Tellatale
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Tellatale: A fishing Day..
Tellatale: A fishing Day..: A fishing story..it was like hearing a bedtime story..narrated while having spicy crispy fried mussels and king fish curry, the...
Saturday, January 25, 2020
A fishing Day..
A fishing
story..it was like hearing a bedtime story..narrated while having spicy crispy fried mussels and
king fish curry, the curry made him go back to his Mangalore house, a sprawling haveli like mansion,
teeming with cousins. Frank De Coelho, a friend of ours had come home and while having
lunch, the fish curry took him to his childhood home, and out came lovely
memories.
Monday, January 6, 2020
A twilight beside the Chirakkal Chira with the Chirakkal RajaRaja
From the Centenary Celebrations of Din Ul Islam..renewing ties of history
A cosy rainy morning..the skies are not pouring open, just slow consistent showers, the incessant pitter patter makes you want to curl up with the works..a warm mug of chai, and a simple story book. If you have a window seat, to gaze out on the rain washed leaves and bending boughs, you are blessed. What better day to visit Kolathiri raja, or Chirackal Raja, beside the wide Chirakkal Chira and hear stories of a lifetime. He is the current heir to the throne..a symbolic status, which ironically means nothing..and much too. Descendants of the Ancient Mooshika kIngs, who ruled us for centuries and who brought about significant developments to North Kerala. We drove by the side of the historic Chirakkal chira.. a beautiful pond interspersed with lilies , the drizzle making it even more beautiful. The muddy path was blissfully solitary….making the ambience serene. A fourteen acre, man made pond, which is a precious gift for mankind, from the Chirakkal rulers , needs urgent clean up in order to pass it on to the next generation. The age old Shiva temple stood majestically facing this Chira, and on the opposite side of the pond, you can see two temples, The Devi temple and a temple dedicated to the Physician God , Dhanwanthari. The car slowed down when it reached the Folk Lore academy.. I saw a man coming towards the gate, waving to me, and he was none other than The Chirakkal Raja. I would have found my way, and he needn’t have stood at the gate waiting for me..but that reflects his humility.
I asked him about his life in Kannur. His wife,
Shantha Kumari thamburatti came in with steaming
cups of tea, and biscuits and both of us dipped and dipped till the biscuits
and tea disappeared. She hailed from the Beypore royal family and worked as a teacher
In Chirakkal High School till retirement. She is musically talented, and sings
beautifully. He had led a busy life, is a trustee of thirty eight temples. He still
is a prominent person and a man of respect, an is invited to preside over many
functions. He had also used to lend his
voice to dramas broadcasted in the radio. Varying decibels and emotions and
characters came to life, and his voice resounded in thousands of houses through
the radio. He wrote..wrote verses and
stories, translated the Bhaja Govindam the famous literary work of the great
sage, Adi Shankaracharya from Sanskrit
to Malayalam, and published it himself, still available in Guruvayur bookstalls.
. Had written as much as 9 story ballets
which due to his ignorance, had given away without taking copies for himself..
and it remains a nostalgic and painful
memory now.
The Chirakkal dynasty are the descenadants of
The Mooshika dynasty who ruled Northern Kerala in Ad first century. There
were 119 Kings in This dynasty. They ruled till Tipu usurped the throne
but their presence in Indian History cannot be undermined. They were
responsible for the beginning of trade, and commerce between the Arabs and The
Portuguese. And thus started the influx
of the foreign powers in Kannur. If they
hadn’t welcomed the missionaries and given them land, Islam and Chritianity wouldn’t
have entrenched its roots here. And this
unpretentious man in front of me, is a descendant of this illustrious clan. Till
recently, the khaazi title of a prominent
mosque in Valapatnam was conferred by the Chirakkal Raja. Trade relations were
given much importance and that’s how the Urbanisation of Kannur began, when he
invited Vasco da Gama to Kannur.
Singing a poem written by her husband, which she tuned herself |
A cosy rainy morning..the skies are not pouring open, just slow consistent showers, the incessant pitter patter makes you want to curl up with the works..a warm mug of chai, and a simple story book. If you have a window seat, to gaze out on the rain washed leaves and bending boughs, you are blessed. What better day to visit Kolathiri raja, or Chirackal Raja, beside the wide Chirakkal Chira and hear stories of a lifetime. He is the current heir to the throne..a symbolic status, which ironically means nothing..and much too. Descendants of the Ancient Mooshika kIngs, who ruled us for centuries and who brought about significant developments to North Kerala. We drove by the side of the historic Chirakkal chira.. a beautiful pond interspersed with lilies , the drizzle making it even more beautiful. The muddy path was blissfully solitary….making the ambience serene. A fourteen acre, man made pond, which is a precious gift for mankind, from the Chirakkal rulers , needs urgent clean up in order to pass it on to the next generation. The age old Shiva temple stood majestically facing this Chira, and on the opposite side of the pond, you can see two temples, The Devi temple and a temple dedicated to the Physician God , Dhanwanthari. The car slowed down when it reached the Folk Lore academy.. I saw a man coming towards the gate, waving to me, and he was none other than The Chirakkal Raja. I would have found my way, and he needn’t have stood at the gate waiting for me..but that reflects his humility.
The morning
sped past..minutes into hours..what I expected was a lazy chat,,but it was not
at all a lazy chat..not a chat
even..they were lessons of life, pages of history and experiences and wisdom
acquired through the ages . It was not a fairy tales or a fable..but recordings of an era gone by.
Sri Raveenndra Varma was an eloquent speaker, his education reflects in his mannerisms and he willingly drove down memory lane for me and for the next few hours, time flowed like a stream which flows in different speeds and frequencies, and meandered through variegated terrains, the twists and turns of life.
Sri Raveenndra Varma was an eloquent speaker, his education reflects in his mannerisms and he willingly drove down memory lane for me and for the next few hours, time flowed like a stream which flows in different speeds and frequencies, and meandered through variegated terrains, the twists and turns of life.
A powerful
dynasty, Chirakkal Kolathiri, are descendants of the Mooshika dynasty, ..tracing
their ancestry to the first century A D,
a history of great warriors and rulers ,one of the oldest aristocracies of
India. In 1799, the kingdom was lost to Tipu sultan..and royalty of Rs 1000/ was decided to be given to
the rulers for their homeland, a sum not increased even after two hundred
years. Time has turned it into a pittance now but which he receives even today,
it is called Maalikaan. Cornwallis started the system when it was annexed to
the Crown. I asked him about opulence of his family earlier…to which he
replied, that their kingdom was lost two hundred years back, and so Independence did not bring much changes to
them. They did not build opulent
palaces, but the irony is, they built schools ..which has a good reputation
even today. His ancestors were the richest landlords, and the lands were given
to the tenants on lease, and the land tenacy act made them landless and the
tenants owners. Is nt it sad? But a hard fact.He recalls that during the
harvest season rooms and godowns were filled with grains..and after the tenancy
act, they had literally starved. The
temples also were run with this money.
Madayikkavu,a
an age old temple dedicated to Madayikkavilamma, a powerful Goddess, and it is
she who is the common link between many royal families of Kerala , as She is
the Kula Devatha for these royal house holds.
Sri Ravindra Varma was a man of multiple
talents, graduated in arts, loved literature.. and, donned roles as diverse as
chalk and cheese. An M.A In History from
Madras Christian college, Madras, he was tutored by the cream of educators, Anglo
Indian teachers and English teachers.
Sri T.N Seshan the fiery election
commissioner was his friend in College,
and it continues to this day. After M.A,.he was doing research in” Crime and
punishment of Madras”. Days when he was steeped in dusty crime files and sordid
mysteries. Huge records of twisted and cruel minds, innocent lives, and tales
of revenge. One year into it, he
received a telegram from his father stating that he had secured a job in
Brennan College Tellicherry, as as a lecturer. He started immediately as per
his fathers orders, only to find it was temporary post, for a year. Then he
passed qualifying tests to Defence academy, Pune and secured a job there. Three
years in Pune.. A covetous Central Govt job. But his father said he was feeling
lonely here and what is life without twilights filled with prose and poetry?
His father missed the poetry and story filled evenings and felt that the fabric
of life was not measured with Govt Jobs, but gossamer threads of prose and
poetry, the solace of comfort food churned out with love.. Came down, and he
got a job as an accountant in Western India Plywoods, and he retired as Chief accountant. He is also the
recipient of Sangeetha Guru pooja Award from the Sangeetha Nataka Academy, in
appreciation of his contribution to art.
Ravindra Varma receiving the Guru Puja Award |
Awards received over the years |
.
Srikantapuram
was named after King Srikantan, and Valapattanam was named after King Valabhan. 1799. kingdom
was gone.
Every
Kannurian must know the Arakkal Chirakkal story. Two princesses had gone to the
stream to bathe, when the swirling currents pulled them down and one of the
Princesses started to drown, and with the currents twirled her clothing away. As luck would have it, the
next few moments were a romantic slice of history. A handsome lad from The
Arakkal family was passing by, and he immediately lent her his clothing and
gave her his hand to pull her out. So as per wedding rituals..she had given him
her hand and he had given her his clothing, and thereby they are man and wife.
The wet princess stood at the entrance of the kovilakam saying that she is already married and then
the families met and the rest is history. I feel that the girl must have been
smitten by the handsome lad. The Chirakkal
princess was given away in marriage with
pomp and all the formalities. Half of
the kingdom was given to her as dowry, and the Arakkal family was asked to adorn her with the title Arakkal Beevi which continues to
this day. This must have happened around 800 years back.. all function are
attended by both families to this day,.” this is religious fraternity” he insists....a silver lamp which
was given to Arakkal by them still burns there..the light of religious
fraternity. A lesson for the so called secular India. Just one month back, he
had been invited when the new Beevi took charge.
View from the Raja's house - A 14 acre lilly pond |
The secular
nature of the family can be seen if you see that they patronized the theyyams. Chirakkal
family had patronized theyyams, though theyyams were the rituals of the lower strata of castes. The royal
families usually patronize the refined
arts such as Kathakali, krishnanaaam, koothus, etc. but theyyams were from
Malabar and they were performed bythe
Malaya community, people who drank, smoked and ate non veg and most often
illiterate. Theyyams, more than an art form has more religious significance, as
The Gods are supposed to enter the bodies of the artists and prophecy and give
guidance to the people, it is by learning and performing a certain set of
mantras which are handed down verbally by the elders. And nobody was there to patronize them. The
artists were given financial aid, land, and conferred titles. The title Peruvannan, and Panikker, were
given from The Chirakkal Kovilakam . the honor of the title ..for instance..it is like this..he has
to pronounce Krishna Peruvannan..
Krishna Peruvannan ..Krishna Peruvannan and lo..the title is there to
stay. Pattum valayum was given to these artists.. This bangle cannot be removed
from anywhere except Raja Rajeshwara temple.
Thirty five
theyyams were made to perform In Chirakkal Kovilakam. And the royal members
bowed their heads before these Gods .this reflects their humane ness, their
large heartedness in those caste driven times. He leads a calm and peaceful life without airs
and graces with family and friends, overlooking the beautiful lilies which spreads as far as eye can see.
A piece of good news before I sign off...look out for his book of poems which will be out shortly..
A piece of good news before I sign off...look out for his book of poems which will be out shortly..
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
The absent minded Vasuettan, memoirs of my eighty year old mother
The scene is
a bustling house in Mint Street, Madras, where my Grandfather lived.. he was
working as Chief engineer, and the eldest in the family, so
it was common practice, or the norm of the times, to take under his wing, the
rest of the children in his family, who passed their matriculation, and family
means, not the nuclear family of today..cousins, nephews, widows,
widowers..newly married couples..and so on.
My grandma
had gone to her hometown, Mahe and was returning by train..and she had written
a card, those days card was the cheapest and effective means of commiunication,
to pick her up at the bustling railway station. My timid grandmom got down at
the station, and looked all over for Vasuettan, she had got Jackfruits,
coconuts, and a whole lot of luggage and luckily, somebody helped her unload
it from the train..Vasuettan was nowhere to be seen. Panic, but as luck would
have it, a carpenter who had worked
there asked her if she needed help…he helped her catch a taxi and she reached home to find Vasuettan
sipping coffee with the card in his pocket.
He is the
one my grandmom sends to the station, to pick up guests coming home. Once, she
had asked Vasuettan to go and pick them up, and the hours flew by, and no signs
of the guest and Vasuettan. And then she saw the rickshaw at the gate with an
annoyed couple getting down, Vasuettan had forgotten about it and had cycled away merrily to his work, but
as usual was all apologetic when he found the harrowing situation my poor
grandmom was placed, next day he took off and made it up, assisiting them and
regaling them with his tales. He was so innocent and full of love, and it all
stopped when my grandfather died a
sudden death at the age of forty two, and the family had to leave Madras.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Meet Namrata..and the slow loris
A wisp of a
girl, deceptive..in the sense, that she camouflages her compassionate heart
with bubbly jumpy tomboyish mannerisms.
A bit like ..ah Yes..Jim Carrey. The
first time I set eyes on her was on the
day we went to Flame University for my son’s admission to the liberal education and
management course. We sat with her parents, with the same aspirations and hopes
for our children. From then I’ve been
hearing about Namrata from my son Sanyanth.
How she used to be roped in for either teams, boys or girls, when one
player was missing. How she loved dogs and how she made all the children
smuggle food from the dining rooms to feed the strays
Friday, December 14, 2018
Sunday, November 25, 2018
three hours at Kannur station..
Oleena and Mark
Oleena and Mark were my home stay guests from Ukraine. So have come to the station to pick them up, only to find the train a good three hours late. They are here for a month to learn basic Ayurveda. never knew Kannur had such a reputed place in the Ayurveda map...Suresh, my chauffeur, asked me to go back home and we would come later.. I was beginning to do just that when I thought..why go back? could buy a book and watch the trains go by and the sad farewells and happy welcomes, and try reading a magazine in the hustle and bustle. book would be better..as you can sink into a book and magazines divert your attentions to varied subjects
Oleena and Mark were my home stay guests from Ukraine. So have come to the station to pick them up, only to find the train a good three hours late. They are here for a month to learn basic Ayurveda. never knew Kannur had such a reputed place in the Ayurveda map...Suresh, my chauffeur, asked me to go back home and we would come later.. I was beginning to do just that when I thought..why go back? could buy a book and watch the trains go by and the sad farewells and happy welcomes, and try reading a magazine in the hustle and bustle. book would be better..as you can sink into a book and magazines divert your attentions to varied subjects
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