Happy new year!

Wish you a new year full of good health and lots of joy. Let us hope we break free from the nose strings of corruption and politics this year. Wish you a wonderful year with nothing but happiness coming your way. Joy to your heart, warmth and good fortune... So read the new year wish messages that flooded my inbox on January 1. I too wished all of them stringing the cliched words together.

It left me thinking. Is it really possible? How can we hope for a wonderful year if we refuse to see the wonderful things around us? Happiness is after all what you make with your deeds, and what your mind chooses to believe and ponder over. I believe so.

How many of us will give a seat to a physically challenged man being grateful in mind that we are so lucky to have healthy limbs to move around? How many of us will stop our vehicles to help a person who’s suffering and bleeding on the roadside, unmindful of what crime he/she has been subject to? How many of us will buy a pack of biscuits for a street kid who is eating from a garbage heap? How many will pat on the head of a stray dog which has never experienced what a loving stroke is? How many of us will keep a vow to fight corruption even when an official demands bribe in the most emergency situation? How many of us will stop saying that nothing is going to change here? How many of us will seriously act than reading and just reacting with words?

Let’s us give ourselves some hope and some courage to act. Happiness will make its way to our lives everyday, every year... Let’s give ourselves a chance to be happy :)

Lynch the rapists

Now, what? The girl who fought the trauma inflicted on by rapists for 12 days finally gave up her battle. The government, giving in to compulsions from its people, may frame some more laws and wait for the Parliament's approval in the next session! Our daughters, sisters and mothers will keep falling victim to carnal desires of men. Some of the cases may reach the society through the media, some may not.

All at the helm of affairs, listen up. If you can't do anything, hand over the rapists to the mob. Let them be lynched, especially the minor fu&*#r. With what values is he growing up? What does he have to give to the society? None of them have any right to live in this society where they proved themselves be the last word of brutality.

We want a nation where police officers are not puppets at the hands of politicians. We want bold officers who are daring enough to come to the help of any sexual assault survivor and file a case without giving in to compulsions from higher offices. We want at least one politician who is daring enough to work for the nation, not for his family and the party bosses who made him a minister. We want a daring judiciary which can send a shiver down the spine of all who have any criminal intentions.

And, most important, bobbitise all rapists. Inhuman beings anyway don't need human organs.

Nirbhaya, you have left us finally. But the fire you have left behind is not going to leave us soon. Till this nation is free of atrocities against women... Hope your struggle pays off so that all women in our country remember you for ever... RIP.

Girls, time to wake up the Durga within you

It's been 12 days since Nirbhaya's (as media christened her) has been battling for life after the ghastly sexual assault on her by a gang of beastly men in the national capital.

Even as protests rage across the country to bring a stop to such crimes on women, the spurt in rape cases being reported from all over should put authorities to shame. All protests, debates on safety for women, dos and don'ts will be printed and broadcast for some time now. After that, things will be back to square one for us.

No police or government or activists will be available on call in the hour of our distress. Also, it will be impractical to expect police to guard women in all buses, workplaces, railway stations, every compartment in trains, all lanes and bylanes and even houses. For, danger lurks in every nook and corner for women. Those who ridicule the idea of imparting martial arts to girls as government's idea of washing its hands of responsibility should understand this.

All girls out there, your safety is in your hands first. Be alert always. Never regret even if you have to kill a rapist, for you would be saving many other girls. Don't be like Seeta devi who is a silent sufferer, but wake up the Durga or Kannaki from within you. Above all, when it comes to your safety, take your parents' words. For, no one else will be concerned about your safety as much as they are.

All mothers out there, tell your daughter not to be scared of anyone, not to be ashamed if she becomes victim of a sexual assault... Tell her, "I will be there for you". It will pass immense courage through your daughter's veins.

All dads and brothers, pass on the valour of a man to your daughters and little sisters. Treat them as any of you at home so that they will be bold enough to take on the evil hands stretching out to them.

And Nirbhaya, it hurts to know about the immense pain you endured to bring all these to fore again. I really wish your trauma doesn't go in vain and that something solid comes out of it for our mothers and sisters. Only offer we can make for you now is our heartfelt prayers. Lakhs of hearts are chanting the same, lakhs of pairs of eyes are shedding a tear or two for you and lakhs of invisible hands are blessing you from unknown corners... Come back, Nirbhaya, come back like a Phoenix. 

A moment for the farmers

Just two days ago I happened to see a man pushing a cart full of tomatoes, calling out “Rs 20 for 2 kg”. In a hot afternoon, he was sweating and struggling to push the loaded cart forward. He looked as if he hadn’t eaten since morning.

Dressed in shabby clothes, torn in many places, all dirty and feet covered with mud, he would gain more sympathy than even a beggar on the street. His chappals too were broken and he was struggling to drag them along.

He was stopped by some buyers who demanded him give two-and-a-half kg for Rs 20. The other day when I bought 250gm of tomato, I got five big ones. Going by that 2kg would have 40 tomatoes. He was getting just 50 paise per tomato! Also 40 tomatoes would mean at least 3 plants which would have taken nurturing for months to be full grown and fruit bearing.

I hope many like me would wonder how farmers live considering they have to live with this money till they harvest the next time. Plants won’t give ripe fruits in a day or two. It needs toiling for months that too with favourable weather and rain.

People who bargain with them may have their reasons… cost of living, children’s education, ever rising prices… But I request you to spare a thought for the farming community to whom we should be ever grateful. Without them we wouldn’t be eating. Many of us wouldn’t dare live a single day of their lives. Those who know that parting an extra Rs 5 wouldn’t affect your life, please don’t bargain with farmers for their produce. You will be ignoring their sweat and depriving them of a meal, may be.

Why am I still single

Never thought hunting for a groom was such an idiotic affair. If left to my choice, I would have stayed alone happily ever... But need to fulfill obligations to family and mother’s wishes, I too entered the marriage market where people turn commodities.

My first run-for-life experience was with a guy who called me after seeing my profile in Kerala Matrimony. He introduced himself as Jayakumar, working with an event management company in Bangalore. Since I didn't want to compromise my job for a groom, I was willing to take it forward. He had called my mother and got my number from her. He told me about him, his family and his job, asked about me, my job... All seemed to be okay.

Then he asked me whether I stay alone. I said yes. He said he too stay alone and asked whether I get scared at night. I said a “No” with an added expression of “What? me? getting scared at night? No way!” And there comes our man's statement “But I get scared at night...especially after watching horror movies”! Now my expression was like... “Aiye...” How am I going to live with such a man who openly proclaims to his girl-to-be that he is scared to sleep alone at night! That will be the last thing a girl would want to hear from her man! But I thought I shouldn't give much weightage to courage.

So I went ahead with my conversation. I was insistent that whoever comes to marry me should know me well and should be ready to accept me as I am. So I told him that he can decide whether he should take this forward or not after knowing more about me. I had in mind many things to tell him, about a failed affair of mine, my health problems, family problems, the emotional being in me, and so on.
From my college days, I always expressed myself better through writing. So I asked him for his email id so that I can mail him in detail. He was more than willing and messaged me his mail id. Then came his another message “You can call me Bittoo... that's my nick name. What's yours?” There fell his image in my mind. I replied saying I don't have any pet name. His image in my mind nosedived again when he replied saying “ok i will call you mini”. That was my least preferred butchered form of my original name. I didn’t reply.

It didn't stop there. Again his messages kept coming to which I replied saying “I'm at work and that I don't have time to reply”. I was wondering with just a phone call and a message asking for his mail id, how can he be so attached to me! He kept on messaging until I decided not to even give a chance for that alliance to go forward. “I can't wait for your mail...” “Even if your working hours is 4-12, will it be okay if I come and pick you up if you finish early...” --- were some of his messages which never got a reply from me.

Next day I mailed him saying I may not be the right person for him and wished him the very best to get a better alliance. His reaction was quite unexpected. He freaked out as if we were going around for years and finally I said “no” to him! Losing my patience, I said I'm not good enough for him, asking him to hunt for a good girl. His reply convinced me that there was something seriously wrong with him... “I don't mind if you are bad, okay... I will make you good...”

He even went on cursing me for hurting him so much… as if I was in a serious affair with him and finally dumped him! Nothing ended there. I was in a more dilemma when I failed to convince my mother that he acted like a teenager. She thought that was too silly a reason to reject a proposal. Finally I had to upset her by putting my foot down and saying a strict “NO”. After a lull, I had to talk to another person who made me believe that Jayakumar was much better!
When I got a message in my Matrimony profile from a Kannadiga guy, I had to think twice and again. Finally I thought I should not confine the area of my partner search to any linguistic or cultural borders. After giving lot of thought to it, I finally decided to give a try and I replied to his message narrating all practical difficulties, yet expressing my willingness to give a try with an open mind. I was about to log out after work and was 12 in the night when I mailed him.

His name was Santosh and his profile said he is a happy go-getter who loves dancing, travelling, photography. Added attractions were his interest in spending time with grannies, grandpas and kids in family... He was a BTech-MBA from country's top institution and was enjoying a huge pay package too.
He called me immediately on receiving my mail. I told him that I was still in office and he agreed to call later. He wanted to see my profile again so I sent him my id. It raised suspicion whether he was normal enough when he sent his “like to take it forward” message to me. I was also surprised how a person working in normal hours was awake at that time when he called me after 1am.


He asked me about my job, including all minute details and sounded quite fascinated. After some 10 minutes of job description, he told me that he want his partner to know all about him and I said I too have the same opinion. Then he wanted to know if I was liberal or conservative. I said I'm liberal enough, and I doubted whether he sounded drunk.

About himself, he said only few things like he works with Wipro and that his native was Belgaum. He said, “I had an affair but for some reason it never worked out. I hope you too had your share of such things in life” to which I replied in the positive.

Suddenly he said, “Thank God... I was wondering what if I bump into a virgin.” I was shocked. Wanted to correct him saying, “But…”, but put it in a different way saying “by relationship, I didn’t mean physical”. He asked in a surprised tone, “But why?” I said I never felt the need to get into physical relationship with the guy whom I loved.

He was again surprised and told me: “But I want to get close to the girl whom I will marry in all possible ways and then decide...You should get close, enjoy with each other and then get married...” I was a bit reluctant to believe what he meant by saying “enjoy with each other”. I didn't express it though. Again he insisted on “getting close”. He said,” may be we will meet outside for half an hour once and later can spend time at my home.”

I was trying to make myself believe our conversation was real and not a nightmare! I controlled my anger even as he went on saying he believe so much in physical relationship. I said: “may be I'm conservative, I give least weightage for that.” Then came the last nail in the coffin which I was readying in mind. He asked “Do you masturbate?” I was shocked and disgusted. Never thought any guy with whom I was talking for the first time in life would ask me such a question! Cursed myself for having let myself hear such crap from an idiot.
I just said “Excuse me, Santosh. I don't think we have reached a stage to discuss such things. I don't mind even if you label me the most conservative. We have a long way to go before deciding on anything.”

He immediately said it was time for him to hit the bed and hung up the phone saying he would call the next day. Only difference this time was I didn't know what to tell my mother about the reason to reject this proposal! (A year later, the same guy called me again, not knowing he had spoken to me once. When I heard his details, I blatantly told him he was disgusting to the core and that I’m not interested.)

After this I didn’t dare talk to anyone for quite sometime. Later my relatives got a proposal from a person who is from Thiruvananthapuram. They told me earlier that he is not as educationally qualified as me, but he worked hard and landed a job with a software major in Bangalore. He went for ITI after SSLC and did some designing courses after that. Though I know how much ITI is looked down upon among my relatives, I wanted to convince them that it was not money or position or qualification that I’m looking for. So, agreed to talk to this person.

He called me and asked if I wanted to know anything! I said nothing in specific. He went on saying he was calling me as his parents asked him to do so! Least impressed with the very first conversation we had, still with all sincere intention to try my best, I asked him for his mail id so that I can write in detail about myself.
We exchanged mail ids and I asked him to write about himself. He wrote two sentences which I couldn’t figure out because of the innumerable errors in it. I was put off to the hilt. Later he called me once and I tried to put him off by speaking only in English. (Ignoring mother tongue can send a message that the person is arrogant for traditionally brought up guys from Kerala) I told him I was on way to work and was busy to which he answered “I will room by 4 o’clock”!!! (sic) I knew it would sound too arrogant if I explain these to my relatives. They would quickly infer that I’m looking for an Oxford educated guy!

I can’t explain to them that I didn’t feel anything for this guy. I wanted nothing more… just the feeling that this is my man… Had a tough time convincing everybody that I’m backing off from the proposal. Somehow that also got over. Thankfully it didn’t reach a stage of meeting.

Next came a proposal from an IITian who’s the son of an IAS dad and a KV principal mom. Enjoying a top managerial position with a software major, he was earning 20 times my salary! For the same reasons I told amma I don’t want this as their lifestyle would be so different from ours. She persuaded me saying “there would be good people even among the richest”. So I went ahead mailing him details about me. I understood he was a man of few words when he got back.

He was glad that I was so open about myself and made me comfortable saying nothing mattered to him. I too was happy. He called and spoke once and insisted on meeting me though I said meeting can be later. Finally I gave in to his persuasion to meet though reluctantly. For me, he had not even graduated from an acquaintance to a friend. Still agreed to meet in a mall whose noise and closed smell which I never enjoyed.
At first look, he appeared like a nerd. With a cross striped yellow T-shirt which was not suiting him at all, he looked like a miser with smile too. He wanted to have food. I accompanied him but politely declined his offer to have food saying I just had lunch. Over lunch he started asking about me.
After some usual, expected questions and answers he started proding into my previous affair. He asked if I had physical relationship with the person whom I had an affair with. I replied in the negative, feeling insulted that I had to face the query again. He went on asking “Not even things like kissing and hugging?”!!! I wanted to run away. I politely told him I was not comfortable answering such queries. After food, he said we will sit and talk on the top most floor away from the noise of games and events for the weekend crowd. I followed him reluctantly.

While going up the escalator, he put his right arm across my shoulders and held me close to him with a question “How tall are you” pretending he did it to see if our heights were matching! I wanted to run away in disgust. Didn’t even feel like looking at his face even as I wriggled out and made myself comfortable at an arm’s distance from him.

While sitting on the silent area of the mall, he went on holding my hand and reading my palm! He tried predicting my behaviour when I took away my palm from his saying I don’t believe in all this. Somehow ended the meeting and I walked almost half way home, almost 4km, as if to burn away the disgust and insult I faced!

I was depressed to the core for many reasons, the first being I was failing to convince those who put pressure on me to get married that I’m happy being single. Felt so miserable to having ended up like a doll trying to please selectors. I wanted to run away to a place no one will bug me for getting married. Can’t tell how I felt then.
After many months of this incident, a proposal came from a researcher in Delhi. Was glad about coming across someone from a field other than software. He was still researching and just have the fellowship amount as monthly income, which was much lesser than what I earned. It was a reason why I decided to take it forward… as an answer to all who thought I was never satisfied with the guy’s income or social status. After exchanging a couple of mails, I found myself so comfortable with him and we started talking on phone. He sounded very caring, understanding and loving. What more a girl would want.

He had major complex that he was a bit fat. I said I wouldn’t mind all that. Also in the photos he sent me he didn’t look too fat. Only fault I found was that he wasn’t smiling in any of the photos. When I told him that he said his teeth were bad. I said as long as you have teeth, you can smile. He obliged by sending his smiling picture two days later, which I found attractive. Seeing his Ujala-white smile I asked why he said his teeth were bad. Also, he didn’t seem to have a paunch about which he had major complex. I made him comfortable saying his mind was what mattered most to me.

Later proceedings were very fast. My mother and brother met his mother and brother and talked with each other. Only thing left was our meeting. At home, all were deciding when to conduct the marriage. I was even willing to go ahead for marriage even without meeting him. Not that I developed any romantic relation with him, but I was so comfortable with him. I thought he was the best person who would ever happen to me.
Finally after a month, he decided to fly down from Delhi to meet me.

We met at a close friend’s house where he and his family provided us with all facilities for a happy meeting. I was shocked by everything right from his appearance. Felt the person whom I saw in photos was someone else. The real person was so fat, at least four times me! His big fat tummy appeared to be choking him. His teeth were brown indicating a voracious smoker or pan addict in him. Still I thought I shouldn’t look at silly things. But the comfort factor started disappearing in no time. He seemed to show no interest in talking to me. After lunch, he even asked my friend if he can sleep for a while and went to sleep when I was still waiting for him to talk to me!

Also, he disappeared from home in between arising suspicion if he was going to smoke. He had told me he used to smoke and drink a lot, but stopped everything now. I had even told him that I don’t mind drinking once a while, but can’t stand smoking. I wouldn’t mind both, if he was open about it. Lying from the beginning wouldn’t go down well with anyone whether a guy or a girl.

After the deep afternoon nap, he got up and came to me asking if we can go to a pub. For him it would be shameful if he didn’t visit a pub after coming to Bangalore. I brushed it aside saying I have been in Bangalore for almost five years and didn’t find it any shameful that I was yet to visit a pub. He insisted in going out for dinner to a resto-bar, to which we agreed reluctantly.

At the restaurant, first order he placed was for two 60ml vodka. I didn’t have to scramble for reasons to reject the proposal. My mother and brother too were shocked with his behaviour, especially him drinking at our first meeting. That also ended.

Hence I’m still single and happy :)

When we broke the Silence in Valley...

When my friend and I chose Silent Valley National Park as our destination to chill out for two days, we were bombarded by queries about safety of two girls going there without any male company. Though we were put up a brave face, we were a little apprehensive when we finally boarded the bus to Mukkali, the place where the forest station is located, from Mannarkad.
Drizzle on and off failed to dampen our spirits. We reached Mukkali by 2.30 pm on July 26 Monday. The place resembled location of an award-winning Malayalam movie... a dilapidated bus-stand, people in humble village costumes, tea shops from where one could catch up with Akashavani... We took an autorickshaw to the forest inspection bungalow not knowing it was so close by. Also, my friend was reluctant to walk up with her bag which she claimed was ‘too heavy’.We reached the spacious inspection bungalow nestling amid soothing green. We were thrilled to find that a gushing sound that surprised us was that of a river flowing by the side of the bungalow. “We are going to stay here!!!” We screamed with joy.
The security at the bungalow showed us our room — Kunthi — named after a river. Other rooms too were named after rivers. We were the only occupants in the palatial bungalow that day. But once we got in touch with the forest officers and guards, our safety concerns were cast aside. They were so warm and extended all support for our safe stay there. In the evening, we went out for a walk in the drizzle. We first enjoyed the Bhavani river which was gushing after the rain. Then took a walk up the road which had green and only green on either sides. This is a small village, and any outsider is easily spotted. Or else, why should there have been many curious faces peering at us? Soumya, a social worker at Silent Valley, made us feel at home and guided us.
We had informed the restaurant nearby, run by an old couple, that we wanted dinner. Since there are very few clientele, if you don’t inform early, they shut shop and go to sleep by 7.30pm! Had yummy home-like food by 8 pm and had no choice but to go to bed by 8.30! Television is yet to intrude into the cosiness of the forest bungalow. We were up early in the morning, thrilled to set out on the jungle trip by 9. The Eco-Development Committee’s jeep took us into the depths of the green there. Driver-cum-guide Vinod was so friendly that he even picked and threw away leeches from my leg when I screamed for help. Huge trees and lovely mountain streams welcomed us all the way. Vinod showed us the favourite food of lion-tailed macaque, the unique species of Silent Valley National Park. Not-so-smooth ride for 22 km, which takes more than an hour, took us to the entrance of the core area of the Park. One more kilometre inside, we were asked to get down and walk. Forest buildings and information centres were located there. Cloudy sky had almost rendered the place look as if it was 7 pm though it was just 11.30 am! To make it worse, the area was engulfed in thick mist. We headed towards the watch tower which was 100- feet tall. My friend and our guide who were least bothered about my fear for heights forced me to leave it behind and follow them. At the height of 100 feet we shivered in the effect of heavy wind and mist. Though one of the forest guards had told us there was a heard of elephants at the mountain slope just opposite, thick mist blocked the view. Though disappointed at not being able to see any animals, the entire ambience had a thoroughly recharging effect. Later we headed for river Kunthi, which was 1.3 km walk from there. The innumerable leeches that got on to my feet freaked me out. We were armed with a packet of salt to fight them. End of the trek, we were awed by the wild beauty that welcomed us by the side of river Kunthi, untouched by humans. The hanging bridge over it that connects to the other core areas of the park, the wild flowers and deep green all around provided a breath-taking view.
There was just enough time for us to pack our bags and leave the place after the trek and ride back. We were so surprised by the way they take care of the reserve forest area. The entire 23 km we travelled inside the forest, there was not a single plastic paper to distract us from enjoying the beauty of the wild. Praiseworthy team work by the forest department. We clicked pictures at all possible points as proof to make our friends believe that we did go into the wild successfully! We returned with a lot more images which the camera couldn’t hold. Green memories... which promise to be ever-green.

My maiden tryst with moral police

I was in Wayanad on February 22 for one of my close friend's brother’s wedding. I stayed back for another day too see some places over there. On February 23 evening, as one of our scheduled programmes had to be cancelled due to some reasons, we didn’t have any plan till the time of my bus to Bangalore which was at 11.30 pm. My friend A, who was my junior in college and his classmate (B) were with me. Three of us went to Pazhassi tomb and spend some time when we got a call from C, a friend of A. He and his friend D were going to Valliyoorkavu temple to perform a puja. The temple happened to be the same place where A's brother got married. We also thought of going with them. I was the only girl in the group.

Since we were roaming around in the sun since morning and were not fresh, I decided not to enter the temple. We went in C's car and parked the vehicle outside the temple, which is on a hilly area. Other than the tarred road uphill, there is another way through which you can reach the temple. ‘A’ asked if we can go down through that way and wait for the others on the main road when they return from the temple in the car, just for me to see the place. It was around 7.45 pm then. Since ‘B’ had sprained his back, we asked him not to walk down and come with C and D in the car. He sat on one of the steps while I walked down along with A. C and D had gone inside the temple.

We came down to the main road on the side of which is the Thazhekkavu (the same temple's extension). The one in which our friends went was Melekkavu. There was a huge banyan tree on the temple premises on the side of the road and we decided to sit under that till our friends return. There was a car parked just on the way which we came with some people inside. We didn't bother and were talking, enjoying the fine weather and fresh air which I got to relish after long.

After a while, the car left. Two men who were left there came to us, both in their late 40s or early 50s. They started questioning us as to why we were sitting there at that time. We told them politely our friends were at the temple and were waiting for them. By then it was 8.10 pm or something. He just ignored it sarcastically saying, "Nothing usually happens at the temple this time. We know what time it closes."

We looked at him wondering what he means as he continued: "Many things happen here these days. We want to know why you are here." He again asked where was my friend from to which he replied "I'm from here only." The man , "Here only means, you belong to the temple premises?"

We again told them the same things and asked him to go and check if he has any doubts. We told them: "A red Indica car is parked outside the temple, two of our friends are inside. If you have doubts, one of you can stand here and the other can go up and check."

One of them, who stinks of alcohol even from a distance, took out his phone and called (or pretended to call) somebody in the temple. After that he said with a lewd grin: "Nobody is there. Now tell us why are you two here." He also started asking A, "are you married or are you her brother"! (As if he would have believed if we were really married or we were siblings!)

By then we started losing our patience. I told A, "You come, we will wait on the road." There was a cement bench at the bus stop right in front of the place where we were sitting. The man who was visibly agitated by our move ignoring him, said: "Haaahh.. you can't sit anywhere in this area without answering our questions."

My friend who was annoyed by then, said: "I don't feel it necessary to answer to your queries further." They wanted to call the police. We told we were more than ready to answer policemen than answering them.

Moral police no. 1 (I will refer to him as MP1 and the other one MP2) took out his phone again and called somebody and said: "Hey, ithoru kesukettanennu thonnunnu, ningal ingu pore" (a derogatory way of conveying to the other person that there's something fishy between both of us, along with asking them to come to the spot).

In no time, we were surrounded by some 15-20 men, some of them drunk and of all age groups from the locality, shooting off questions one after another. Still we didn''t budge. All of them were of the opinion that they won't let anything "immoral" which doesn't suit to their "culture" to happen in their locality!

One of them, who appeared to be a gentleman, came and asked politely about our details. My friend didn’t find any trouble in answering him and told him all our details. In fact, all of them who gathered there knew my friend's father who is popular in the area.

Then MP1 screamed, "See, he didn't tell us he is Vijayan's son neither did he tell us where he is from. Then all these would not have happened." This infuriated me. I asked them whether they would have let my friend do anything there if they had known that he was Vijayan's son! Amid discussions and shouts, they decided to solve the issue saying that now things are clear.

My friend and I refused. We insisted that police come and sort it out. We said we wanted to know from police whether they have handed over moral policing rights to the local people. My friend called up his cousin and asked him to call the police by when our other friends had come back from the temple. They were not even allowed to talk to us. Each of them were surrounded by small group of the MP gang.

Within 10 minutes, police from Mananthavady station came and listened to the issue. He blasted the gang asking who had given them the rights to question others and take law in their hands. They put both the men who questioned us in the jeep and asked us to accompany them to the station in our car, to which the locals protested. They wanted us also get into the jeep, to which we readily agreed!

We went to the police station and waited for a few minutes for the sub-inspector to come. In the meantime, they had recorded our statements. I presented the issue before the SI. After listening to both views, he told the two MPs in a harsh tone: “This is a problem with Malayalis all over the world. What is the problem if a girl and a boy talks or does whatever they want? Who are you to question them? When Rahul Gandhi came with his girlfriend to Kumarakom, why didn’t you all go and protest there? What do you all think? Who asked you to take care of the security of entire Valliyoorkavu? If you see any trouble, you better come here and report. The rest we will take care.”

MP1 who was in the forefront shouting at us, didn’t have a word to utter other than, “Sorry sir, we won’t repeat this...” The SI went on: “Last month, some ‘diseased’ men like you went and put up a drama in front of a hotel room where apparently a man and a girl stayed. Finally they turned out to be father and daughter! Aren’t you ashamed? At least show the maturity of your age.”

By the time we got message from our friends that the local men were blocking our friends’ car. MP1 came with an ‘offer’ saying: “Nothing to worry.. I will ask them to release the car...” much to the annoyane of the SI. He said: “I know how to release them. You need not interfere”, and left with his men to the spot where our friends were stuck.

In another few minutes, our friends came back and the two MPs were given a good lesson by the police. They were also asked to go to court and pay a fine on a particular date. We told the police that we had nothing against those men. But we felt that if we (all of us working with the media) don’t respond, who else will! We made it clear that this shouldn’t happen to anyone else who are outsiders. In our case, at least my friend was from the same area and had the identity of his father which he could have used (but he didn’t). What if some other friends were caught by such men and they had no way to escape! Moreover, we didn’t want to give them an impression that we were accepting their accusations by keeping quiet.

With high regard for the policemen who didn’t let moral police defame their locality, let me tell you friends, such incidents may happen anywhere at any time. But please react. We shouldn’t let such self-styled moral police thrive at the cost of our self respect and fundamental rights.