I was thinking deep last night about the neighborhood watch that is as old as me, in the US, and prevalent in UK from early 80’s. Thinking about the family and friends tree, if we can build a neighborhood tree and neighborhood watch, we can collaborate better and lay the foundation for a better tomorrow in partnership with each other.
Social media can help to a very large extend in getting this seamless and stronger. It’s all about people. If we can identify young kids in each neighborhood and get them to form groups to be volunteers in the neighborhood watch group, we can build a very strong community to be available all the time, friends indeed.
In US, people and police in small towns have a greater bond and they know every single person living in that particular town and who are trespassing. I have spotted police cars parked in strange corners, observing like a hawk. They know who is passing through, and Caesar gets his dues from the drivers who tend to speed.
Having said that we had two shootouts yesterday in a school in Maryland and in an eatery near Princeton. It’s scary all the time and it can happen to anyone anytime, anywhere. Ubiquitous.
Hypothecated to Indian Bank or Canara Bank, we see this in the back of most of the Auto’s in Kerala. I am always thrilled by this expression of gratitude.
My life’s strategies and techniques are hypothecated to many, to be honest I learn from all around and to start with, it’s worthwhile remembering family. Friends form a never ending list and they are simply beautiful to continue remembering as they keep adding on for ever.
I am trying to put some structure to the tree of gratitude, I am noting down the names of Amma’s and Appa’s cousins, aunts, uncles who influenced my life, and some of them lived in Kollam one time or the other. This generation is not in flesh and blood anymore, but the warmth of their spirit, care and love lingers around me forever. There is not a single day I do not connect to their attributes and be thankful to their legacy.
My Amma’s maternal grandfather Koshy had a younger brother P. T. John, Vakil (lawyer), family: Puthenpurakkal lived in Pallikkal, Mavelikara.
He had practiced law in Kollam, where he built an amazing mansion, a unique home, very sustainable, always cool, with plenty of light and ventilation, elegant, had many identical entrances on all three sides with verandah around, high plinth. May be the high plinth prevented reptiles from creeping in easily and rainwater too. There was a big pond in front of their home separating it from T. M Varghese Appachen’s home; the architecture of this home fascinated me as it could accommodate more than one family. It was opposite Rama Varma Club, Thevally, Kollam.
I am sure he built this for his sons so they could occupy one day without encroaching into the privacy of the other.
There was a huge front yard and a magnificent old mango tree bearing fruits like no man’s business, we all ate them raw, ripe and pickled for years.
The most thoughtful design detailing was the orientation of the main gate; In early 1900’s the traffic was so less, but the orientation to enter from a smaller road was brilliance considering the safety of the vehicles moving IN and OUT of the home.
So much so to remember…
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