Suruma Writes On...

Till yesterday our world was different; We couldn’t see boats on roads, Nor could we find bodies floating like infernos . Our houses were aloft, And the city looked bright and yellow. Subways and highways we vaunted of Hotels and flats we bragged about. But a flicker of a night Snatched from us everything we had. Leaving us with poor life Begging for tiny drops of mercy. The water swallowed our homes, Our roads and flats, Our food and clothes And our pride as such. Our houses started stinking of sewage That crept in from the sewers outside our gates Engulfing all that we were left of. Until the day a roof became a sight so scarce And food-a luxury. Our arms pleaded for help And our souls drank the pity of the deluge. Darkness became a habit, And the tired voices of lament became feeble and feeble Till we could hear no more. No arc of Noah appeared before us, Deserted we remained; And abandoned we are, That now, we have lea

The Christmas bells are ringing The snowy houses with thatched roofs And mistletoes and honeysuckles, Make this day a blessing!   The hugs and gifts, The shops left ajar, The jars of sugar candies, And the stockings hung low Lives deep in the hearts of the heirs, Of the kingdom of God!   A life time of Joy And a handful of happiness; Those gifts of Christmas, Which washes away the sorrow and grief Like the pure blue waves that sweeps the weeds into itself The shepherds of paradise!   It is the night of Christmas; The eve of joy and contentment, Of love and happiness, With the bells, trees and decors. ‘Oh’ I reckon- “It’s Christmas eve!”

We were fortunate enough to be present for the closing ceremony of the 20th International Film Festival of Kerala ( IFFK ) which concluded 2 days before here in Thiruvananthapuram. Fortunate enough to have got the opportunity to see the film 'Ottal' ,directed by Jayraj which bagged several awards,including the Suvarna Chakoram in the fest. It is a sweet adaptation of Anton Chekhov's short story 'Vanka' set in the agricultural hotspot of Kuttanad in Kerala.                                     It depicts the life of Kuttapayi, a small boy not more than 10, who lives with his grandfather in a tiny bamboo shed, making a living out of selling eggs of ducks. In spite of not being educated,Kuttapayi is a bright boy who weaves intense relationships with nature and its elements. He becomes good friends with Tinku, a boy from a wealthy middle class family and comes to know of the  joy of  going to school and learning. But it is the uneducated Kuttapayi who teaches Tinku man

I wish I had a time machine.So that I could travel to the times of the Delhi Sultans or the Mughals or the Rajputs. I wish I was a princess in the court of some ruler. I wish I had a chance to live in a palace that boasts of architecture that serves royalty, with gardens and halls where I would dance to the alluring tunes that steals the hearts of the captivated audience!. I wish I could adorn myself with beautiful Anarkalis or Lehengas studded with jewels that make your eyes blink.I wish I could learn the perfect skills of artillery and sword fighting so that I would be able to challenge even the bravest of men with perfect grace. I wish the generations to come would revere me as the fiercest of all women. I wish I knew how people lived in the times of war and struggles.I just wish so badly that I could experience all of it!       I, as a child have always shown a particular reverence to historical structures.They have never failed to give me goosebumps,wherever they are. My last v

The 5th of October this year was a very special and eventful day.Besides being World Teacher's Day,it was my my birthday as well.- my  day! Oh!Dear!. Please don't brag me about treats and feasts!We're not the celebration people. My birthdays usually get over like any other day except for the new clothes or the dining outs. Cake cuttings are something that I've dropped back in 3rd or 4th grade. But absolutely no complaints.I totally love the way my birthdays go and I would always love to keep it subtle and simple.But being human means accepting occasional changes!                       Before talking about the  day,let me talk about our gang-The JAKAFAS.The name simply represents the first letter of each of our names-Jasmin, Alan, Krista, Anna, Fidha, Alza and Sandra. The seven of us have been in the same class for the last 2 years. I can't say we're best buddies;none of us can. But we're good friends and we mean it-we are good friends.                  

I haven't made head or tail of what's with me and Blue.For my computer exam there was a question about the colour of hyperlinks on a web page.I initially answered it as Blue(which it was) but later on cut it off and changed it to Violet due to my hyperactive thinking process.In today's Science exam there was a question on the colour of Copper Nitrate solution for which I wrote the right answer which happened to be blue.But history repeated itself and my brain cells got the better of me.I eventually "corrected" it to 'colorless'.It seems that the correct answer is always my spontaneous response to a question. .But my conscious mind simply overworks it and ruins it.But why does it always have to be Blue?

Phew!It feels extraordinarily good to sit down for a few hours,to relax and make a post after 2 whole days of hard work and exhaustion.Guess what?Mathematics exams just came to a close today and I'm so happy to be back. I've spent the past two days with triangles,trigonometry,graphs and equations that it feels so happy to back with humans.Well it is not that I don't enjoy Math.Math is good;in fact it is really interesting and is the only subject that I can study continuously for so long.My math model exam did not go well and I got pretty low marks.So I was determined to conquer maths,especially trigonometry and spent most of my Onam vacation and a whole day doing trigonometry.This is our first year with trigonometry and most of us are putting up a great struggle.Hopefully its just a starting trouble.And hopefully I'll come out of the exam with flying colours(it doesn't really matter if a few colours are tarnished!)

To the CBSE Board,                   I'm a class 10 student from a CBSE affiliated school in Trivandrum,Kerala.I've received a CGPA(Cumulative Grade point Average) 10 for the last academic year and I hope to get the same for the board exams for which I will be appearing at the end of this academic year.I wish to pursue Social Science and aspire to work on the United Nations.I'm writing this open letter to bring to your attention my views on the much debated CCE system(Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation).                   There has been a lot of speculations lately as to whether the CBSE is going back to square one with the re-implementation of the age old system of board exams for students of CBSE schools who are at present following the CCE method,which was implemented during the UPA government's rule.I don't believe in party politics but I do believe in the power of education in transforming our lives.And hence I would say that the introduction of CCE h

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             The Koh-e-Noor diamond was kept here                                                                                                                                                 The rooms inside the palace

What captivated me most throughout the trip to Hyderabad was the Golconda Fort.It has its name from the Telugu words Golla meaning shepherd and Konda meaning hill.It initially served as a grazing area for sheep. The hill was once a territory of the Kakatiyas of Warangal.They constructed a small mud fort in Golconda and handed it over to the Bahmani kingdom in A.D 1363.The fort then came to be known as Mohammednagar.Later in the 16th century,the Qutb Shahi dynasty took control of Golconda and it was the first 3 kings of the dynasty who constructed the fort in a period of 62 years.It then served as the capital.                     Built completely on granite without any foundation,I think it is worth being a world heritage site.Its acoustic properties,water canals and systems and security measures will no doubt take any 21st century man in for a surprise!The entire buildings that includes the the palace had no doors except for the giant door in the Balahisar entry point(main entrance).

 A carriage in display at the Salar Jung Museum       The Salar Jung Museum    Hyderabad railway station in the film city  An inside view of Charminar    A view of the old city from Charminar    The Mecca Masjid      The Charminar in all its grace Views from the Village museum at Shilparamam                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Bustling towns,rattling bazaars,flyovers at every other intersection,metros under construction,traffic jams,structures that date back to more than a century,mosques,minarets,temples,lakes,parks and museums.That is what Hyderabad is all about.It seemed to me as though it were a  different world.A completely different atmosphere,yet spell binding.                                 Our one week trip to this city of the Kakatiyas,Yadavas,Mughals and the Nizams turned out to be one of my best experiences.We reached the city by noon on the 14th of April,the day of the Baisakhi festival that is widely celebrated by Sikhs across the world.We were lucky enough to see the sword fighting and other festivities associated with Baisakhi since there had been a Gurudwara adjacent to our hotel.                               On the 15th,we made a trip to the Birla Mandir temple, made of Rajasthani marble, built in the 1970s and the Birla planetarium,which were close neighbours.We also took time off to

We visited the Ramoji Film City,the world's largest film studio,the next day.It indeed was quite large.It had replicas of the Eiffel tower,The Statue of Liberty,Mughal Gardens,Hawa Mahal and much more.We were taken on a bus ride through the entire film city that extends to over 2000 acres.They also hosted shows on how films are made,on the earthquake effect and a play based on action and stunts.Throughout the entire length and breadth of the play there were crackers,bullets and water pouring out at you(if you're in the front row)!The studio also had rides,parks and rain dances to captivate young audiences.It did cost us a lot of time,but I guess it was worth watching.                       It was about 8 in the evening when we returned to the city,and it was our cab driver who suggested to us the idea of visiting Lumbini park and Hussain Sagar artificial lake.We did not spend much time there and headed straight to Hotel Paradise where they said you get the best dum biriyani i

 On the 17th we visited the Nehru zoological park along with Charminar,Hyderabad's identity.The open zoo was really good,one of the best I guess,cuz' it rather looked like a forest then a zoo.We got an autorickshaw to Charminar and were extremely fortunate to have climed the spiral stair case to the first floor of the building constructed in 1591 by Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah,the then ruler to commemorate the end of plague in the kingdom.Although there is a mosque in the second floor,entry was restricted.But what we saw from the first floor was well,not magnificent but had some beauty of its own.You could see the entire Laad bazaars surrounding Charminar and the Mecca masjid believed to have  been built using the soil of Mecca.We also payed a visit to the bazaars which were literally crowded and bustling with vehicles,camels and burqa clad women.You could get almost everything from utensils to bangles,clothes and sandals at really cheap rates.

                       On the day that followed we visited one of my dad's college mates who worked in a hospital in the city.After spending time with her in her O.P room we left for Shilparamam craft village near the hi-tech city. The place had a village museum with statues of village bazaars, craftsmen, blacksmiths,carpenters and others you could get a glimpse of in a village in India.There was bullock cart riding,there "had been" boating trips from what I've understood from the guide maps because now there seems to be hardly enough water to boat!There were also innumerable shops selling clothes,artefacts,bags,accessories,footwear and toys at cheap prices that an average Malayali cannot believe.We had planned to visit General bazaar so as to buy stuff for our family and friends but finally ended up buying everything from Shilparamam.                        But it seems that we've developed this very strange attitude of bargaining by leaps and bounds to such po

Well,that was technically the last day of our trip.We boarded our flight by noon,the next day and we reached Trivandrum by 6 in the evening(the flight travelled via Chennai). When we were flying over Hyderabad and Chennai,all you could see were tall buildings,flats and skyscrapers.But the moment we reached Trivandrum,it seemed as if we were flying over a forest.No tall structures in sight,all green, quite and calm.There is indeed substance when travel guides and sites say that Kerala is worlds away from India's bustle.For me,back to Kerala means leaving memories and experiences and lots of love and friendly people in Hyderabad.But it also means back to peace,freshness,greenery and yes,talking in Malayalam!

I do not exactly know why I was thinking about 3 Idiots.The film conveys the importance of pursuing your dreams besides being a complete Bollywood entertainer.Well,I thought I would blog about that because what the film speaks about, has virtually turned into a dreadful reality.Looks like we're bumping into a doctor or an engineer or an IT professional every other minute(at least in India).Have all the others vanished into thin air?Our singers,photographers ,sportsmen and the likes have been sidelined.Have educated India become so insane as to believe that the medical and the technical professions are the only sane and lucrative ones?                                 Well,it is time we look ahead.The world gives you a myriad of possibilities.You only need to keep your senses alive.Staying safe and out of risks are no more the norms,if that's what you're up to.There's no use staying in one corner of your cabin and boasting that you make a lot of bucks.Because what mat

The kites are a sure treat for your eyes. Spongebobs,Chotta bheem,the cricket world cup logo,birds and butterflies in black,blue,yellow,orange and other colours you can think of with their white satin tails dancing to the whistles and trebles of the breeze.As you walk further on through the dark corridors of the monstrous house built in the 19th century,a young girl clad in a yellow frock standing beside gunmen in brown and black and a boy,drained by the woes of life with an impoverished dog disturbs you.And yes,a pair of legs wearing anklets,garbed in black rags,chained to a corner awaits you inside the cell.Towards the end, a drawing of Kathakali, Jack Sparrow and a young boy in tears all drawn with oil pastels makes you wonder about the innumerable possibilities of art.                          The art exhibition organised by the TINT Academy for Art(where I go for art classes) by 135 Artists here in Trivandrum was one of its kind!Being a volunteer of the show I experience the gr

The sound of the drones and shells and mortars have made the world numb.Indeed numb.We thought they were aberrations..First Palestine then Syria,Iraq and now Yemen.They no more are aberrations.They seem more to be the customary song that every man has to wake up with.There's no use trying to comfort yourself saying that it has happened in some far corner of the world, some far corner that it does not affect you in any manner.The rivalry.the cries of pain and the grievances have no geographical bounds.Then why differ?Why fight in the name of religion?Why make people suffer?Why be the cause of their pain?You may be able to answer the before me.But not before God.Never will you be.Never.....

School has closed a few days before and yes!It's vacation time!Well,I've charted quite a few plans.Join the football academy here in Trivandrum,learn Spanish,read quite a few books,visit Hyderabad(don't know how much that's gonna work out!).And yeah,It's exhibition fever at my art school and we're all running helter-skelter to complete our works!It's at the Thanjavore Ammaveedu at West Fort.Quite an interesting and mysterious place where Maharajah Swati Tirunal's consort used to stay.Seems that after his death she grew mad and was locked up in a cell inside the buliding.I've not yet seen the place but being a history buff I just can't help holding my heart back! I can hear the voices  of boys playing near my house.Yeah!It's vacation time!!!!