The last song… The miracle of death

He was the last of the Karanavars (Patriarchs) and yet he was a man ahead of his times. In the apparent contradiction lies the man. P.K. Abraham Tharakan (aka Pappachan), was a free-thinking spirit, who carried the class, the charisma and the culture of his forefathers lightly on his shoulders. The class was reflected in his innate philosophy of life, in his sensitivity, respect and concern for others, an appreciation for fellow human beings and a readiness to lend a helping hand, regardless of his own difficulties. It is the kind of class that is rarely seen today.

He often quoted Appan, his father, who had told him before he died, that change and adaptation was crucial to progress. And so, he changed with the times.

The boy who crossed the customs check point on overnight trips via vallum (country boat) from Olavaipe in the Kingdom of Travancore to Ernakulam in Cochin, 

-        as an early teen saw and took part in the dawn of independent India,

-        as a student led Kerala’s cricket and hockey teams to victory,

-        as a young man guided his large tribe of younger siblings after his father's early death,

-        later, faced the onslaught of communism against the old feudal order, 

-        travelled the seas to America to hold successful talks for a partnership with General Motors,

-        engaged in strategic deals with the then communist Chief Minister C. Achutha Menon (Kerala economy: The NRI money pile) to create a major manufacturing unit in labour-resistant God’s Own Country,

-        rediscovered the mystic of the old ways in the hands of a water diviner when western technology failed to unearthen underground water resources,

-        in his later years discovered and mastered the new ways of the internet universe and the online world of blogging.

However, what really separated him from the multitude was his strength, courage and compassion. Some souls are sent on earth to help others, and we believe that was what he was sent here to do. 

 (Acts of kindness) His race is run, he fought the good fight… the fight that faces all of us frail human beings. And now is his time to rest.

 May his soul rest in peace. God bless him.

Posted by his children

A New Year in Kerala

I spent the New Year in Kerala, at our ancestral home. It was nice. Would you believe that I was able to photograph a grasshopper there who it seemed, was trying to get a sip of beer. See below:

 

Poor chap. He didn’t get any, though Kerala reportedly drank Rs.92 crores of liquor for Christmas and Rs.45 crores for the New Year!

Getting to Kerala from Chennai after Christmas and returning after New Year   was quite difficult. The trains were full no matter what class you were looking for. Air fares were atrocious; around Rs.14000 one way. Fortunately I was able to get a seat for Rs.6300 one way. Book early and save! But one can’t do that always. The opportunity hike of domestic air fares in India is shocking. A friend was kind enough to arrange the return passage by train.

I had to go to Trivandrum from Cochin. That was done by car. The Honda City with our driver took 5 ½ hours (2pm to 7.30 pm) non-stop to cover the 220kms on National Highway 47. Years ago, it used to take about 3 ½ hours with an Ambassador or Fiat! The road surface was not too bad but the two lane width mostly and heavy traffic caused problems.

Imagine there is a demand that the National Highways in Kerala need to have only two lanes. As of now the width is pegged at 35 meters in Kerala against the national specification of 70 meters! The State Government's idea of permitting public meetings on National Highways has been quashed by the Supreme Court.

Today’s news papers carry a report that a road project in Kerala which was delayed for four years is to be implemented now. That’s good. Who bothers that the cost estimate of Rs.1 crore per kilometer four years back has escalated to Rs.4 crores per kilometer now. 

God save God’s own Country!

Related post: Kerala politics: Confused Comrades

Kerala: Roads are meant for…?

In the beginning there was no road. Adam and Eve didn’t require pathways to roam around in their Garden. Move anywhere and it was Paradise. The first specific road was perhaps the one the original couple treaded when they were banished from the Garden of Eden.

With the increase in the number of their descendants more footpaths emerged. Later on the wheel was discovered and human and animal drawn wagons were made. That required many footpaths to be converted to wider tracks or primitive roads.

The next major development was the automated vehicles with pneumatic tires. They transformed the transport industry. Wise men realized the economic importance of road transport which could move people and goods faster - point to point, warehouse to warehouse.

But the vehicles required proper roads. Road building technology developed and broad modern highways were built in many countries. Better roads meant fiscal advantage in different ways.

On good roads the vehicles can travel faster and more safely. Their maintenance outlay would be minimized. This reduces the cost of transporting goods which, in turn, lessens the selling prices.

Proper highways considerably reduce the turnaround time of the vehicles. The quantity of goods transported on a bad road by three trucks could be probably managed by one lorry on a good highway by making three trips. This means that money required for two trucks could be used for other development activities. Overall economic growth escalates the need for articles and more trucks to carry them.

Realizing the importance of good roads India constituted National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) by an Act of the Parliament to create world class roads with uninterrupted traffic flow. The successful operation of this organization requires the cooperation of the State governments. By and large, such support is there. 60 meter wide National Highways (NH) are coming up all over the country.

But Kerala has to be different.

The State argued that because of the heavy density of population the width of NHs in Kerala should be scaled down to 45m. After a great deal of discussions, NHAI agreed to this though a heavy increase in truck traffic is expected with the opening of the Vallarpadam Container Transhipment Terminal later this year.

It is a common practice in Kerala to hold political meetings on highways. Sometimes rallies and religious functions are held blocking the traffic totally. Recently one citizen went to the High Court against this. The verdict was obvious – roads are meant for traffic and obstructing that should not be permitted.

There were heavy protests from politicians against this verdict. The Judges were abused in public. Kerala Government went to the High Court with a review petition that failed. Now there is talk about approaching the Supreme Court on the issue. And the politicians keep on saying that the High Court verdict would be broken frequently.

In the meanwhile the question of road width has still not abated. Now the demand is that the NHs should only 30m broad. Basically this comes from the traders and people staying along the roadside. The law and policy of the government is that proper compensation should be paid to the owners when private property is taken over public purpose. But law and logic do not always prevail in Kerala.

Just a couple of weeks back in another case the High Court made a statement that travelling on NH47 in Kerala is like riding a horse! The road condition is so bad.

Now, this leads to another question. If the new tracks are meant for horses, horse carts and meetings, what should be its breadth?

Also see:

The maiming of Munnar

Apologies for AWOL, rains in Cochin

For a few months now I have not been paying due attention to my blog. It has been a kind of absence without leave. Some of the regular readers have been kind enough to write to me about it. My apologies to them, and to those who made comments on my posts and did not receive any response.

For the last few weeks I was in Kerala. This was my first trip after the cardiac bypass operation I had in September 2009. I did not even touch a computer there. It was a time of getting together with the family and friends, visits to the club, and attending a few functions. Had a lovely time.

Chennai and Kerala are, as you know, in different weather zones – sweltering heat at one end and pelting rains at the other. Singing in the rain was not on cards. Neither was walking in the downpour without an umbrella. But it was nice being driven around. At the moment the Cochin roads have smooth surface. It is likely to be another story after the monsoon. Good while it lasts.

Olavipe, my home village is all green, just like the rest of Kerala. But it looks better on TV. Last week an interview with my younger brother Hormis Tharakan (former RAW chief) at Olavipe was on the mini screen and the place looked great.

An equally alluring spot is the beautiful riverside house of a cousin, Mathew Manipadam, at Udayanapuram near Vaikom. For the first time in my life I saw yellow hibiscus flowers there. I was really stunned by it. A couple of photos I took of them are reproduced below:

The construction activities in Cochin seem to be slow. Probably the reason is the heavy monsoon. A friend who is in real estate told me that there are not many land transactions. The rates quoted are high but very few deals are concluded. One can see a number of buildings in various stages of construction. Some have prominent “For sale” boards. It is also said that lack of clarity in the new land registration rules discourages land transactions.

Given here is a photo of a building I liked.

The structure looks beautiful, rising from the cluster of trees. Imagine it is in a city!

Cochin still has a number of coconut palms. Here is the picture of a high yielding one.

Such trees are not common in Kerala these days. Not much care is given to them. The main reasons for this are (1) it is difficult to get workmen, (2) the wages for unskilled labour is around Rs.300/day, (3) those who climb the palms to pluck the nuts are very few and charge heavily, and (4) the prices the farmer gets for the nuts are uneconomic.

The next is the picture of a special variety of coconut tree from Manipadam house. I believe that it starts yielding in 18 months! But the oil content in the kernel is low. Therefore it is not a commercially viable proposition.

Kerala is slowly changing from the land of coconut trees to a concrete jungle. It is so sad.

Well, I am back in Chennai. The weather gods here are really kinder than they were last month. I am looking forward to keeping up my blog with regular postings.

[Click on photos to enlarge.]

Cashew, the nutty nut

In the 16thc CE when the Portuguese found the tree with twisted and bent trunks and branches and a strange kind of fruit in Brazil, they called it caju. That became ‘cashew’ in English and cashew became one of the most favourite edible nuts in the world. The official name of the tree which grows to a height of around 30ft, is Anacardium occidentale.

The Portuguese planted the cashew tree in Africa as well and from there it spread to different parts of the tropics. To day India controls a major portion of the cashew nut trade, but the bulk of the raw material supply is imported from Africa. The process of cracking the shell of the nut and extracting the kernel without breakage is mostly done manually and requires certain expertise in which the women of Kerala, India excel.

The nut of this tree is a bit of a nutty business. What is called ‘cashew apple’ (and is commonly believed to be the fruit of the tree) is actually a false fruit. It is a developed part of the receptacle of the flower of a cashew tree. The real fruit is the kidney shaped drupe that is found on the bottom end of the cashew apple. It is the kernel inside it that is the most valuable part of the cashew tree, ‘the cashew nut’.

Cashew nut is world famous as a cocktails and any time snack. It is also popular in confectionary and baking and in different cuisines. It is supposed to be a health food. Cashew nuts are usually available in salted and roasted packing. Those who wish to avoid salt can buy un-roasted nuts and roast them without salt if so desired.

Roasted cashew nuts.

Un-roasted cashew nuts

In cooking the nuts are some times used whole, sometimes broken and in certain cases, ground. One point to note here – the grading, and therefore pricing, of cashew nuts are based on size and colour. Except when whole nut is a must, cheaper broken nuts which are available in the market would suffice for culinary purposes.

Incidentally, among the Christians of Kerala there is a tender cashew nut curry which is made only on Good Friday. I have written about it in my post Memories: Passion Week, half a century back . Also suitable for the Indian palate is tender cashew nuts sautéed with onions and spices. The nut is taken when it is a little above this age:

The cashew apple (marañón) though it looks very attractive, has a strange taste which some people do not like. Still squashes and wines are made from it in different countries. The best use is to make a potent alcoholic drink called ‘Feni’ with it as the Goans do. When you get a chance, ask a Goan about Feni.

A liquid which contains anacardic acids is extracted from the shell of the cashew nuts – cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL). This is effective against gram-positive bacteria. Some parts of the cashew tree are also used in tribal medicine.

Cashew cultivation can be profitable with the new hybrid varieties .

Photos: Top left and second last from Wikimedia Commons. The rest TP/AT.

Click on photos to enlarge.

A missed Onam

I always look forward to Onam, Kerala's state festival, which this year, was on September 2. It is a fascinating celebration, steeped in tradition, to welcome the mythical king Mahabali (Maveli) of Kerala. It is believed that during Mahabali's reign the people lived in prosperity and happiness and there were no malpractices.

The Onam celebrations consist of many cultural events, mock processions of the former King's triumphant annual visit to his former kingdom, singing and games and dances, feasting and drinking and boat races, rain and sunshine, flowers and pookkalams (floral designs). Our family had a special reason to remember this Onam. Ammachi's birth centenary was on August 28, during the Onam week. (See: Oru Desathinte Amma.)

But I missed it all. On the night of 28th August I developed a severe breathing problem at Chennai. The doctors discovered that I had three major blocks and advised a bypass operation. The procedure was done within a couple days. While I was in the hospital, the functions, particularly relating to Ammachi's birth centenary, were conducted quietly. The motif for the pookkalam designed by the staff at Olavipe Homestay, was the birth centenary itself.

Right in front is the banner '100', partly covering the traditional Kerala lamp with two lighted wicks. The background, to me, appears to be the figure of a kathakali artiste. A good job, I must say.

Since I have to keep both my feet up every half hour, continuous work on desktop is impractical. Therefore I am selecting some relevant Kerala photographs and giving short comments. I hope you like it.

Here is the photo of a model of Kerala's famous snake boat. The state has different type of race boats, but the Snakeboat or 'chundan' is the king of them all. It is fascinating to watch them knife through water. It is said that a winning team has to pull the oar more than 60 times a minute.

There is no proof to back it up if I say that there are more songs about dragon flies in Malayalam than in any other language. These flying beauties which are called 'onathumpi' is part and parcel of Onam. They come out in hoards during the seasom and provide inspiration to poets to turn out great melodies based on them.

This is a conceptual image of a Kerala Houseboat. Backwater tourism which has helped in turning around Kerala economy is remarkable story of finding new use for something fast turning obsolete. The huge country crafts that form the backbone of houseboat industry were originally meant to transport farm products and other goods.

Trucks and mechanized boats took the wind out of the sails of the countrycrafts. Then some visionary gave new life to the rotting boats and the world came to know about the enchanting backwaters of Kerala.

The world famous Kerala bananna chips are made from Nenthrakkaya shown above. The yellow chips in the photo below are thin and salty. The brown ones known as Sharkarapuratti are thicker and sweet. They are coated with a paste of jaggary and spices before frying.

A request:
Please pray that I get well soon.

All photos copyright reserved. Click to enlarge.
Photos by Capt. Philip Manipadam, Reejo, AT.