Unlike other trips, this was a trip always due on us. Kiccha, (KK, Kishna, Krishna and there are other names that I am leaving out) always pressed, that we must visit his hometown. I was always incited by the idea of going deep into ghats, but zeal will die down upon hearing him say "it's only a 13hr bus-journey". But this time, it was more than just a zeal, probably, we just could not imagine the last moment to see him off for his higher studies and wanted to postpone the moment by going to his place. So done, Ashwini got a W/L ticket into Kanyakumari Exp. (which as expected got converted) and on 13th night, after finishing all the hustle-bustle of the day we were rushing towards City Junction. 9:45 sharp, the train started and we resumed our natural self as Charades. The couple on the side-birth was decent/scared enough to not ask us to go to sleep, but slowly the night caught us in her grip.The state is lush and wealthy, stood firm with sound infrastructure and cleanliness won't escape a comment. People seemed educated as almost everybody was ornamented with a chronometer and a black umbrella. Kerala welcomed us with fresh wind, thick with humidity and always expectant. As soon as we came out of the station (Palakkad), it started raining heavily, threatening our next 70 Km ride in a jeep to KK's native village (Vietnaam Paddi). Unlike other towns, where rain deters everything and turns to the advantage of rikshawalas, people here were more than willing to take us to so far. We, fresh with zeal, got into the jeep. As per my virtue or mis-virtue (of motion sickness) I acquired the front seat and the journey began. Roads were good and before 9, we were at Kiccha's place. And then, as like any other village in India, where a guest is the guest of the village, Krishna's aunty welcomed us with homely brewed coffee and freshly prepared idly. None of us, understood malayalam but her motherly caring made us feel home and she was so happy to feed us. This simplicity towered so high compared to our high intellectual rationality that I wanted to forget the life back at Bangi. I started enjoying the food, absolutely free of the all the bugs that were awaiting us. The session became more interesting when our mallu gyani (Aditya) wanted to fill for KK, while he was taking bath.
Then we went to see KK's cultivation and it rained here whenever a breeze passed by and when it didn't it was hot and humid. Scared of spotting a snake in the land we somehow finished our tour in the fields. And it was so green.
Come home and marathon of cooking the supper started. Everybody tried almost every thing of his culinary instincts and when we thought it was enough of atrocity to the food we gobbled it down to catch a nice long afternoon sleep. Ashwini and I just slept on the red-floor, it was very cold and we were surrounded by tall trees, entangled with twining plants making the sky greener. It was getting dark and some mosquitoes had already feasted on me, when I woke from my slumber and found people still supine. I started walking down to enjoy the evening life of a village, went to a temple. They were lighting diyas all over the place, found it very serene especially after a sleep brain doesn't have much to say. Sat for a long time by the side of a canal and saw it veining into the green paddy fields. Vaibhav and Ashwini were back from there trip to the nearest town and got some , tapioca chips and bread for the dinner. After a light sandwich dinner, we were out in the portico, enjoying the rain, again. Felt like spending nicely earned weekend in a very expensive resort. And we cursed Krishna for not letting us know of the treasure he hid.
We slept with an oath to get up early at 6:30 and take trekking to a hillock as a part of morning exercise. We reached to the base and it started raining heavily again. Not to be deterred by it we started the trek in the rain. Lavan, KK's cousin, was the spontaneous of all and rest of showed the frailty of sedentary life-style. We came down quickly as Krishna had already planned our trip to Guruvayur temple.
When we were back, aunty was already waiting with hot dosa and chutney and obviously lots of care. After a nice bath we started in a van Force for the trip, which we didn't know was going to be a memorable one. Krishna got us half-montied in the long queque in Guruvayur temple, putatively installed by Guru (master of deva-ganas) and supply chain managed by Vayu-dev. Just before we were to get Darshana, the mid-day cleaning of the temple started and we were to wait 1 more hour. We sat down on the floor, clad only in white dhoti tried to meditate for some time and then dozed off till the festive music started again.
The last day's humid stroll in the fields had incited a desire to get to beach. And this driver with us was just so grateful to take us to the nearest beach. Soon we were, all battling in the surf and high pre-evening tides of Arabic Ocean. The beach, chethah, was comparable to that of Poori. The water was clear and the sand not as thick as that of Kanyakumari's. KK and vaibhav decided to stay ashore while I took the most astounding decision of cavorting in dhoti. After the beach the next destination was a camp of elephants. They had almost 64 the kind all gormandize on thick harvest. It rained again, not to our surprise this time and we washed away the salty water.
After we reached home, we had very short time to reach Shorannur, from where we had to catch the returning train. We packed up everything, bought some more tapioca chips to distribute to others the next day and hurried to the station. KK was instrumental in arranging all and looked untouched of any human feelings. We had 30 mins when we entered the station, incandescent light, milling people, our throats chocked with grief, emotions short of words, memories alive as wound. We were bidding bye to a friend. Three years are so small, looks as if I have just got down to Hotel Woodland's and Krishna is waiting, unassumingly, and asking my name...
(some pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenseeye)
(Some more at : http://picasaweb.google.com/shinjan/Palakkad)
(Some more at : http://picasaweb.google.com/shinjan/Palakkad)
