"When is this movie going to end???" thought I, and buried my head in mummy's lap, all set to fall asleep right there on the floor below the sofa where she was sitting.
I was watching (and getting extremely bored with) 'Loudspeaker', a Malayalam movie starring Mamooty with ma and pa. But no, both mum and dad were too engrossed in the proceedings to notice that I wasn't even pretending to be interested anymore. And then, very unexpectedly, I heard a line from a song papa used to sing all the time when Sparto and I were kids... "Nammude nenjilage anuraga karikkin vellam......". I sat up instantly, hoping for a song as wonderful as the promise held in that one slowly sung line ..and I wasn't disappointed. This was one of those moments that define "serendipity" for me. A song that I would play atleast 30 times that evening was the last thing I expected to come across.
Beautifully picturised in a way that is bound to touch the soul of anyone with roots in Kerala and including many of the elements that define Kerala for me - water, monsoons, summers, ponds, sands, the sea, mangoes, boats, lush greenery, pretty girls with long hair and kajal-lined eyes, old houses with sloping tiled roofs to combat the rains, ponds filled with green water, dark grey storm clouds, men dressed in white dhotis, joint families, kathakali performances and of course memories of childhood vacations :)
For me, the answer to 'where do you come from' is always going to be Bangalore, never Kerala. I love B'lore, it's my hometown. It is the place that has shaped me. Kerala, I tend to think of the place where my parents come from, where my roots are, though I don't really 'get' or identify with the culture, the politics, or the complicated social relationships. It annoys me a little when complete strangers ask intrusive questions or decide give their opinions on personal matters just because they live in the same area! I should probably cut this here, as I can write pages about my feelings (good and bad) about Kerala. But thats just the point - I can't 'not react to' Kerala. It's impossible to do so. Because the place is meshed to my soul. Why else would music videos with dark clouds against green waters tug so strongly at my heart?
'This land is my land' as Sparto says, though if anything, he's even more a Bangalorean than I am....
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
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ReplyDeleteIt's always nice to identify yourself to one place, one culture and that one root you are proud of.
ReplyDeleteBut it is even better if there are multiple cultures, places you can identify with. You tend to be more inclusive and open minded than the rest, I feel. Which is very evident in you :)
It's a lovely write up Pratibha :)