Janani Janma Bhoomi cha................

The influence of my native town on my character is profound. The sleepy little town of Palghat is extremely laidback. No one seemed to be in a hurry. There is an element of serene calmness. Not for Palghat people the hardworking aggression of the Central Travancoreans or the business acumen of the Calicut people. They are satisfied easily and have no great ambitions in life.

I have noticed this trend in many towns that has an agrarian economy. Maybe it is the comfort of the agricultural economy taking care of the lower order needs that makes the people laidback. There is always rice in the cellar and twice a year, for Onam and Vishu one gets sufficient dresses and you dont have to fight to have a roof over your head.

Though most of the other towns in Kerala have changed over the past decade, Palghat has remained the same. People are still simple, uncomplicated, possess no great drive, are not ambitious and above all extremely helpful. For me, I have never seen a community that goes out of the way to help others than the nice Palghatians. The Palghat student smilingly offers his book to his classmate even though he is in dire need of it for the examinations.

A former collector of Palghat while inaugurating a Football tournament whose mascot was a 'rabbit', said that he chose rabbit as the mascot as it symbolizes Palghat people more than anyone else. Apparently docile, white as a lily and harmless.

The district is blessed to have Bharthapuzha and its tributaries flowing through it. Apart from making the land fertile, the rivers also ensured that there were early settlers from other parts of the country. The Tamil Brahmins from Mayiladuthurai, Kumbakonam, Chidambaram and Thanjavur found the district to be quite similar to theirs and settled down. Their influence on the local culture is profound as they brought with them music and stessed the importance of eduction to come up in life. Even today, they co exist with the natives very amicably.

I have been accused by many, including my late father, to be very very laidback and not at all ambitious. My father used to say "if only you had been brought up in any other part of Kerala, you would have gone much farther in life".

I have absolutely no regret. Having never been a part of the rat race has its own advantages. It gave me time to learn to appreciate good things in life. I enjoy music, dance and for that matter any art form. I have all the time in the world at my disposal and am never bored in life, as time never moves in Palghat. There is a pleasure in lazing around. Less stressful.

And I have always appreciated the beauty of the Malayalam language spoken by those in the Valuvanadan region, on the banks of Bharathapuzha. This is where one can really appreciate the respect one gives to another individual through the use of language (though this is not true of the colloquial language used in Palghat town which I considered to be despicable).

The lovely, clean devi temples (Kavu) , the paddy fields, the dry wind blowing through the pass, the malampuzha dam, the quietly flowing Bharathapuzha and the ever so gentle people makes it a wonderful place to be in.

Maybe I am biased, maybe it is nostalgia. For did not someone say,

"Janani Janmabhoomi cha
Swargaadapi Gariyasi"

(Mother and Mother Land are greater than the Heaven)

For where else can you find a person who has just seen a rotten film and as he comes out you ask him how the film was, he will ponder for a moment and not wanting to offend anyone, the gentle soul will say "Orikkal kanam" (you can watch the film once).

Where else can you see other than in rural palghat people whom if you ask for directions to your friends house, will drop whatever he is doing and smilingly walk with you for 3 kilometers (all the while reassuring you that the house is just round the corner) and take you personally to the address and then quietly and happily walk back the 3 kilometers to his unfinished work?

Like many things that have gone behind the screen that is time, Palghat is also changing, albeit slowly. Some of it is due to colonization by people from other parts of the state. There is not much water in Bharathapuzha these days. Mindless sandmining has destroyed the river bed. The river, which has inspired many a writer and poet, and where when once I expressed a desire to sit on the sand my father got down from the train and fulfilled my wish, talking about stories based on the beautiful river for hours, has dried out. The temples have ceased to become the cultural centres they once were, struggling to find funds for its day to day expenses and the paddy fields have shrunk to be replaced by concrete buildings.

But the people have not changed. Modernity is yet to spoil the town and the distict. For how long, I don't know. But I am thankful to God that I was brought up in this place for it made me realize the value of humanity and nature. And if you have not experienced it, there is a sort of pleasure in being laidback and ambitionless!!