ഗൃഹാതുരത്ത്വം

First of all , I would like to apologize for all the mistakes that follows in this post.......its been 6 or 7 years since I wrote something in Malayalam and it is a bit rusty. This font also is not favoring me well , so , you get the point..:)

എല്ലാ കൊല്ലവും സ്കൂള്‍ അടക്കുന്ന സമയത്ത് എല്ലാം കെട്ടി പെറുകി ഒരു പോക്കുണ്ട് – പാലക്കാട്ട് അമ്മയുടെ തറവാടിലേക്ക്. അതു പറയുമ്പൊ പുറത്തു ചുറ്റി അടിക്കാന്‍ പ്ലാന്‍ ഇടുന്ന എന്‍റെ സ്വന്തം കൂട്ടുകാരുടെ മുഖം തേനിച്ച കുത്തിയ പോലെ വീര്‍ക്കും. എന്നിട്ടു ചോദിക്കും എന്തു നിധി കട്ടയാണ്ണ്‍ അവിടെ ഒളിപ്പിച്ചുട്ടുളത്‌ എന്ന്. ആ ചോദ്യത്തിന് ഒരു പുഞ്ചിരി അല്ലാതെ ഞാന്‍ എന്തു പറയാനാണ്?

മാര്‍ഗശ്ശേരി – അമ്മേടെ തറവാടിന്‍റെ പേര് അതായിരുന്നു. ചെറിയ കുട്ടിയാവുമ്പോ ഒരുപാടു കൌതുകങ്ങള്‍ ഒളിപ്പിച്ച ഒരു വലിയ വീട്. അത് ഇനി തൊടിയില്ലെ മുത്തശ്ശി പാറ ആയാല്ലും , അപ്പൂപ്പന്‍ താടി ആയാല്ലും , ഒരുപാട് ഓര്‍മ്മകള്‍ നിറഞ്ഞ സ്ഥലം. മുറ്റത്തെ വലിയ മാവിലെ വയലറ്റ് നിറത്തിലുള്ള പൂവിന്‍റെ വള്ളിയില്ല് നിന്ന് കൊഴിഞ്ഞു വീണ പൂക്കള്‍ കൊണ്ട് കീരീടം ഉണ്ടാക്കിയതാണോ , അതൊ മച്ചിന്‍റെ മുന്‍പില്‍ നിന്ന്‌ ഭഗവതിയുടെ പൂജക്ക് കളമെഴുതുന്നത് അത്ഭുതത്തോടെ നോക്കി നിന്നതാണോ എന്നറിയില്ല . കനാലില്ലെ വെള്ളത്തിന്‍റെ കുത്തൊഴുക്ക് ജനാലയുടെ മറവില്‍ നിന്ന് പാളി നോക്കിയതാണോ എന്നറിയില്ല. ഒരുപാടു മരങ്ങളും പാല പൂവിന്‍റെ മണ്ണവും നിറഞ്ഞ സര്‍പ്പക്കാവ് മനസ്സില്‍ നിറച്ച ഭീതി ചെറുതൊന്നുമല്ല.

കാലം കഴിഞ്ഞപ്പോള്‍ 64 ആള്‍ക്കാര്‍ പണ്ടു താമസിച്ചിരുന്ന തറവാട്ടില്‍ ഒരാള്‍ മാത്രമായി. ഈ എം. ടി. ടെ നാല്ലുകെട്ടില്ലെ അവസ്ഥ. പൊടി പിടിച്ചു കിടക്കുന്ന വലിയ വരാന്തയും ഒരുപാടു ചപ്പില്ലകള്‍ വീണു കിടക്കുന്ന നടുമുറ്റവും ആണു ഇപ്പോള്‍ ചെന്നു കേറിയാല്‍ കാണുക. ഒഴിഞ്ഞു കിടക്കുന്ന തൊഴുത്തും , ആരും ആടാത്ത ഒരു ഊഞ്ഞാല്ലും നിറഞ്ഞ സങ്കടത്തോടെ മാത്രമെ നോക്കാന്‍ സാധിക്കുകയുള്ളു. 

അമ്മാമ്മേടെ കട്ടിന്‍റെ ചുവട്ടില്‍ ഒള്ളിപിച്ച വളപൊട്ടുകള്ളും മയില്‍പീലിയും വീണ്ടും നോക്കുന്ന സമയത്ത്‌ എവിടെ നിന്നോ ഒരു സങ്കടം ഓടി വരും. പഴയ പുസ്തകത്തിന്‍റെ മണവും അതില് ഞാന്‍ ഒളിപ്പിച്ച ഒരുപാടു ഓര്‍മ്മകളും , ഇന്നത്തെ സായിപ്പിന്‍റെ ഭാഷയില്‍ feel of "Deja-vu" തരുന്നതാണ്. പക്ഷെ ഈ യാന്ത്രികമായ ലോകത്ത് ഫേസ്ബുക്കും, ഗൂഗില്ലും ശരണം എന്നു പറയുന്ന സുഹൃത്തുക്കല്ലോട് ഒരു പുഞ്ചിരി അല്ലാതെ എനിക്കു എന്താണു പറയാനുള്ളത്????

SUNSET , SEA AND...................(A LOT OF PEANUTS)

MUMBAI.......the mecca of Bollywood. The city of dreams. The city which never sleeps. I'm absolutely , head over heels in love with this dynamic and vibrant place. I love the morning rush and party mood by evening. I love the chaat by the road , the famous "vada-pavu" and kulfi. I can't resist those little stalls which has the little "jhumkhas", bands and lucky charms. And yes , I love bargaining with the street vendors for the second - hand books and what not.

But , above all , what keeps me pulling towards it might be the "Beach", and that too , in Juhu. I just love to stand in the sand , without my sneakers and let the waves wash my feet. I can feel the wind in my hair and I feel like myself free of all worries , even though it lasts only for a moment. (And it is one of the best feeling in the world , trust me!!!)

So , last year , after the camp I was supposed to go ,  I crashed at my cousin's place. They wanted to hang out and I promised to tag along. Vishal took his scooty and I , of course , took the back seat. I have had a crap day at the camp (that too with 13 guys and 1 girl who thinks nothing but when is the big sale is going to hit the shop) had totally left me bluffed in and out. What I really wanted to have was a nice long bath , lots of ice-cream and a sack and a pillow to crash in. But , of course , since I was staying with my "wonderful cousins" , none of that was going to happen, I just sighed , brushed my hair and left.

But , the moment I hopped on to the sand at beach , I knew I was wrong. No , I don't want a nice long bath . Nope. Neither the ice-cream nor the pillow could tempt me back from the beach. I just got out from my sneakers and ran and ran. (which left Vishal gaping at me like he had never seen me before.) He whipped out his DSLR from nowhere (you stalking photographer!!!!) and clicked thousands of photos. When I couldn't stand "that" nonsense anymore , we dragged him to the waters.

It was fun. It was past after the sunset and the crowd began to thin. I just sat there in the sand , tired , and felt the waves coming in . That rush and the buzzing voice like she is calling out to someone. I took it all in. Ooo!It was a pleasure to watch the white little crabs stuttering away in the white sand. The wind had taken its toll in my hair and I didn't even mind to distangle them. And I swore that someday or the other I will buy an apartment somewhere there. (you know , one can always hope!)

That's when I saw her. She was wearing a blue , polka-dotted skirt which reached just upto  her knees. It was soiled and tore at the end. Her hair had been braided to two little pigtails and she had a cute heart-shaped face. She didn't wear chappals and looked totally lost and clueless. I caught her staring at me thrice , and finally when I managed to catch her eyes and smiled , she began walking towards me. I panicked. (Of course , its one of my exceptional talent. I'm not good with strangers...:D)

Vishal was nowhere to be seen and she finally came close to me and stood there and smiled. I noticed she had a gap-toothed smile and those little dimples shouted out her innocence. She did remind me of someone I was missing a lot at back home. I sighed. Hrishi. I had missed him terribly over the last few days and I just wanted to give him a bear-hug the moment I saw him. She looked like a 6-year-old to me and she made me think of those evenings with Hrishi which I wanted to cherish.

"Didi , subah se kuch nahi khaya hai. 10 roopaya dhoge?"

"Naam kya hai tumaara"??. I asked her out of curiosity and she looked at me like "does-it-matter-to you" and crinkled her nose.

"Pari."

"Pari. Accha? Pappa kahan hai tumharra?"

And the moment I asked her question , I wished I had shut my big fat mouth. An unknown sadness which was way beyond her years touched her eyes.

"Pata nahi. Mere bhai toh sheher mein kaam kar rahe hain. Mein toh wahaan rah rahi hoon." She pointed indefinitely to a distance.

I fished through my purse. All I had was two notes of twenty rupees. I took it  out and gave it to her. At that moment , she flashed me her gap-toothed dimple smile.

"Kar kya rahe ho tum?!!!". Vishal shouted me over the buzz. "Pagal ho gaya hai kya? Bahut dekhi hai tumhaare tarah ke logon ko. ....jaao yahaan se". He snapped at Pari. She gazed him intently and disappeared in the crowd.

"Who do you think you are , man?!! She just asked me 10 rupees , not my freaking ATM PIN number!!!". I rolled my eyes at him.

"And I'm sure you would have given her that too. You're too much naive , Malu.  People can easily fool you."

I didn't reply to that because I knew it would definitely indulge us in an argument. So , I just remained content with my glass of chilled Rooh-afza. It was getting dark and Vishal was growing impatient and was mumbling something about a match. And we decided to go back.

It was then he started looking for his wallet.

"Shit........Oh Shit!!! It was just here.......It had my ATM card and around 2000 rupees.......Oh god!!!! Look over there!!!" He and I  frantically began searching for his wallet. It felt completely stupid and pointless to me. A single wallet , that too , among hundreds of people. But I didn't say anything and continued the search.

Just then I felt a tug at the hem of my shirt . When I turned back , Pari was smiling at me with a wallet in her hand.

"Didi......aapka hain? Yahhan gir gayi thi......aur mujhe aisa laga ki aap kuch dhoondh rahe hain."

She gave me the wallet and I handed over it to Vishal. He looked visibly relieved and looked apologetically at Pari. But she gave her gap-toothed smile and just ran. And I could do was nothing , but just stare at her. And the waves continued to lash against the rocks even more harder...............

10 TYPE OF PEOPLE YOU WILL MEET AT EVERY INDIAN WEDDING!!!!!!!

A month back I had my cousin's wedding and we had a gala time!!!!! It was after a long time I was seeing most of my cousins and it was then I realized how much I had missed them over the last few months. Of course , we had the "bear-hugging , mopping " session , and we did take some selfies - the "pouting" one , "the ultimate shaadi" selfie and such umpteen ones ( You get the point!).....We had the mehendi function and danced like a group of lunatics till we couldn't even a walk a step. We had the last time preps and the "great-grand-wedding" took place. Looking back , it was one of the best time I ever had and I doubt those magical moments will ever come back.

Admit it , weddings are the time when you bond with our cousins , discuss about everything under the sun , unleash the fashion police and be the ultimate foodie , right?.....So , in this post , let's see the 10 kinds of people you will meet at every Indian wedding............(Shoot!)

1. THE BRIDE AND GROOM!!

Its pretty much obvious...right?. The "D-day" cannot happen without these lovebirds. And yes , I have always admired them for standing the whole day , which would probably kill their feet and grin at the cameras like monkeys and say "hi-bye" to every person who they didn't even know till that moment existed in planet Earth........(hats off to you!!!!!!!!)

2. THE STALKING PHOTOGRAPHER

Yes , I find it flattering when you want to capture me in my new attire and my different poses. When you want me to pout , strike a pose and other candid shots and say how photogenic my face is. But no , I don't want you to ogle behind me the whole time and tag me in every single pic of mine in F.B. (And , please don't click while I'm eating.please!!!!!!)

3.THE CAMERA-OBSESSED.

They want to get clicked with every possible "chacha-chachi-mamma-mammi-phoofa-phoofi-brigade".They just can't get enough of showing their 32-s at everyone. And worse , they want to click selfies every damn moment. (Yeah..even when they are eating.:P).

4. THE SHAADI.COM AUNTY.

That aunty who wants to know if you are married or not. She is disappointed if you are married , otherwise she has all the contacts for you to get hooked up. (Just 2 minute silence for my "anonymous" cousin , who is  next on the list and gets strangled every time by the "shaadi.com".......:D)

5.THE ULTIMATE DIVA / DRAMA QUEEN / FASHIONISTA

Eye-candy of the wedding , who makes sure the shot is perfect with her Manish Malhotra ensemble. She whips out the lip-gloss , liner and foundation miraculously from her little pouch for the "touch-up" every five minutes. (yeah...the miniature Shanaya from The Student Of The Year....:D)

6.THE GROOM'S BEST BUDDY.

Undoubtedly, he is "the" best-looking guy from the lot. You just can't take your eyes off him 

and does everything to get you noticed by him.......(Ultimately to know that he has been married..........Right "You-Know-Who-You-are"????)

7. THE FOODIE GUEST

They make sure they have a bite of everything. Right from starters , to kababs , and pakodas , and samosas , to the 5-course and dessert and kheer and sweet and ice-cream. All they can think is "foooooooooooooood!!!!!!!!"

8. THE ONE WHO GOT GROOVES LIKE "CHIKNI CHAMELI"

The one who knows the exact steps of "chikni chameli" , "radha" , "punjabi wedding song" and the list goes. He/she knows the grooves that sets the party in motion and the crowd blindly follows them. (yeah......I still remember the "london thumkada" and "drama queen" and "saturday saturday"!!!)

9.THE GOSSIP MONGERS

The ones who knows anything and everything about everyone at the wedding. They are on the front line when it comes to criticizing someone or be it bitching about your closest relatives. (Yeah..the "ultimate-nasty-ones".)

10.THE WEDDING CRASHERS.

The ones who check out the venue just for good food or fun or just to check out the "eye-candies" at the wedding. If they get caught , they are either from bride's father's side or groom's mother's side. (I remember the "white shirt and black pants" too well guyz..:D :D )

After all weddings are the time you go "tudakam mangalyam......tantunannena"

"pinne jeevatham.................tuntaneena"

So make the most of it!!!!!!!!

PS.

Eternal gratitude to all my cousins for a gala time!!!!!!

and picture courtesy to Google and Pininterest. 

LoVe MoRe & sMiLe OfTeN!!!!!!!!!!

This is Midnight girl signing out..................:D :D

MY"DOCTOR-WHO"

Some people comes to your life without any reason. They are like sea-breeze - comes and goes without a single warning, but leaves you with a lot of memories , that is sure to last for a life time. Well , "he" came into my life just like that. (Don't get any ideas...........he is much older than me...:P)

We have this "huge gap" of 12-14 years between us. (probably more.) He is a doctor and I'm studying in class 12.(Or just in a few days , anyway....;) )...Call it fate or destiny.........we met accidentally. It was not a meeting , even. He is my best friend's cousin and he had read my "the Fault In Our Girls".
He said he loved the "fiery attitude" , but asked me to keep that spark of a 16 year old. Eventually the ice broke between us and he became my confidant. 

We don't talk much often , but I know he is there for me when I need him the most. I can say anything to him and with him tomorrow is even more bright and hopeful. He makes me laugh and sometimes he makes me want to kill him. (oh yes , sometimes , u do!!!!). We share different opinions about almost everything under the sun and its a pleasure to share it with each other. With him I don't have to pretend something I'm not and it feels  great to be in ease with oneself...........:)

What's great about him is that he doesn't treat me as a "kid". He is all ears to my views and treats me as an "individual". He was the one who taught me to say "NO" if one needs to say so. (For this , I would be eternally grateful to you "doctor-who" , and you know it very well.). He reads my every post and is a honest critic. ( Yes , he calls a spade a spade.)

 As today's FB generation may tag , he is not my "chWeET Bro".(Ew......I wouldn't even dream of it!) I have no blood relation with him. Heck! I haven't seen him till now. I don't know how he looks or how he talk to someone. But , guess what? I'm happy the way it is. I don't even know if I will see him ever at some point in my life. But he is this big part of my life and I'm honored to have you as a great friend. Even if we lose touch someday , I would like to thank you for all those wonderful memories and for being a great support system when I needed my friends the most.

 Thank you "Doctor'Who". For Everything........

LoVe MoRe & sMiLe OfTeN!!!!!!!!!!

This is Midnight girl signing out..................:D :D

I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey pretty people!!!!!!!!!!

Did you miss me? Well , I had a hectic schedule going on , with my finals of 11 and all , I just couldn't find this teeny bit of time to pen down the thoughts racing on my mind. Looking back , it has been almost 2 months since I wrote anything.....and oh gosh! how I missed it.!!!!!!!

First of all , I would like to thank all who dropped in here a while and checked out my new posts and screamed at me on why on earth they couldn't find a new post. I would like to thank you for your precious time and apologize profusely for your disappointment.....:)