My Home @ Mukkam
Until the blockbuster Malayalam movie 'Ennu Ninte Moitheen' was released, not many from Kerala were aware of the small town (well, now it is a Municipality) called Mukkam, almost 28 km from Kozhikode. Thanks to the movie and its fame, my little town has now become very famous in Kerala.
Mampetta is a little village near Mukkam, and my home is situated here. Its a sleepy creepy place, with a few commercial buildings, as old as my grandfather! One gets to find a few shops, a bus waiting shed, an auto stand as you pass by this place.
The place is beautiful indeed and you will agree to me seeing the pictures :)
My 'Tharavadu' (ancestral home).
This old mansion was built by my grandfather more than 90 years ago. I had spent my early childhood here before moving to my home at the age of 10. This ancestral home is situated on the top of a hill and we all stay on the foothill. Its often referred as 'Bungalow'.
One has to climb up the hill to reach here, and on the way you get to see a natural rock cut pond, several mango, jack trees and much more
The traditional cattle shed and its dwellers
The views from the rooms of this big bungalow is awesome, have a look. I never felt enough spending time on the beautiful verandah of this lovely home, filled with nostalgia of stories from my childhood. Be it anytime of the year, sitting back on the bench resting on the big pillar of the red floored verandah, makes me happy, no matter what. It has a super power, maybe a 'zen' effect to make me delighted. The scene is magical on monsoon afternoons when the rain pours heavily and the cool wind blows. If it is a warm summer afternoon, this place feels much cooler and is very relaxing.
If you climb down the hill, and walk a bit, you get to see my house, near the temple. See my sweet home and its beautiful surroundings
Our family deity, Lord Vishnu temple and the big banyan tree
This one is Sri Vattoli Bhagawathy Temple, a temple of Bhagawathy and Lord Shiva, at a walkable distance from home.
My Son gets super excited when he is at my home. The unconditional love of his grandparents, the play time with his cousins, all the favourite food he demands, rain, ride on bike and car on the narrow roads...Look, someone seems to enjoy the place a lot!
The most special ones in my life, who are capable of multiplying my happiness several times than I could even imagine. I've always been my dad's little princess, and he has always been my hero in life.
My Home @ Alankode
Well, a married girl is blessed with not just one, but two homes that she can proudly own - one where she was born, brought up and lived the initial years of her life as a demanding daughter, and the second is the other which she embraces as hers after marriage, again as a loving daughter. Honestly, and fortunately, both have been 'my home' to me.
Alankode is a lovely village situated near Changaramkulam in Malapuram district, on the Kozhikode - Thrissur highway. It has vast paddy fields, several temples and lot of loving people all around.
Our lovely home
When I am here on my vacations from job, I never miss an evening or morning stroll to enjoy the serenity of the village surroundings. The lush paddy fields and the temples around make you feel calm and gives a lot of inner peace. Not to forget the evening breeze during the months of December to February.
The curvy village roads that lead to these paddy field and temples has its own charm. They are narrow ones, good enough for a few to walk and a scooter or rikshaw to pass by.
The boys enjoying the view
There are 4 main temples in the surroundings - Sri Ashtayil (Lord Vishnu), Sri Chennath (Lord Shiva), Sri Aryankavu (Bhagawathy) and Sri Melthrikkovil (Dakshinamurthy).
Banyan trees are seen in front of almost all temples in Kerala. I find them divine. Some of them must be centuries old with massive roots and broad trunks.
We have a beautiful pond behind our home and kids enjoy their long swimming sessions during monsoon when the pond is full of bluish green water. There is another one next to the nearby temple, which is really big, wide and deep but filled with water weeds.
The paddy fields radiate a golden glow when ready for harvest. See how beautiful the 'Konnapoo' looks with its golden glow too. This is the auspicious flower used by Keralites for their 'Vishu Kani'. It blooms in abundance in Kerala during the months of March - April. We, in Dubai, spend 20-30 Dirhams to get a handful of these for our Vishu Kani :)
This is how I 'battled' with a big jackfruit trying to rip out some cloves from the main fruit. Anyways, Mom is always there to get the work done in style :)
If we are home during the months of April - June, we can feast on ripe and juicy mangoes and jack fruits. It can be in various forms - eat it as is, cook and make a side dish or a curry, fry to make chips, dry and paste to make a jam, add spices to make a pickle and much more. Super healthy and super tasty!!
The lovely faces of my special ones back home
Every visit home brings a load of nostalgic moments to cherish. There is no better place on Earth like Home, Sweet Home :) The years of pandemic have made me realise how deep these memories are rooted into my soul, how badly I miss home and my family, how much I belong there and how much it makes me happy being there. Some of our beautiful moments back home...don't we look quite traditional?? :)
Comments