London 2016

Once again back in the land of Shakespeare. Summer vacation is the time to visit Sid and Kivya in London, the time when I need not drive or run errands or plan my day. I can just relax and let Sid  decide while I partake of Kivya’s  delicious lamb biriyani. Once more I can explore the nooks and corners of this wonderland which has coloured my dreams and spurred my imagination right from the days of my childhood.

         The fascination for England had started when, as a kid, I read avidly, the imaginative adventures of the Famous Five and the  Secret Seven  .The marvels of the English country side came alive in my mind  when I  memorised  Wordsworth’s golden daffodils ' fluttering and dancing in the breeze  ‘ and Keats’ nightingale which sang of summer 'in full throated ease'. Glimpses of English society impressed upon my mind  through  the  classics of Dickens and  the shrewd methods  of Sherlock Holmes.. Teenage was the time for Mills and Boons. My dreams were coloured by blondes with blue eyes and  handsome  gentlemen with impeccable manners , living in grand mansions. The values and culture  were entirely different but my young mind was agog with the sights and sounds of this foreign land which was as dear  as my own.

 Learning English Literature brought me closer to the master  minds who used this language to perfection . The passion for Shakespeare’s plays  kindled a passion to discover the world of the  great bard . Teaching Shakespeare’s plays in school was , in a way, the fulfilment of a  mission.  It was a treat to  wax eloquent in the class unravelling  the anguish of Hamlet , the ambition of Macbeth  and   the savagery of Caliban..

   When Sid got the chance to work in England I found vicarious pleasure in his lucky chance to explore the land of my dreams. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that my son would immediately make arrangements for my visit. But that is what happened. In the peak of winter in December 2005, my younger son Arjun and I set foot on English soil. That was the beginning of a series of visits which  made an indelible impression on my mind about the country and the people.

    Everything about the place is fascinating . The barren trees coming to life in Spring with tender green leaves and  the sudden burst of colour and fragrance as they wear a mantle of flowers of varied hues. The meticulously planned roads , the green parks and  gardens, the lakes edged with weeping willows and the tall conifers lurking on hill tops. The perennial daffodils found everywhere. The majestic Thames surrounded by Big Ben ,St. Paul’s Cathedral  and The Globe  . London Eye rotating at snail’s pace  and Tower Bridge beckoning the visitors. The Shard standing tall in the concrete jungle. The double deckers  and red buses plying the roads. Westminster Abbey where all my favourite poets have been laid to eternal rest. These are just some of my favourite things.

       A walk along the pavements  of Greenwich  brings to mind  the walk from Ambalamukku to Vellayambalam  in Trivandrum.  The  grandeur of Buckingham Palace and the unique change of guard that I had the good  fortune to witness brings to mind  Kowadiar palace with the statue of Vivekanda in front of it, our little park and the wide tree -lined avenues which  is perhaps  the best part of Trivandrum. This year once again I witnessed London marathon along with Sid and Kivya.  As the participants touched Greenwich we cheered along with  the other spectators lining the roads.  We visited the theatres of London and  thrilled to the mystery of the Woman in Black, the suspense of The Phantom of the Opera and the enchantment of The Lion King. It is a holiday to remember  which I  experience once a year before I am engulfed by the routine of lectures and exams

    A line from a  nursery rhyme which I had repeated to my children now comes to my mind.

‘I have been to London to visit the Queen..’

That  is a dream yet to be  fulfilled - to visit the Queen. This year  she appeared  on BBC as she met the chosen visitors and  made a public appearance on the occasion of her 90^th birthday. Graceful, dignified, regal…these are some of the adjectives that came to my mind as I watched her. God has a strange way of making our dreams come true. Perhaps one day that little dream may also come true. But now the call of duty is strong and I have miles to go before I sleep….