Memoirs from Ambady House

My Second Innings in Kerala

To start with.................

It all began on 16th May, 2022 on Buddha Purnima, when I landed at Ernakulam South Station at around 7.30 pm.  Driver was waiting outside and I had only to call and tell him in my broken Malayalam that I have reached the front gate.  He got me through small lanes and IT Guest house at Panampilly Nagar awaited my arrival.  As there was no prior info, I went out for food and found “Aryas” just opposite and had a Dosa with Filter Coffee and quickly got back to the room.  

My introspection about my Family life hitherto and future which awaited me on promotion/transfer, started atleast one year ago, when I was sure of separation from Family.  I was preparing myself and others for this eventuality within a year’s time.  Children have nicely grown mature enough and quite capable of handling themselves as well as taking care of mother, which was a silverline in my departure plans.  

Kerala is also slighly familiar and well connected, except with difficulties in conversing fluently.  Inevitable part of official life and I also  had to prepare myself for post retirement after four years.   Particularly, the place to stay retired and keep alive for rest of the available time, had to be fixed alongwith suitable / productive activity for myself and Veenu.  

Nothing could be decided with certainty till we know where Chinmaya and Yagnik would get placed. Of course, Mysore remained my top priority for settling down as it is not only close to Bangalore but also to my heart.  Only the divine intervention of Maha Maye....Chamundeshwari needed for this, which I was praying for. 

However, I had to remain separated for some time till things settle down in the lives of Children and this is found to be the way destiny is getting shaped up.  My earlier visit to Shivananda Ashram and Thiruvananthapuram had already set the pace for this, it appears.  My Solitary confinement may be the will of God and beneficial for my personal growth and for Children to grow more independently into fine Gentlemen!!  

With these positive thoughts I went to bed and woke up early for a long walk.

After leaving the Guest House in the early morning, I felt that there is no specific direction for my walk.  Took south and walked with Google baba for more than 2 hours.  I had stayed in GH several years back and the area isnow densle populated with lot of commercial establishments virtually on every residential plot.  

The economy of a place directly proportional to the spending ability of citizens and I was amazed to see many Spas, Unisex Saloons, and even many Orthodental clinics/Hair transplanation Corporate entities flourishing.  Learnt certain relate vocubulory also, “Smile Aligner, Nail Saloon, Invisible Orthodontics”....etc.,  

This is one amazing thing about the prominence we give to outside looks which was evident from the economic activity all around the place.  Maya after all, is the first influencer on our Karmc debts to clear in this way.  To put it differently, our basic attitude eto present a better picture (false picture sometimes) over rides your common sense and in a way it is the reason for the glory of Samsara, which otherwise would be quite different.

Hunting for a suitable house started, since the Official accommodation would take some more time and I was getting upselt with outside food getting inside daily!!  Hired one Broker and rains playe spoilsport.  Some how went into more than 15 houses/flats and got disillusioned with the looks and rates of accommodation.  Each time, I felt that the house is looking at me with expectation (including the land lords/land lady’s) and when I turn back, I could sense disappointment in the air. 

My broker boy, Anup patiently took me to every place and I noted details.  Sooner than later, I forgot the place details and when some house is sought again,, it is already taken. I could not decide whether, I should keep trying, as it was tiresome and troublesome for my mind to keep judging places, people and situations in each case. 

I kept on calling Veenu about this troublesome ventures on a daily basis and I got fed up within a week’s time.  It was a different experience altogether after a long time. I saw some very beautifyl houses on Marine Drive facing the Sea front and it was too big for my requirement and budget. 

I learnt one good lesson about human psychology which tries to maximse the comforts at lowest efforts and price is accordingly detemined.  It wont allow you to settle down and each time the expectation of getting a suitable house and disappointment of not gettingone, was painful.  I had no choice to keep trying with my limited vocubulory in Malayam.!!  

Finally, one Lady called me for showing a house which I kept putting off due to office work and other overlapping hunting positions.  After two or three days, she persiste and I went to see the house.  It was a good location but small house.  I didnt realise that I will be staying here.  

After all the other rounds of search operation, I realise that this is the one which is waiting for me.  I had to close the deal quickly and I felt bad for the broker boy who showed me so many houses patiently for the last one week.  In between I went home and came very late on a Monday and there was difficulty in managing office work alongwith this house search. 

Veenu and Yagnik came very enthusiastically and arranged the house, particularly Kitchen and bed room. I had to run around with office work and shopping continued in small lanes and big malls.  Within two days, everything was set and I became alone all again.  It was all new for Yagi and he got tired soon.  Only one day we could go to Fort Kochi and Mattancharry palace,  He could see Jewish Synogogue and Palace from outside only, and he took some good pics of Jews town and time lapse pics of the sea !!.  After visiting Fort Kochi, he felt like he had a small vacation in Kerala.  He also presented me a full range of Shoes for Walking in rainy season and probably this would ease out my expedititions in future.

In the process of finding a place to stay with an expectation that I will remain here for another two years and for the sake my people who would visit on tour, I realised the nature of human mnd which thinks in so many directions in anticipation of future.  We do not realise that the uncertainty is part and parcel of life and we want everything to fall in place at our own pace.  Free will and destiny keep overriding each other at every point of time and we get bogged down very easily.  Interesting human nature which made all these materialistic accomplishments possible!!.  Lack of interest in such things was the cause for distress, possibly.

Regarding my pursuit of life, it looks like that there is nothing much I can do, but to sail through in Solitary confinement.  I must only make best use of this time to explore deepinside and also certain places which I wished to go for long.  Shabarimala, Kanyakumari, Suchindram, Tiruvnanthapuram, Kalady to name a few.  

I may get different experiences in these places and there is also a Centre of BharatiyaVidyaBhavan, within a Kilometre, which may give me some opportunity to study some scriptures/courses of interest.  Let’s hope my absence in the family be good for me as well as them since they have to grow independently and I have to learn to live individually, so that I am fully prepared for a post retired life in another four years.

In these  two weeks, I must have walked atleast three to four hours daily doing my reccee on the residential areas and I also got a two wheler which came very handy.  By this time I was exhausted and went in search of divine interventions also which gave me a serenity required !!.  Google baba helped in searching places, and I went around Vanajambalam Devi Kshetra, Madhwa Samajam Anjaneya Kshetram, Ernakulathappan Shiva temple, Poornatrayeeshan of Tripunithara and finally Devi Kshetra at Chotanikkera.

There’s lot to write about these ancient temples and we can understand culture of Kerala more deply only when we indulge in such visits. What’s apparent from outside with regard to Communism, atheism is not so well protected when you actually see this face of Kerala.  People may not believe in god from outside but they have their own belief system embedded from outside.  

This place being strategically located for international trad, was ruled by Dutch, Portugese and then British since 12th century and before by Baharis. There was a very powerful brahmanical Kingdom which parallelly ruled the State of Travancore, side by side and kept the hierarchy tightly under one lineage.  They were very benevolent and culture conscious in maintaining traditons, including music and dance.   Dutch palace is a very unique preservation of the glimpses of their contribution for preserving the vedic culture. 

Over a period of time, it is quite natural that they got mixed up in cultural habbits and seriously influenced by outside civilisations due to trading connections.  It looks like that they may not believe in God, but buy lottery ticket believing in Luck (Btw this gives employment to many dim witted poor persons and revenue for an intelligent government).  Some distribution of wealth to the poor and needy fellows is the good part of it.

To be continued................(only three weeks over and balance 49 to go!!!!)

4th June, 2022