God's own country

Vallara Sandosham Aana!!!
As someone from Kerala or well from the so called no man's land (palghat), I had visited Kerala twice but not really...(once when I was too young to remember and second time during the world cup last year, work was my priority than seeing the place in its actuality). Visiting the "Malayalam" (Malai - meaning the hills, aalam meaning - down/low lying?) and do i guess why Kerala's language is called Malayalam (ulta seedha ek samaan, try reading it from the back). I need not say why Kerala was breathtakingly beautiful, with its downhills, temples, coconut trees, etc etc etc...oh yes chitra and yesudas?? - But, A lot was amazing about the place. By now many know, that south indians do have their respective village names attached to their sur names, my father was no exception... P.D.Padmanabhan... Pallavur Doraiswamy Padmanabhan. We (my father and his sister) visited the village after nearly half a century... and behold, the temples, the pozhai (pond), the neigbours - some still around,still alive, recognized my old man, just by his father's reference... Amazingly, the entire village came out to greet him as if some big celebrity had come.. What pretty sight, ponds still full and so were my father's eyes...and that said a lot! the shararat was back, as if he was just in his teens, the sadness to know his best friend was no more, the pain to see his own house occupied by someone else, the pride to see that the village was proud of him..For him, To see his ancestral home - that now resides a Nair family - he was reminded of how the same place was once hustling and bustling with a big big family of 10 brothers and sisters... hmm and now we wonder if we can even manage or frankly AFFORD a child!!! Pallavur was pleasant and so was my now pukkaattu or the village I am married into..Elapully. I was indeed lucky to witness the "Kumbhabhisekham" of the Elapully Gramam (or maha pooja for the temple that happens only once in 12-15 years). Houses built like those of oldies in karol bagh with green/blue walls and wooden doors with iron bolts and big locks... The ancestral home of my husband has been through the same journey for more than a century..not a stone unturned.. Wow! Kumbhabhishekham (KA) being a week long festival, had its rules. NO cooking for the entire gramam (village, grameen) for that whole week. breakfast, lunch and dinner all courtesy Elapully temple. All you had to do was mingle, mingle and jingle in god Gopalakrishna's name. And finally the last day of the KA, saw the beauty of Kerala in its trademark of 3 elephants nicely decorated with 70..yes 70 drums beaters (medavadyam). The sound that could never ever be termed as noisy..soothed you. For the first time i realised that soothing need not mean anything - subtle, it could be loud and yet soothing.. the vibrations that skipped your heart and yet you wanted to skip it everytime... Kerala's was truly becoming god's own country for me...
Then happened, the visit of Angadipuram temple in Mallapuram.. Mainly Muslim occupied Mallapuram - the sounds of Allah-o-akba at the mosques and the ringing of bells of the Angadipuram temple sounded like a beautiful harmony...
But how can anyone's visit in Kerala be incomeple without the visit of the 5000 yrs old Guruvayur? I finally visited the temple, but honestly, pallavur temple and angadipuram temples were far more authentic than the now modern Guruvayur, of course, you can't wear anything else but saris for women and veshti/mundu for men...or you won't be allowed! Kerala, was showcasing itself even better to me...
Now...For the people.. keralites/malayalis.. lovely people...one thing that's common of all languages/dialects in india it seems is that of the addressing of people/ bhaiyya, anna, and in Kerala "Chettan"!!!! All these chettans love only 2 things in kerala, politics and kallu (alcohol). If you don't have these qualities, you are clearly disqualified. Kerala is proud of its communism and of course even more popular for Bandhs. Why else, would there be a bandh in kerala...there was such a big shit happening in Kashmir/Amarnath...of course if was Kerala's prerogative to call for a bandh... (Apparently Idukki district had 6 bandhs last month). Kerala is proud of it. And I am amused, reminds me of Kolkata...cholbe na cholbe na...Kerala, is full of bustle, everyhouse has a seating outside and i can see why, politics will have to start at the doorstep...afterall!
Now, that I am back from the place, I want to go there again! Before I left, the Asia Cup final was to happen, and the jing bang was much worried about Jayasuriya, and hey, the popeye armed- matara mauler, mauled India, despite sri lanka being 66 for 4? huh...
Now, I m waiting for another bandh there...I want to hear that there is a bandh cos rain gods are shifting focus on to dilli... Keralites are angry, Lord Indra - its also your country...have you forgotten or what..?
But I know they are intelligent...they want tanni/vellam - agreed (Water) but they also have that in plenty (tanni also meaning alcohol)..
Kerala... You are Awesome!
While I rue the fact I didn't have my camera, Kerala - "the journey's been etched on my skin!"