A Father's Day surprise I never thought coming !!

 Today began like any other after a night shift — I came home tired, bleary-eyed, and all I could think about was getting some much-needed sleep. Being my day off, I was hoping for a quiet day. But with my wife at work, the responsibilities of running the house loomed over me. That thought alone made my day off feel less like a break and more like another shift.

As I was mentally bracing myself for the day ahead, the doorbell rang. I wasn’t expecting anyone. To my surprise, my two little angels, Athu and Diya, opened the door for me with beaming smiles, handmade greeting cards in their tiny hands, and a self-made chocolate cake carefully balanced between them.

I stood there, stunned. It wasn’t my birthday, and it wasn’t our anniversary. What was going on?

Then came the moment —

“Happy Father’s Day, Acha!” they both cheered.

I was speechless.

My wife had only left for work about 20 minutes earlier. In that short time, my daughters had managed to plan this entire surprise — bake a cake, make cards, and set it all up — just to make me feel special.

The words they wrote in those cards touched something deep inside me. I felt a lump in my throat. I didn’t want to cry, but honestly, I was close.

In that moment, I truly felt how much I mattered to them. Not for what I do, but for who I am to them — their father, their constant, their safe place.

We hugged tightly, the three of us, and cut the cake, and in that quiet, beautiful moment, I thought to myself: Sometimes, it’s enough to be the god of small things.

Thank you, Athu and Diya, for giving me the most unexpected and heartwarming surprise. This will remain etched in my heart forever.  

A Journey of Resilience: Reflections on My 42nd Birthday

 Birthdays are more than just a mark of time; they are a moment to pause, reflect, and appreciate the journey of life. As I celebrate my 42nd birthday today, I find myself looking back at a journey that has been filled with challenges, pain, and growth. This past year has tested my spirit, resilience, and love for my family and friends in ways I never imagined.

A New Beginning with Unexpected Challenges:

On June 26, 2021, I embarked on a journey that would take me far from the familiar comforts of home. My first overseas trip to the UK was filled with excitement and hope, but it also meant leaving behind my father, mother, and friends. The separation was painful, but I was eager to embrace new opportunities. Little did I know, this journey would bring trials that would test my strength and resolve.Upon arriving in the UK, I faced immediate isolation, quarantining alone for nearly ten days at Heathrow Airport. Those days were just the beginning of a series of struggles. 

Moving to Morpeth, I found myself surrounded by unfamiliar faces, streets, and food. The reality of culture shock hit hard, leaving me feeling out of place and overwhelmed.Adding to the stress, I initially failed the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), a setback that felt like the ground was shifting beneath me. I struggled to adapt, and anxiety threatened to consume me.

Living Through a Global Crisis as if these challenges weren't enough, the world was grappling with the COVID-19 crisis. Life as we knew it came to a halt, and yet, for many of us, it sped up. I found myself navigating long queues, wearing masks, and constantly sanitizing my hands. All the while, news of loved ones lost to the virus reached me, bringing a profound sense of grief and loss.

One of the darkest moments of my life came when I learned that my mother had suffered a heart attack. Stuck on the other side of the world, I was unable to be by her side, to hold her hand, and reassure her. The guilt and helplessness I felt were crushing, and it was a pain that only deepened when, a year later, my father experienced a heart attack as well.

 Seven months after arriving in the UK, my wife and two beautiful daughters joined me. My wife, ever the pillar of strength, left her secure job to support me. We were finally together, but new challenges awaited us. Stress hung over us like a dark cloud—workplace stress for my wife, concerns about our children's education, and the ever-rising cost of living.We faced these challenges with resilience, but the journey was far from easy. For nearly eight months, our younger daughter had to walk to school, a daily reminder of the struggles we faced as a family. Every day, I felt the weight of my responsibilities, wishing I could make life easier for those I love.

 Today, as I celebrate my 42nd birthday, I stand before you not as someone who has had an easy life, but as someone who has faced adversity head-on. There were times when I cried in silence, when the weight of it all seemed too much to bear. But each failure brought with it a lesson, and each challenge was an opportunity to grow stronger.I am proud of how far I have come, and I know that I could not have done this alone. My wife and daughters have been my rock, their love a guiding light through the darkest of days. Without their support, I would not be standing here today.I am also deeply grateful to my friends Moss and his family, and Romal and his family. Your support, understanding, and companionship have been a source of comfort during these difficult times. Knowing that we are in this together has made all the difference.

As I look around, I see more than just faces; I see hearts that have been with me on this journey. I see love, compassion, and resilience. No matter how far we travel or how alone we might feel, we are never truly alone. We are connected by the threads of love and support that bind us to those who matter most.Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being a part of my life and for giving me the strength to keep going. Here’s to all of us, to the battles we have fought, the victories we have won, and the hope that the coming year will bring more joy, more peace, and more love.Happy birthday to me, and thank you to all of you.

THE IVORY THRONE: CHRONICLES OF THE HOUSE OF TRAVANCORE by Manu.S.Pillai (Review)

 

And here it is ,the  2 months journey  of 927 pages with Manu S Pillai concluded on 8-6-2021 at 12:26 am. I literarily travelled a time travel to be with the Travancore kingdom with Covid-19 altering many of my plans and giving me amble time to gulp this huge book of knowledge. I enjoyed going through the ups and downs this dynasty went through. Moreover, it gave a clear picture what was going inside the palace during many proclamations that was announced. I can’t remember another book that engaged me like this one in recent times. Let me make it clear that I was almost unaware of the Travancore kingdom apart from few things I have learned from my high school texts and some stories in black and white that I read in my childhood.

The main attraction that I find with this book, is the way the author tries to captivate the attention of the reader throughout its pages. Anyone who have a little interest in history of Kerala will be allured to this book starting from chapter -1.The book I believe ,is history  flavored with a  narrative diction which makes readers to travel with the author till the last line. Many characters that I learned in my history text or was explained was in black and white terms. For example .Sir CP Ramaswamy Iyer was a complete dictator for me.It was through this book that I came to know that he had done many good deeds as well. We can see many greyish characters in this chronicle, but none as we learned or atleast I recognized was not completely good or bad. In other words, we can see real human beings who had their plus and minus as well.. Though the book itself was enticing for me, there were some really interesting areas which really made me curious. Firstly, the way in which author try to explain ‘thripadidhana’ of Marthandavarma with the situation prevailing during those time. Secondly, It was a new knowledge for me that the entire present generation of the dynasty are the direct decedents   of   Rajaravi varma,the great artist. Thirdly, the backstage of temple entry proclamation, which I had always thought as a child while I was studying this in my history textbook during school days. Finally it is the forgotten Sethu Lakhsmi bhai and her family genogram which had my attention. I really think there is a scope for a movie /biopic  for this Attingal rani as how the table turned for her from  the privilege of  Senior Rani to Sri Sethu lakshmi bhai.

 

While I feel the author has done a real hard work and had his justification for all the chronology of events in this book , I think the book may be more complete if more information  about Sethu Parvathi Bhai and her successors or their version of history was incorporated .But ,I think the author can be justified as he had mentioned in this book that he had tried his best to get information and records from her succecors,but was not able to accomplish that because they were reluctant to open the door of discussion and records to the author. I wish, if they had done that ,this book may have  more conditions to talk.

 

Overall, I would like to suggest this book for all the younger people out there who would like to know how we evolved culturally in this country .Of course this have more pages than one usually think, but once you start reading it will persuade you to turn pages until you reach the last page.I thank Mr.ManuPillai for taking such a herculean task to explore the older Travancore and made this book availiable for us. I wish him all the success in his future ventures.