I was in my home town yesterday. I am always a child when I’m in Thidanad. 
It’s not the same exactly, but when you’re a child, you look at things with a pure heart and unbiased eyes. And you see that everything is the same.

The stream bordering the land where the house where I grew up is located has less water to challenge. And even when it’s in full force, there are no Young challengers swimming upstream against the strong current. 

But when I am there, I am a child. And when I take the young generation to swim, I reach the rock upstream and look back to see them behind the starting point struggling.

There are more changes. The affluence is evident with all thatched houses of yore are now concreted with a car porch.

But I could spot many of the bird species of my childhood. The mango tree which would have celebrated the 100th Birthday is still in my land. That’s where I first saw ‘enam pechi’ a character of the dark world who rolls away from you as a ball making a shrieky noise. It’s actually the ant eater, but it’s the fictitious character for imagination.

Nor are there the porcupines who used to eject their thorns at us when challenged. The giant owl is also absent and if anyone catches one illegally, it’s worth $15,000.

Many such animals and birds are missing. But the magic is still there. One has to have the pure heart to feel it. The heart of a child.

But when I am in Thidanad, I am always a child……