Our ancestral house was about 150 years old. Much of it was renovated at different periods but many portions such as the machu, pathayapura, nilavara etc had seen very old times.
A small anecdote on our Tharavaadu which my grandfather told me when i was young:
Apparently the notorious thief, Kayamkulam Kochunni, once managed to scale the
not-so-challenging walls of the Tharavaadu compound. Very soon a few dogs came running. The veteran however must have planned for it. He had bought with him a few fishes and threw it to the dogs which at once seized them and began to savour it. Kochunni swiftly made his way to the Nellara and was about to take something. The Karanavar (not like the guy in Manichitrathaazhu) of the house was a blind man, heard some noise and asked who it was. Somehow Kochunni changed his mind to plunder from the house and shouted something like that the house was owned by a righteous man and that he wouldnt want to rob it. Very soon he left the house also.
A few pictures of the Tharavaadu next..
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Onam Celebrations in Kanakunnu - 2007
Some Photos taken during Onam celebrations @ Kanakakunnu Palace Trivandrum
MargamKali being played on Stage @ Kanakakunnu Palace
A view of the Giant Wheel on the Palace grounds during Onam
Another view of the Palace
MargamKali being played on Stage @ Kanakakunnu Palace 
A view of the Giant Wheel on the Palace grounds during Onam 
A view of the Kanakakunnu Palace Grounds
Another view of the PalaceFriday, August 24, 2007
Summer vacations
Summer Vacations always had a special place in my heart when I could get away from the noise of the city to our spacious tharavaadu near Kayamkulam.
Exams would get over by end of March. We would all be in an exhilarating mood in the return journey by School Bus that day - hollering - Happy Holidays and Kappi kudikkan Holidays, not for a moment thinking about how we did our exams. I would reach home all sweaty and dirty after all the action in the school.
Since the school would be closed on fridays, I would treat myself to the luxury of watching Chitrahar or Chitrageetham. (We took cable connecton at home only after I got my first job in 1998. Even without Cable I was downright lazy and my parents were worried that the presence of cable Tv would make me study even less). I would look forward to sleeping early that night as there was no school/exams. But as luck would have it, I would not feel sleepy at all without
books in my hand.
Waking up late the next day would be the next luxury. Normally Achan would come and wake me up with a glass of tea. I would gulp it all and drag myself to the bathroom. Once I brushed I would initially sit in my chair with books before me. In a few minutes I would be reading the book with head on the table. Finding the position less comfortable, I would relocate to the bed with pillow behind head. And very soon the head would slide down with me reading lying on
the bed and soon I would enter the land of Nod - only to be cruelly interrupted by Achan/Amma shaking me vigorously and mouthing expletives. In extreme cases, Agarwal and Khanna have had the privilege of flying out of the window.
Back to the holidays - I found again to my dismay that I coulndt sleep beyond 7 am. In any case Achan would wake me up as it was bad to sleep for so long.After a few days, I would be packed to my grandparents house. The journey is always a cherished memory. We would mostly take the early morning bus bound for "Muthakunnam Ferry" - the bus reaching Kayamkulam bus station at aorund 7 30 AM. From there a taxi ride and we would reach our Tharavaadu.
More about the Tharavaadu next..
Exams would get over by end of March. We would all be in an exhilarating mood in the return journey by School Bus that day - hollering - Happy Holidays and Kappi kudikkan Holidays, not for a moment thinking about how we did our exams. I would reach home all sweaty and dirty after all the action in the school.
Since the school would be closed on fridays, I would treat myself to the luxury of watching Chitrahar or Chitrageetham. (We took cable connecton at home only after I got my first job in 1998. Even without Cable I was downright lazy and my parents were worried that the presence of cable Tv would make me study even less). I would look forward to sleeping early that night as there was no school/exams. But as luck would have it, I would not feel sleepy at all without
books in my hand.
Waking up late the next day would be the next luxury. Normally Achan would come and wake me up with a glass of tea. I would gulp it all and drag myself to the bathroom. Once I brushed I would initially sit in my chair with books before me. In a few minutes I would be reading the book with head on the table. Finding the position less comfortable, I would relocate to the bed with pillow behind head. And very soon the head would slide down with me reading lying on
the bed and soon I would enter the land of Nod - only to be cruelly interrupted by Achan/Amma shaking me vigorously and mouthing expletives. In extreme cases, Agarwal and Khanna have had the privilege of flying out of the window.
Back to the holidays - I found again to my dismay that I coulndt sleep beyond 7 am. In any case Achan would wake me up as it was bad to sleep for so long.After a few days, I would be packed to my grandparents house. The journey is always a cherished memory. We would mostly take the early morning bus bound for "Muthakunnam Ferry" - the bus reaching Kayamkulam bus station at aorund 7 30 AM. From there a taxi ride and we would reach our Tharavaadu.
More about the Tharavaadu next..
Monday, August 20, 2007
First ODI, ICL, Kerala Road conditions and Ash
India meets England in the first of seven ODI's (yawn). God knows how these people get the energy and zeal to play the same opponents 7 times within a space of 2 weeks.
Todays encounter at Rose Bowl looks to be a wash-out with rain forecast.
ICL has announced that it has signed close to 50 players. They are not exactly the creme-de-la-creme of Indian cricket as Kapil has stated. Looks more like a list of some guys who coulndt make it big - LR Shukla, T Kumaran etc - though I was surprised to see Dinesh Mongia signing up. I thought he did have a future in ODI's.
The road conditions in Kerala have to be the worst in the world. There is no day I dont swear at that **** PWD minister of ours while i negotiate each pothole. The minister seems to be interested only in making money for his son and daughter. Incidentally it is a known fact that Kuruvilla and Finance Minister Thomas Isaac rarely use roads and often use trains or planes to reach their destinations. These people ought to be taken in a two wheeler across the Ambalamukku - Muttada road 5 times a day, for a month, as punishment.
Mrs Abhishek Bachchan has said NO to KJo's latest flick on accounts of the role demanding her to be sexy. Talk of double standards. On one hand she has signed up for Pink Panther II with Steve Martin, replacing Beyonce who was in the previous edition. The role would definitely require Mrs. Bachachan to expose. But then thats Hollywood!
Todays encounter at Rose Bowl looks to be a wash-out with rain forecast.
ICL has announced that it has signed close to 50 players. They are not exactly the creme-de-la-creme of Indian cricket as Kapil has stated. Looks more like a list of some guys who coulndt make it big - LR Shukla, T Kumaran etc - though I was surprised to see Dinesh Mongia signing up. I thought he did have a future in ODI's.
The road conditions in Kerala have to be the worst in the world. There is no day I dont swear at that **** PWD minister of ours while i negotiate each pothole. The minister seems to be interested only in making money for his son and daughter. Incidentally it is a known fact that Kuruvilla and Finance Minister Thomas Isaac rarely use roads and often use trains or planes to reach their destinations. These people ought to be taken in a two wheeler across the Ambalamukku - Muttada road 5 times a day, for a month, as punishment.
Mrs Abhishek Bachchan has said NO to KJo's latest flick on accounts of the role demanding her to be sexy. Talk of double standards. On one hand she has signed up for Pink Panther II with Steve Martin, replacing Beyonce who was in the previous edition. The role would definitely require Mrs. Bachachan to expose. But then thats Hollywood!
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