fixed, Mahesh announced his decision. All the guests at the wedding were given saplings of Njaaval (Black Plum) and Mahagony trees. In the bags with the saplings, the couple also left the message asking the guests to bless them by making sure that these trees were planted. "In a world without greenery, love cannot exist" they wrote. The Forest Officer had assisted them in this wonderful gesture by providing the saplings at the discounted rate of Rs. 2 each. The couple planted a Mahagony tree at their new home at the end of the day. I really hope this exemplary tradition catches on. Truly, a great news to read on Valentine's day.
Afternoon at the Cafe Coffee Day, a few Valentine couples. A couple in their late teens lean on each other on the leather sofa. A couple in their mid twenties sit next to the fan outside. She subconsciously holds forth every bite she is about to eat towards him. I wonder if her mom had used a similar gesture when she was a baby. A thirty something couple sits in the nook under the stairwell, facing each other across the small round table. There is clearly something exciting about the relationship. Perhaps a dirty little secret. A visibly married couple goes through the Valentine's day outing ritual with grim faces that Indians tend to have during rituals. I sit around serving as a bouncing wall for ideas towards a presentation on architecture of sea ports.
Love birds pack the lawns and benches of the rich arboreal environment of the Museum late in the evening. I sat on the raised concrete parapet around a metallic tap cover and watch the city trying to walk off its nascent obsesity and other lifestyle problems. Love hangs in the air. I walked to the second hand book shacks by the side of the Public Library in search of distraction.
"Do you have "The Lost Steps"?"
"No, but would you like "The Lost Symbol"?
I wish everything in life could so easily be substituted.
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