Seven-year-old drumming into history

Sreedhev during a solo performance. By Faris Arakkal Drumming on a flat surface, his nimble fingers produced soft sound rhythmically like that of a young percussionist. It was an obvious sign that the boy was born to be a percussionist. So, he was sent to learn music and its nuances. Seven-year-old Sreedhev Sreenivasan is now drumming into history with mridangam. He is the youngest pakkamelam player in the world. Sreedhev achieved this under the guidance of his guru Sri Vikraman Namboothiri, chief instructor of Korambu Mridanga Kalari. "His is gifted with magic fingers," says Sri Vikraman Namboodiri. His performance has the glitter of blending 12 keerthanas of adhithalam, roopathalam, mishrachap, ghandachap and 10 minute-long thaniyavarthanam, which needs enormous efforts. He used to attend online classes besides his daily lessons from Kalari. It has helped him reach this level of performance. His debut performance was at Thiruvambadi Temple Thrissur. Since then, it has been a long journey for him. He performed at various temples in Madurai, Thanjavur, Chidambaram and Mookambika. He participated in Chembai Sangeetholsavam 2010 at Guruvayur. Sreedhev has also performed in Mumbai and Chennai. Recently, a CD of his solo performance has been released by playback singer P Jayachandran in the city. Sreedhev is a 3rd standard student of Don Bosco School Irinjalakkuda. He longs to become a mridangam maestro. His father Sreenivasan is a happy man and satisfied with the performance of the young percussion artiste.

Dr P Bhanumathi BHANUMATHI AMHA By Faris Arakkal DILEEP calls her Bhanu as she is not particular about her children calling her amma. But she wants her school to be christened AMHA. Bhanumathi is the mother of 52 children of Association for Mentally Handicapped Adults (AMHA). She has been running the school since 1996 at Karyatukara. She stays at this school and the school is her home. Dr P Bhanumathi, associate professor at Sree Kerala Varma College Thrissur, had a troubled life. She had three siblings who were mentally disabled. She grew up in a village near Pattambi, hearing people calling them "Menon's mad children''. Thus, the urge to build a home for the mentally disabled took root in her from childhood. Now, people in the age group of 14 -58 learn and live here under her wings. "I took the oath to be their mother," says Bhanumathi Teacher when asked about her family. Her husband M Saleesh helped materialise her dream. They mutually agreed for not having children. "My two brothers also live with them and there is no discrimination among my children," she said. The school has both day-schoolers and residents. She has to raise funds to run the school since there is no clear fee structure. Now, a hostel has been built with the help of her students. "They are not mentally ill. They are mentally disabled. They can be classified under autism, cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. Hence, they need urgent care and a little training. Crime rates are high and that most parents dare not leave their children alone. So they turn to this school,'' she said. Bhanumathi Teacher is now content and not craving for any honours. She was selected as Vanitha Best Woman of the Year 2000 and also Ramankutty Achan Smaraka Award. Teacher over the years lost the love of her kith and kin. But she has the help of her trained staff. Celebrations are never far from the children. National Day for Mentally Retarded was observed on December 8 at the school. On the occasion, the students were trained to stage a play under Rangachethana Ganesh. They staged the play at Regional Theatre. Bhanumathi Teacher's only hobby now is reading. Her advice for the mankind is "unconditional love" for all

AFGHANIS BY HEART, THRISSURITES BY SOUL

The Afghan students at St Thomas College. By Faris Arakkal "WE HAVE to roll our tongue twice, even thrice, to articulate a Malayalam word, but we love the language, says Zakir Ahamad, one of the Afghan students of St. Thomas College Thrissur. There are seven students from Afghanistan who are pursuing their education in the city. Now they dwell here in the city weaving dreams like any other Indian student. Around 400 Afghan students passed the test to study in India. The Indian embassy in Kabul chose them under an educational exchange programme. They were allotted to different universities in the country. Of them seven students were sent to Calicut University and they opted to study Bsc computer science at St Thomas College. "We are sometimes celebrities at the college", says Ahmad Mustafa who hopes to be a computer software engineer. When they walk into a class they are surrounded by pals. Never were they treated as strangers because of their culture. When asked about the death of Osama, they said, with a smile on their face, "we just don't care for him". When Afghanistan is portrayed by the media as the saddest and gravest place on earth, they frown at the media. According to them, they live in a peaceful country. They love Indian food and fellow students like Afghan cuisine as well. Dishes like Kabuli pulav and Manto won the hearts of students when a food festival was conducted at the college last year. They remember the long queue in front of their stall. One thing they never will forget, no surprises here, is the Thrissur pooram they saw this year. They were delighted to touch elephants which they don't often come across in their mountainous nation. The fireworks of the pooram reminded of them of the Eid they celebrated in Afghan. They have week-long fireworks and kite flying during the Eid festivals. They have a finite love towards Bollywood. They barge into theatres of Afghanistan to see their favourite Khans. In Thrissur, they often enjoy Hollywood and Hindi films but haven't given a try for the local fare. They love the AR Rahman music. With the living expenses going up, they are struggling to limit their expenses within the monthly scholarship of Rs 7500. Still, they enjoy the luxury of a car and a bike which they managed to own within a year. They wear jeans and shirts to college but their preferred clothing is 'Perhan Thunbaan', the traditional Afghan a kurtha-pajama. They once rocked the campus with their Attan dance performance. It's a year since they - Zakir Ahmad, Abdul Malik, Ahamad Musthafa, Faizan Quraishi, Ahmad Shikeb, Waheedullah and Ghulam Qadar - , reached the city. They love the city, the culture, the people, the traffic but yet they suffer from homesickness. "Entha vishesham", they ask you as a parting shot.

Flex banners fill ground HEAPS OF FLEXES: Seized flexes being piled up at the back of Vaidyudhi Bhavan in the city. By Faris Arakkal WHAT an irony__a seminar purportedly held to protect soil and land was displaying a huge banner on the dais made of plastic, an enemy of the environment. Flex is a kind of plastic which can have a disastrous effect on the earth. Flex banners are getting more and more popular because of the material's durability, quality of the print and the low cost of production. With the result, the city being virtually swamped by flex boards and banners. Most restaurants and shops use flex posters to advertise themselves. The State Pollution Control Board had recommended a ban on use of flex boards and banners during the last local body elections. Based on that, the Election Commission had banned the use of the material during electioneering. But the Kerala high court quashed the order subsequently. The city's Swaraj Round has been made free of flex hoardings following an outcry from environmentalists. The Corporation Council has banned the use of flex material on the Round. However, it was not done for environmental reasons but because the hoardings were impeding the vision of motorists. The then existing flex hoardings were promptly pulled down and placed at the dump near Vaidyuthi Bhavan, where all the old banners too had been chucked. The security guard at the ground prevents anyone from removing them from there. Accumulation of this non-degradable waste there has dangerous consequences. Splitting of the chemical components pollutes the air and inhaling of the gas is hazardous to health. The Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 talk of strict rules "to ensure safe collection, storage, segregation, transportation, processing and disposal of plastic waste". It also stresses on recycling. Apparently, these rules do not apply to our corporation. The authorities simply shrug off any responsibility saying the product has not been banned. Fan clubs of film stars too use flex extensively. Whenever a new film is released in the city, hundreds of flex boards portraying the star are mounted. After a few days of celebration, the flex boards are left to their fate. According to a flex producer in the city, Gujarat is the only place where flex is recycled. But he expects more plants to come up at different parts of the country. Another flex maker of the city maintains a claim that the material gets decayed in a couple of days and is harmless. But Dr CM Joy, president of Association for Environment Protection, Aluva, rubbished the idea. "It could degrade in front of our eyes but never in reality". The polyvinylchloride (PVC) used for flex was not biodegradable, he insisted. At the same time, a total elimination of plastic is not a good idea. The material has many positive uses, such as in surgeries, Joy said.

Roby Das 'framed'

Roby Das "The pictures I shoot have no pre-conceived meanings. No inner meanings whatsoever they reflect either," says Roby Das a self-trained photographer in New Delhi who was on a visit here. He adheres to frames of life in his clicks, not meanings. Frames he carved are anecdotes of land and people. He believes that most effective mode of communication is photography as the camera has the ability to capture the essence of an expression in all its purity and innocence. He learnt basic photography from his father, who was a professional photographer once. Now he is a full-fledged travel photographer. A solo trip from Srinagar to Kanyakumari on motorcycle gave him ample opportunity to shoot enough beauty and charm. For once, he listened to the call of the heart for a feat. He distributed one lakhs of pamphlets on traffic safety in English and languages of the states he crossed. His name was duly included in Limca Book of Records, of the March 2011 edition. "Now, I have to run and click those frames before they vanish from this world," laments Roby Das on the degrading rivers and disappearing paddy fields of the country. He wants to fill his frames with all the curves, length and breadth of nature. Roby is therefore fuelling himself for another journey: another solo bike expedition through the coastal belt of the country. This long stretch from Porbandar to Kolkotha on the thunder bird will take more than 40 days. When others travel for the heck, his journeys gift him with excellent clicks! Roby first mounted a solo exhibition of his fifty photographs at AIFAC, Rafi Marg, and New Delhi in 2008, followed by one at Ashok hotel, New Delhi. An exhibition of 20 portraits, "faces of India", held at the Constitution Club on the occasion of Independence Day, another one "Dawn and Desk" at Trivandrum, and the "third coloured views" at Lalita Kala Akademy, Chennai drew the desire crowds. Roby Das hails from Sreekandapuram, a small hamlet in Kannur.

Overtime for tailors as demand for uniforms peaks

A tailor stitching uniforms in his shop at East Fort yesterday. By Faris Arakkal TAILORS are busy stitching uniforms as schools are getting ready to open in the coming week. They are working overtime to make the maximum out of the season. Previously, there was only one pattern in school uniform, but now it has become a trend to introduce more patterns. As a result, the number of the uniforms has increased and parents have to meet additional expenses on them. Tailors in the city charge Rs 120 for stitching a shirt and Rs 180 for a pant for boys while for girls it is around Rs 160 for a pinafore and Rs 150 for a churidar. The rate changes according to the length and width of the uniform. James, who has been in dress making for more than 20 years, used to work till late night during the season. Parents are a bit relieved as schools have opened a new system of providing the uniform directly. But there are complaints against the school management for making huge profit in this business. Since parents are not ready to take the risk of finding a good dress maker, they don't raise their voice against the management. When most of the tailors have the policy of making the hay while sun shines, City Tailors Thrissur, which has been in the field for 50 years, never takes up school uniform works. "I couldn't sleep a minute last week" says Praveen, who is the only tailor in his area. The season brings maximum crowd to his shop and often disputes occur with customers, adds Praveen. Though All Kerala Tailors Association has issued a price list for stitching each dress, none follows it. They all have different price tags! "Readymade uniforms in textile shops lack quality and are stitched out of bad polyester materials" says Naseer, who is a tailor form Vadookara. Naseer has got orders from different schools this year also. A few parents even approached the tailor at the time of their children's annual exam.

Kuttikalam and puppetry come alive AFTER 18 days of sojourn into the world of theatre, a group of 22 kids staged a play, Kuttikalam (childhood days), resurrecting the old comedian Charlie Chaplin's rough childhood at Hari Sree Vidhya Nidhi School, in Poonkunnam. Chaplin who lived in London had suffered a poverty ridden life. The play is a narration of the slices taken out from his childhood to death. Kuttikalam is penned by Sreejish Pochara. Thalaam cultural trust organised the workshop for the students under the age of 15. It is a workshop, being conducted yearly by the trust. Children were trained in to script writing, direction, and acting. Theatre artiste Suresh Mechery who provided the students with various techniques of theatre performances is happy with children's performance. "Most of them are simply superb," says Suresh, who is a full time theatre performer. He has directed plays in different parts of the state. It was also an unforgettable experience for the children to play a puppet show, as the workshop constituted training in puppetry, too. "It's a pioneering workshop held in a school in the state," says Rajan Pootharakkal, who have taken up puppetry as profession. He introduced puppetry to children with a new style of storytelling. The workshop started on May 8 and children have been in action all through the days. Now they all are actors, directors and scriptwriters!

Feeling the heat? Cool down here!

By Faris Arakkal The rattling of vehicles comes to a halt here, on the road side. Most of them apply breaks here to relax this scorching heat. The trees along the roadside of Puzhakkal padam opposite to the Lulu Convention Centre has become a hub for refreshment of travellers. Roadside vendors with a wide variety of edibles await them. The road which meets the highway brings numerous passengers a day, most of them on a long drive. Roadside vendors have their kitty full of summer's popular choices like sugar cane, water-melon, lemon juice and fruits. "Travellers walk in here not only to wet their throats but also to experience a breeze," says Unnikrishnan who sells bottled mangoes and amlas seasoned in salt here. He comes here in the morning around eight and leaves by six in the evening. But when monsoon reigns supreme, he has to find another work for the daily bread. However, for Biju, who is running a fruit shop for the last 13 years, has no other means of income, so he will earn his bread here itself in the monsoon too. "It's a means of my livelihood, not profit," says Biju. They exploit the sweltering heat but not the travellers, adds Biju. The easy parking slot adds to the luxury of these vendors. The pilgrimage seasons are the times when both road sides are swarmed by vehicles. Tired heavy vehicle drivers have the lucky chances to doze off under the shades. Sharafuddeen has come down to Thrissur from Kottakkal to sell small gadgets like pipes and air pumps. For him, it is easy to occupy a space here under the shade as he would not be caught under the snarling traffic in the city. All vendors bring water from the nearby public water supply at Muthuvara. When monsoon adds misery to their life, they are more worried about the changes that may be enforced by the authorities.

Shopping spree Parents and children are getting ready for the new academic year.

A family selecting an umbrella for their young son at a shop at High Road yesterday. By Faris Arakkal ROSE wants a small umbrella with red dots while Reshma needs the transparent pink one. With only one more week left for the schools to ring the long bell, all the shops in the city are witnessing brisk sale. Bags and umbrellas are most needed. Most of the shops at High Road are crowded in the evenings with parents busy selecting the best for their kids. It's again a Chinese revolution in the school market. From pen to umbrella, there are varieties of Chinese products in the market. Umbrellas with sceneries, club logos and various funny designs are the fashion this time. Small pocket umbrellas and ordinary size Chinese ones have been introduced. Last year's hit, nano umbrellas, are also available in the market. An umbrella costs around Rs 300. School bags Diesel and Scoobee Day are in great demand. "Most kids now walk into shops asking for particular brands,"says a shopkeeper. More straps and pockets are the characteristic feature of the bags in demand. One side bag is simply gone now. The school kit, which includes water bottles, is available in fluorescent and transparent styles. The city is all ready to accomplish the taste and choice of the kids. But parents are yet to turn up. Hence, shopkeepers are waiting for the rush next week.

Manakody's Chittappan, a helping hand for everyone

Sidharthan He is a helping hand for all the families who don't have male members at home.

IT was raining cats and dogs on that day. Sidharthan was then three years old, shivering with acute fever. His mother was holding him tightly in her arms. Whenever lightning flashed across the sky, she further tightened her hold. But it didn't help Sidharthan's rising temperature. The mother was helpless to reach the nearest doctor.
Years passed. Sidharthan is now blind and known as Chittappan, the Malayalam equivalent for father's brother. He has been a Chittappan for the whole villagers, who gave him the nickname out of love. Sixty-three-year-old Chittappan now lives in Manakody, 8km from the city.
Sidharthan is a helping hand for all the families who don't have male members at home. He brings grocery for them. He goes to the ration shop.
His day starts with a bath in the nearby river. Though blind He knows every nook and corner of the village. After the shower, he reaches the teashop and then his work starts.
He lost his eyesight due to fever when he was only three years old. Then, the child did not get proper treatment and it was too late by the time they consulted a doctor.
After years, Chittappan attended many eye camps, but in vain. He does not regret his lost eyesight but for his lost education. Nobody was ready to teach a blind boy. Thus he became an illiterate. But he throws his ears to learn things. He listens to the reading of newspaper at the tea shop. So he has a good understanding of the political developments in the world.
His mother died 13 years ago, leaving him alone in the world. She was his eyesight. Still, he had to live a life.
Every marriage, house-warming, funerals in the village was attended by Chittappan. After lunch, he dozes off for a while and then some music. In the evenings, he would be busy at the ration shop. "People say I always wear a smell of kerosene," Chittappan said.
Chittappan never claims he is a teetotaler. Whenever he is offered a puff of cigarette or beedi, he would be very happy. However, he is not particular about smoking.
Having sharp hearing capacity, he makes out the people in the village from distance. He has five siblings. His only income is the monthly pension allotted for the blind.

AN UNHEARD LULLABY IN THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

It’s the time for eight month Raja to toy with his bear, cat and elephant at home. But raja is now sleeping in the cradle under the shade of a small tree in the Tholkappiar campus of the University Of Madras. He has been experiencing this status since his mother Kavitha got her job under the contract scheme in the University campus. Raja sleeps, plays, eats here with his mother.

Kavitha reaches the University by eight and starts watering grass, removing waste and the dead leaves out of sight. In the midst she rocks her raja in to sleep with her lullabies. At noon they both will fill their belly from the University canteen. Then for a leisure time after lunch they both will initiate a game. After four with a second round of cleaning and watering she leaves the university to her home near to the old secretariat building. Thus her day finishes in the university

Kavitha hails from the district Vellore with his husband who has a horse employed in the Marina beaches. She being the second wife of her husband used to have fights with the previous one on daily chores. Her husband hates her toiling for earning, but kavitha finds her soul alive while at work. She agrees that she sometimes beats her man out of anger. “But it’s an act of defense”, says Kavitha

Kavitha had her schooling up to third standard but she knows a little to read English. She believes it as a blessing of the erstwhile job she had near the high court. When she earns 2000 rupees a month she is satisfied that she will have her kid surrounding all the time. She has three other girl children and often they come to see their mother and “then it would be a playground for all”, she smiles.

After this contract work, she will have to move for another job. She fears for her eight month Raja. She is in search of a job which would keep her son with her. But the fate will play the card which can never always satisfy her maternal feeling.

ROBY DAS’ THIRD COLOURED VIEWS


“No inner meanings it reflect”, says Roby Das a self-trained photographer from Kerala whose photographs is now showcasing at Lalita kala Academy here in Chennai. He adhere life in his clicks, not meanings. Frames he carved are anecdotes of land and people. Almost seventy refined photographs are hung in the gallery

A trip from Srinagar to kanyakumari on a solo motorcycle gave him enough beauty and charm for him to click. But being a ‘human being’, he distributed one lakh pamphlets on traffic safety rules in English and in languages of the state he crossed, first time an individual has tried this feat. Hence his name has been included in Limca Book of Records, of the March 2011 edition

“I have to run and click those frames before they vanish from this world” laments Roby Das on the degrading river and paddy fields of the country. He wants to fill his frames with all the curves, length and breadth of nature. He is now fuelling himself for another journey for this. When others travel for a click, his journey gifts him with excellent clicks.

Roby first mounted a solo exhibition of his fifty photographs at AIFAC, Rafi Marg, and New Delhi in the year 2008, followed by one at Ashok hotel, New Delhi. An exhibition of twenty portraits, “faces of India”, held at the constitution club on the occasion of Independence Day, another one “Dawn and Desk” at Trivandrum, Kerala. Next one waiting to be show cased at Bangalore. Roby das hails from a Small hamlet called Sreekandapuram Kerala

His portraits would be in show at Lalita Kala academy from 7th Monday to 13th Sunday of this month. Some of them are all set to sale.

MAY I GET IN?

The estranged, the dirty, the havoc of our noisy mansion, that’s what the folk say about our room. But its finest moments i cherish in my hostel life. When I reply that I am one of the roomies, ‘they’ frown and ‘they’ sometimes look down upon me. Gathering those incidents and late night trifles we enjoyed, I have nothing more in store for ‘them’ than a an advice “go have a blast in room no 12 before you bid farewell to the hostel”

Smoky nights with mixed tunes of Akon and Rafi never lured us in to sleeps. When all others start snoring in to their sleeps, room no12 wakes up. There were distinguished guests who loved to have a sleep here. In fact it’s a known true that it’s a place where “smokers meet”. I have witnessed those puffs which they arithmetically shape and will shoot in different forms of circles and cubes.

The lover’s corner of the room is heavily emotional, names carved on the walls with their loved ones is the best cited examples. Everybody walk in and decorate the wall with names of self or others. Salman Khans and Aishwarya Rais stood mute on the walls. Even the censored images of actors on the wall acknowledge the inner sanctity of the roomies.

Nobody might have slept with an empty belly, I assure. The hacked carrots and tomatoes from the mess kitchen would have really satisfied their bellies. Late night patrolling in to the nook and corners helped learning a lot. We were the lovers of darkness; we were in search of that enlightenment, the reality behind those dark lives!!!

After noon we roomies curl ourselves to the beds and will sleep as dead. When there are no duties to be done, when there are no promises to keep, it’s better to sleep. ..

Fragile hearts they carry, they would sit in front of mobile YouTube and are often seen crying watching heart rending climaxes. How cathartic effective they are, but all these stories are never known to the outside world, never..

When living with these souls, it’s me learning a lot. Whenever anybody enquires behind the doors “may I come in”?, Room no12 has no answer other than “yes you are in”…….

SHORNUR PASSENGER

INGLORIOUS PLEASURES

STAGNANT MIND

AND A PACIFIC SEA BEFORE.

A LEGAL KEY OPENS

THE HAPPINESS,BUT REMOTE

CRY OF A SOLITUDE MOTHER

AND THOSE IRON SOUNDS AND SMELL.

OH I HATE, I HATE ...

SHORNUR PASSENGER

CITY JOURNAL JAN28

In love with Indian classical music

By Faris Majeed

"TABLA found me rather than me finding tabla", says Heike Dijker, a musician from Holland who has been travelling through the Indian music since years. He is creating magic with his fingers on his tabla for a new venture.

After his high school education, he was slowly attracted to music. He started loving and worshipping music more than anything. His quest for music brought him to India and made him a disciple of the renowned musician Fayaz Khan. There he met his disciple Ustad Philip V Francis.

When Fayaz Khan was his guru, Ustad Philip was his 'guru bhai', says Dijker. Guru bhai is the person with whom he shares and discusses everything about music. In India he was lured in to the rhythm and beauty of Hindustani and classical music. He found his soul in it and wanted to live in it. Thus he became part of Indian music now.

Being a fusion maestro he has performed at various stages and once rocked with the Bollywood composer Shankar Mahadevan and the renowned flutist Ravi Chandra Kulur. He has travelled around to find various musical genres of the world. In fact, it was his desire to "to bring cultures altogether on a deeper level' led to his musical journey.

He is currently in Thrissur with his unique blend of classical Indian violin and tabla with the Western Makalu string quartet. Lenneke Van Staalen, Carolien Hulshof, Annerieke Nentjes, Marieke Brokamp, Sanne Van der Horst will assist him in this pioneer venture.

His programme, East Meets West, will be staged today at 5.45pm at the Regional Theatre, as a tribute to Ustad Philip V Francis, a legendary composer and tabla player who died in 2008. The programme is organised by Piano.