Kerala Cafe (2010): Nostalgia - A Quiet Reverie

Musings

Kerala Cafe: Oru Yathra, 10 Kathakal

A cafe is what we would associate to - say a new beginning, an ambience that sheds a sense of familiarity to daily routines, relationships and a longing to bask in it's warmth.

In the setting of Kerala Cafe however, we journey as a silent passenger. A journey through multiple stories, interwoven to leave you reflecting on how life and situations are perceived by manushyanmar, from different walks of life.

Everyone has a story to tell. Intimate, no frills attached and which lends a sense of curiosity. A kind of childish kusruti if you will

Stories that speak of yearning and return, of love found and lost, of choices made in haste and the quiet reckoning that follows. Carrying that familiar aroma of manushyanmar, flawed, hopeful and endlessly searching.

Kerala Cafe is one journey that I'll cherish forever, for having taken. 

Just raw, unfiltered stories that have their kutty cracks in them. Nothing polished, just raw storytelling.

Reel 1: Nostalgia

A character reeking of hypocrisy and the actor Dileep. What a bloody good actor

Musings:

As a person who has spent most of his kutty life residing outside Kerala, I would definitely have a hard time critiquing my state, because I just can't

Having a discussion on the same with my old man over chaya would definitely yield some answers that I would be aware of - casteism, fanatics over religion, the murky waters that is politics etc.

Padmakumar has been able to relay the message well. Armed with an actor like Dileep, it feels like the script and message has stayed relevant years later.

While packing my bags to go home, my mind is filled with teeny feelings - uncertainty of the trip, the joy of seeing my land again, situations that I would have to face and how my time would span out - without much fault. 

I would'nt say that all of these get thrown out of the window as the bus reaches my usual stop, but yes some uncertainty exists.

The small talk that you make with your bus / taxi driver and the departing smile that you get while de-boarding the vehicle just adds to the intrigue; a vehicle that will continue to rumble on, bringing back the children of the land from lands beyond, while the role of the conductor and the driver never fail to cease across trips - due to it's monotonous nature.

My face just widens into a smile after seeing the lush pachapp on the roadside as I make my way home Sari and kayli mund clad pedestrians, wayside kappa sellers and ellam.

Nammude mazha, the crosslegged pose on your sit-out while sipping on some hot tea with the clouds forming a cottony pillow overhead. Ah!

The days when you wake up to the pitter-patter of rain and rush to catch it's warmth and sight while experiencing the roaring silence and quiet that it brings with it.

Nammude rubberum, thengum, nammude naadu :)

Ath oru verre tharam feel an

Nostalgia

Oops, now back to the topic.

For reasons many, Malayalees had to migrate to lands anew to provide for their family. However, the lure of the land, Keralam never fails to tug at our hearts.

Johny is in a similar predicament - yearning to be back at his hometown, while wanting to re-experience the warmth and satisfaction that it brings with it, while juggling situations and the means to provide for his growing daughters. The situation is very real for nuclear families that are brought abroad, and for parents that live away from their children. I've grown up in a similar situation, and this segment really hit home.

The poetry, the moolipatt and the part of reminiscing memories comes naturally to the lips. 

The pucham comes next, and naturally so :)

It’s that same mixed feeling that Padmakumar bottles in Johny - the joy of return undercut by unease. 

Beneath that unease lies a modern Kerala grappling with its own transitions. Infrastructure is forever in need yet slowly improving, governments try to catch up, and citizens are quick to grumble every tax season as every fault gets its moment in the sun

Added to the mix are quieter themes - the duty of caring for ageing parents, the emotional distance between generations, and the way money often becomes the thin thread holding fragile relationships together.

Watching this segment helps us reflect on how far Kerala has grown through the years, withstanding a few flaws.

The dialogue delivered by Navya towards the end just adds the cherry on top to this bitter-sweet segment. The duality that we are ashamed to show

"Sirin ninjalke Johnykutty, Shivankutty, Abdullakutty - angane endhu venengilum vilikam.

Sirin oru jathi, oru madham - nostalgia".

As Johny steps out of the Kerala Cafe, we realize that the journey has just begun to gather steam. A longing to catch him again, while quietly witnessing his journey through life and again through the frame of Kerala Cafe exists within.

What did Johny’s story bring up for you? Do you have your own memories of ‘homecomings’ that feel a little that bittersweet or otherwise? 

Share your thoughts below, and join me as we move on to the next tale from Kerala Cafe - along with my kutty musings, anecdotes and some personal reflections.