Hello my friends
I am sorry that I couldnot add anything to my blog.I was totally busy with my official work and now it is almost over. I am coming to the blog within a few days with a new item. Just wait for one or two days
Yours truely
venu
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Kozhikode again
Yesterday I were in Kozhikode, going to the University for some exam purpose. In the evening I went to the city and had a wonderful evening roaming the town. First I got down at Mavoor road stand and looked around and then went to a book stall. Near to the new Bhima jewellers an education mall has come up. Great! Then from there I walked upto KSRTC Stand and saw the changes! What great changes my old city has now got! New buildings, hotels and even bars.
Then I walked back to Private stand and then to the stadium and coronation side. New shops, buildings and hotels. The small hotels, which were the symbols of the simplicity of the kozhikodens have gone somewhere. People are flowing from one point to another. New buildings everywhere. The old coronation theatre is still there, though the building has got a facelift. I walked upto Manachira and turned to Mitai theru, the heart of the city. No cahnge except a few new shops and a facelift for the old Kidsons lodge. The Topform is still there, few Gujarati shops as well. I turned left, to MP Street and came to palayam, the old busstand. Life was here when I first came to Kozhikode in 1979. The busstand is not busy now, only afew buses came here. The sub way is permanently closed.I donot know the reason.
Still I remeber teh days when it was built. The corporation claimed that it wa sthe first one in Kerala, and was in the model of Chennai Subway.(Did it come before the Bangalore subway, I don't know) It was built not by malayalee workers but the Tamil people. Still I remember the Tamil female workers who used to keep their small children in the road side and did their work. we malayalees watched all these with amusing eyes. But very soon the subway became unpopular as it became a haven for the prostitutes and women feared to walk by this after sunset. The police had to depute permanent staff in the subway to ward off thes epoor prostitutes and their managers.
Then I walked upto the rly station by the link road. I feel the greatest development of the city came this area.This area stands totally changed. The only building which has not changed is the Apsara Theatre. I walked upto the rly station and then turned to the Palayam road.My God! No change at all! Only one or two new buildings have come up but no change for the shops even. The old Jewellerry shopsare still there. The PM kutty paper store is still there. Seeing Komalabhavan, a desire for aBiryani came to mind and I went inside. But desparation! No Biryani was available. With an urge to have a biryani, I went to Topform in the beginnings of the southern side of the SMStreet and went inside. And I had one and got full satisfaction.
Then I walked back to palayam and got abus to Ferok to get down at Meenchanda byepass jn. I looked at the sides of the old busy road. Yes the road is busier now, lots of people lots of vehicles on the way even at this late hour of 8pm. I got down at the bye pass jn and got another one for the University.
What a change the city has got now. Once busy Palayam jn has become almost silent.Old halwa stores are not there. We used to buy halwa while coming to our home from our workplace from these shops. But really the down fall of Palayam had started with the coming of Mavoor road stand itself.
Another point. The greatest change has happened is in the case of people. We may feel that the people are becoming more religious, more fundamental. May be in dress.More women are in Burqua, or Purdha. but these Purdha clad women driving scooters is nothing strange in my old town. I saw them driving cars. They are ready to go hotels for a dinner at late night. Is it not a change. Let them use purdha or any dress they like. But change is there in their attitudes and external behaviour.
The only area wher no change has happened is in the case of bus people. They are busy as always, shouting at passengers to get in and get out and the true malabari syastem of not giving tickets is still there.
Still I love Kozhikode, which is my most loved place, even better loved than my own birth place Karunagappally, down south. This city of truth give sme nostalgic memories in all my days.
Then I walked back to Private stand and then to the stadium and coronation side. New shops, buildings and hotels. The small hotels, which were the symbols of the simplicity of the kozhikodens have gone somewhere. People are flowing from one point to another. New buildings everywhere. The old coronation theatre is still there, though the building has got a facelift. I walked upto Manachira and turned to Mitai theru, the heart of the city. No cahnge except a few new shops and a facelift for the old Kidsons lodge. The Topform is still there, few Gujarati shops as well. I turned left, to MP Street and came to palayam, the old busstand. Life was here when I first came to Kozhikode in 1979. The busstand is not busy now, only afew buses came here. The sub way is permanently closed.I donot know the reason.
Still I remeber teh days when it was built. The corporation claimed that it wa sthe first one in Kerala, and was in the model of Chennai Subway.(Did it come before the Bangalore subway, I don't know) It was built not by malayalee workers but the Tamil people. Still I remember the Tamil female workers who used to keep their small children in the road side and did their work. we malayalees watched all these with amusing eyes. But very soon the subway became unpopular as it became a haven for the prostitutes and women feared to walk by this after sunset. The police had to depute permanent staff in the subway to ward off thes epoor prostitutes and their managers.
Then I walked upto the rly station by the link road. I feel the greatest development of the city came this area.This area stands totally changed. The only building which has not changed is the Apsara Theatre. I walked upto the rly station and then turned to the Palayam road.My God! No change at all! Only one or two new buildings have come up but no change for the shops even. The old Jewellerry shopsare still there. The PM kutty paper store is still there. Seeing Komalabhavan, a desire for aBiryani came to mind and I went inside. But desparation! No Biryani was available. With an urge to have a biryani, I went to Topform in the beginnings of the southern side of the SMStreet and went inside. And I had one and got full satisfaction.
Then I walked back to palayam and got abus to Ferok to get down at Meenchanda byepass jn. I looked at the sides of the old busy road. Yes the road is busier now, lots of people lots of vehicles on the way even at this late hour of 8pm. I got down at the bye pass jn and got another one for the University.
What a change the city has got now. Once busy Palayam jn has become almost silent.Old halwa stores are not there. We used to buy halwa while coming to our home from our workplace from these shops. But really the down fall of Palayam had started with the coming of Mavoor road stand itself.
Another point. The greatest change has happened is in the case of people. We may feel that the people are becoming more religious, more fundamental. May be in dress.More women are in Burqua, or Purdha. but these Purdha clad women driving scooters is nothing strange in my old town. I saw them driving cars. They are ready to go hotels for a dinner at late night. Is it not a change. Let them use purdha or any dress they like. But change is there in their attitudes and external behaviour.
The only area wher no change has happened is in the case of bus people. They are busy as always, shouting at passengers to get in and get out and the true malabari syastem of not giving tickets is still there.
Still I love Kozhikode, which is my most loved place, even better loved than my own birth place Karunagappally, down south. This city of truth give sme nostalgic memories in all my days.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
gulf malayali and his blogs
My god! This is my first post and I wonder how many going to read these mandan words!
So let us start! I feel jealous of our kerala brothers living in the gulf. When I look into the blog site, I can see the site is full of blogs from them. how creative they are! I am sure, if they were in the God's own land, they would have become pamps by this time. Buit gulf make them creative and imaginative.
So let us start! I feel jealous of our kerala brothers living in the gulf. When I look into the blog site, I can see the site is full of blogs from them. how creative they are! I am sure, if they were in the God's own land, they would have become pamps by this time. Buit gulf make them creative and imaginative.
VENULOKAM
venugopal, To friends, just venu. Professor of Political Science, Sree narayana College, Kollam, kerala. Writes articles in different journals on current political issues. Interested in Political theory, international relations and Civil Society movements.
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