My "Thykoodam" is famous !!

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

 

(a bit from the FIREWORKS lyrics by KATY PERRY)



St. Raphael's Church, Thykoodam, Kochi, Kerala.

 Born to a very pious mother, church services, daily family prayers, St. Antony’s novena on Tuesdays… were all a never miss for us as kids. Staying close to our Parish, we were pushed to go (walk) to church not just on Sundays, but on Saturdays ..and any other holidays as well. And one of the most memorable “like’s” of those yesterdays was the Church Festivals.

view of our Thykoodam Parish Church Festival Eve celebrations

In googlemaps..its zoom in as : Asia, India, Kerala, Kochi, Vyttila, Thykoodam – St. Raphel’s Church - one of the biggest parishes of the Archidiocese of Verapoly. This year, Sunday, the 6th of October 2013, was the Feast of the heavenly patron . Wanted to make this post then, but got late.

Had I been home today..it would have been a great time for all the Christians around the area... getting ready for the grand festive mass...celebrations...

 

 

procession...

 

walking around the make shift bangle shops....

 

 

 

the curry chattie corners...

 

 

....sugarcane juice vendors....

 

 

karikku ... (tender coconut) stalls..cotton candies...

 

 

the band set playing the latest bolly/molly/tollywood numbers and yes...devotional hymns too.

I reaaallllly missing those days.....wallah !!!!

 

 

Saturday, The eve of the Church Feast have the Holy Services in the evening, followed by the procession, and the best part of it all was the Fireworks, to the very end.

 

Green to the right….red to the left….didn’t know what they were exactly called….so, we named them rockets, parachutes…and umbrellas !!! We would be there...few giggly girlies... right in front of the crowd to watch the colourful sparkles that lit up the sky….the loud booms , bangs…..

 

The fireworks !!!

 

 Minutes of hyper excitement.  

 

My mother would never stay back to watch the fireworks and rush back home after the procession,  coz most of the times, our uncles would have come over and so, she had to be there to be serving all the lovely dishes she had prepared – appam, mutton stew, duck roast, cutlets….my ! I terribly miss those days. And for me……i was definitely not leaving…or…well..i will put it like this…either I stay back at church till the entire fireworks show was over and reach back home very late …or make a dash to my house before the fireworks began, run up the stairs to my terrace to be there, to watch the sky getting lit.  Either way, it was fine with me..as long as I saw the colours bursting with a bang out of the darkness...

and it made the girlie in me very very happy.

 

 

 I had this lovely family friend of ours…she was atleast 10 years older to me…Jenny chechi (name slightly changed)..and my ! she was one lively fun-loving character. I loved being with her, she had an ever-ready smile and could crack instant wits out of nothing. She had a great sense of humour. And I personally, prefer to be in the company of such people…coz, they radiate their positiveness onto you as well.I could only remember myself to be always laughing whist she was around.

 

I get to meet her only during the church service. Even though we are in the same neighbourhood, we both moves to opposite sides of the church…so, it was customary that we stay there at the junction where we part ways and be chatting and giggling..at the same time. Be it “Way of the Cross” procession on Good Friday…the Christmas midnight mass…to watching the fireworks and shouting….yeaaahhhh….she was my church company.

 

 

 I still cherish her deeply. You are deeply missed…Jenny chechi. !!!

And now…coming to the present, is this new band gone viral across social media  -

 

Thaikkudam Bridge.

  A group of very young fresh talents taking the place by storm with the beautiful music, mostly the oldies with a new fresh touch.And the best part, it all started for them , packed in a room near the “Thykoodam Bridge” (which is right in front of my home)...where they used to meet and jam ! 

for the Keralites, this is one of the best from them  (acoording to me, that is)

 

for the Indian audience...this is great !!! .."Haq-Allah.. !"

 

and on international audience..a fresh rendition of "The Beat it..."

Small world...indeed !!! 

 

 

And..am I not pleasantly surprised, that i could dig  apicture fromm googly of the foot of the Thykoodam Bridge and on the right hand side of this image, you see a 2 floor building in blue and red, and a mango tree just next it ??.

 That's my dearest tree..my HOME !!! SWEET HOME !!! BACK HOME !!!

 Proud of my homeplace “Thykoodam”..you are rocking!!!!

Very pleasantly happie-me

(disclaimer - the posts in here under the label head "musings" are not specifically directed to any reader review or comments. It's just that when I feel like writing down something, i just turn up here..on this blogpage of mine, and jot it down. Just dont want to miss out on those which I would like to cherish ... Terribly bad memeory loss, got to admit, so i need to keep things somewhere, for a refresh click...in the long run)

Well.its the same scenario repeating. Bad tough day..... hectic at work..physically tired..mentally low ..... turned bright just out of nowhere.

 

Chain (bigg one), bracelet, earing, keychain, purse and a certified Papyrus painting !!!!  ....all from someone whom I mean absoltely nothing more than an other new staff for whom she clears the HR formalities.

 

Between two people who could never communicate in spoken language, I could make out neither a single word that she spoke in very rapid conventional Egyptian Arabic, nor did she speak a word of English either.

 

She is the senior most in the Personal (HR) Department here, and me being a very new staff, had to meet with her quite a number of times to get my formalities done. I had an other collegue come with me as the translator..but...think our faces always knew the language..not the spoken words..but just a smile, and a "Hello, How are you" in english from myself and she greets in her own rapidly spoken words. Give and take.

 

 

I met her at the passage to my desk, she was walking in..i was walking out. We just shared a Hai and a smile, and I was about to walk off too tied up with some urgent works, when she becons me to my desk and silently hands over this kit. I couldn't follow what she spoke...but believe, it was in lines of.."I brought these for you, from Egypt ". (the word Egypt. That, i understood).

 

Felt touched...really touched... you really made my day, Ma'am !!!

 

Thanks a bunch Lord..you know how to sent angels down in plain clothes, when we definitely need a boost.

 

The previous posts in the very similar sequence - this , a comment from a co-blogger friend of mine, and this again..a simple phrase, by my little one who was just 3 yr old then.

 

A much better day today...