Open Sesame

Went through the pages of the book, When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanidhi again in December, 2019.  Life was not the same before. Mine was in a roller coaster after August, 2019. Never thought of the philosophy of deaths before. Never it was that painful. Till then I loved to call myself a Cancer survivor, for Parvathy (my daughter) and me was not two, but one. It was all shattered when I lost my father to Liver Cancer. As if you are crumbled - your ego of being a super hero in life who can face all challenges with a smile. And I was reading Kalanidhi from a new perspective. To be a super hero YOU need not be a survivor. You need not travel through this world in body but can be in spirit. What Kalanidhi teaches us is to embrace the life as well as death with a smile, with equal passion.  The reality shows in the Television channels, the Facebook pages and all the available media today prefer to bring in the people who  have survived to live in this Ear...

ഞങ്ങളുടെ ശബ്ദം കേൾപ്പിക്കാൻ ഒരവസരത്തിനായി കാത്തിരിക്കുകയായിരുന്നു എന്ന് ലോകത്തോട് വിളിച്ചു പറയുകയാണിന്ന് മലയാള കരയിലെ സ്ത്രീശക്തി. തങ്ങളെ പ്രതിനിധികരിക്കേണ്ടത് ശീതികരിച്ച മുറികളിലിരിക്കുന്ന അക്കാഡമിക്ക് ആക്ടിവിസ്റ്റുകളല്ല, അവർക്കുമുണ്ട് തനതായൊരു ശബ്ദം എന്നു തെളിയിക്കുകയാണ് #readytowait, കാത്തിരിക്കാൻ ഞങ്ങൾ തയ്യാറാണ് എന്ന ഓൺലൈൻ ക്യാബയിനിലൂടെ അമ്മമാരും സഹോദരിമാരും . ലോകത്തിന്റെ വിവിധ കോണുകളിൽ നിന്നും സമൂഹത്തിലെ വ്യത്യസ്ഥ മേഖലകളിൽ പ്രവർത്തിക്കുന്ന - ജർമ്മനിയിൽ നിന്നും അഞ്ജലി ജോർജജ്, ദുബൈയിൽ നിന്നും ശിൽപാ നായർ, ഡൽഹിയിൽ നിന്നും രാധികാ മേനോൻ, ഹൈദരാബാദിൽ നിന്നും പത്മാപ്പിള്ള ,കേരളത്തിൽ നിന്നും സുജ പവിത്രൻ, ശാലിനി പിള്ള, കൃഷ്ണപ്രിയ, മഞ്ജു പണിക്കർ - എന്നിങ്ങനെ വിരലിലെണ്ണാവുന്ന സ്ത്രീകൾ അയ്യപ്പ സ്വാമിയെ കാണാൻ കാത്തിരിക്കാൻ ഞങ്ങൾ തയ്യാറാണെന്ന് ഒരേ സ്വരത്തിൽ പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചപ്പോൾ, അഭൂതപൂർവ്വമായ സ്വീകരണമാണ് ആ കൂട്ടായ്മയ്ക്ക് ലഭിച്ചത്. ബുദ്ധിജീവി വർഗ്ഗത്തിന്റെ നാട്യങ്ങൾ അന്യമായ സാമൂഹ്യ മാധ്യമങ്ങളിലെ സാധാരണക്കാർ ഇതേറ്റെടുക്കുന്ന കാഴ്ചയാണ് പിന്നീട് നമ്മൾ കണ്ടത്. അയ്യപ...

Came into this from the reviews, then the blurb and what's my impression (the first and the last) after the reading ??? Disappointment, Disillusion ?? Anitha Nair, has let an opportunity slipped out of her fingers - A vast canvas unexploited is IDRIS:Keeper of the Light.  Idris Maymoon Samataar Guleed, previously  of Dikhil and the eternal traveler in the novel, seeking the measure of earth  and man  is a wonder creation by the author. At times his stature looks so huge that he doesn't fit into the minute world in the book. The son born to the Somalian Idris with a golden eye out of a Gaandarva Union with a matriarch, Kuttimalu somewhere in the God's Own Country was named Vattoli Kandavar Menavan and the father son duo meet accidentally and coincidentally in the land of Mamamgam. The readers get a cocktail mix here - Mamangam in the land of Thirunaavaya, the legends of chavers and Zamorin, the silk route and then a journey (though wasted) through the sh...

Kafka in the Reader’s Corridor B. Murali again… This time it’s the Kafka in the Court’s corridor Ordinary men and their ordinary lives give the fodder for writing to Murali and this story too falls on this line. Anand in his Govardhan’s Travels has dealt with the issue of the snail pace of the Indian courts. The work was not but for the ordinary readers who ve less time at their disposal for a literary work. Here Murali has touched upon the same issue but with much ease. Rameshan Nair happened to be an eye witness in a scuffle years back.   The case was registered and the issue forgotten. But the Indian judiciary system is slow and steady. The summons comes in search of K.P. Rameshan Nair. The hurdles he face even to receive the summons is the core of the story. The man is not fortunate enough to be inside the court before is story comes to an end.. That may take another few weeks or months. The interesting twist in the story is the presence of Kafka in the...

What does Umberto Eco has to do with Postmodernism? Theorist? Writer? Advocate of pomo??? My opening sentences today are misnormers... this post is not exactly on Eco but on a story which made Eco a common place name atleast in Malayalam. Couple of days back started reading B.Murali's 100 Kathakal - 100 stories...  "Umberto Eco" has been given the first position... the first in the line..but decided that am not going to read this story.. why should I?? am so familiar with this... lot has been read and told about the story... celeberated  as a postmodern work.... but some how got stumpled on 'Umberto Eco' The story line -  Ramakrishan the UGC  NET PSC aspirant is inducing his lady love to reading- sort of Pygmalion - so that she can be his 'better half - and get qualified for the chat over a cup of tea . She performs better developing herself to be an exponent of Barth, Eco, Foucault.. despising Sidney Sheldon... O...

Today finished my second reading of   Adityan Radha and Others   of M. Mukandan. The first reading was on the Malayalam original.   Acclaimed as the work which gave the clarion call of the advent of postmodernism in Malayalam literature, it earned good reviews from the critics. A typical postmodern work - metafiction, irony, fragmentation, temporal distortion, everything put in its right configuration Like the vidhooshakans of Indian Theatre, we have three narrators here to interrupt the course of the story(there is nothing called a 'course' here..still) . Brihaspati good choice of name), Romi Fernandez and Abhimanyu Jalan.   Radha and Adityan enjoys the center stage.   Adityan is the product of postmodern age born with silver spoon on their lips, but their mind and wings tied by the parents of the bygone modern era. Adityan and his generation is born to fulfill the dreams of their parents. They suffer from the plenty of rotti, kapda aur makan (foo...

My son (6 yrs old) troubles me with the question "is this real?" when ever he is struck by a beautiful , attractive advertisement in the television.  He must ve started asking this question, after me reminding him at some point of time that what ever he sees in t.v is "not real". But he experience that world through the ads and cartoons and its a tough time for me explaining to him that trains cannot talk as Thomas or watches do not ve magical powers as of Ben 10 and  the stuff in ads are impossible. May be after years i may explain to him that these are 'hyper real' and i can have a sigh of relief. What if he asks me : "What is hyper reality?" let me try to explain: You are a farmer in farm ville. You enjoy the nuances the cultivation, takes all the pains of a farmer, plant, grow.. experiences the pleasure of a good harvest... wow... and u encourage others too to be a part of this .... Are you a real Farmer? But have'nt you imagin...