24th December

24^th December 2017 was a day that changed many a lives that I know of. I was in the middle of a nearly 3200 kilometre train journey from Assam to Kerala when I was informed that my uncle had met with a road accident. He was driving a car, returning from his new born grandson’s choroonu ceremony in Trichur, Kerala.

A retired space scientist from VSSC, he was my local guardian for seven years (2000-07) while I studied at Sainik School near the state capital, Trivandrum. He was amongst the fittest and intellectually sharpest septuagenarians that I know of. What was initially thought of as a minor accident turned fatal, as the extent of internal injuries, came to the fore in the days and months ahead. He succumbed to them after nearly seven months of intensive care in one of the most advanced hospitals in Kerala. By the time he had left the body, he was barely a shadow of the living great that he was.

His, wasn’t an isolated story.

As the quality of Indian roads improve and the capabilities of our vehicles rises, so does the rate of accidents and the number of avoidable and premature lives that are lost.

Recent death of renowned musician Balabhaskar and his two year old daughter had broken the hearts of lakhs in Kerala and beyond. This tragic accident was only one among three accidents reported in ‘The Hindu’ newspaper on that fateful day, just from the southern states. Sadly, there isn’t a day now, a road accident and associated deaths fail to find column space in our daily newspapers.

Today wasn’t any different either, as I shockingly read about an accident that happened in the outskirts of Bangalore. A speeding car had rammed into a two-wheeler on a flyover taking with it the lives of a 41 year old and his 12 year old son. The report went onto say that the father was taking his son who complained of headache to a nearby clinic. The crash was so impactful that the boy’s body got crushed and severed around the waist into two halves. He was a 6^th standard student who only wanted his headache treated. As per the report, both the riders were without helmet and the car driver fled away from the scene.

A few weeks ago, I was witness to another fatal accident, this time on the access controlled peripheral expressway, NICE Road, connecting two ends of Bangalore. After taking the toll from Electronic City, I was speeding my way to Tumkur Road exit to attend to my next client meeting of the day on the other end of the city. A few miles down the road, traffic began to slow down and eventually came to a crawling stop. There had been an accident in the opposite carriageway. A speeding car had hit a scooter and the rider had died on the spot. A middle-aged looking man, wearing light blue denims and a stripped t-shirt, he was lying in a pool of blood with severe damages to his upper body & head. He was without a helmet.

I’m overcome by numbness when I come to think of these victims and those moments that mattered. I am sure I’ll never forget the face of a van driver whose body was pulled out from under an overturned van climbing down the Valparai hills on 1^st January 2017. I will also never forget the man in denims & t-shirt who lay still on the NICE Road. And so many more.

Momentarily we bring down the speed of our vehicles and drive cautiously. Soon that moment passes and we all get back to the hurry-burry of our daily lives. Driving recklessly to that next stop. As if we are invincible. Thinking such an accident would never happen to us.

We need to change!!!

Bloomberg reported in January 2018 that there are nearly 150,000 yearly deaths related to road accidents in India, or 400 deaths every day.

The Story of a Football Frenzied State!

This isn’t the first time that I am returning home from my university across the borders, but this will surely go down as the first time, the very first time that something amazes me the way it happened this time. Town to Town, Junction to Junction, there were these posters and banners, huge ones, of the soccer kings of the world. Messi was their god and Kaka the king. There were not many empty spaces left by the roadside or the hearts of the people, for the Kings and Queens of the Malayalam and Tamil film worlds. Yes, there were not many posters of upcoming Malayalam or Tamil movies but Argentine and Brazil football kings found spaces in every nuke and corner of the state.

My mind questioned my memory for similar incidents in Indian Cricket, if any at all, when the stars and the team found poster spaces in tiny towns and not many trace backs were found, nothing of this magnitude for sure, except those of the life sized stars like Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni or except when India won the World T-20 cup 3 years ago. Cricket definitely has a space in the hearts of the nation, but that’s for & with a reason, that they are the number one in it, which sadly ain’t the case with football, it’s just their love for the sport, for the ball, the field and the golden stars of it from halfway across the globe.

Argentina and Brazil may not have reached the finals, but I am sure the stars from Spain and Netherlands ended up winning more fans in their last few weeks of good fortune and hard work, than the rest of their lifetimes, millions of fresh fans and aspirers from a tiny state, the country of the god, Kerala.

Four years from now, when football starts rolling again in the grounds of Brazil, when the high tides of madness about football brushes the hearts of people, i wish if we were, the people of India, presented with a gift, that of a single nation to cheer about, a single flag and a single poster to post across the walls of the nation and a single name to chant in the hearts of the billions of people, that of India and the national football team fighting it out with the mighty big fishes of football for one single glory.

A Curse, That Never Dissolved!! – Part 1

Societies are often cruel to criminals. They never care if the person had suffered in jails or if they had come out as a better man. Once in jail, many don’t get a second chance in life.This story is dedicated to all those people who had a tough life out from jails just because of a mistake they had done in their Pasts.


He kept his plate and the glass aside at the usual place. This tiny space inside the 3 walls and a “cage like” prison door have been his life for the past 8 years. He hadn’t switched on the light today because he preferred to spend this night in a darkness. He had dreamt of this day so long and often had felt this waiting too painful and had made himself busy with other things and thoughts. But now that day was just a sunrise away.


Yeah!! He’s all set to be free tomorrow. This was Sivan’s last day of conviction. He will no longer be served government food and will no longer have to hide himself in the darkness of the prison cell. He will no longer have to sleep in a rotten mat in this cracked floor and neither did he want to. He will no longer have to fight a rat inside his cell. There were nights when it used to be too hot to stay inside but how could he go out from the lock up? The first days in the cell were the worst ones because he was just 22 then and many others in jail were above 35. He used to feel the horror even in their absence and things were unexplainable in their presence.


He had dreams about going back to this world where he could walk outside with all the freedom in the world and where he could talk to people on normal things and not about their fates and pasts. They could make a future rather than just dream about it here. He was thrilled to go out and meet his relatives and eat those once favorite foods of his. The jail warden Sekhar always liked him. He never disobeyed any officers orders neither did he make any trouble or fight with any other cell mates. He was always the one of the 1^st ones to stand up or rise their hands when a volunteer was asked for. Sekhar used to say it was his bad luck and ill fortune that he ended up here at such a small age. But was it really his bad luck or bad fate or misfortune?


He was not another convicted but innocent guys whom you see in movies. He had murdered another person when he was just 22. He had murdered Rajesh, his classmate, his friend, out of their political enmity. He had stabbed that guy thrice with a broken Soda bottle on his upper abdomen. Back then he was not alone. He was the leader of their party in collage and was a popular figure among the students. Sivan was beating Rajesh and people were yelling things like Beat Himm!!! .. Kill Himm!!.. It was those people watching the fight from outside who gave Sivan this broken bottle piece. But none of them were convicted and the court had summoned him to prison for 8 years. He had a long and lonely road in front and none of his friends joined hands to share the hardships he had to face.


The curse that lasted for the last 8 years will finally be over tomorrow. His last meal in that steal plate was over and that glass will no longer be serving him water. They had been some of his possessions for the last 8 years. The next morning before leaving, Sekhar advised Sivan for some time and asked him to give a call sometime in future or incase he needed something.

For the comfort of reading, the story has been split into 3. Continue reading in the below post!

A Curse, That Never Dissolved!! – Part 2

Please read the 1st part before this. Its a continuation.

He went to bus station to catch a bus back to his native. His hometown was 7 hours by bus. He looked at his face in one of those mirrors in the toilet at bus station. He had changed a lot. He was an attractive guy while at collage and always had a distinct hairstyle. He was fair and handsome and his character and looks always attracted people. He was stylish in his own terms but now he had lost it all. He was just an unshaved man with a dark complexion and no distinct hair style. He was now just another man in the crowd.


Back at his home town, he met with a sudden tragedy. His family has shifted from that place and the house they used to live was empty now. None of the neighbors had any idea of their whereabouts. 8 years ago, they were very much depressed at what happened to Sivan. His father had pronounced him out of the family when he came to know of his arrest and hadn’t gone to prison to meet Sivan even once in those 8 years. He made up in his mind that he won’t search for them until he found a decent job and made a nice name for himself.


He didn’t have a nice time in the hometown were people always referred to him as that guy who murdered his class mate while at collage. People kept on talking about Sivan in bus stops and tea stalls and barber shops and bars. Many of them didn’t know him personally and occasionally asked “ So you are that guy who murdered your classmate? You were in jail for 8 years? ...” All these disturbed him very much and he wanted to say them that he was a changed man and he was the most disciplined prisoner at jail. But none of them cared to these stories and they were reluctant to give job to this man. He tried many jobs but none of them ended up long as they kept on humiliating him and many threw him out of the job without any real reason. He felt really sad and heart broken when people referred to him as a criminal. He had already lived in the jail for 8 terrible years and felt it was his time to live now.


He called up his warden at jail Sekhar and came to know that he was in hospital after a heart attack. He was worried after hearing this and the news of Sekhar’s sickness made him forget his own worries. He felt his eyes speaking to people of his restlessness and left the seat and stood by the door.

Please continue reading in the 3rd Post

A Curse, That Never Dissolved!! – Part 3

Please read the 1st two parts before continuing with this one.

He was surprisingly welcomed warmly by his wife and 17 year old boy. They said Sekhar had spoken high of him for all those 8 years and so they didn’t hurt him even with a single word. After 3 days Sekhar was discharged and Sivan said to him the complete episode at his home town. Sekhar offered words of condolences and arranged him a job in a factory in Trivandrum . He also insisted that it was better Sivan stayed at Trivandrum because no one knew Sivan neither his history.


His time seemed to get better and smoother and he no longer dreamt those scary dreams. He started living the life he had dreamt while at prison. He was sure his bad days were over and was happy for this transformation in life. He was a lively man again. Days went by smoothly and it was nearly an year since he was out of jail. He now believed the curse upon him was finally and really over.


During that time, an old friend of his from the jail got released and the same police warden had given him Sivan’s address. He was so happy to know that Sivan had finally emerged out of all tough times and have started working. He went directly to the factory to meet Sivan and called out loudly. “Sivaa..Nee ipo decent aayi joli oke cheythu thudangi alle...Nee aake maariyalloda..purathu irangiyappo aake onnu chethu aayalloda..” which meant .. “Sivaa.. You have started doing a job now ! Great man..You have changed a lot...Once you got out, you have become fair also..”


Unluckily for Sivan the owner of that factory was on rounds and he asked Sivan who was that man. He said he was an old friend, and that man out of his anxiety of meeting Sivan, added that, he and Sivan had spent 4 years together in jail. Sivan was shocked at the mention of “jail” but the owner was even more shocked. He asked the details and Sivan had to describe the full story of how he got into the jail. The owner scolded him in front of the rest of workers and said he don’t want a criminal in his workforce. His heart was broken at those lines and he begged the owner for keeping him. By that time he had already moved on to the next workers space. The news spread in the factory like a wild forest fire. People, even those with whom he had dinner yesterday, started ignoring him from then and often kept talking behind his back about the incident in the factory.


Once again he and his Inglorious Past has been the topic of discussion in the hotel he ate daily. He felt his last one year’s hard work in getting a name and identity had been spoilt in a second. He was almost getting into this world of common people without the distinction of being a murderer and had started sleeping normally without any wild dreams. But this could change it all and it could be an unchangeable change. Now he didn’t even have the mind to go to another place and start all over again hiding his identity as a cold blooded murderer.


Now he was again that guy who cursed his fate and foolishness and rash rise of blood in an unfortunate moment. He cursed that guy who threw that broken bottle to him. He cursed those guys who charged him up to bash Rajesh. He cursed all of them but all of them could be leading a happy life now and he was left with nothing rather than this tag of a Criminal who had murdered his own class mate at the age of 22.
The humiliation he faced since his release from the jail have been more heartening than those physical hardships he had to go through in the initial days at jail. He cursed his fate and wished a Death Sentance could have been much better because then he couldn’t have had to face these hardships from people. He could have lived the rest of his life in that prison and could have had those random nice people inside who understood each others sentiments and he at least had a glass and a steel plate and a room of his own and a darkness to hide himself. But here outside he had nothing of his own and he was an alien Criminal who had gone to jail for murdering his own class mate.


He thought all these could have been because of the curses of Rajesh and his relatives and his friends. Rajesh...a fellow classmate. A guy who sat in the same benches and read the same books and who used to eat from the same mess and paid the same fees. Sivan had ended Rajesh’s life in a moment. But Sivan was living a life full of hardships. He felt the people around him were all demons killing him inch by inch by each word they spoke. He had already suffered for 9 years and how much more will he have to suffer with the tag of a criminal or a murderer? Why should he suffer like this? His heart was burning with these thoughts and he cried out and left out huge groans. Many heard him but none cared. After all he was just a dreaded criminal to them.


To end it all for ever, he went to the tallest building in the town and jumped from the top of it. He had Rajesh’s face in his mind and he was cursing himself at heart even in those last seconds.

My Journey...A Tale!! (Part 1)

While in an evening walk, while in a crowded bus or a train, while at a library searching for your favorite book or at your favorite hotel for a special dinner, while at the marriage of your distant relative or in an unknown forum over internet,...you meet people! You might give them a smile! You ask for their help, to find a book or your way or the time or some place, unknowingly many a times. You talk to some and listen to a few. Who are they? They are strangers. The same strangers whom your Papa must have warned of to be careful about. And many of those strange friendships or strange-ships lasts no longer than the dress  we wear. This being a small script cooked up in my mind, thinking of those strangers who had helped me expecting none in return, shared their simple and humane thoughts with me and even those who had nothing to give but a nice smile.

Krupaya dhyaan deejiye! Gadi no 6248 Thiruvanathapuram se hokar Manglore tak jaanevali Parashuram Express platform no 2 par aa chuki hein….

This sound of the railway announcement woke me up. I looked through the bars of the window and found that the train had reached Ernakulam Jn station. The hanging televisions in the station played the trailer of an up coming Mohanlal flick which is to release coming Friday. The sound of the video was only vaguely hearable courtesy the loud cries of the Chai-wala's and the murmurs of anxious and impatient passengers. My watch said it was 11.42 AM which meant i had slept for like 3 ½ hours. I bought a newspaper from one of those bookstalls in the platform. The front page was filled with the news of India winning the 2011 Cricket World Cup.


I was reading an article when i noticed that a uncle who sat opposite to me was starring at my newspaper and i offered it to him and he smiled and thanked me. I smiled back and glanced at the people in my vicinity. An old lady with a spectacles was reading a thick covered book, a middle aged man in a t-shirt and jeans was sleeping and another person was reading an Outlook magazine and he had a blue tooth device in his ears. All of passengers seemed to be content with their own mobile phones and books.




I looked out through the window and enjoyed the green-Kerala. There were this beautiful sight of paddy fields and coconut trees besides the track all over with occasional railway crossings where vehicles waited in long queues for the gate to be opened. There were these loud whistling/horn of the train occasionally and i was tuned to this rhythmic beat of the mating between the rail track and the metal wheel. A number of thoughts went passing through my mind and i wondered how many times have i boarded this same train. I remembered this incidence of how i knew Italy had won the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

( Scene: Same train Date: Some-time in mid Aug 2006 )

I was boarding this train from Trivandrum and was already late that i couldn't read the newspaper before hand. I entered the bogie minutes before it left and luckily found myself a seat beside the window. At that instant i saw the picture of Italian Soccer team with the cup in the front page of a newspaper and out of anxiety grabbed the newspaper from some one whom i had never ever met. I was just reading that article when that man grabbed the paper from my hand and scolded saying "Excuse me, who taught you these manners?? .. can't you see that am reading it young man??" and i was embarrassed in front of rest of the passengers.

For the comfort of reading, I've split this into 3 parts. So continue reading in the next post!

My Journey...A Tale!! (Part 2)

Please read the above post if you haven't. This is a continuation

The next few minutes i sat still with my face pressed against the window bars as if reaching out to catch some sight at the far end. The train was out of station and sun was lazily starting his day's work. The incident was as bad as getting slapped on your face and i figured out what a stupid thing i had just done. "I should have at least asked for the paper!!" I kept on repeating at heart. I now knew there was no point in staring out at the semi-dark early morning sky and took out a film magazine from my bag and pretended to read it. But again and again those thoughts kept coming back to my mind and i even cursed him many a times at heart for embarrassing me! 





May be 20 minutes after that he tapped my knees and gave me the paper and apologized for those rash moments. I said it was my mistake and apologized him back with a stressed smile and accepted the newspaper. My mind eased out and thanked him with a brighter smile few seconds later. He too spared a smile at me and i felt a silent conversation taking place. The situation eased out by then and i was all into the newspaper. I read all the articles and described to him about Zidane's head-butt incident and how much Buffon deserved the Best-Goalkeeper award. He as if to change the subject said cricket was his favorite sport and added he had watched the 1983 Cricket World Cup final live on television.


My watch ticked by fast for me, as i was enjoying the film magazine. He as if out of boredom asked me what do i study and i said i was doing 1st year B.Sc. He added that he was working in the Secretariat. His tone seemed to change to an advisory mode and i was least interested to be advised by some one i never even knew, and i wanted to go back to my magazine. But with no other option, i pretended to listen to him and nodded at times just to ensure i was awake. At an instant i asked where he was getting down and he said Kottayam. That meant i will have to bear him for about an hour and cursed my fate for all the ill happenings of the day. Later i switched back to my magazine and a few stations later the stranger left and by then i had made up i will never be friendly to a stranger.

Please Continue to Part 3 in the next post!

My Journey...A Tale!! (Part 3)

This is continuation from Part 2. Please complete part 1 and 2 first!

(Date: Back to present,April 3rd 2011)

The uncle who had borrowed the newspaper returned it.  I looked at the watch and it was just past 12 noon. I went through the rest of the paper and the last pages were filled with posters of those movies to be released soon. I was all excited to be back home from work and i will be there until Vishu (April 14th, New year according to Malayalam calendar). I dreamt of what will be special at home for Vishu? "There could be the customary fire crackers which i really enjoyed and then there would be nice food and new movies coming on television. Then there would be…..Would be….?? Uh..Is that all?"

It reminded me of these festivities way back when i was a kid. Then festivals like Vishu and Onam meant get together of the whole family for about 5-10 days of extreme fun. The courtyard used to be filled with kids playing with loud noises, the elder women at home enjoying the cooking part with gossiping while the elder men spending their rare holidays together discussing their tough working hours, aspirations of building new houses, and so on. Evenings were fun with all jumping and swimming in the big pond and at night all the kids slept in a same room. The grand parents always had pleasant gifts for us and we always had an innocent smile in return.

But now can i, or you dream of such a holiday?? I wish i could! The person whom i had met a long way back in the same train had talked of the changing times and how televisions were starting to influence the household lately, and had referred to peoples keen interest for the Onam season, just because new movies kept on coming in the satellite channels. Back then i had called him an old man, and had told him that he felt the time was changing just because he was getting old and it was not that people had stopped enjoying festivals. He just smiled at me and hadn't replied then. I was happy then to see his mouth shut because i was more interested in that film magazine. Later he had said "Good bye young man. Happy Onam. Good luck…" and had got down at his station.

Now it makes me feel like the time has changed too and peoples interests have shifted poles. But who is to blame for all these? Does a guy sitting dumb in front of the movie celebrating the hero's success and laughing out at even the lamest of jokes know that this is not the right way to celebrate a great festival like Onam. Is it just about Kerala or have the people whole over the world changed too? Do you enjoy the movie songs now? If yes have you listened to classical music?? Have you seen the classical dances? Do you even know what Kathakali is? Is it true that world is changing or as i had told that stranger, should i just assume that i was getting old too??

But for that stranger, whose name interestingly i never asked, would i have had these thoughts too? Was it just a waste of my time to listen to him? More and more questions arise and many remain unanswered. I might never see him again and my questions might remain unanswered for the length of my life.

An Ode to the Gods Own Country.

My Efforts to know Kerala more closely, both Statistically & Factually.

When India was divided into many, on the basis of native languages, a tiny strip at the very south, the one sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea , the one where the natives spoke this beautiful language Malayalam, a state was born. Kerala, on November 1st 1956. The same date which we celebrate as Kerala Piravi. At my school, we were not allowed to speak in any language other than Malayalam on that particular day, or you could be handed the Joker Card! (its customarily passed among the sub junior students, those who speak anything other than English at Sainik School Kzm,and the one who has hold of it after the lunch is punished by their house captain).

The sight of the Sun hiding deep into the oceans at Kovalam beach, the sight of House boats afloat a picturesque Vembanad lake at Kumarakam, the sight of lowered fishing nets at Fort Cochin with a lazy sun slowly rising above the horizon at the Arabian Sea, the beautiful sight of tea plantations at the hill stations, are only some of those scenes that might leave a tourist “Awestruck”. In the year 1980, Kerala started its efforts to find revenue by promoting its tourism. By mid 1990’s Kerala had slowly become one of the first pick spots for tourists, both domestic & foreign. By 2007, Kerala had become the fastest growing tourist spot in the World. Kerala cuisine is well praised as one of the best in the world, known for their mouthwatering mix of spices. The festivals like Onam and Thrissur Pooram and local art forms like Theyyam, also had played a big role in taking Kerala way ahead in the tourism map of India. The competitive display of decorated umbrellas atop the ornate set of elephants between the two major temples at Thrissur and the amazing and thunderous display of fireworks that follow at the Thrissur Pooram are some of those things that are worth experiencing.

Since its incorporation as a state, Kerala has invested more on humane aspects and moral values and made sure each kid attended school with a pleasant smile at young ages, rather than clean the tables at hotels or carry bricks at factories.  As a result of those efforts, Kerala now has a society where people respect the moral values of each other. The fresher water bodies and cleaner environments ensured a relatively healthier population than most other states at the same time. The efforts to promote education has paid off well too, making the state cent percent literate. Its found that nearly 1 out of every 3 malayalees are capable of communicating two or more languages. This might not be a big thing for you, but it really is a big thing in a country were 1 out of 3 are still nearly illiterate. (India’s literacy rate as a whole is still hovering around 60% only). Kerala is also tightly knit together by a network of National & State Highways and a end-end railway network.

For a state, as small as Kerala, and with a population of around 3 crores, the kind success and prominence the Keralites have achieved in all the fields is quite phenomenal. Kerala is cited to have the best standards of living in India and when this is matched with the cent percent literacy rate, you got to call it the best Society. Malayalees have been among the top democrats in India. Many renowned writers, artists and top scientists also leave their traces to Kerala. This state has also produced some of the finest acting talents as well as the many of the top cinematographers, directors and other technicians known to Indian Cinema. Even after 25 years since her performance at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, PT Usha is considered as the “Queen of Indian Track & Field”. Keralites have gone on to win Oscar and the Booker Prizes, have been nominated for the Nobel Prize, have held the highest office in the Indian Democracy and has even raced to the top of the United Nations Organization.

The thing that lets Kerala down as a state to some extends is their politics and the law and order systems. The political games and evils of corruption are well known, even to the kids. Kerala government lacks the ability to accomplish the projects at all,  even if not at the expected time. People are least interested in Politics and they have almost zero faith in their law and order system. People are afraid to report a theft to the police because they might ask you for more, than what you actually lost. Its this impression, the public has about their politicians and their law and order. It has to change,for the good, not by words, but they have to prove us wrong by their actions. Yes!! They have to prove that the politicians and the law and order section are trustworthy too and they can implement changes too. As i said, it should not come from their mouths, but from their actions. In a country like ours, where a player turns into a  national Hero by just the virtue of a  100 or a 5-wicket howl in a cricket match, the politicians must understand that if they stay and act honestly to take the country forward rather than fill their own pockets, their names will be hailed by the nation in the times to come.

Kerala has a near perfect mix of climatic conditions, the lovely lakes and the beautiful hill stations and the warm beaches and one of the most loving & hospitable locals. If the responsible leaders of the state govern the state with utmost honesty and pride, Kerala can be your answer to a Heaven down in this Earth. Kerala, The Gods Own Country.

Santhosh George Kulangara, a renowned malayalee,  who has travelled all around the globe is now chasing his dream and is all set to travel to space as the 1st Indian Space Tourist. Let there be opportunities for not only all Keralites but all the Indians and all human beings to achieve even the craziest of their dreams!