Skip to main content

Posts

Bhoothathankettu Dam

Bhoothathankettu derives its name from a mythological legend which claims that bhoothams (monsters) constructed a barrage across the Periyar River in order to help goddess Parvati to redeem her spouse Shiva from other women in whom he found his pleasures while they were on their spiritual quests.  Massive boulders lie across the river looking like a natural barrage.  There is a man-made dam too though the real tourist attraction lies in the forest which leads to the bhootham-built barrage. We visited the place yesterday as part of my driving practices. Here are some pictures from the place. The Dam Walk towards the boat rides A view from the boat One of the massive trees in the forest Some fun too Viewpoint Walk towards the legendary barrage A cave on the way One part of the barrage A view from the boat The Team

Sage

Fiction His eyes stunned me.   Otherwise I wouldn’t have noticed him at all.   How could I ever expect to meet a school classmate of mine in a jungle of Uttarakhand wearing the garb of a sage? I was on a trekking expedition to Hemkund and the Valley of Flowers along with a few students of mine.   We were all nearly exhausted after the previous day’s trek from Govind Ghat to Ghangriya followed by the present morning’s trek to Hemkund.   We were at an altitude of 3600 metres, nearly in touch with the angels or at least the clouds.   Some of my students had cheated by ascending Hemkund on the backs of hired ponies.   A teacher has to be very understanding, almost like a god who is eager to forgive his creatures, his very own creatures.   That’s why our ancient tradition puts the guru on a par with the gods.   But meeting Shivan on the way to the Valley of Flowers unsettled me notwithstanding all the understanding I had acquired during the thirty odd years of my career as

Language, Cows and Politics

Paraphrasing Stephen Fry, I must say that language is my best friend, my mistress, my girl-friend, my goddess.   How can a government decide my language? The Central government is keen on making every Indian learn Hindi.   My state government has ordered that Malayalam should compulsorily be taught in all schools in the state.   CBSE schools in Kerala are discovering ingenious ways circumventing the problem caused by the state’s order.   The latest is that they will teach Malayalam in grades 9 and 10 (to those students who have opted for another language) but will not include it in the assessment programme since CBSE has a two language curriculum. What I fail to understand is why any language should be imposed on anyone.   Don’t citizens have a right to choose the language they wish to fall in love with?   Yes, for me language is a love affair.   It is my means of expressing myself and giving shapes and colours to my dreams.   It is the river which washes away my sorrow