I spent a large chunk of my educational days in rural-semi rural regions of Kerala.When we shifted to Cochin,obviously it was a hard process for me to cop up with the so called metropolitan life.
I often found it dificult to perch between my traditional thoughts and city concepts.
Earlier at times,I thought it better for me to go back to my village .The mechanical life,the daily hurry- burry,tension,pollution,hard life...these were the general perception of mine about a city.
Last week I had a trip back to my village after a very long time and I couldn't resist recalling those good old days.Thinking of those days in Edathuva,23 kms southeast of Alleppey,the aura still keeps coming ...from somewhere,some how...The memory owerpowered me like a salt tide flooding into an estuary.
Cuckoos where the first one to wake me up every morning.Even before my mother.They were like natural alarms.Evenmore efficient and never needed any batteries to run on. En route to my school ,the paddy fields ,elaborate network of canals bringing water and wet cows mazing tender green grass were too good scenes that I never remeber to forget.
The air was fresh even in the afternoons and when I was back from my school,I never felt any tiredness.I still remember...I rush to the near by uncultivated paddy field where we childhood friends played cricket and football according to the seasons.When it was raining,we prefered football and got mixed with the soil and digged the land better than how a tractor does.
I cherished my summer days.Cricket was the main sport but the 'stadium' remained the same.Even though I was the worst cricketer on the pitch,it was just a fun soaking under the heat of sun and a mild sun stroke.Visitng my relatives was the next big hobby.Used to get a boat or an ordinary trademark transport bus with busted edges and leaking roofs .
Rains made my village gorgeous and she was more sexy during this period of the year.The light greens,brown shades turned into intense green with a bluish ingrain.The river often flooded and I could easliy touch the water within two steps down my house's front door.At this time,even a seeve was enough for me to do fishing .
I learned to swin in the sacred river Pamba which brused up the banks near my house.Instead of tubes,we used fiber stem of banana trees that always listened to the bouyancy theory.
My pets cows,dogs,cats....roosteers,ducks,crows,kooyil,sparrow,humming birds....and occasional visitors like rat-snakes,cobras,mangoose etc etc.
The festivals..onam,vishu,christmas etc...there it was a heritage ..the Utsavams in temples and Perunals in churches...it was a celebration...the boat races...etc etc.No matter whether its happiness or sorrow,the men over there shared it around a bottle at Toddy Shops(Kallu Shap).
Eh..It was a time....And now I am a transformed metro man....But deep in my inner mind,I would like to remain as a village boy..For always and forever..
