‘PREMAM’ alla….. ithu ‘SOUHRUDUM’ - Saumya Biju

-           Inspirations to and fro….

Hi dears,

Now, this blog of mine has turned out to be my scribbling pad… Whatever, I leave out as reflective scribblings, my husband, suggests me to share with you people, by posting it in the blog which 15 year old Shivshankar ( my brother’s son) ,who happens to be one of my best friends, had created for me and which was remaining unattended by me for about 2 yrs(I confess).But, as I have communicated to u dears, almost a week before, by virtue of the prime post, it became ‘live’-as I was wanting to communicate my whole-hearted support to blogger-Gowri, who expressed the ‘vacuum feel’, she had after watching the movie ‘PREMAM’… The feel the movie left in me was a ‘ FEEL MINUS INSPIRATION’…I communicated…

The very next day, Abhaykumar N.S, an architect, by profession, and a person, with an inherent passion for art ,theatre and visual media, who happens to be a common friend of me and my husband, had sent me an online message (“Hi, when time and mood permit, read and give me some feedback”)…via email…with a pdf attached to it…!Even before opening the pdf,  I was sure, yes….somehow…I was almost sure, there would be some ‘creative stuff ‘inside… awaiting me…!!!!! [Ai…no…nothing like 6^th sense or telepathy or anything beyond layman’s conceivability… It was something within a ‘lay man’s reach’…. bcoz Abhay is not a person who was introduced to my life ,as a friend or classmate of my husband though our acquaintances were confined to the annual ‘ get together’ celebrations Christ Nagarians and CETians have, wherein Abhay and Biju ,my husband share a common space,,,….]

FLASHBACK,,,,,…….. (ha ha ha……)

Yes,!!!!!,going for a flashback…the memories of my first acquaintance with Abhay, takes me back to my school days….I was a Nirmalite (NIRMALA BHAVAN CONVENT, TVM)and Abhay was a Nagarian, as I would call them,..(CHRISTNAGAR SCHOOL,TVM)…Though we were not neighbours…our schools were….!!!!!  And ….at that time…Nirmala Bhavan was a Girls’ school and ChristNagar , a Boys’school ,though…. now ,both these schools are ‘co-educational institutions’. Naturally Nirmalites and Nagarians , were more or less like ‘ made for each other’ (Ha, ha, ha… no misunderstandings please… that was a pure , innocent and at the most a romantic observation!!!!)…. But literally no acquaintance -, either romantic ( ha, ha, ha) or even a friendly one occurred between me and Abhayan in or around our school premises, though we Nirmalites,were, once in a year ,taken to Christ Nagar for the wonderous Science Exhibition…. ( Ai, same is the case with Biju, my husband also though he was also a Nagarian .. ha, ha, ha)

Now, let me take you to the venue of my first acquaintance with Abhayakumar…

Venue – Dooradarshan Kendra, Trivandrum

Purpose – Quiz competition for School students to be telecast as a special programme…

10 out of around 200 participants got qualified in the prelims (written test on GK and current affairs) and among the 10 students who were selected for the programme, both of us (Myself and Abhayan), were there. To start with, all 10 of us had to go for a self- introduction, and to hear  from him that he was a Nagarian ,made me more comfortable ( the very same comfort feel ,we have about the boy next door). All 10 of us had a very interesting and intellectually contributing moments in the recording studios of Dooradarshan with the crew explaining to us the technicalities involved as well...  But I confess, I don’t remember the faces or names of any other participant other than Abhayan. I remembered him bcoz, before late , we had met again in our 10^th Std Tuition class, which at that time, happened to be a ‘Co-ed’ of Nagaraians & Nirmalites- We called it ‘Suresh Kumar Sir’s’, Sir being one of the best teachers of Christ Nagar. Though we were not batch mates, we saw at times, though very rarely, during some combined batch classes and recreational events. As both of us belonged to the ‘frank and sociable’ category rather than the ‘shy and romantic’ category, we used to go for ‘Hai’……….. ‘Sukhom??’…  and such friendly ‘kushaloms’.

One evening Abhay and Rajesh ( batch mate and friend of mine at Suresh Kumar Sir’s), came to my home to ask whether I was interested to join the Music Band they were planning to form…. Though I did not join them, I was quite impressed about the creative initiatives of my friends…… 

‘A …     LOOOOOOONG …      BREAK…. !!!! ‘ …….   Me, with my socio legal pursuits joined Law Academy Law College,.. .. may be the artistic passion in Abhay made him an Archie at CET ( College of Engineering, Trivandrum) [ Ai, but Abhay remained in my vicinity…. Not only Abhay, many of my tuition mates who entered in to CET, remained in my vicinity bcz my dearest school mate Miji Mathew, who was more like a family member at that time ( who and her family happens to be the dearest ones of myself, Biju and Suroop even now, Gods Blessings), with whom I had long chats during my Law College days, kept me updated.( even now she is the one who keeps me updated with the whereabouts of all our common friends)….. (MIJIIIIII,,,,da….uu….der??!!!)

2014 -----à Get-together CETians

My husband, being a CETian and the get-together being one ‘with family’ I also reached the venue with Biju and my son Suroop. But very few CETians knew the excitement I had in mind to meet many of them, who were my ‘ once upon a time’ class mates, or batch mates at school or at Pre degree period in Govt Womens College, Trivandrum. Gaanamela, Music band performance and Skit…. That was the ‘stage performance ‘part of the get-together. As it was ‘mega get-together’, including all branches of CET 94 batch, it was real fun with people from almost all parts of the world getting together with loving and lovable memories….. ‘ Energy packed….’ , I would say dears!!!!’ And then….. Gaanamela over… Music band performance…..cheers!!!!!! And now I was waiting for the ‘Skit’ as I had been a die hard fan of theatre, right from my school days. And Yes!! It started- ‘The Skit’… scripted, directed and the lead character rendered by ‘Abhaykumar – wow’!!!  I could feel the ‘child’ in me feeling proud about her ‘childhood friend’ and I shared the pride and excitement with Biju, my husband.!!! I appreciated Abhay in person, but he wouldn’t have got the ‘child like pride’ I had in me, from my ostensibly mature communications.

‘A Short Break’

Two months later… I had just returned home from All India Radio after taking an interview of Fahad Fazil, the liberated artist I would say…. Was very happy about the session, Yes, was inspired   and hence goes without saying, happy…. And I saw Biju engaged with FB and he showed me a post-‘ a short film from Abhay’. Though I am one who is in to socio legal activities in the ‘real world’, I am fully out of ‘social networking- the virtual one’ ….but the inspirations I got from the short film was worth it, that I penned my reflections in my scribbling pad, which Biju had posted as ‘comment’ in you tube. Goes without saying, I felt that ‘child like pride’ about Abhay again!!!!!

 And now let me come to the present…..

Now friends, you would have understood, why I would have entered in to the right guess about the creative content in the PDF attached to Abhays mail, suggesting me to cast my reflections!!!! Happily, yes, with pride and pleasure, I had gone thru his creative manifestations, took his phone number from Biju and rang him up to let him know my reflections on the creative content he had mailed us.( Atleast some of you might be curious to know about it, but am sorry, it’s a great suspense…!!!!!!J but am sure not only you, the whole malayali group of art lovers will know about it.. before late, …if things go as he plans….. till then keep waiting… ha, ha, ha….)

I had honestly communicated my reflections to him…. And he from his side expressed his strong appreciation for the prime post in my blog which communicated the ‘feel minus inspiration’ I had about the movie ‘Premam’  .

To quote Abhays words, “ That’s it Saumya!!! You said it rightly and of course precisely!! INSPIRATION- that’s the key word!! What ever may be the creative communications we make to the society at large, it should have that – ‘Inspiration’ as you have said and Saumya, I take it from you!!! And its going to be a pointer in all my creative pursuits”

                                             Thankyou Abhay!!!

                                             Thankyou dear friend !!!!

I intented it  as a reflection to Gowri’s review. But it ended up as an inspiration to one of my ‘childhood friends’….. And again  Am ‘Inspired’, and hence this reflection – ‘ INSPIRATIONS - TO AND FRO’!!....

No alcohol, No drug, No smoke, No bombarding visuals, No rocking visuals, No brouhaha comedies…. Yet  inspiring ….. Simply Inspiring, dear friend….

                                                 ‘PREMAM’ alla….. ithu ‘SOUHRIDUM’

“oh! Aunty, I’m fed up with life”- murmurs a 13yr old girl…….. A Page from a Counsellor’s Diary

A Page from a Counsellor’s Diary

“oh! Aunty, I’m fed up with life”- murmurs a 13yr old girl……..

“I’m getting bored, life is quite boring……Feel like putting an end to everything………!! –screams a 14yr. old……

            -The former is the only daughter of a ‘successful couple’-both working in a flourishing multinational firm and the latter-the only son of a leading business man…-{both of them – clients of mine-goes without saying-}, live a life of luxury-luxurious villa to live in, loving parents-always willing to comply with even the silliest demands of their child-always at the service of their only kid-even in the midst of their busiest schedules….

But it seems, the teenagers in both the aforementioned cases were fed up with life-so fed up that the girl in the case –( first-mentioned-)-even attempted suicide j!!!!

Ai, don’t raise your eyebrows!!She attempted suicide for being restricted from the continuous misuse of her facebook account. She, not only, attempted suicide, but also, threatened to assault her grand parents, if they tried to ‘interfere’ with her freedom to go for a ‘hang-out’ with her friends in the city ‘mall’, which, obviously her parents allowed thoughtlessly!!!!

‘Aunty, whats wrong in me going out 4 a hang-out???My parents are just not bothered!!!! Even my mother do it with her male friends, then why not me???!! If my Appa and Amma are not bothered, why should my Appappa and Ammama worry about it??? When they say ’Don’t do it..’… Don’t do that’….., I really feel like giving one right on their face!!!!’’

NO, this is not an extract from a ‘counsellor’s diary’ at some western country…… This is an honest reproduction from a counseling session I had here-at my office in Kochi.- of a 13 yr. old client of mine!!!!!

Let us not start our usual lecture on ‘cultural invasion’!!  For all the cultureless behavior from the part of our children, we, elders, conveniently and comfortably put the blame on ‘western culture’, ‘cultural invasion’ ‘television,’ ‘internet’ and of course, ’face-book’! It is not just those external factors which makes children arrogant, unaccountable, lazy and cruel-ostensibly..! From my professional experience, I feel , it is WEAKNESS, the MAIN CAUSE of all the emotional unrest found among teenagers.

“WEAKNESS!!!!??? Oh NO!! He/She is so strong-negatively that they are not reluctant to shout or scream or even assault and attack elders!!!And you say they are weak!!I disagree! Strongly disagree!!!”…

Yes! Iam sure, at least some of you may say that! But, once you go for a  calm and cool analysis,you will realize the sad truth that it is the weakness, diffidence and emotional insecurity of the child which makes him/her scream at you, shout at you or even raise their hands at you!!! Weakness of the self! Weakness of the personality! Lack of clarity, vision and effective guidance!!!

We are busy providing them with all the luxuries, but fail to tune ourselves with their emotional necessities..We, in our quest to make them successful professionals who mint money-who get paid in dollars, we forget to induce in them human values, moral values, social values…

If our children become ‘weaklings’, surrendering themselves to the negatives of ‘cultural invasion’, lacking the efficiency to fight against the evil tendencies and attitudes ,which they might, due to multifarious reasons, encounter in their day to day life, ’Who is to be blamed?’..’Where have we mistaken?’…What made our children unaccountable to the self, to the family and to the society??......WHAT MADE THEM WEAK?

If they say aloud,, I’M NOT BOTHERED!!, who made them say that? Just think for a moment friends….Who taught them not to bother about the poor old wounded man on the streets? Who taught them not to bother about the miseries of the people next door? Who taught them not to bother about the less fortunate? Who taught them not to bother about the socio-political issues affecting the society at large?

And again,……Who trained them to think ONLY of one’s own health, one’s own wealth, one’s own career, one’s own profession, one’s own dress, one’s own marks’, one’s own progress, one’s own success!!! YES!!!! IT IS WE,THE ELDERS!!!!

When we trained them to focus on one self, when we taught them to keep themselves detached from the pulse of the society, we never knew that we are training them to detach the stem of their existence from the roots of societal relationships, thereby, weakening the life and existence of the ‘plant’ in itself- the personality- the plant – keeps swaying with even the gentle breeze- and surrenders easily to external pressures.

Let us make our children as strong as Banyan trees with their minds and attitudes deep rooted in tradition and values. If we let their roots of accountability spread- from the self, through the family in to the society and gather the minerals of love and water of support from a wide area- if we let their leaves and shoots of perception gather the sunlight of creativity and fresh air of freedom from the environment we provide for them in our attitudes and actions, no doubt, our children will grow up in to an educated young citizen- strong and powerful from within and without- as strong as a banyan tree that even a heavy storm of negativities will not be able to touch their inner and outer self.

SAUMYA BIJU

Saumya Biju- Reflection to the movie review on ‘Premam’ by Gowri N Kishore in ‘The rustle of words’

 Hai Gowri,

Am with you… I’m Saumya, who goes more on air………. Mmm….…also being an RJ, among some other areas I handle as part of my pursuits- more in my capacity as a social being, my reflections mostly goes on air, it never gets solidified on print or page. But today morning, my husband has brought to my notice, ur reflections on the movie ‘Premam’ ( Nivin Pauly block buster as people call it!!!). U were desperately expressing ur alienated feel about the disappointment you had about the movie irrespective of the fact that u are a Nivin Pauly fan and u r an admirer of friend circle movies.

I am not a die hard fan of Nivin Pauly. But I do share high level of expectation, an average Malayali layman has about the hardworking and talented youngster. That too when we are desperately waiting for  fresh faces and young blood to come out with fresh themes, new approaches and inspiring initiatives.

True that ‘Premam’ had been ruling the screens all over Kerala. Thanks to the fresh faces??? Sync sound mixing??? Instant layman comedies??? Nostaljic green canvas… whatever it may be, the drag which I felt in the first quarter (predegree period of hero), got itself a bit alleviated towards the second quarter… though I saw myself watching Nivin Pauly and his friends on screen reminding me of some of my friends at Law College, who used to walk around the college imitating Mohanlals feudal characters which has ruled the screens in the nineties…. At the very same time getting excited about the rendering skills of Vinay Fort, and the actors who did the PT Sir and Jojo. True that I was also finding the performance of all the youngsters in the movie, including Nivin Pauly, quite natural and Yes!!,  they were ‘behaving’ rather than acting, which in turn kept us connected with them, though we never preferred to remain connected with such ‘loose and lazy’ characters,  when in campus.

And now, once out of the cozy, comfortable ambience of Cinemax…, I was feeling dispirited, leftout and disappointed. Why???!!  Ai, am I getting aged- Oh!! Premature ageing !!!?? No!!! Am very much tuned in tune with the pulse of the youth… Apart from my peers, my friends and colleagues are more of teenagers- I get perfectly well with them, their attitudes, reflections and initiatives and its with them I can relate more and communicate more effectively. Inspiring initiatives from the part of youngsters excite me to a great extend and I never miss an opportunity to promote such initiatives personally and also in my capacity as a media person.Then why???!!!!Why am I feeling so dispirited after spending almost  two and a half  hours with youngsters…???!! I slept with heavy feelings….Woke up tired …but with the answer which was as simple as that…..,I felt….!There was nothing in the movie ‘inspiring’ us at any level of experience….Ofcourse, it was an ‘enjoyable entertainer’at many levels, but, not an ‘inspiring entertainer ‘at any level…

To communicate my feeling to my husband and  also to a very close friend of mine who is a youngster ,very passionate about entering into the world of movies, I sought the help of a similie, which,I would like to share with you also dear Gowri….:::”A couple of years back, we had a ‘get together’ of our lawcollege batchmates…A get together of classmates with family…..Lots of expectations, nostalgia, excitement…drove us all into the venue…But, right from hour one, our friends, allowed alcoholic drinks to take charge of all the finer feelings , which were getting stumbled in the obstacles created in their consciousness by the ‘alcoholic kick’…. But to be honest, I should admit, a few of us-which included both males and females, who were remaining live with the nostalgic greens of the campus, were also having real fun, watching our classmates repeating the very same ‘drunk comedies’ we had in the campus……!......Gigglings, blablaings, fooding, singing, dancing…..’bye bye’, nice meeting you all- ‘Au revoir’ – we parted….-Back in my car, I was tired, dispirited, disappointed…… Next day, feedback chats, calls…. Almost all of us- yes, 99% of us shared the same feeling…. ‘Disappointed’….!! Why !!?? Intelligent review by lawmen – there was nothing “inspiring”.

Lawmen or Laymen…- may be, the basic instinct of a normal human being is to “get inspired”.

And Gowri, your disappointed reflection over the much glorified ‘ Premam’ inspired me to do away with my laziness to put my reflections on page. And here I join you dear Gowri, Remaining obliged for the inspiration.

Saumya Biju