The journey from Manglore to mahe
was energizing and fantastic. Around 7.30 am, we left Mangalore by train to Mahe.
The sun had risen and its rich golden light had spread everywhere, on the foliage,
on the fields and on the river. Touched
with the sun rays, the water was glistening like gold, making the scene splendid.
The train was speeding up amidst the thick greenery filled with coconut, areca and
other trees. The lush green paddy fields soothed my eyes and soul. Train journey
that too amidst greenery makes me very romantic. I was ruminating on why the
palette of kerala artists is so rich and vivid.
The bright cobalt blue sky was complementary to the sunlight covered lush
green paddy fields. Here and there, I
could see white Kerala houses. Most of the houses are painted in white.
Probably, they prefer white colour, which is easily noticed amidst the green nature. The
architecture of the house is very different, beautiful and elegant. Wooden balconies with wooden
framed windows and tiled roofs give an ethnic elegance to those huge
houses. Mostly, the houses are very huge and multi-storied, surrounded by huge
greenery around it, which stretches for kilometers. The moving train came
across a river with a few colorful boats sailing in it. The sun lit bridge over
the river was beautiful and enchanting to behold.
As the train came to a halt at a
station, there was some commotion of people getting in and getting out. With
them entered some coffee and tea wallas.
I opened the recent book written by Twinkle Khanna - Mrs Funnybones,
with a cup of diluted coffee, which is usually served on trains. I had bought
this book a couple of months back but did have time to go through it. Twinkle
Khanna, the daughter of Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia , the famous actors,
knows how to put things intelligently in
a humorous way. I liked her approach as it is different and simplified. No
exaggeration-narration is direct and candid; simple drawings follow the events.
Even the cover page is interesting and humorous. Mundane routines of daily life,
which is peppered with some interesting events, are highlighted –these reveal
her interest in observing little things minutely, differently, and critically. She does not spare anyone who comes in her
contact, from criticizing. All those around
her, big or small, become prey for her criticism.
A Christian couple with their four or five year
old daughter was sitting just opposite to us in the compartment. My husband was trying to be friendly with the
girl. She was pretty with delicate features and resembled her mother feature
wise and complexion wise, she was closer to her father. Some kerala women had
got into the train at the previous station. Some of them were in the typical
white saris of Kerala. White kerala saris look elegant and ethnic. With their
long black hair let down, they were chatting in Malayalam, of which I could not
understand a syllable. I turned my gaze
towards the window; big white multistoried houses hidden behind the greenery
vanished one by one. Some houses in dark
pink and green colors also appeared here and there. The trend of coloring
houses in multi colors has reached this part also but seems to be in nascent
stage still.
Back to the book, Twinkle heartily laughs at
herself and candidly narrates how her name used to irk
her in school days as every one used to link her name with the rhyme Twinkle, Twinkle, little star, I hope you get
hit by a car. Twinkle Khanna
refers to the characters like servants, sales girl at her shop, neighbors, and
so on, who come in her daily life, in her book. She finds fun in every day
affairs. Simple events are much more
interesting and fun filled. One more thing, no characters in the book have names
and are referred as friend1 and friend
2. She seems very deft in analyzing the characters and bringing out the best
and funny parts of the characters to the front. She critiques on present
politics, cultural trends observing through her matured multiculered lens. Very
interestingly and humorously, she explains how and where science and myth
differ.
The train was moving very fast
towards Mahe, where we were destined to get down. The small girl started
singing a rhyme Twinkle Twinkle Little
star….. It went on. Mahe station
arrived. Life looks very beautiful when
one learns to find pleasure in small things.
