God's Own Capital
It was my long time wish to know why Kerala is called 'God's Own Country.' Recently I learnt that Kollam was 'God's Own Capital.' When the Trivandrum mail chugged in through all the greenery of Kerala with bits of land fully covered with a green coat, now and then breaking into a backwater outside my train window, I found out. There is no scene that I can say I missed. The names of the stations are different, Trichur, Kaladi, Chenganacheri, Ernakulam, Thiruvalla...only the signboards are different. The scenery outside is the same. Rains washing the lush green leaves. What is grown in Chennai homes as crotons, grows without any asking just like that on the Kerala landscape. There is the manifestation of God in the beauty of the land. The land where Parasurama's axe fell.
Narayana Guru's mahasamadhi sthalam was a beautiful climb of stairs at Sivagiri in Varkala. Then the Sree Janardhanan Temple. The sthalapuranam of this temple says that this was where Devarishi Narada's Valkala or the Angavastram fell on earth and the temple to Janardhana was built here. It was on Pradosham day and I had the darshan of the Shivan shrine in the Vishnu temple. I enjoyed with delight to see the Malayalee women worship in silence, "Ende Bhagavaane."
What one sees in the hill stations, is found in abundance in the plains in Kerala. The beaches in Kollam are fiery, with ferocious waves crashing against the shore.
For the first time I got the opportunity of seeing the simple Malayalee wedding in full, with the bride party's invitation of the groom, the sabha vandana by the bride and the groom and then the marriage in a pandal decorated with coconut flowers, lamps and garlands.
All the hotels serve boiled and luke warm chukku vallam for drinking water. But there are not many people eating at hotels. One co-traveller back to Chennai explained that people prefer to eat at home in Kerala rather than hotels.
Everything is absolutely fine, I thought. There is so much prosperity that meets the eye. Not so, said the traveller. "there is no development and progress here. We can't do anything because of the political situation. So we don't stay in Kerala. Only come here for holidays!"
I chanced to meet a Swami, Tathwananda by name. He was from Kasargode. He asked me to say what I feel was Meditation. I told him, "Meditation is bringing your mind fully to the present and not let it wander in the past or worry about the future." "But do you think one can live without the past or the future?"he asked. "The past is there, and so is the future. But going back in time or thinking of the future - I will lose my present and meditation keeps me rooted here," I told and he seemed to be satisfied with my reply.
I asked him about the meditation activity and interests of people in Kerala. His reply was pointed, "The curse of the Kerala mind is that, people think that if one does meditation they will take up Sanyas!" God's own Country - Yes. But that is the present result of the past. Today, Kerala is different.
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19 comments:
I just remembered a joke...
A phorener was on a pilgrimage in India and visited all the temples and noticed that wherever he went there was phone booth with a sign board saying 'Ten thousand rupees-
hotline to God'. Soemone explained that he can talk to god directly with those phones in the temples. After seeing such phones in many temples the phorener reaches kerala and there in every temble he visited he saw phones with only 'Hotline to Gowd-five rupees only'. He decided to ask the priest in the temble and the priest took him to courner and explained that 'It is Gode's own country' so it is charged as local call.
Thinking of the past is not a problem but reliving the past is nothing but a problem. Planning about future is not a problem but fantacising the unborn future and living it secretly in the present is nothing but a problem...
hi cottons..that was hilarious from you for a change. I got more on the mallus..read on.!!!
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1. Name the wonly part of the werld where Malayalis don't werk hard?
Kerala .
2. Why is industrial productivity so low in Kerala?
Because 86% of the shift time is spent on lifting, folding and
re-tying he lungi.
3. Why did the Malayali buy an air-ticket?
To go to Thoobai, to meet his ungle in the Gelff.
4. Why do Malayali's go to the Gelff?
To yearn menney.
5. What did the Malayali do when the plane caught fire?
He zimbly jembd out of the vindow.
6. What is a Malayali management graduate called?
Yem Bee Yay.
7. Why did his wife divorce him?
Because he was louwing another woman.
8. Who found out that?
His andy.
9. What does a Malayali do when he goes to America?
He changes his name from Karunakaran to Kevin Curren.
10. What does a Malayali use to commute to office everyday?
An Oto.
11. Who is Malayali's fyamous yeactor end yaectress?
Moghan lal, Mammooti, Geedha, Revadhi, Zilgsmidha end Ambiga.
12. Why Kerala is the most highly literate state in India?
Its easily giving Degree to get rid of the peapals from Kerala.
13. Why Arab countreis are looking for only Keralites?
They are ready to do yennything for menney.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
After reading this if you send this to atleast:
10 Malayalis & you will receive cokknut oil, 20 Malayalis and you will receive bennena chips, 40 Malayalis you will receive appams, Send this to 100 Malayalis and you will get free courner land near the rice field behind the lungi factory with additional incentive of a whole month's supply of cokknut oil and bennena chips free..
Cottonfires: That was a great joke. Sent me rolling.
Swaha.
Wiseacre: Swami Tattwananda from Chinmaya Mission, Kasargode actually sent me an SMS today, remembering our conversation at the Kollam Station: A man of integrity is accepted, believed, trusted and befriended by all: Hari Om Swami Tattwananda. He has also invited me to Kasargode. Rarely people remember each other after such a short meeting, especially in the platform of a railway station!
Hi Warlord, You are in full form I guess. Wonder who Malayalis and Sardars take the numerous jokes cracked at their expense?
Warlord: That was how, not who.
Warlord: To just test if all the jokes were real jokes and not malice in the guise of jokes, I read it out to a few people, some of them Malayalis. While even I had this thought that jokes targetting specific communities, may not be actually always humorous, my friends who listened to them were able to laugh for some of the jokes, not the last two ones. Cottonfires' God's Own Country was an elevating joke. While having fun, it is always better to be on the side of good humour rather than have a nasty dig at others in the guise of a joke. Not atleast in my blog please!
Warlord: Yet another reaction from a Mallu: The jokes that Mallus crack on others are much better than what others crack on Mallus!
Thus spake somebody.
It has a lot to do with the interpreations of your mind.
The good and bad and humor can be seen according to quality of the mind. I think for a warlord standards these are pretty decent jokes. I see that he get very nasty if necessary. To tell the truth im a secret fan of warlord. Have been watching this blog for sometime and nice to meet you all.
Wow, God's own Land/God's own capital. Thanks for writing about all these.
I fell in love a long time back and have this in my mind. If I retire ....I will I think...I'll retire in Kerala. It's my life's ambition. God willing it will happen.
I've been there..done that..whatever you've said minus meeting a Swamiji.
Kerala is beautiful...a world different from my part of India...Madras.! I love it.! I love everything about kerala.
Why is it that Kerala is so clean? Is it the people? That's one thing I can't understand.!
Hi Swahilya,
I just love Kerala, for its serenity, divine beauty and all the adjectives are not enough to describe it. May be so it is called God's own country.
mackarel_skies: I agree. When it comes to truth, there is no good or bad. Everything is plain truth. But yet, in our day to day conversations, we do maintain a certain decorum. All the "Please, Sorry and Thank You's" are still said. Good that you admire Warlord. Even I do for his or her cut and dried expressions. But I was afraid if a section of people would take offence at some of the jokes. Though I may take bouquets and brickbats evenly, I cannot expect everybody to accept things in the same manner, can I?
Narayan Venkitu: Kerala is so clean because the rains do all the sweeping day and night! Also, because there are very less people there to dirty - all of them have migrated to the rest of the world. It is a perfect example of how the Earth will be when it is left to itself!
So, people there are not happy about this. They say there is no progress or development and all the daily needs, rice, vegetables and anything is imported from Tamil Nadu. There are vast lands but no cultivation is possible because of labour problems instigated by politicians. There are colleges, but frequently they will be closed due to strikes and bandhs. While people work hard out of Kerala, in Kerala, most of the workers are from Tamil Nadu - especially from the southern districts of Madurai, Theni, Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli -- All these are not my statements, but what the Keralites told me during my two days I spent there.
As a Malayali who loves to be in Chennai told me in the train, "Though I am from Kerala, I like Chennai as only here there is progress and development. I go to my native Kottayam for not more than three to four days of holidaying!"
Yes, we need a beautiful and green environment, no doubt. But I realised that is not all for human progress.
Hari: During my trip to Varkala, the people who travelled with me in the van were narrating the story of how Parasurama decided not to kill anymore, after his oral confrontation and surrender to Rama. Saying that, he threw his Parasu - Axe, which fell in Kerala. That is why the State is so prosperous. But when I mentioned the word, "Prosperous," to one friend there, she laughed, "What prosperous? Everything that we need, including our own red rice, comes from Tamil Nadu." Another friend said: "Muttrathu Mullai Manakkadu!" (The jasmine in one's courtyard is never fragrant!"
Swahilya
Excellent man(? I think)
Gods own country :(
sad indeed, but it also applies
to Tamil Nadu with so many temples, azhwars and nayanmars.
But how many understand God or the Self ?
None , If we search for something we will never find it.
I will blog roll you
Hi Swahilya,
But prosperity does not necessarily mean wealth. The most important thing for surviving, that is un-polluted nature and abundant water,which can never be imported is available in Kerala in bountiful. I call that as prosperity.
As your other friend said, the jasmine in our garden does not smell as great.
Ganesh, What you said reminds me of what my friend mailed me after I came back from Kerala. "God is in your country, within you. So wherever you go, that's God's own country." Very true. Landscapes change, environments change, but the God resides everywhere all the same.
Hari, Yes even I felt so. But prosperity is a state of mind. The environment may be conducive and good, but ultimately if the individual does not have the facility to fulfil the innate urge of existence, then there is no prosperity in the real sense. Good to see you back after some time.
Swahilya.
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