Random Thoughts

Random search through blogs yielded many surprises. I found blogs of old school mates, writing about dreaded teachers who loved caning us for forgetting math definitions, not paying attention in class. One of the blogs mentioned Kurian sir the most dreaded cane yielder of them all. He caned us regularly but on days he wore the dreaded blue shirt, the school vibrated with, “Kurian sir is wearing the blue shirt.” News spread so fast about the shirt that by the time he came to teach the class, most of us would have forgotten all the definitions or lessons we were supposed to have mucked up the previous day. Then would start the merciless caning. It used to be terrifying but now looking back I feel no hate just amusement at that system of teaching, where caning was the norm. Parents had no problem with the caning as long as their wards got good/excellent grades. The caning, though cruel when you think of it now, actually ensured none of us had any other thought than of studies. Infatuations and day dreams were kept safely hidden away, they were too distracting. We studied and studied and studied and most of us turned out well. There are no failures among us.

Then there were blogs about Perumbavoor my hometown or my mother’s hometown. We are originally from Thrissur. But inevitably vacations were all spent at Perumbavoor and those are still the best times of my life. Amma’s home is in Thurithiply and it is my favorite place on earth. I loved waking to the church from Allapra and standing at Kozhipadom and feeling the wind on my face. Kozhipadom is a beautiful expanse of paddy fields with the road running through the center. Each season it looked different. An impossible green when the seed has just started sprouting, then another shade of green as is fully-grown but has not yet flowered. The long grass swaying in the wind and then as it flowers and rice is formed it turns a golden yellow with a rustling music of its own.