Epilogue
Our hero eventually does get his luggage. The very next day, actually. As it turned out, an old man mistook our hero's bag for his. This can all be traced back to a small red ribbon that our hero tied to his bag in Fort Lewis, before he flew to Baghdad. The red ribbon was supposed to identify his bag as belonging to his company. Unbeknowst to him, an old man elsewhere in the world also put a small red rope on his bag, which happened to look almost exactly like our hero's bag. Fast forward six months later to Cochin International Airport. An old man sees his luggage on the conveyor. All his bags have the red rope on them. Unfortunately, along with his bags, comes a slightly different bag with red tape on it. He assumes that it is his and takes it along with him. When he reaches home, he finds out that it isn't his, and so he promptly calls the Airport Authorities. They put him in touch with our hero. They meet up the next day, exchange bags, and all is well.
The End
Well, so that was pretty much how I made my way to India. With my horrendous journey behind me, I was ready to enjoy my 15 days of R&R! It felt good to be in Kerala again - the controlled chaos, the unbridled greenery, the explosion of colours, motion, sights, sounds, and smells - everything is so alive. My grandad was thrilled to see me. He had been waiting for months to see me and he was overflowing with joy. He had a lot of questions to ask me about my experiences in Iraq, especially since he used to be in the Military too. He was part of the 4th Squadron of the Royal Indian Airforce during World War II. We talked about all kinds of things during the ride home. Mostly they wanted to know if I was safe and how I was doing in general. I told them little stories and anecdotes and tried to describe my life here. Soon we arrived at my beloved Chendamangalam - my hometown. It is a sleepy, idyllic village, set in the middle of the Periyar river. Winding roads flanked by trees. Riverbanks populated by coconut palms. A very peaceful and unassuming place. Time doesn't flow by in Chendamanglam. No, it stops by, saunters around, and reluctantly makes its way onward. The central feature (perhaps for me anyway, since it's so close to my house) of Chendamangalam is the Nada (Altar). The reason it is called that is because of the Vaikkathappan temple. The altar, or sanctum sanctorum of the temple is known as the nada in Malayalam. For some reason the word is also used to describe the immediate vicinity of the Vaikkathappan temple. The Nada has changed very little since my childhood. There are a few new houses, and some houses have been painted or renovated. But for the most part, it has remained the same. Indeed, some of the shops at the Nada have been around for decades, and some of the Paliam houses by the temple have to be at least a few hundred years old. For the most part however, life moves by slowly in this little village in the middle of Kerala.
We finally make it home and I get to finally meet Dipu Cheta (Older Brother) and the latest addition to our family, Simi Chechi (Older sister - Simi is what we call her for short, her actual name is Smitha), his wife. I have to say, I couldn't have asked for a better older sister. She's very outgoing, intelligent, pretty, and gets along great with our family. Dipu Cheta and her make a good couple! As soon as I got there, I got a nice homecooked breakfast of warm Idlis and chammandi (a kind of spicy sauce, made with coconut and some other stuff - I'd have to ask my mom). I pretty much chilled the rest of the day with the family. Towards the evening, we played a three-hour game of Blackjack, where Dipu Cheta made off with a ton of money. That was a whole lot of fun. Of course, there was still one thing missing. My grandma (my dad's mom). She passed away last year, and it was very hard for me. She was a permanent fixture in my life - a great source of inspiration and someone I was in awe of and I looked up to. She taught me so much about my culture and traditions. When I was younger, I used to fall asleep listening to her bed-time stories about Krishna and Rama and various other Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Her absence made the experience bittersweet, but she's in a better place now. Even though she wasn't there physically, I know she was there in spirit.
Awesome post Viv. Awesome..
That was a nice vacation which you enjoyed. Your blog is quite interesting and informative. I appreciate your flair for writing as well.
nice pics!
Hey bro! lol jp my brother’s name is vivin too. that’s tight. he doesnt really like his name, tho.
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Was reading on the ancestry of the Nairs, when I got to see your website. How did you get all this material? Its wonderful. I am a Nair myself, have to check my Tharavad from my parents. Was born in North India so have very little idea of Nairs and their history. Parents are settled in Perumbavoor, so still do get to see Kerala once a year. Am based in Singapore now. Would be nice to keep in touch.
Vivin
One thing i forgot to ask you. you made that article on nairs??? If so 2 points to note:
1.Nairs were never classified into kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras.
2.Villakithala, velluthedathu and Chakkala nairs are not true nairs. No nair would knowingly prefer a marriage alliance with these castes.
Rest is in my posting in Discussion
Raksh
Hallo Vivin
No comments from yu about my posting in ‘Nairs’ in Discussion. Do you know anand Paliyath presently working as a scientist in NPOL
Raks
Hello Raksh,
Sorry for the delay. Being in Iraq, my internet access is rather limited.
While it is true that I was the one who initially wrote the article, it has changed over time due to the fact that Wikipedia is a collaborative effort. A lot of people have made changes. Furthermore, I haven’t been monitoring the article lately, so I cannot tell you much about the new changes.
As far as your first point goes, I agree with you completely. The Kerala caste system was completely different from the rest of India. While the Nairs were the ruling class, the highly orthodox Namboothiris still considered them to be untouchable due to the fact that they considered anyone lower (according to them) than their caste, untouchable. In fact, even other Brahmins (Iyers, for example) were considered untouchable by the Namboothiris. In that sense, you are correct – the Nairs were never classified into Kshathriya, Vaishya, or Sudra. However, I was merely trying to show a comparative analysis.
As far as your second point, I am no authority on it, and therefore, cannot comment.
If it is the Anand Paliath I think you are talking about, then I haven’t met him in person, but we did talk online once. What is NPOL, by the way?
Some comments
NPOL is National Physical Oceanographic Laboratory.
2.About my second point in my last mail, it is well known. You can ask anybody, anand for instance (No that he need be an expert. i just want to indicate that the idea is common place). You’ve been out of the country for long, I suppose. Then why are these castes (like Veluthedathu, Vellakithala, Chakkala Nairs etc.) not members of Nair Service Society (NSS), the premier organisation of the community?? On the other hand, they have their own associations like Villakkithala nair Samajam etc.NSS is in forefront in the criticism of the present reservation system of the government which it feels affects badly the members of the Nair community; these communities, meanwhile all belong to the Other Backward Category (OBC)enjoying the benefits of reservation system.
3.Parasurama may be a myth. But the very edifice of the caste structure and scriptures in every religion rests on mythological premises.So should you axe the Axe-Rama (Axe is Parasu in Sanskrit)? RAKS
Raks,
Like I said, I do not know enough about that point to comment. I did not add that information. You may remove it if you wish, as long as you provide proper documentation and references to support the change.
I believe that the caste system originated as a system for the division of labour. The myths were most probably added later to give it religious legitimacy. No doubt, certain parties had vested interests. However, using a myth to explain the origin of the Nairs doesn’t really get us anywhere. You can add the information if you wish, but probably want to phrase in a way such that it is evident to the reader that the legend/myth of Nairs removing their poonollu to escape Parashurama is just that – a myth. It may or may not have happened. The real reason may be something else, and the myth may have been created over time to explain it. We do not know, and therefore you cannot state it as a “Theory of Origin”.
Please continue further discussion on my Talk Page at Wikipedia.
hai vivin we both have the same name . iam glad to; meet you please be in contact with me lets we rock and roll
Yo man…
check you e-mail!! I finally got some picture of you from our last trip to the pool. You almost killed me remember???? The worst driver ever!! Don;t take it hard, I still love you man.
I should be dropping by in BIAP shortly so I’ll definitely come visit you.
PS: did you get your movies back?
Hello Vivin….
Happened to go through this post…..Have to say it was an absolute delight to read….Nice pics too….Looking forward to reading more in the future…..Keep up the good work….Cheers !!
Tamir,
WHATEVER DUDE! Ok, in all fairness, that was my first time driving from BIAP to the IZ and back! Hahaha! Hey, I got that picture of you in the gunner’s turret too. Yeah Ortiz has my movies – I just haven’t gotten them from him yet. Stay safe in Ramadi!
Merin,
Glad you enjoyed the post – I try to update as often as I can. I’m working on one to put here within the next few days!
Hi again.I had posted a comment a few months back.I’m at university now-university of British Columbia in vancouver.Thankfully the experience is’nt too scary.I mean,the day before i got here,i was totally freaking out.The place is huge,but i’m settling down.I find your journal quite interesting.I was in India too in august before we moved to canada.
I’m doing Anthropology and lots of other courses here.According to my textbook,nairs are classified under Kshathriyas.I am a Nair and have often heard others classify it under shudhra. So,which is it?!! i have’nt located your article yet.
Anyway,your pictures and descriptions of kerala did make me feel a little home-sick.Kerala has to be one place that sucks you in with all it’s vigour and energy,and yet when you’re out,you’re so much more of yourself.Maybe it has to do with truly indentifying yourself and fitting in completely with the people. You should visit the Guruvayoor temple.Even with all the madness in the crowd,(some women can really push and squeeze through crowds!)it’s truly liberating to be so close to god.
Anyway,take care!
hi,
juat saw you and raks talking about me.. i am anand. i work in npol. naval physical and oceanographic lab. juat wanted to say hai… happy holi and easter