Stories I forgot to tell

Kindness is Contagious This is not just an anecdote but an incident that left me with so many unanswered questions. On my way back from school, I stopped by an ATM to withdraw money for personal needs. Just as I was inserting my card into the machine, a lady barged in, which irritated me. She did not appear to be a Malayali, was not dressed in a saree, or any typical outfit of a Keralite. She was middle-aged, had a shawl over her head, and looked shabby. My instincts told me she might be from some other part of the country or possibly even Bengali. I told her in Hindi to step out of the room and come in only when I was finished. I was rather stern in my voice, and she obeyed instantly. My transaction took only two minutes, and when I came out, I found the lady helplessly looking at me. To my surprise, she spoke to me in Malayalam, though not in the Trivandrum slang or any other dialect I was used to. Having married in North Kerala, I am familiar with the Calicut and Kannur slang as wel...

 “I hate Inclusive Education.” These words came as a surprise to me. They were recently said by my friend Rahul, whom I have known since college. He was an active participant in social movements in college, and has since been working as a maths teacher at a government school. After completing my studies, I took up the post of a Special Educator in a private international school. “Why do you think so?” I asked him. “It’s perhaps one of the most beautiful things that is happening in the world. All children, irrespective of their disabilities and difficulties, are learning in mainstream schools, colleges and universities. The system is adapting to include disabled people; they do not need to adapt to the system anymore. Of all people, you should not speak like this.” My friend, a man of few words, told me “come to my school on Monday”. Monday morning, I walked into the government school where he worked. I sat on one of the benches outside the Principal’s office, and a beautiful pictur...

    Pappu Speaks: Diary of a stupendous dog   Hello, everyone! I am Pappu. You might be wondering about my name, "Pappu.". Well, my atheist dad chose it because I was born in the land of Sree Padmanabha. My mother, on the other hand, thought the name was rather funny, reminding her of a famous comedy Malayalam actor, Kuthiravattam Pappu, or being used by a political party to tease another leader in the opposition party. Whatever the reason, I ended up officially named “Pappu.” My near and dear ones often sprinkle a bit of creativity onto my name, calling me Pappu Kuttan, Papps, or even Pappadom. Despite the uncertainty about my name, one thing is clear:   I’m the most loved one in my family. I have two elder brothers who are off living their lives in the UK, while I chose to stay with my parents. Now, let me share a little family secret. My second brother, Gokul, is adopted. My parents try hard to make us feel that they love us all equally, but sometimes Gokul is not...

  ** A Teacher’s Skill Development Session with Her Furry Friends**  My dog, Pappu, is incredibly friendly and enjoys the company of all the cats in my house, even though they don’t always appreciate his presence. However, the one thing he strongly dislikes is me feeding them. To prevent his jealousy from flaring up, I take the cats to the backyard for their meals while instructing Pappu to stay inside. As soon as they see the food, the cats eagerly follow me. Among them was a black mother cat with four kittens. One of them, a tiny brown kitten, was noticeably weak and fragile, barely able to move or even cry for food. His steps were wobbly, and my family doubted he would survive. By the time he struggled to reach the food, the others had already eaten, leaving nothing behind for him. At that moment, the special educator in me awakened. I decided to intervene. Every feeding time, I gently picked up the little kitten and carried him to the food before the others arrived. He was...

   T he Empty nest Syndrome It was a typical evening. Darkness was gradually replacing the waning sun.Salma had returned from her job and was enjoying her tea on the balcony while lounging on her couch. She noticed a flock of ibis flying North as she looked up at the sky. Her mind was overflowing with questions."After a long day of labor, are they heading home to their nest? Or are they travelling across to some unknown destination? It may even be the place where her two sons were settled now. "Study well, you can go abroad  and have a great life there.” This was planted into the young minds of  Sahil and Saleem. While  Salma was happy and proud of their accomplishments, yet now she regretted having  told it to her sons. Like a movie, memories were constantly shifting in front of her, which took her back in time when Sahil and Saleem were little. Salma had to juggle her own office work, the demands of her children, and household tasks while her husband...