Some journeys unexpectedly curve, turning you inward; taking you back to the womb, to the very conception of life. In the midst of a hectic study tour in Kannur district in North Kerala, writer K.M Venugopalan, our companion during this journey, took us to Chengal wherein resides Shri. Kallen Pokkudan, lovingly called as Kandal (mangrove) Pokkudan – the man who grew mangrove forests along the Pazhayangadi River. Exhausted as we were in the afternoon, we reached the house of Shri. Pokkudan, the tireless crusader for the restoration of the lost heritage of mangrove forests in the coastal region. What he began with a strong individual conviction in his home district, in Kannur in the 1980s, soon became a mass effort and countless mangroves have been planted in almost all parts of Kerala over the years. Kallen Pokkudan He was struggling with his lunch kept on the table, unable to eat, as sobs choked his throat in remembrance of his life partner, Meenakshi, who had
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Time acts
in the orbit
of our mental landscape
lonely we watch
this world
which is more than books
Its pulsating rhythms
continue with the warmth of
real human touch
Time as an independent agent is possessed by minutes and hours
But we trnasform it into
Our collective dreams
and individual passions
--- private and intense
unlike books
Estra here
Words of affection, thanks to the poet,