Readers

Mazha

I; in a bus

Shutters closed

Evening journey back home

The acoustics of the outside

Embellished at times by

The scream of an ambulance

Open air snack bars closed

People hiding

Umbrellas struggling

To spread wings

An evening rain in Kannur

["Mazha" is the word for rain in Malayalam language.]

Comments

rohini said…
wow so nice..happy mazhing
November 12, 2010 at 10:38 PM
Anu Lal said…
lol...you invented a new verb Rohiniji.."mazhing"...cool! and thank you for your precious words..
November 12, 2010 at 11:59 PM
Anonymous said…
nice poem..
February 12, 2011 at 11:29 AM
Unknown said…
http://nilavasthamikummunpu.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-post_4811.html
i hope you knows malayalam.. this one is also a mazha.!!
February 24, 2011 at 11:19 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Kuttippuram Bridge (Kuttippuram Paalam) by Edasseri Govindan Nair: Essay Questions

Kannur University Common Course Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG) 1. 'Edasseri's poem "The Kuttippuram Bridge" is a critique of mindless urbanisation.' Explain. & 2. 'Edasseri's poem "The Kuttippuram Bridge" conveys its message through a series of strategically placed images and symbols.' Elucidate.            Edasseri's poem "The Kuttippuram Bridge" is translated from Malayalam by A J Thomas. It is a critique of mindless urbanisation. This poem conveys its message through a series of strategically placed images and symbols. Edasseri's poetry is inspired by his childhood experiences. His mother and elder sister inculcated in his a taste for poetry. His poetry and plays are characterised by their portrayal of the nature and culture of Kerala, its environment, vegetation, rituals, and festivals. His poems reflect the problems of farmers, the nationalist struggle, and the agonies of working-class people. ...
Read more

Readings on Kerala: Summary- The Whole Text at a Glance

Kannur University Common Course Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG) Module 1 1. A Conversation that Spreads Light: Sree Narayana Guru by M K Sanu Vallabhassery Govindan Vaidyar and T K Kittan Writer visit Sree Narayana Guru on 19 January 1928 to request Guru to sanction a pilgrimage to Sivagiri. First Guru asks them if they want a pilgrimage centre, as there are other sites for pilgrimage. They insist by saying that pilgrimage centres of Upper caste Hindus are not open for people of the lower caste. Guru grants permission. Guru tells his disciples to observe ten days of abstinence and Buddha's five ideals of purity (Purity of body, food, mind, word, deed), wear yellow garments, practice thrift and discipline. According to Guru, eight aims of pilgrimage are- education, cleanliness, piety, organization, cultivation, trade, handicrafts, technological training). Starting of pilgrimage 1 January 1933. 2. Curing Caste by Sahodaran Ayyap...
Read more

About my Race: A Song by Poykayil Appachan : Essay Questions

Updated Kannur University Common Course Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG) 1. Poykayil Appachan's poem "About my Race: A Song" is a criticism of written histories. Elucidate. & 2. Poykayil Appachan's poem "About my Race: A Song" attempts to locate the intricacies of Dalit life in Kerala. Explain. & 3. How does Poykayil Appachan's poem "About my Race: A Song" represent the people belonging to his race?             In his poem "About my Race: A Song", Poykayil Appachan foregrounds the question of race.   The poem is translated into English from Malayalam by Jessica Sudhir M.  The concept of "race" refers to the evicted and marginalized first people of Kerala. Poykayil Appachan was also known as Sree Kumara Gurudevan. He was a revolutionary Dalit leader and social reformer hailing from Central Travancore. His parents worked for a rich Christian family as slaves. He started his work as a preac...
Read more

Readings on Kerala: Model Question Paper

Image
Kannur University Common Course Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG) Before you go to the examination, please go through this model question paper and try to answer as many questions as you can. Many questions in this model question paper may be asked for the Semester Examination, especially because this is a new syllabus. Studying this model question paper will help you to answer at least 50% of questions in the Semester Examination. This model question paper will give you an idea about what type of questions will be asked for the coming exams. So please download and read this question paper thoroughly. My dear students, I wish you all the very best. Do well. May God bless you. Courtesy: Kannur University
Read more

NATURE MATTERS: Readings on Life and Nature- Course Introduction

KANNUR UNIVERSITY English Common Course (ECC) Readings on Life and Nature Prescribed Textbook: Nature Matters by MainSpring Publishers 2A03 ENG Welcome Dear students welcome to the second-semester classroom. You may be sitting in the same classroom and meeting the same teachers. This might force you to think that everything is just the same. This is a misunderstanding. You are in the second semester, a semester older since you first joined college. Now, it's time to move forward with some new and exciting plans. You may have committed several mistakes in your academic as well as personal life. Please do not repeat them all. Try as much as you can to avoid mistakes. Your intelligence is visible in the way you avoid committing the same mistakes again. Introduction One of the greatest mistakes made by human beings is the mistake of thinking that the earth and nature are abundant with resources. Human beings in almost every culture have been using natural resources...
Read more

Eri by Pradeepan Pampirikkunnu: Essay Questions

Readings on Kerala Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG) I Semester UG Common Course Essay Questions: Updated 1. How does Eri question mainstream notions of scholarship and knowledge? & 2. Why is the narrator doubtful about finding sources for writing the history of Eri? Is it because mainstream histories do not document the lives of lower caste communities? Explain. Eri is a novel written by Pradeepan Pampirikkunnu and published posthumously in 2017. Eri, the character represents the historically downtrodden people in the Parayan community in Kerala. Pradeepan Pampirikkunnu uses the medium of the novel to establish the prehistory of the Parayan Caste. The narrator of the story is a research scholar, who uses memories, memoirs, oral histories, ritualistic performances, gossips, books, and other oral/literary sources. The novel attempts to historicize the making of a Paraya community in its transit to modernity and retells the renaissance of Kerala from a Paraya male per...
Read more

A CONVERSATION THAT SPREADS LIGHT: Sree Narayana Guru: Part I Paragraph Notes

Image
Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG) I Semester UG Common Course This section is dedicated to the Under Graduate students of Kannur University. The discussion topic here is the common course text for I BA/B Com/BSc/BCA courses. The syllabus is newly installed and therefore faces a dire shortage of materials from which students could make notes to prepare for exams. These materials are shared here in the sincere hope that students would be able to make use of the materials while preparing for their semester examination. 1 A CONVERSATION THAT SPREADS LIGHT: Sree Narayana Guru Paragraph Questions: 1. What are Guru’s instructions regarding the code of conduct for the pilgrims?  Vallabhassery Govindan Vaidyar and T K Kittan Writer visit Sree Narayana Guru on 19 January 1928. The purpose of their visit was to request Guru to declare Sivagiri as a holy place. Vaidyar and Writer suggested that once the place is declared holy people from the Ezhava community and other downt...
Read more

CURING CASTE BY SAHODARAN AYYAPPAN: Essay Questions

Essay Questions How does Sahodaran Ayyappan’s poem “Curing Caste” criticize casteism? &                                    Sahodaran Ayyappan uses images and symbols borrowed from Ayurveda in the poem  “Curing Caste”. Discuss. Sahodaran Ayyappan is a social reformer, revolutionary, poet, rationalist, administrator, and legislator. His contributions in ushering progressive thought in the Kerala polity are significant. In his poem “Curing Caste”, Ayyappan uses a medicinal simile to articulate his anti-caste views. Caste is a form of discrimination that had its claws sunk deep into the society of Kerala until the mid-twentieth century. Sahodaran Ayyappan was involved in public discourses where he vociferously voiced the rights of the marginalized and questioned their subjugation by the elite upper class.  Ayyappan founded the  Sahodara Sangham  (Brotherhood Associati...
Read more

READINGS ON LIFE AND NATURE- Major Terms Explained

English Common Course (ECC) 2A03 ENG It is important to understand the following concepts before reading the prescribed text. The prescribed text for Readings on Life and Nature is Nature Matters. The text shall be made available soon. Ecology : According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Ecology is the study of the relationship of plants and living creatures to each other and their environment.            Remember, Ecology is not just a study of nature, as some would misinterpret. It is the study of the  relationship , everything in nature has with the environment of the planet earth. The term 'relationship' is of utmost importance. A discussion of ecology in the present century is essentially a discourse about the rupture in this relationship. This notion, we have to keep in mind. Environmental Movement : To denote the Environmental Movement, another term is often used- Ecology Movement. It includes scientific, social, and p...
Read more

The Kuttippuram Bridge (Kuttippuram Paalam) by Edasseri Govindan Nair: Paragraph Questions

Kannur University Common Course Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG) 1. How does the narrator contrast the river and the newly constructed bridge? The narrator contrasts the river and the newly constructed bridge by feeling proud of standing on the bridge and elating at the height of the material development of modernization. The poet experiences elation or joy at being so high while standing on the bridge. The kingfisher and sparrows the poet observed while dipping in the river as a child only achieved this height. The narrator is in awe of the ability of the human being to construct such a powerful symbol of victory over nature. However, this proud feeling is short-lived. 2. Explain the usage "doing a tame Naatta". Edasseri Govindan Nair in his poem "The Kuttippuram Bridge" presents a narrator who is proud of being on a bridge that shows the supremacy of human engineering skill. In his joy at being able to reach the heights only touched by the sparrow...
Read more