Ragam Mohanam and this Little Darling

Squirrel Mount!

12^th Oct 2014.

Squirrel Mount?? Yes, Squirrel Mount. It is the English translation for Annan Kunnu. The CMS college stands majestically on the Annan Kunnu. I had the good fortune of being a teacher in this great institution and live in the valley of Annan Kunnu. So, my place should be Squirrel Valley in fact.

    

 Now the story.

 Sometime during the early seventies. A coconut tree near our home was felled. We children ran up to

 the fallen tree to collect the juice oozing through the cut portion of the trunk. It must be this juice that goes up the tree and is tapped to make toddy (or Neera these days). As we reached the fallen tree and were about to collect the juice we saw a baby squirrel, a new born one. It was slightly injured and its mother was nowhere in sight. We abandoned our plan to collect the juice and took the little one to our home and started nursing it. We soaked cotton with milk and fed it with great difficulty. Our efforts succeeded and in a few days time the little one started showing all the innate qualities of a squirrel. It surprised us with brisk and  random movements. Though it was free to go anywhere, most of the time it remained confined to our reach and never went too far. We played with it and it remained our darling playing with us too. One day it disappeared and was not found again. Days went by and we abandoned our wait. Also, with so much of squirrels around we could not identify our darling.                                   

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Those days I was a student of Violin (Karnatic music). I had learnt "Geedhams", "Varnams" and just made my foray into "Keerathanams". One day I was practicing my violin lessons sitting on a mat on the veranda were there was a cool, romantic breeze all the time. My eyes often remain closed while playing the violin. I still remember, it was the "Ninukori" varnam in ragam Mohanam. Believe me, as I was progressing with the varnam I felt something touching my toes. Oh God! I couldn't believe my eyes!! It was that little darling, but now with a matured look. I had tears in my eyes. But alas, a small movement of my toes and it disappeared. For the next few days it came back from somewhere whenever I played Mohanam.

But this did not go on for too long. After a week of this amazing incredible rendezvous it again disappeared to never come back again. I felt very sad. If it had not come back after it first disappearance I would not have felt so sad, perhaps. I even stopped playing "Mohanam" for a few months. After all, those "Mohanams" were exclusively for him (or her??).

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NOTE: I have not narrated this story to very many people as they have rejected even "lesser" stories, and I never wanted this one too branded as another of my PULU (lie)!!! But today (12th Oct 2014)"The Hindu" carried an even more unbelievable Squirrel Story titled "The story of an unusual friendship" by Sheeba N.H. Reading this I felt emboldened to tell my own similar  experience

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SQUIRREL MOUNT,

16th MAY,2016.

I SCRIBBLED THIS ON THE 12th OF Oct 2014 EVENING ITSELF.  BUT COULD NOT GET TIME TO TYPE IT.  IN THIS SQUIRREL VALLEY I AM TOO BUSY DOING NOTHING!!!

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..... and I met him

Salil Rawji left CMS college in 1994. (please read my post titled "SALIL RAWJI", dated 15th Nov 2013). I dont know why I remembered him so fondly for all these years. I really longed to see him. And at long last I met him at a wedding two weeks ago. I could meet his wife and two pretty children too. Needless to say that I felt immensely happy. There have been quite some such meetings during the last few years. I felt one thing in common. When I thought of someone for years or decades and longed to meet the person, there was a sort of restlessness which was always kept under control.....probably with a sad sense of helplessness.
With no fb or watsapp and with no hope of ever operating these I had to remain waiting (please read my post "COMMON BALANCE"). Now, the thing in common  at long awaited meetings. When I finally run into someone I had been remembering  for long, suddenly the fatigue of the long wait vanishes. But what baffles me is the lack of any excitement which I had expected each time. And I start talking as if I had talked to the person even the other day. This was surprising. But now after some repeated incidents I think the reason is the following. Any pleasant wait has an associated  romantic dimension while the meeting is "only" a reality! Another reason can be the following. Love. Yes, love has a sort of continuity. Even if you don't meet someone in person, it doesn't matter if the person is in your heart or thoughts at least. This continuity is to be experienced to be understood. I experience this continuity every time I step into the Physics department of St John's college, Agra my Alma mater which for me is there "Pal Pal Dil Ke Pas".