SEVEN DAYS IN GOD'S OWN COUNTRY

The trip was essentially a pilgrimage. After seeking the blessings of Lord Vilvadrinathan in Thiruvilvamala, my native village, I went to my ancestral house. The house was sold long ago, but an uncle who lives in the same area still has his house there. The house brings fond memories; imagined memories would be a better term as I have never lived there. I wonder how life would have been in the huge old house; my uncles and aunts going about their daily chores, my mother and my uncle fighting over a book, my grandmother having a hard time keeping them quiet. Transferred thoughts and memories of a house; a lifetime that has gone with a generation that migrated to the city.

My uncle has sold some of his agricultural land to fund the higher education of his daughters, one is pursuing her M.Tech and another has joined college. The house holds an old world charm, simple yet inspiring. The garden at the front with its hibiscus and jasmine plants the mandatory 'thulasi madom,' the coconut and arecanut trees, the mango and papaya trees in the backyard. I have missed a lot, maybe one day in the future, once I am done with this struggle for survival in the corporate world and earned enough money to last another lifetime, I will buy a house like this, near the seaside or in a valley, and lead a life in content retirement. With the grace of God I would have married the woman I admire and love, have kids, and would be free of worries[too many assumptions:)]. Let us hope for the best and come back to the topic......

I stayed for a couple of hours at my uncle's place and then went to Kotayyi to visit the musical genius Chembai's birth place. On the way I clicked some photographs of elephants, farmers singing while working in the paddy fields, and school children playing in the mud.