Does geography play a part in genetics? I think it does.
Who I am to talk in such broad sense about most complicated
things? Nobody. Let’s tone it down. Let’s talk about Aluvapuzha and life beyond
it towards Kanyakumari (the deprived virgin!!) . Ignore my lack of “sense of
urgency”. Beating about the bush and not driving the point home. Yes, do have this dilemma. While trying to
make a point, I search for suitable openings and then end up moving way away
from the topic itself!!
Well, what I am
trying to say is, there is a marked genetic difference between the people who
belong to either side of Aluvapuzha. The river is devilish to such a degree,
the moment you cross her, she infuses venom into your blood. And your warm
blooded mammalian physiology imbibes cold blooded reptilian nature. How can I make such a callous statement, ask
you would. Chance (not choice) has given
me enough exposure to study the same. Let me enumerate marked characteristics
of the vast populace between aluvapuzha and kanyakumari – the travancorians, let’s
call them T for short.
1.
Whenever T meets a person (T/nonT), the greeting
would be a negative statement. Common statements I have encountered are –“You
look so tired; You have lost so much weight; You have gained weight and need to
control”. A T never says anything positive in the first instance.
2.
T typically
lacks a sense of empathy. Any problem
other than their own seem too small for a T. So do not try and share. Chances
are you will be met with ridicule or inconsideration.
3.
T never fails to have a laugh at another’s
expense. However, self deprecating humour is markedly absent.
4.
“Practise what you preach” has no stand in a T’s
life. What a T does is simply not said, and what a T says is simply not done.
5.
T has perfected the art of smirking.
Unfortunately, the smirk has taken away the smile from the heart.
6.
T has too many expectations from everyone else. The
concepts of mental freedom and mental space are generally unknown to a T. Hence
a T is often known to sulk about someone not calling them, not talking to them,
not inviting them in person, not returning a gift, not being available and so
on. The list is never ending. Sulking , like smirking , has been perfected into
an art by a T. The most offensive being
the easily offended, a T is too touchy and very offensive.
7.
A T is born into this world with a definite purpose.
If the T is a male, T’s parents would educate him so as to marry him off to a
girl who fetches the most dowry (citation – till 10 years ago, the popular
standard was a Maruti car or equivalent and 100 sovereigns in gold and a house).
Lately, with the advent of dollars to T’s
territory, the demand has been raised suitably. On the other hand, if T is a
female, T’s parents would save from the day of T’s birth to meet the above said
demands. It forms a vicious, yet hilarious circle. I have seen a case where a male T’s parents
have sought a house as dowry from his bride so they can move in there and give
their own house as dowry to T’s sister. Tad confused, huh? Please read again
till it gains clarity. The situation is unfortunately too pungent to elucidate.
The hilarious part apart, the vicious side has choking side effects. As this
purpose takes the centre stage of a T’s life, all other talents or passions a T
might possess are on the back burner. Secondly, as the romance in the marriage
is replaced with trade, relationships turn out to be null and void. Hence it is
not an uncommon practise for a girl T’s parents to move in with her so as to
hold her marriage together, presumably it is too much to ask the girl T and her
partner to build a life of their own and raise their kids by themselves. Here
we see precipitating a big error in human design – sex makes babies, not love.
God went wrong there, didn’t he?
8.
T generally is crafty. Many of us are too in
many situations. The difference is T is nice to only people to matter to T and
nasty to all or any people who do not matter to T.
9.
T feels
attachment / appreciation only for things owned by T. There will be a tinge of
sarcasm whenever T refers to anything other than T’s own.
10.
T shows emotional restraint to a high degree.
Loud laughs and screams of anguish will be absent. Everything is subtle and smile
is plastered. T is generally placid, freaking placid.
11.
T follows social obligations without fail. This
is possibly a side effect of too many expectations (refer 6).
12.
T follows a set pattern of life.- be born,
schooling, job, marry at right age, make 2 kids - oh yes, an unplanned third one is embarrassing- at right time spans , prepare
for the dowry trade of the offspring, get kids married, move in with them
(mostly because the trade they have done has fallen apart and they are fighting
tooth and nail to hold together their offspring’s marital sanctity), die.
Hmmmm...This write up has drained me emotionally. So I will
give you tips on how to cope with a T sometime later. All said and done, let me
assure you, there are exceptions in Ts as well. Yes, there are humane Ts.
Probably few factors do act as antidotes to the general behavioral distortions
exhibited by T. Example: a high intellect (and the wisdom that comes with it
which tells you walls are to be broken down), considerable exposure to nonT, or
beyond comprehension and reason –“Lotus blooms in mudpits”.
An excerpt from Thattathin Marayathu –“vadakkan keralathil
maathram veeshunna oru paathirakkattundu (There is a night breeze that sometimes
blows over North Kerala...)”. The breeze seems to be blowing towards the south a
bit now and that breeze would bring a change. A geographical anomaly put right
by another geographical paradox. All is well, all is well!
