During my college days at STC Pala,when I was doing B.A English course,my
overenthusiasm for writing landed me in serious trouble.It happened like this:I began
writing a diary.It was not new to me.I had earlier done it at an NCC camp at St.Thomas
High School,Pala,in 1963 when I was 14 years old.When I wrote the diary in question,I
was 18 years old,which is the peak of teenage eccentricities.I wrote for some months,and
when I finished it,I hid it in the arra (a cell) in our house.My idea was to take it out after
many many years to read and enjoy it.The arra was a storage place of my father's drama
activities.My father ,Narithookkil Kunjettan,was devoted to drama and music.He had only
a basic education,but his knowledge was beyond that.He directed plays,did make-up,and even
wrote short plays.In 1959,at the height of 'Vimochana Samaram' he wrote an instant
play about the killing of a pregnant woman at Valiyathura in police firing.I was cast as
a son of Flory.I had no dialogue,but my part was only to cry near the dead body of my
mother.The play was staged on the verantha of a shop at Paika.The role of Flory's
husband was given to Ponmalakunnel Kunjukutty,a beedi worker.He usually did
comic roles.His acting was so great that he was of the calibre of Kuthiravattom Pappu.
The play was a huge success,but I suffered a bit.Kunjunjukutty was drunk.Near the
lifeless body of Flory,he embraced me tightly,lamenting "Ente Flory,nee enne vittechu
poyallo."All the time,I was suffocated with the smell of kallu.After the presentation
Chachen didn't scold him for his drunkenness,because his acting was perfect.
Our arra was full of royal costumes,swords,spears,tops etc.I happily deposited my
diary into one section of the arra.There were some old magazines and newspapers in it.
It was dark in that section.Nobody used to check that area.
But fate had it otherwise.My foolish idea was thwarted by termites that invaded the
arra.They attacked the old newspapers and magazines.Noticing this,Chachen did a
thorough clean up of the arra,and in that process,found my diary,and he read it.What's
wrong in a diary? You know,it was a teenage boy's diary.I had given some
hints about my secret 'pranayam'in it.Due to my misfortune,the termites had a distaste
or chekadippu for the diary,and it was almost intact.
That pranayam can be described as 'drone pranayam'.It's a pranayam from far,with no
response from the other side,like the drone bombings launched by the Americans,in
Pakistan and Afghanistan.The drones are controlled from military bases in America,and when
the attacks are launched,there's no returning fire.In my case,I tried hard to get the attention
of a girl,but there was no return fire.In my diary,I had written about her beauty in glowing
terms,and recorded 'sightings' as if sighting some rare,endangered bird or animal.
All these agonies were caused by gender-based colleges.There was no interaction between
boys and girls in our college days.It was really frustrating.
Anyway,after reading my diary,Chachen confronted me saying:
" You have no time for studies.You waste all your time dreaming about girls."
With these words,he threw my diary away.
Thus ended my 'drone pranayam'.
overenthusiasm for writing landed me in serious trouble.It happened like this:I began
writing a diary.It was not new to me.I had earlier done it at an NCC camp at St.Thomas
High School,Pala,in 1963 when I was 14 years old.When I wrote the diary in question,I
was 18 years old,which is the peak of teenage eccentricities.I wrote for some months,and
when I finished it,I hid it in the arra (a cell) in our house.My idea was to take it out after
many many years to read and enjoy it.The arra was a storage place of my father's drama
activities.My father ,Narithookkil Kunjettan,was devoted to drama and music.He had only
a basic education,but his knowledge was beyond that.He directed plays,did make-up,and even
wrote short plays.In 1959,at the height of 'Vimochana Samaram' he wrote an instant
play about the killing of a pregnant woman at Valiyathura in police firing.I was cast as
a son of Flory.I had no dialogue,but my part was only to cry near the dead body of my
mother.The play was staged on the verantha of a shop at Paika.The role of Flory's
husband was given to Ponmalakunnel Kunjukutty,a beedi worker.He usually did
comic roles.His acting was so great that he was of the calibre of Kuthiravattom Pappu.
The play was a huge success,but I suffered a bit.Kunjunjukutty was drunk.Near the
lifeless body of Flory,he embraced me tightly,lamenting "Ente Flory,nee enne vittechu
poyallo."All the time,I was suffocated with the smell of kallu.After the presentation
Chachen didn't scold him for his drunkenness,because his acting was perfect.
Our arra was full of royal costumes,swords,spears,tops etc.I happily deposited my
diary into one section of the arra.There were some old magazines and newspapers in it.
It was dark in that section.Nobody used to check that area.
But fate had it otherwise.My foolish idea was thwarted by termites that invaded the
arra.They attacked the old newspapers and magazines.Noticing this,Chachen did a
thorough clean up of the arra,and in that process,found my diary,and he read it.What's
wrong in a diary? You know,it was a teenage boy's diary.I had given some
hints about my secret 'pranayam'in it.Due to my misfortune,the termites had a distaste
or chekadippu for the diary,and it was almost intact.
That pranayam can be described as 'drone pranayam'.It's a pranayam from far,with no
response from the other side,like the drone bombings launched by the Americans,in
Pakistan and Afghanistan.The drones are controlled from military bases in America,and when
the attacks are launched,there's no returning fire.In my case,I tried hard to get the attention
of a girl,but there was no return fire.In my diary,I had written about her beauty in glowing
terms,and recorded 'sightings' as if sighting some rare,endangered bird or animal.
All these agonies were caused by gender-based colleges.There was no interaction between
boys and girls in our college days.It was really frustrating.
Anyway,after reading my diary,Chachen confronted me saying:
" You have no time for studies.You waste all your time dreaming about girls."
With these words,he threw my diary away.
Thus ended my 'drone pranayam'.
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