During Easter holidays last month, four of us long lost college buddies, that is Chottu, KP, Rahul and I decided to meet up and it was agreed upon to spend the evening in Kovalam beach and have a beer. Chottu came after a long stint in A’medabad, Rahul after an all India trip, & KP and I, very much alive in Tvm.
Some snippets of dialogues exchanged:
Chottu dresses in an executive style, comes to pick me from my house in his bike,
Me: Enthu veeshamaade ithu? Inganayaano beachil pookunne?
Chottu: Entha, madaamma maarke ingane simple dress itta purushanmaare ishtamalle? Don’t they like?
En route to KP’s house (where Rahul & KP will be waiting for us), Chottu observes the buildings and side walks,
Chottu: Tvm inu maattam enthenkilum sambavicho?
Me: Ninne poole ulla waste materials ividunnu pooyappam naadonnu clean aayi.
Chottu: Eda, yesterday I saw a girl; I think she studied with me in school. Aval thanne aano ival ennu enikkoru doubt. Pakshe, aval enne mind cheythathu poolum illa. Usually, girls enne eppozhum nookkunnathaanu; pakshe ival….
Me: Ninne mind cheythilla alle. Appum enthaayaalum ninne parichayam kaanum.
Suddenly he spots some hot chicks by the road,
Chottu (surprised): eh, Tvm il inganeyum piece ukalo?
Me: Ninne poole ulla alavalaadi vaaynookkikal naadu vittappol pennungal veettinu veliyil irangi thudangi.
Chottu: Ente bike inte purakilirunnu anaavashyam paranjaal vazhiyil irakki vidum njaan.
Chottu sees the road being raised at a turn,
Chottu: Enthonne aade athu, pokki vecheekkunne?
Me: Eda manda, athaanu banking of curve.
Chottu: Oho, ividuthe civil engineer maarku vivaram vachu thudangiyo?
Me: Ippum athokke 12thil tuitionu padikkunnathalle.
Chottu: Verutheeyalla.
We waited outside KP’s house, while Rahul and I had a small chat; when a cow passed by mooing.
Rahul: KP iyude neighbour pashu aane athu. Avanumaayitte nalla companiya.
Me (shouting out to KP): Ede KP, ninte neighbour pashu kollamallodey, nalla thadichu kozhuthu irikkunnu.
When all of a sudden, kp’s fat neighbour lady passes by staring at us with a contemptuous scowl. All of us hastily left the place for Kovalam (me struggling hard to wipe the sweat off my forehead)
On reaching Kovalam,
Chottu: Vellathil irangaan plan undo?
KP: Illa, vellam nammude vayattil irakkaan plan unde.
Chottu: cash thikayumoonne nookkatte.
And takes his fat wallet full of 100 Rs notes.
Me: Ninte kaiyil van cash aanallo.
Chottu (sighs): Veedanikkunna koodeeshwaran.
That ends the quips.
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Now starts the snaps; it's 'say cheese' time. Views from inside and atop the lighthouse --
Through the tiny window of lighthouse we peered................into the abounding blessed ocean that lay ahead.
And off we climbed to the very top of the tall lighthouse and gazed down to see the Arabian Sea splashing herself on to the big grey rocks.
Then we looked East, and saw the coves abutting the blue green sea; the sea that sparkled across her own ripples.
Then we looked West, and saw that small mosque at the edge of the land, and stared at it like Kant at his church steeple.
And one small sail crawled towards the gentle sea with its wings moved against the blue cool limit of the sky.
And we climbed down from the tall tower and walked towards the beach when the sun shone in bright orange as earth lurched away from it making a golden billow of foamy clouds above the sea.
And we hit cheers. Sipping that icy cold beer facing the sea and watching the sun go down the horizon, the sensuous touch of that balmy breeze enfolded my body in its soft close embrace, and it was, as DeLarge puts it “gorgeousness and gorgeosity made flesh”. It was bliss...............and the darkness of night started creeping in................and the evening slowly whispered away.
