Deep Ties

April is just round the corner, that time of the year when A to Z comes around with a bang. It is time to learn the alphabets all over again in so many varied, intriguing ways. The calendar does help to keep our dates with the dates up-to-date! Phew, that's quite a tongue twister, isn't it? Having taken part last year and having completed the challenge successfully, it did not take much pondering to decide to participate this year as well, despite my various other activities, which include writing a new novel and running a school as well. However, it is a case of total FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Why be out of the whole exciting jamboree when one can be in the midst of the madding crowd!  Last year, I took up the challenge of classic poetry and I had a whale of a time, going back to my years of studying Literature. It was a difficult challenge but once it was over, "I could have danced all night!" as the popular song goes.                               Pinterest: I Co

                                                              Peringavu Main Road                                                                Credits: Col. Gopi Menon  The title of this post could be akin to what is written on the entrance of Dante’s Inferno. However, it is a silent prayer that is on the lips of all those who travel on some of the more dangerous roads in Kerala. God’s Own Country seems to have the most picturesque locales in the country, but if one is driving, one cannot afford to look away from the road, filled as it is with potholes and, in places, craters. I live in Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala. A town that abounds in temples, built around a beautiful Shiva temple. The Swaraj Round that flanks the temple is the main road around which shops and business establishments have been thriving. I recall those days when the Round was a circular road on which vehicles plied in a leisurely fashion, allowing pedestrians to stroll across and walk on the Thekkink

                                                                      Goodreads   The gorgeous cover catches the eye first, followed by the lyrical title – ‘Stars from the Borderless Sea’ . Three romantic stories that have equally lyrical titles, each started off by a Rumi quote. What could be more delightful? The first story is called Sayonee – Soulmate. When you start reading, the feeling of camaraderie between the protagonists, and the perfect love they share, grows along till the end of the story when you realise how apt the title is. It is through a collection of letters – “long airmail envelopes and blue inland letters” with “postmarks from civilian and army post offices” – that this love shines through, and though life does have its purple patches and its depressing blues, these letters keep the spirits up.  “The quiet observer and the eloquent speaker were drawn to each other.” Are these two legendary romancers or star-crossed lovers? The lines below could well be the s