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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

poem by m k harikumar

Have anybody seen me?


In the splitting moments
I tried in vain to become a tree

The mind tree of my past
have collapsed into pieces

The thought that I am not still alone
rise from the depths of the heart
and just fades

The arrogance of rotten corpses,
school friendships that have become
dried up rivers

No, never these trees, these sculptures,
sunshine nor the soil
will ever identify us

They all have gone after
newer terrains of human
thoughts

No one wants to refresh
their acquaintance with
this soul swollen with pain

Are the twigs of trees en route
contain the essence of self cooked
agonies

They chain us again and again
in the labyrinth of endless queries

The life truths extended by twigs
The momentous emotions galore

The eternally mute chemistry of those
Who seek pleasure in multiple directions

I have not yet learned anything

Longing to grow in the sprouting tree
of infancy I ended up kissing
the ripe surfaces of grief
when my infancy, adolescence,
those boats that have left its moorings
grow as branches of my freedom
I seek myself in mystic plateaus

Have anyone seen me?

trans:saj mathews

മീനിന്‌

ഒരു പറവയ്ക്ക്‌ ചില്ല വേണ്ട.

ഒരു മീനിന്‌ വെള്ളം വേണ്ട.

ഒരു മഴ്യ്ക്ക്‌ മണ്ണു വേണ്ട.

ഒരു മനുഷ്യന്‌ മനസ്സ്‌ വേണ്ട

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Hands-a poem by m k harikumar

Hands

They walked on
as if reciting some cosmic
postscripts in anguish

Paramu waved his hands
from behind attempting
to catch some thing from the air
in vain
Then the hands retreated
and went behind once again

Vasu’s hands were moving
in cautious slow motion
akin to that of a fat reptile
but he was not sure how to keep
his hands down

Because it was his hands
that had always helped him to
erase his agonies
It was those hands
which steadied him in troubles

Whenever he faltered
he managed to maintain his course
by waving his hands aimlessly
into ages

When Ravi waved backward
with spread fingers it was like rowing
The movement of his hands appeared as if
he was cuddling his appetite for mating with death

Alternatively entwining
the hands in the front and back
he stood at times probing
his immeasurable self

Krishnan waved both his right
and left hands back and forth
giving them vain
hopes of reconciliation


Though they swayed
like trapeze artists they had to retreat
as they filed to get the grip

All the four-Paramu, Vasu, Ravi and Krishnan-
were walking at the same speed
Their hands strolled into separate worlds

For Paramu, his hands supplied
the gadgets to cleanse
the blemish of his sins
It was those hands that
always lighted his pathway

Vasu’s hands were in a frenzied
quiver shivering like an epileptic

For Ravi , his hands
were an stranger woman
always numb as if they knew nothing

Like contented accomplices
returning after a successful robbery
Krishnan’s hands were looking again
for weapons in the void

They turned into a deserted
isle craving for freedom
and free will to kill

All the three were walking
absolutely insensitive
to the movement of their hands
even as the hands were waiting for
the earliest chance
to encircle them unawares

trans: saj mathews

mk harikumar's mission in bangalore

Spearheading a Green Cause Today for a Better Tomorrow

But for a childhood pledge, he is taking a break from the rigours of routine work to spearhead the challenge of reclaiming the world's green cover. MK Harikumar renowned journo, poet and, critic launched his campaign at Garden City College on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti.

hen MK Harikumar was in college in distant Kerala, he recalls a fascination for trees and regaling in nature's bounty. "I would turn to the leaves for my bookmarks and this gave me immense thrill," reminisces Harikumar. "Back home, everyone shared the same love for nature and this in many ways helped us bond as a family.

I guess it also contributed to my passion for writing." That Harikumar went on to pursue a degree in economics from DevaMatha College, Kuravilangad and finally passed out from Nirmala College, Muvattupuzha with MA degree in Economics is of less significance. It is his writings that have taken the centre stage and helped him move up the ladder -to be the bureau chief of a leading Malayalam daily, poet and writer - with eight. books to his eredit. But that Was then. Today, Harikumar is a worried man. A truth only betrayed by his modesty and gentle demeanor.
The onslaught on the environment not only in his own back yard (In God's own country), across other states like Karnataka and worldwide torment him a great deal.
The journo turned environmentalist was in the city to kick- start a campaign of gigantic proportions besides seeking space to fulfill a unique venture- 'One Crore Trees Worldwide Campaign' spread across six continents. Now that is something that will take some doing. But even he could not have anticipated the kind of response he received in the city. Stepping out to a grand reception at Garden City College (GCE), his dream got off to the best possible starts. Dr. Joseph. V. G., chairman GCC Group of Institutions bequeathed the land to officially kick-start the campaign on campus.
More than 1000 saplings were earmarked for the beginning on a cool breezy Sunday morning, the festive mood all too apparent. Also, GCC announced its commitment to a greener planet by accepting to be a custodian of the 1000 trees as part of the deal besides supporting the crusade in planting the trees across the city. The significance of the announcement could not be missed coming on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi's 137th Birth Anniversary celebrations.
According to Dr. Joseph, the concern for the environment spans our entire institutions. "We are proud of our legacy as 'environmental caretakers' and feel that it is our duty to protect it because of what it has given us," he said. "If we inspire students to plant a tree, they in turn will inspire many others. In this way, Harikumar's venture makes sense," he added. On his part, as a global crusader, Harikumar will promote environmental conservation by creating awareness amongst students on the importance of planting trees as well as taking good care of them. "This is a symbolic beginning," he said.
"This campus has literally been transformed into a green paradise. The flora offers an ideal learning environment even in a city that is witnessing massive chopping of trees. Recalling that the campus was barren land more than a decade back, it has been transformed and awash with greenery. This shows how in our small ways we can help the city reclaim its past grandeur,” he noted.

Harikumar understand this will be a different beat all together. "It is not going to be just a pledge," he said addressing the gathering that comprised college students. "This is something I have always dreamed of as a child and am happy it is becoming a reality. The campaign is not just going to help protect the environment but should spur others to contribute their mite in safeguarding the environment," he informed the gathering giving a measure of the goals he has set out to achieve. To realise his goal, he is taking a break from his work and much of his writings will take a backseat. This phase of the agenda focuses on the planting of indigenous trees on public lands to enhance the impact of environmental conservation.

Interestingly, Harikumar is not banking on government but a strong
network of 'friends of the environment' that he has cultivated through the years in across various cultures, cities and countries. "A host of individuals and institutions have made a commitment to see this venture through. What I am seeking is the space to plant the trees, nothing more," insists the poet. It is a challenge that could well bring him into the public Limelight- a Guinness world- record in the making. Or movement like the tree hugging Chipko movement. May be the inspiration of the Green Belt Movement that won Kenya's Wangari Mathai the Nobel award! But the reserved Harikumar is not looking for glory.
Neither is looking for accolades. Just fulfilling a love of trees for their importance in our lives and doing his part!
Speaking of the importance of such a measure, the soft- spoken environmental crusader shared his views on the global state of the environment. "We are today witnessing the wanton destruction of green cover and this is not good for the present and future generations," he warned the gathering. "We can rectify the mistakes that we have committed in the past by putting curbs on felling of trees and then make genuine attempts as a remedy through planting trees."

His modus operandi is a simple one: With one crore trees to be planted across six continents as the target, to begin, he will first seek for land to plant the saplings. Once this is done, he will then acquire the saplings/ trees and elicit and a commitment from those involved be the custodians of the trees once they are planted. Places of worship, public spaces such as parks and educational establishments- schools, colleges etc will be the most sought after avenues.
The venture commenced at Garden City College and will spread across the states before taking-off worldwide. Initially, the focus is on indigenous trees to enhance the impact of environmental conservation. However, there is no preferred species although fast growing trees suited for public spaces will take prominence.

According to Harikumar, the campaign is another addition to the efforts being made to conserve biodiversity, enhance natural beauty and prevent soil erosion. "I believe every country must sustain life naturally-forest cover affects the availability of rain, availability of underground water, soil fertility, clean air and the beauty of the landscape. At present, we are seeing a fast erosion of trees. I am looking at involving engaged in the campaign-promoting the planting of trees mainly in educational establishments, religious and public spaces to preserve local biological diversity."

And rightly observed by one of the students at the function, it was heartening to listen to the inspiring talk and be part of the vision that could change the fortunes of a country. "It is a worthy venture and I cannot express my happiness and the fact that my college has been chosen for the task," she added.

As if to welcome the initiative, it was only natural that the there were more cheers as the city witnessed a massive rain after brief lull that put a check on the soaring mercury levels. The rain gods too seemed to have smiled and given their nod.

A core [ten million]trees for the world

submitted by julia[ south africa]
journalist,bangalore.

m k harikumar photos



















oruma award 2013, april

The mission of m k harikumar



'So a tree is like a God for me'


Interview with m k harikumar


.

[This interview is the synopsis of the long talk Mr K Santhosh Kumar, Editor, Saturday Digest, had with Mr Harikumar in Kochi.]



Harikumar, now that you have resigned from your full time job as a journalist, don't you feel it a mistake that you have committed?


No. Instead I feel I did the right thing. I would have resigned before. In fact I have more time now to pursue my passions than before. I get plenty of time to write as well. In fact I am working on three books that is to be published by January 2007. To be frank with you, I repent for the precious time I lost in the crap of a newspaper.Tell me, you said about your passions.


What are your passions?


Trees are my passion. I always dream of trees. I have a peculiar attachment to trees. As a schoolboy I used to carry a lot of leaves in between the pages of my notebook, so that I always felt the presence of something I loved most. This love has grown into a big dream today, and when I was working in the newspaper, I have to keep this dream away in some hidden cells in my heart. Now I took it our and polished in such a way that I am into a mission of planting One Crore Trees across all the nations in the world.


Is it something like "forestation"?


You may think so, and many like you do think this as such. In fact planting one crore saplings across the six continents is not a simple joke and neither it is a silly job. In fact it is NOT as you put it. It is more than that.


Can you explain it?


I call my dream-project "Aaranyakam". Simply put, it is a Sanskrit word that connotes something related with forests or trees. In ancient India, all "guru kulams" were amid thick forests and were invariably surrounded by woods. From this "gurukulams", a lifestyle of ancient sages was developed that in turn gave birth to our Vedas and traditions of knowledge. All this, of course, was influenced by the woods around them. A kind of "Aaranyakam" thus evolved.


Is Aaranyakam a conventional process of planting trees everywhere?


No. A lot depends on how you look at the process of planting saplings somewhere. Anyone can plant a sapling and leaving it on its own from the next moment. People seldom care a jungle tree or any tree for that matter. With this project, I plan to plant any tree. And I am not going to leave them on its own afterwards. I would like people to care them like a child till it is grown. I also will see that the trees planted under this project are not cut down for nasty human needs. Any tree planted anywhere in this world under this project Aaranyakam would be documented properly and a database will be created. After a few years from now anyone can ask for any data about a tree thus planted under Aaranyakam.


Sounds interesting, but why this kind of care for a tree that is planted in some remote corner of the earth?


My approach to a tree is quite peculiar because I see a lot of meanings in the existence of a tree. Normally everyone could not fathom what I mean. Not a single individual could look at a tree as I look at it. That is why I keep a documented record of each and every tree that is planted under this Project. For this I have already launched a website too. This website will have a Tree Map and a Database. Both the Tree Map and Database are the evidences for the implementation of "Aaranyakam". Anyone in the world can access the Tree Map or Database at any time and find the history of a sapling that was planted not only in his country but in any country in this world.


.Can you explain why you record all details about a planted sapling?


First, I want to make Project Aaranyakam world's first ever project of its kind with complete statistical data of each sapling planted till this date anywhere in this world. Then only environmentalists or nature lovers will listen to this global movement. Mind you, then only any international environment organizations or WWF or UNESCO etc would listen to Aaranyakam and watch where it is going. Second, I said my love of trees is like how I love another human being. Do you love another human being if you do not know him at all? This is a sensitive issue as it is. But it is here that my vision about this Project Aaranyakam snugly fits in.


Please elaborate on this vision?


Just look at a tree. It takes the sun, rain, wind, and all the climatic changes silently and still continues to grow, at the same time giving shelter, shade and protection to many animals and birds. It has no demands or complaints of any sort. It stands there tall as a symbol of universal selfless love. That is how I look at any tree. And that is why I love a tree. So when I plant a sapling today, it is going to be there tomorrow, even after my death, still giving shelter and shade to many human beings, animals and birds etc. If they bear fruit, anyone can pluck it and eat them. A Tree do not complain. It gives you all that it has FREE. It seldom asks anything from you in return at all. So a tree is like a God for me. A God never asks anyone for anything or complain about any one to his favourite worshipper. A God is not partial. So is a tree. I hope you understand what I mean.


And where does this Project Aaranyakam fits in?


Project Aaranyakam is depicting this message of universal love that a tree exhibits and my vision about it. That is how I look at this mission of planting a crore trees across the oceans..


So Aaranyakam is more a symbolic project than a scientific project?


It is both symbolic and scientific. Environmentalists and nature lovers would uphold the science behind making the earth greener. I try to find a genuine reason to plant a tree and show myself what I can do for the future generations. I am not an advocate of mysticism or symbolism, neither an advocate of science. Science is reality. Symbolism is a short cut to attribute ones vision into a representative object. To me a TREE is a representative object of the whole Nature.


Tell me do you inculcate a culture of planting trees for the coming generation?


Every culture mankind practices has some principles anchored into them. Planting a tree can be developed as a culture than a formal custom. For that you should know WHY you plant a tree. And also you must be motivated enough to attain a stage of humbleness. Once you develop to that level naturally and automatically you find no meaning in many things we do in our life. Moreover you find your past life as a net total of stress, worries, tensions, unwanted commitments etc. The life you lived so far suddenly becomes a thing of the past than a stepping-stone to the future. When you take up tree planting as a part of your daily life, it becomes your second nature. You need to give it a lot of deliberate thinking before taking it up as a "must do" for you. I would love this mission develop into as a part of one's culture. I do not find anything wrong with it.


Who do you like to come up with a willingness to associate in your mission?


I do not invite or force anyone to associate with me. I wish those who can understand my vision in its full worth can associate with this project. Only such people could sponsor this. In fact I am looking for sponsorship to my project from anyone who can realize and understand the meaning of this project. I know it is hard to come by as any involvement in this would bring no fame or publicity for the sponsor.


I heard that you have already launched this project in Kerala State, India. Where do you like to start this project next?


I have already launched it in a humble way in Aluva, near to my hometown, on the banks of river Periyar. Immediately after that the first ever module of 1000 saplings has started in Bangalore, in a most beautiful academic premises I have ever seen in my life. Now I am moving on to the Middle East countries to promote the next sequences of modules there. I am looking for some sponsors who can accommodate my Project Officer and me for three months in the Middle East till we finish our second stage of Project Aaranyakam there.


What kind of trees you plan to plant in the Gulf?


I am not particular about the types of trees. I believe palm trees are the best suited for the Middle East climate. I would plant 1000 palm trees as modules in each gulf nation.


When do u begin the Project in the Gulf?


Incidently, I have already launched the Project in Dubai with the kind help of Dubai Municipality. But that was a small effort, of course. I am looking out for solid sponsors to help Aaranyakam take roots in the Gulf region. As soon as I get a sponsor who can afford our, mine and my Project Officer's, accommodation, travel and food there for three months. Mind you, we will visit all the seven nations in the Middle East region, and plant 10000 trees in total within three months.


Do you plan anything else other than planting trees while you travel all over the globe?


During this mission I get more time than I had in my life as a journalist in Kerala. More time means I can write more. I plan a research book on Khalil Gibran, and a metaphysical study of the Desert and a novel too. A new publishing company from the Gulf will publish both books in English. I do not want to reveal who they are right now.


How do you meet the expenses involved in implementing this project all over the world?


We came into this world as a helpless child with no money. But we lived on and on and we earned and spend too. My trust in God will see that my vision is materialized somehow.


Such is my faith and optimismWhat do you find as the most difficult aspect in implementing the one crore trees project?


Finding a suitable spot to plant a three-inch high sapling is the most difficult aspect I have found so far. I can easily find one crore saplings, but not enough space to plant them. Land is dearer than life here. Those who have land think that they would take this land with them when they go away from this world. That is why land has become more dearer than life.



How can you then find 250 acres of land to plant your symbolic forest of trees from all the world?


I am sure if I can complete this one crore trees project as I planned, I can get this piece of land as a donation from any nation. It would be the property of that nation and my symbolic forest would grow there.


Is Aaranyakam the name of your symbolic forest?


Yes. I cannot find a better name that conveys a universal feeling. Aaranyakam is anybody's not mine alone. Aaranyakam stands for selfless love and global peace. Every one can hear what global peace is. But seldom one understands selfless love. That is why Aaranyakam becomes more important a project as it is as a symbol of "selfless love".You said in the beginning that a tree is more than just a tree for you.


Can you take me deep into your vision?


There is nothing complex in my vision. Look at the Nature. Nature is omnipotent and omnipresent. You cannot control Nature, but it controls you. A tree is a pocket edition of Nature. You cannot control the growth of a tree, but you can kill the tree. And a tree can influence your existence. The trees control the very climatic condition of our nature. Science has proved it beyond any doubt. I believe that a tree has a religion of its own. It practices that religion and we are beneficiaries. After all every religion speaks of selfless love. The trees do practice the same without our knowing. They take the brunt of nature and protect animals and man by giving us shade and shelter and food and in fact themselves.


Which part of a tree is unusable for man or animal?


That is why I said a tree is selfless and generous. Every religion preaches us to do the same things. But we do not do as it says. But a tree does it. All trees do it. That make me think and believe that they do have a "religion" of their own, which man should understand and recognize. I see a lot of things beyond our imagination in the life of a tree. I told you just one example now. So Aaranyakam stands for selfless love. Once love is there, peace follows. That is my vision of Aaranyakam. It is my mission to make others know of it. That is what exactly it is.


Is it hard to mix your "vision of life" with the "mission of life"?


Once you understand what is what, both seem the two sides of a same coin. One is a purpose, and the other is a method to reach your goal. A vision is endless, where as a mission can end abruptly. I want the whole world must recognize the vision behind Aaranyakam. I want every nation should help me carryout my mission till one crore trees are planted from corner to corner of this planet earth.


.Can I say your God is "tree"?


I am happy if you say so. Because no quarrels or war break out in the name of my God, tree. No crusades will happen anymore in the name of a tree. No politics or any other religion work dirty tricks in the name of a tree. No terrorism will be there in the name of a tree.


Can you imagine one quarrelling in the name of a tree with another ?


Remember no tree has an enemy. Only man has an enemy. So it is better to worship a tree than a God created by the man for the man and of the man. One more thing makes the tree important to me. A tree never dies. It grows and grows throughout its life. Whereas a man or an animal stops growing after some biological stage. A tree cannot copy a man or an animal into its life. Still it lives uniquely different than man or animal. A tree drinks, eats, reproduces, and expresses its own moods as the Nature around it changes. But they do it entirely different than a man or an animal. That is what exactly made me LOVE the tree more. My love is a passion, a burning passion. Only those who can understand the underlying meanings of all that I have told you will realize the worth of this project Aaranyakam.


What message do you like to give to the world, Harikumar?


Find a place to plant a tree and have a room in your heart for another human being. By loving a tree, you love your posterity without your own knowing. So plant a sapling for Aaranyakam, and help me spread Aaranyakam everywhere

Saturday, July 26, 2008

m k harikumar poem

Flowers yellow, leaves green

The poets were debating on the sequence of death;
Who died first whether the poet or the poem?
He stood there listening to the wailings
of both the poets and their verses

Inside there were chairs
with swollen belly,
tables that have gone crazy,
sensual shadows
and junk of books,
even as the sales and discussions
went on an on

Then he got scared of death
He was not ready to
become a corpse

Instantly he felt the urgency
of poetic metaphors
to break away from the confines
of the bookshop

In a trance he recalled the days when
snake charmers, poets and teachers
were suffering for want of lovers
It flashed back how the poetic talent
in his molecules began to blow apart
since ages

And how love was orphaned
denied of the right to survival and fortunes
The poet in him was born by chronicling
the erosion of culture and meanness of the past

He tried his best to see that the carcass
of his desires did not turn into poetic imageries

Meanwhile even his corpse
was on the look out for a safe haven
outside the world of verses
to avoid molestation,
and to escape from
the lusty glare of the poets

The trees and insects resorted
to futile rituals to possess
the life of poets
but got back nothing but grief

He couldn’t resist the temptation to
hold on to his moral right for existence
outside the realm of history.

The debate of the poets went on unabated

As the book of night remained wide open
they began unwrapping
the cartons of lust and liquor

trans: saj mathews

Thoughts of m k harikumar





" As literary creation is not possible without words, the impetus of conscious that ignore the meanings of words aims at an un accessible zone in literature. The conscious never rests while the words retreat with their inheritance. It aims at an unworldly openness of the soul. What words do talk are definite things. They are the qualifiers of the reason. The massive muscles of words always do pick up visual of life and the magnitude of realities. But a creative mind is restless. It sees the ocean of life beyond the limiting frames of plain words."


"Peep into the nucleus of each experience and live in there; that was what Vijayan. The life of Mankind is not single-faced. It's in multi layers and in various layers of memories. If one wants to walk through those myriad pathways, it needs a microscopic alertness of emotions to imbibe the fertile soil from them and to respond to them."



"Each emotion facilitates the soul with a communication of a sort. It can be of reason or beyond any reasons. communication can be emotional or holistic. Whatever it is experiences are purely holistic. It is not any doctrine of religions. Faith, love etc are indepth emotional puzzles. Likewise there are many things we just cannot label them with a name. There are certain things that would evade and slip away from our mental processes even when we call them disappointment, sorrow or affinity."


"The mind does not move through a single path always. But the writers do create characters who bear sorrow or uphold vengence without thinking in depth. Characters that embody villany or depression are just artificial. No human being could live like that. There are conflicting traits in him. There is a never ending clash of values in his mind. It is crucial who wins the mind. But it is temporary. Traditional; thinkers have built up religious doctrines thinking that man has a single personality. In truth, religious doctrines should be redefined here."
"Man has several faces. In fact he has several 'heads'. That's what the ten heads of Ravana indicates. It is seen visible in Ravana. Man's religious attitude has been flourishing traditionally on a concept that he is single-minded. That is why such characters still do not vanish in literature also. That is a kind of adherence to traditional values. It is influenced by the tradition. Any lofty thoughts might get entangled in weaknesses like this and they can go completely orthodox in approach. Hence characters are born and ballooned as moralistic, realistic or anti-social."


"Whatever man encounters are religious. Artists realize this and their worth through an agonizing experience of his self by assimilating a mental experience. Each experience has a soul. It is a mix of both body and mind. That is eternal truth. Like searching for unknown truth, it creates a lifestyle of its own to live on with what is called known truth. The realities of an Artist are the real experiences of his mental experience. This is applicable to all human beings. Mind and body do not travel along the same road. The complexity of experiences is innate to religious experience."


"Each experience is having a part of mind and a part of body. Knowledge is life here. As man gets his experiences his doors get wide open too. Worldly life is a very long route. It is a mammoth experience. So eternal truth is just his route to his own personal experiences. While alive religiousness comes multifaceted. In each experience his habit changes. Religion has 'heads' that change at lightning speed. Those who search for eternal truth often go blind to the multifacet manifestations of life in real. They search for a truth in infinity through the souls of disparities. This approach is against the life of the present times."


"The chemistry in man as well as his life experiences or religious attitudes do communicate or conflict or get ignored. Man learns through many ways and the knowledge he gains thus offer him umpteen number of holistic moments. without his conscious knowledge he is realizing himself. In that the sound of Nature is reverberating in a miniscule experience of his. "
"Whether it is Marxism or religion or Mathmatics, they are not alien to literature. Revolution against disparity is the nucleus of Marxism. All defensive institutions in the world that are spreading widely do have this nucleus within them. The aim is to abolish autocracy. History wont pardon those who hunted down men and launched political turmoil in the name of Marxism. They will be punished. Many ideological castles have been built up either manipulating or distorting the principles of Marxism. Such things are the residues of some dreams or return of some kind of romantic fancies.There is no greater intellectual failure than not trying to understand the core principles of any doctrines. whether it is realism or romanticism, there is a core source. In literature of the new era such sources are realized. Thus the literary history is protected here."


"We can manipulate the philosophy of any human emotions or change the physics of it. There is Maths for prayer or sorrow; there is Marxism for them. Both prayer and sorrow are only two protraction of daily life. there are a lot of reasons behind them. Prayer and sorrow are man's two resorts. the knowledge about those two resorts-Prayer and Sorrow- make men silent. Anyone has the freedom to cry. The very thought of the freedom to cry make us create opportunities to cry. This is how one feels sex towards sorrow. It is a sex relative to sorrow. Some migrate unconsciously to sex with sorrow from sex with body. As those who believe in sex with sorrow increases it becomes a hot selling consumer item. This is what guides economics. Thus connecting to many laws of beauty and sources of ideas there has been a flood of literary outputs in current literature. One can call it a mix of nuclei of ideologies. This mixing makes the modern literary hype richer."


The paragraphs are from his books

for more results www.mkharikumar.com

INTERVIEW WITH M K HARIKUMAR










Interview with Harikumar

What is the idea behind your very most popular and widely read column AksharaJaalakam?

It is an outpouring of my freedom. I was highly controlled by many ways ,in the past.you know , i was a main stream jounalist.So i have my own limitations.It was evident in my writings those days.I have to balance the things.
have a lot of friends in the literary world.My writing was blind in those days,, to an extend.I think that every writer is to be free in order to search and find out what is hidden in his mind.
This search is accidentally become creative.Whenever you find a good and correct thing in reading,you will be free.I am enjoying that freedom.

Now i have no inhibition to write something.a job may not prevent me in doing so.this reflects in the wide readership of Aksharajaalakam in Kala Kaumudi.I am getting at least two hundred calls every day , from various parts of the world.The readers actually enjoy it, without no mask.
I cannot attend every calls.I have to respond to many by emails.They are responding to my blogs and sites:mkharikumar,aksharajaalakam.blogspot,

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 32


ഒരു പാലക്കാടന്‍ ദൃശ്യം
ഫോട്ടോ : വിനോദ് പഴയന്നൂര്‍

Thursday, July 24, 2008

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 31

ഒരു അഷ്ടമുടിക്കായല്‍ ദൃശ്യം
ഫോട്ടോ : വിനോദ് പഴയന്നൂര്‍

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 30


മൂന്നാര്‍- കൊടെയ്ക്കനാല്‍ റൂട്ടിലെ ഒരു ദൃശ്യം
ഫോട്ടോ : വിനോദ് പഴയന്നൂര്‍

Sunday, July 20, 2008

പ്രണയം

പ്രണയം എന്നൊന്നില്ല.
പ്രണയത്തെപ്പറ്റിയുള്ള
സങ്കല്‍പ്പമേയുള്ളു.
പ്രണയിക്കാത്തവന്‍
പ്രണയ കവിത എഴുതും,
രതിയില്ലാത്തവന്‍ രതിക്കഥകളും.
പ്രണയം ഓരോ നിമിഷവും
സ്വയം ചതിക്കുകയാണ്‌
ഇതുപോലെ
പാരതന്ത്ര്യം മറ്റൊന്നിനുമില്ല.


Smoke

The bundles of smoke
rising from Chitha (cremeation)
revived the presence of
some Upanishads

During their steady ascent
and breaking apart
they branched in definite
directions

Emotional swings
on the wings of swans

Poems gushing
from metres

Music erupting from
symphonies

The futuristic painting series
songs of the past

All were repainting the
atmospheric expanse

Alas what was vanishing in the
fuming inferno was
the body of a comrade
who loved ideology
more than anything else

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 29


ഒരു കുട്ടനാടന്‍ ദൃശ്യം
ഫോട്ടോ : വിനോദ് പഴയന്നൂര്‍

Saturday, July 19, 2008

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 28


ഒരു മൂന്നാര്‍ ദൃശ്യം
ഫോട്ടോ വിനോദ് pazhayannoor

വെറുതെ

ഒരു വര കണ്ടു.

അതിലേ പോയി.

ചെന്നപ്പോള്‍ അത്‌ വരയല്ല, വിരയാണ്‌.

ഞെട്ടി തിരിച്ചു പോന്നു.

രണ്ടു കണ്ണുകള്‍ കണ്ടു.

നേരെ വച്ചു പിടിച്ചു.

കണ്ടതോ ? രണ്ട്‌ പുലിക്കണ്ണുകള്‍

എന്ത്‌ വേണമെന്ന് അറിയാതെ നിന്നത്‌ മാത്രം

ഓര്‍മ്മയുണ്ട്‌.

ഒരു ഉടല്‍ കണ്ടു.

താമസിച്ചില്ല, മോഹം തുടങ്ങി.

എന്നാലോ,

ഉടലില്‍ കയറി ചെയ്തതെല്ലാം

വെറുതെ,

ഉടല്‍ എന്നെ തിരിച്ചറിയുന്നുപോലുമില്ല.

Friday, July 18, 2008

ഓരോ ഭൂഗോളം

ഒരു കിളി വന്ന് പാടുകയാണ്‌.
ഒന്നുമറിയാത്ത ഈ ലോകത്തെക്കുറിച്ച്‌.
ഓരോ മനുഷ്യനും ഓരോ ഭൂഗോളം
സ്വന്തമാക്കാന്‍ ഓടുമ്പോള്‍
ഈ കിളിപ്പാട്ട്‌ ഒരു ചിരിയാണ്‌.

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 27


ഒരു അഷ്ടമുടിക്കായല്‍ ദൃശ്യം
ഫോട്ടോ :വിനോദ്‌

Thursday, July 17, 2008

നിഴലുകള്‍ മാത്രം.

ഓരോ നിമിഷവും നമ്മെ വിശ്വസിപ്പിക്കുന്നത്
ജീവിതം മറ്റെവിടെയോ
ആണെന്നും നമ്മള്‍ കാഴ്ചക്കാരാണെന്നും ആണ്‌.

എല്ലാം പഴയ നിഴലുകള്‍ മാത്രം.

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 26

ഒരു മു‌ന്നാര്‍ ദൃശ്യം
ഫോട്ടോ വിനോദ് പഴയന്നൂര്‍

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

ഒരു കഷായമാണ്‌.

മടുപ്പ് കയ്പ്പേറിയ

ഒരു കഷായമാണ്‌.

അതുകൊണ്ടാണ്‌ വെളുപ്പ്‌ ,

മടുപ്പില്‍ ശപിച്ച്‌,

എല്ലാം ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച്‌ സ്വയം കറുപ്പിക്കുന്നത്‌.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 25

ഒരു മൂന്നാര്‍ ദൃശ്യം
വിനോദ് പഴയന്നൂര്‍

ഒരു നക്ഷത്രത്തെ

ഇല്ലാത്ത ആകാശത്തില്‍

ഒരു നക്ഷത്രത്തെ തിരയുന്നത്‌

ജീവിതം പോലെ തന്നെ വിരസമാണ്‌

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 24


ഫോട്ടോ വിനോദ് pazhayannoor

Saturday, July 12, 2008

ഇല്ലാതെ.

വെള്ളം ഒഴുകുന്നു,

ഒരു ദുഃഖമോ

വിരഹമോ ഇല്ലാതെ.



Rain, wind and moonshine

Rain brought wind;
wiind brought moonshine
and moonshine brought wind
The fourth day of Nalacharitham.

In the backdrop of
the speech-less
deep dissatisfactions
of love,
the strands of rain
faltered to tell
some mystic secret

Drenched and dripping
the rain in its boiling passion
yearned to hold the wind
in its tight embrace.

Drinking the blood of moonshine
like an amorphous amoeba
the wind assumed
colossal proportions

The knights of moonshine
wearing the insignia of the
rain were getting wounded
in battles of jungle wind.

Rain lined up a thousand
guards to receive the sky
on its return from pilgrimage.

Disheartened by its vain search
of gods of wind
the moonshine finally fell
in love with rain.

Unaware about the gender
the rain opened up its heart:
“oh how long since we
had our journey together!
but we never recognized
each other”.

In the bygone past
I had had lives of a priest,
a parrot, a knight and
a banyan tree.
And what about you?

Gathering the pieces of
the different lives
I started painting
images of
surrealistic
existence;

There was my mother, my sisters
They all come alive
As I muse about the
gates where
I had fallen in love, romanced
and cried,

The dead souls
came back to life
as sunrays;

The wind turned into
a thousand souls
whispering to the leaves
the tales of my previous births.

They are taking nostalgic
shelter in twigs;
to escape from whom?
The daytime hunters, robbers,
or couriers of love?

When memories die down
the buzzing sound was not that
of cicadas;

The butterflies
were fleeing
at the sound of approaching
rain from afar.



I painted a few nudes
of wind;
A leaf from the memoirs
of moonshine
landed on the sprawling
shores of rain;

The symbolic images
of wind preferred to
keep aloof without
uttering a word;

Even that was poetic

The rain, moonshine
and the wind merged together
forming a single carpet;
the rain was blue,
wind was white
and the moonshine
was green.

When night came
rain emptied blue
and withdrew into
the skies as an oil
paint;

Wind was trying
to imitate the silence
of a primordial reptile
while the moonshine set out
on its covert
night pilgrimage.

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 21


photo vinod pazhayannoor

Friday, July 11, 2008

തവള ഒരു ശരീരമാകുന്നത്‌

ഒരു തവള ഒരു സമീചീനമായ

ലോകം ഉണ്ടാക്കുന്നു.

പ്രകൃതിയെ അത്‌ കീഴ്പ്പെടുത്തുന്നില്ല.

പ്രകൃതി അതിനൊപ്പമാണെന്ന് തിരിച്ചറിയാന്‍

കഴിയുന്നു.

മഴയോ വേനലോ എന്തുമാകട്ടെ,

അവയെല്ലാം അതിണ്റ്റെ വളര്‍ച്ചയെ

രൂപീകരിക്കുന്നു.

തവള ഒരു ശരീരമാകുന്നത്‌

വേനലും മഴയുംചേരുമ്പോഴാണ്‌.

മനുഷ്യനാകട്ടെ , സ്വന്തം ശരീരത്തില്‍നിന്ന്

പ്രിയപ്പെട്ടവരെയെല്ലാം,

മാറ്റി മറ്റൊരിടത്ത്‌ സൂക്ഷിക്കുന്നു

She

Not turning into the blue petals
of the jungle lilly
her eyes abandoned a poet

she had the least trust in the
eyes of the blue lilly
she never gazed on the eyes
when the deers sped past her

She didn’t have a veil on her face nor a
wedding thilak on her forehead
nor thali, bangles nor a chain around
her neck

She is neither the bloom of dawn
nor verses nor metaphor, nor love
nor passion

She is hunger
She is black
She is a vampire
She is a ghostly tree
of the dark night

She is neither a black beetle
nor a voluptuous eagle juggling with
mountains nor an alluring lake
quenching swans

She is eluding from peripheral delights
Choir singers are rushing to drag
her into churches
and scriptures
But naked, lonely and without anklets
she walked away
into the dense forests

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 20


photo vinod pazhayannoor

കറുപ്പ്‌ വേണം.

ആനകള്‍ക്ക്‌ കറുപ്പ്‌ വേണം.
കരിക്ക്‌ കറുപ്പ്‌ വേണം.
മേഘത്തിനും അത്‌ വേണം.
പേനയിലെ മഷിക്ക്‌ കറുപ്പ്‌ വേണം.
ചില പശുക്കള്‍ക്കും കറുപ്പ്‌ വേണം.
മനുഷ്യനും വണ്ടിനും തലമുടിക്കും വേണം അത്‌.
എല്ലാം കൊടുക്കാന്‍ നമ്മളാരാ?



Mist

The misty crest of Munnar melting apart
in to clouds, sky and ocean

It becomes whiter and whiter resembling
the ever-depressing sense of separation
and gets toned down in showers

In the township, the mist
is both spiritual relief
and refreshing for the tourists

Among the tall eucalyptus soldiers
who are yet to wake up from dreams,
the clusters of mist become puzzles

The epic expanse of the mist
escorts the well disciplined
regiment of tea plants parading on the slopes
The eucalyptus trees are like sentries
in the sacred woods of eternal love

The echo-point in the woods
keep on reverberating the words,
“I love you”
The wings of swans vanish
bidding adios

The nuptials of affections
dig tunnels into the past
where carcasses
of forbidden love lie scattered

The packets of “tata tea”,
the invisible embraces of Kannan Devan hills
stretching out from the green
slopes of Munnar

The abstractness of memories
vomited by pain and
the glistening wilds which
wipe away the fearsome grief

Now there is only mist,
the language, the ritual,
the religion and the god

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 19

photo vinod pazhayannoor

Thursday, July 10, 2008

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 18


photo vinod pazhayannoor

മഴപ്പെയ്ത്തില്‍

മഴയില്‍ കൂട്ടിച്ചേര്‍ക്കപ്പെട്ടത്‌
ഏത്‌ വര്‍ണമാണ്‌?
മഴപ്പെയ്ത്തില്‍ മരങ്ങളും
ചിലത്‌ കൂട്ടിച്ചേര്‍ത്തു.
മരങ്ങള്‍ അവിടെ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നെങ്കിലും
മഴയില്‍ അവ സ്വന്തം നിലയില്‍
ചിലതെല്ലാം ആവിഷ്കരിച്ചു.
അതിണ്റ്റെ ഭാഷ സംഗതമല്ല.
ചലനങ്ങളും സ്നാനവും
പുതിയ ഒരു ഭൂമിയെ കാണിച്ചുതന്നു.

Soap

The soap, which fell into the well,
was in search of a way out

It wanted to live till the last
Even after all the condolences and moaning
were over the soap was groping for an escape route
The detached approach to nature,
life in the transparency of water,
the invisible death,
all surfaced as bubbles
even as the soap was fast dissolving.

Its silent wailings too erupted as a bubble
The thickening innate silence of its heart
turned into thoughts

The watery grave and its solitude
were luring the soap and
then it got totally dissolved;
Not any more resorting to
Upanishads
as if it had exhausted
all options of sinning

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 17


photo vinod pazhayannoor

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

നക്ഷത്രങ്ങള്‍ക്ക്‌ മടുത്തു.

നക്ഷത്രങ്ങള്‍ക്ക്‌ മടുത്തു.

എന്നും ചിലരുടെ ആശയങ്ങളും

പ്രതീകങ്ങളുമായിരിക്കുന്നതുപോലെ

ബോറായി എന്തുണ്ട്‌!

ഒട്ടും കാവ്യപരമല്ലാതെ

ജീവിക്കാന്‍ പറ്റുമോ

എന്ന ചിന്തയിലാണ്‌ അവര്‍!

Rain, wind and moonshine

Rain brought wind;
wiind brought moonshine
and moonshine brought wind
The fourth day of Nalacharitham.

In the backdrop of
the speech-less
deep dissatisfactions
of love,
the strands of rain
faltered to tell
some mystic secret

Drenched and dripping
the rain in its boiling passion
yearned to hold the wind
in its tight embrace.

Drinking the blood of moonshine
like an amorphous amoeba
the wind assumed
colossal proportions

The knights of moonshine
wearing the insignia of the
rain were getting wounded
in battles of jungle wind.

Rain lined up a thousand
guards to receive the sky
on its return from pilgrimage.

Disheartened by its vain search
of gods of wind
the moonshine finally fell
in love with rain.

Unaware about the gender
the rain opened up its heart:
“oh how long since we
had our journey together!
but we never recognized
each other”.

In the bygone past
I had had lives of a priest,
a parrot, a knight and
a banyan tree.
And what about you?

Gathering the pieces of
the different lives
I started painting
images of
surrealistic
existence;

There was my mother, my sisters
They all come alive
As I muse about the
gates where
I had fallen in love, romanced
and cried,

The dead souls
came back to life
as sunrays;

The wind turned into
a thousand souls
whispering to the leaves
the tales of my previous births.

They are taking nostalgic
shelter in twigs;
to escape from whom?
The daytime hunters, robbers,
or couriers of love?

When memories die down
the buzzing sound was not that
of cicadas;

The butterflies
were fleeing
at the sound of approaching
rain from afar.



I painted a few nudes
of wind;
A leaf from the memoirs
of moonshine
landed on the sprawling
shores of rain;

The symbolic images
of wind preferred to
keep aloof without
uttering a word;

Even that was poetic

The rain, moonshine
and the wind merged together
forming a single carpet;
the rain was blue,
wind was white
and the moonshine
was green.

When night came
rain emptied blue
and withdrew into
the skies as an oil
paint;

Wind was trying
to imitate the silence
of a primordial reptile
while the moonshine set out
on its covert
night pilgrimage.

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 16


photo vinod pazhayannoor

Sunday, July 6, 2008

പ്രവൃത്തി

ഒരുവണ്റ്റെ ശരിയായ മതം
അവണ്റ്റെ വാക്കിലും
പ്രവൃത്തിയിലുമാണുള്ളത്‌.
ഒരുവണ്റ്റെ മതം
ഒരു മതഗ്രന്ഥത്തിലാകാനുള്ള
ഒരു സാധ്യതയുമില്ല.
മതമൊരു പ്രലോഭനമാണ്‌.
പ്രവൃത്തി യാഥാര്‍ത്ഥ്യവും.



Hands


They walked on
as if reciting some cosmic
postscripts in anguish

Paramu waved his hands
from behind attempting
to catch some thing from the air
in vain
Then the hands retreated
and went behind once again

Vasu’s hands were moving
in cautious slow motion
akin to that of a fat reptile
but he was not sure how to keep
his hands down

Because it was his hands
that had always helped him to
erase his agonies
It was those hands
which steadied him in troubles

Whenever he faltered
he managed to maintain his course
by waving his hands aimlessly
into ages

When Ravi waved backward
with spread fingers it was like rowing
The movement of his hands appeared as if
he was cuddling his appetite for mating with death

Alternatively entwining
the hands in the front and back
he stood at times probing
his immeasurable self

Krishnan waved both his right
and left hands back and forth
giving them vain
hopes of reconciliation


Though they swayed
like trapeze artists they had to retreat
as they filed to get the grip

All the four-Paramu, Vasu, Ravi and Krishnan-
were walking at the same speed
Their hands strolled into separate worlds

For Paramu, his hands supplied
the gadgets to cleanse
the blemish of his sins
It was those hands that
always lighted his pathway

Vasu’s hands were in a frenzied
quiver shivering like an epileptic

For Ravi , his hands
were an stranger woman
always numb as if they knew nothing

Like contented accomplices
returning after a successful robbery
Krishnan’s hands were looking again
for weapons in the void

They turned into a deserted
isle craving for freedom
and free will to kill

All the three were walking
absolutely insensitive
to the movement of their hands
even as the hands were waiting for
the earliest chance
to encircle them unawares

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 14


photo vinod pazhayannoor

ഓരോ നിമിഷവും

അയാള്‍ ഒരു വേഗമാണ്‌.
അത്‌ എല്ലാവരെയും നല്ലവരാക്കാന്‍
വൃഥാ സ്വപ്നങ്ങള്‍ നല്‍കുന്ന പദ്ധതിയാണ്‌.
ഓരോ നിമിഷവും ജീവിക്കാനുള്ള ആവേശം
എല്ലാവരെയും പ്രേമിക്കാന്‍ പ്രേരണയായി.
ഇവിടെ ,പക്ഷേ പ്രേമം ഇല്ലല്ലോ.
സ്വന്തം ആവശ്യങ്ങള്‍ വന്ന് വിളിക്കുമ്പോള്‍
ഒരു പ്രേമത്തെയും കൂടെക്കൂട്ടാന്‍ പറ്റില്ലല്ലോ!
എങ്കിലും അയാള്‍ ജീവിതത്തിണ്റ്റെ
ഓരോ പുലരിയെയും പ്രതീക്ഷയോടെ നോക്കുന്നു.


Smoke

The bundles of smoke
rising from Chitha (cremeation)
revived the presence of
some Upanishads

During their steady ascent
and breaking apart
they branched in definite
directions

Emotional swings
on the wings of swans

Poems gushing
from metres

Music erupting from
symphonies

The futuristic painting series
songs of the past

All were repainting the
atmospheric expanse

Alas what was vanishing in the
fuming inferno was
the body of a comrade
who loved ideology
more than anything else.

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ 13


photo vinod pazhayannoor

Saturday, July 5, 2008

ദിവസമൊരു ഫോട്ടോ 12

photo vinod pazhayannoor

ഉടലു മാത്രമാണ്‌

നമുക്കാര്‍ക്കും ജീവിക്കുന്ന
മുഖമില്ല.
നാമോരോ തൊഴിലിണ്റ്റെ
ഭാഗമായി സംസാരിക്കുന്നു.
എല്ലാം പറയുന്നത്‌ തൊഴിലാണ്‌.
അതിന്‌ ഉറപ്പ്‌ കൊടുക്കാനുള്ള
ഉടലു മാത്രമാണ്‌ നാം.
ബാങ്കിലോ മറ്റേതെങ്കിലും സ്ഥാപനത്തിലോ
ചെന്നാല്‍തയ്യാറാക്കിവച്ച
ഭാഷണം കേള്‍ക്കാം.
ഒരാളെ കാണാന്‍ കഴിയില്ല.
മനുഷ്യരെ അറിയാത്തപോലെ മനുഷ്യര്‍
പെരുമാറുന്നു.
'വേറൊന്നും ചോദിക്കാനില്ലല്ലോ. വന്നതിന്‌ നന്ദി'


Flowers yellow, leaves green

The poets were debating on the sequence of death;
Who died first whether the poet or the poem?
He stood there listening to the wailings
of both the poets and their verses

Inside there were chairs
with swollen belly,
tables that have gone crazy,
sensual shadows
and junk of books,
even as the sales and discussions
went on an on

Then he got scared of death
He was not ready to
become a corpse

Instantly he felt the urgency
of poetic metaphors
to break away from the confines
of the bookshop

In a trance he recalled the days when
snake charmers, poets and teachers
were suffering for want of lovers
It flashed back how the poetic talent
in his molecules began to blow apart
since ages

And how love was orphaned
denied of the right to survival and fortunes
The poet in him was born by chronicling
the erosion of culture and meanness of the past

He tried his best to see that the carcass
of his desires did not turn into poetic imageries

Meanwhile even his corpse
was on the look out for a safe haven
outside the world of verses
to avoid molestation,
and to escape from
the lusty glare of the poets

The trees and insects resorted
to futile rituals to possess
the life of poets
but got back nothing but grief

He couldn’t resist the temptation to
hold on to his moral right for existence
outside the realm of history.

The debate of the poets went on unabated
As the book of night remained wide open
they began unwrapping
the cartons of lust and liquor

Thursday, July 3, 2008

ഒന്നാണ്‌.

എല്ലാ വാക്കുകളുടെയും
അര്‍ത്ഥം ഒന്നാണ്‌.
എന്നാല്‍ ഒന്നായിരിക്കരുത്‌
എന്നത്‌ നമ്മുടെ വാശിയാണ്‌.

ദിവസം ഒരു ഫോട്ടോ11


photo mk

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

ചെയ്യാനില്ലെന്ന്

സ്വാതത്ര്യത്തിന്‌ വേണ്ടി

നാം അലറി വിളിക്കും.

എന്നാല്‍സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യത്തിണ്റ്റെ

കടല്‍ നമ്മുടെ മുമ്പില്‍ വന്നാലും

നാമത്‌ ഉപയോഗിക്കില്ല.

സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യം കൊണ്ട്‌ ഒന്നും

ചെയ്യാനില്ലെന്ന് മനസ്സിലാക്കിയത്‌

മലയാള എഴുത്തുകാരാണ്‌.



Posted by എം.കെ.ഹരികുമാര്‍ at 10:46
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Spearheading a Green Cause Today for a Better Tomorrow



But for a childhood pledge, he is taking a break from the rigours of routine work to spearhead the challenge of reclaiming the world's green cover. MK Harikumar renowned journo, poet and, critic launched his campaign at Garden City College on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti.hen MK Harikumar was in college in distant Kerala, he recalls a fascination for trees and regaling in nature's bounty. "I would turn to the leaves for my bookmarks and this gave me immense thrill," reminisces Harikumar. "Back home, everyone shared the same love for nature and this in many ways helped us bond as a family.


I guess it also contributed to my passion for writing." That Harikumar went on to pursue a degree in economics from DevaMatha College, Kuravilangad and finally passed out from Nirmala College, Muvattupuzha with MA degree in Economics is of less significance. It is his writings that have taken the centre stage and helped him move up the ladder -to be the bureau chief of a leading Malayalam daily, poet and writer - with eight. books to his eredit. But that Was then. Today, Harikumar is a worried man. A truth only betrayed by his modesty and gentle demeanor.

The onslaught on the environment not only in his own back yard (In God's own country), across other states like Karnataka and worldwide torment him a great deal.The journo turned environmentalist was in the city to kick- start a campaign of gigantic proportions besides seeking space to fulfill a unique venture- 'One Crore Trees Worldwide Campaign' spread across six continents. Now that is something that will take some doing. But even he could not have anticipated the kind of response he received in the city.

Stepping out to a grand reception at Garden City College (GCE), his dream got off to the best possible starts. Dr. Joseph. V. G., chairman GCC Group of Institutions bequeathed the land to officially kick-start the campaign on campus. More than 1000 saplings were earmarked for the beginning on a cool breezy Sunday morning, the festive mood all too apparent. Also, GCC announced its commitment to a greener planet by accepting to be a custodian of the 1000 trees as part of the deal besides supporting the crusade in planting the trees across the city. The significance of the announcement could not be missed coming on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi's 137th Birth Anniversary celebrations.

According to Dr. Joseph, the concern for the environment spans our entire institutions. "We are proud of our legacy as 'environmental caretakers' and feel that it is our duty to protect it because of what it has given us," he said. "If we inspire students to plant a tree, they in turn will inspire many others. In this way, Harikumar's venture makes sense," he added. On his part, as a global crusader, Harikumar will promote environmental conservation by creating awareness amongst students on the importance of planting trees as well as taking good care of them. "This is a symbolic beginning," he said. "This campus has literally been transformed into a green paradise. The flora offers an ideal learning environment even in a city that is witnessing massive chopping of trees. Recalling that the campus was barren land more than a decade back, it has been transformed and awash with greenery.

This shows how in our small ways we can help the city reclaim its past grandeur,” he noted.Harikumar understand this will be a different beat all together. "It is not going to be just a pledge," he said addressing the gathering that comprised college students. "This is something I have always dreamed of as a child and am happy it is becoming a reality.

The campaign is not just going to help protect the environment but should spur others to contribute their mite in safeguarding the environment," he informed the gathering giving a measure of the goals he has set out to achieve. To realise his goal, he is taking a break from his work and much of his writings will take a backseat. This phase of the agenda focuses on the planting of indigenous trees on public lands to enhance the impact of environmental conservation.Interestingly, Harikumar is not banking on government but a strong network of 'friends of the environment' that he has cultivated through the years in across various cultures, cities and countries."A host of individuals and institutions have made a commitment to see this venture through. What I am seeking is the space to plant the trees, nothing more," insists the poet. It is a challenge that could well bring him into the public Limelight- a Guinness world- record in the making. Or movement like the tree hugging Chipko movement.


May be the inspiration of the Green Belt Movement that won Kenya's Wangari Mathai the Nobel award! But the reserved Harikumar is not looking for glory. Neither is looking for accolades. Just fulfilling a love of trees for their importance in our lives and doing his part!Speaking of the importance of such a measure, the soft- spoken environmental crusader shared his views on the global state of the environment. "We are today witnessing the wanton destruction of green cover and this is not good for the present and future generations," he warned the gathering.

"We can rectify the mistakes that we have committed in the past by putting curbs on felling of trees and then make genuine attempts as a remedy through planting trees."His modus operandi is a simple one: With one crore trees to be planted across six continents as the target, to begin, he will first seek for land to plant the saplings. Once this is done, he will then acquire the saplings/ trees and elicit and a commitment from those involved be the custodians of the trees once they are planted. Places of worship, public spaces such as parks and educational establishments- schools, colleges etc will be the most sought after avenues. The venture commenced at Garden City College and will spread across the states before taking-off worldwide. Initially, the focus is on indigenous trees to enhance the impact of environmental conservation. However, there is no preferred species although fast growing trees suited for public spaces will take prominence.

According to Harikumar, the campaign is another addition to the efforts being made to conserve biodiversity, enhance natural beauty and prevent soil erosion. "I believe every country must sustain life naturally-forest cover affects the availability of rain, availability of underground water, soil fertility, clean air and the beauty of the landscape. At present, we are seeing a fast erosion of trees.I am looking at involving engaged in the campaign-promoting the planting of trees mainly in educational establishments, religious and public spaces to preserve local biological diversity."And rightly observed by one of the students at the function, it was heartening to listen to the inspiring talk and be part of the vision that could change the fortunes of a country.

"It is a worthy venture and I cannot express my happiness and the fact that my college has been chosen for the task," she added.As if to welcome the initiative, it was only natural that the there were more cheers as the city witnessed a massive rain after brief lull that put a check on the soaring mercury levels. The rain gods too seemed to have smiled and given their nod.A core trees for the world.

by julia steward
south african journalist
bangalore
Posted by എം.കെ.ഹരികുമാര്‍ at 10:17 PM




Tuesday, July 1, 2008

സത്യം

ഒരു വലിയ
സത്യമുണ്ട്‌:
സത്യം എപ്പോഴും അതിനെത്തന്നെ
അന്വേഷിക്കുന്നു എന്നതാണത്‌.
അതുകൊണ്ട്‌ സത്യം നമുക്കും
നിശ്ചയമില്ലാതാവുന്നു.

വാക്കുകള്‍.

എല്ലാ വാക്കുകളും
ഇന്ന് കൊള്ളക്കാരേപ്പോലെയാണ്‌.
ഏത്‌ നിമിഷമാണ്‌ ചാടിവീണ്‌
നമ്മെ പ്രഹരിക്കുകയെന്ന് അറിയില്ല.
ചിലപ്പോള്‍ വാക്കുകള്‍ നമ്മെത്തന്നെ ചതിക്കും.
അവ നമ്മിലുണ്ടാക്കുന്ന വിശ്വാസം
എത്‌ നിമിഷവും ദൂരെ വലിച്ചെറിയാവുന്ന
വിധമായിരിക്കും അവ സംവിധാനം ചെയ്തിരിക്കുക.
നമുക്ക്‌ വാകുകളേയുള്ളു.
വാക്കുകള്‍ നമ്മെ ഉള്ളില്‍ വഹിക്കുന്നില്ല.
പുറമേ നിന്ന് നമ്മുടെ
വിശ്വാസം നേടിയെടുക്കുക മാത്രം ചെയ്യുന്നു.
നമ്മള്‍ എപ്പോള്‍ അവയുടെ
പ്രതീക്ഷയ്ക്കൊത്ത്‌ ഉയരാതിരിക്കുന്നുവോ
അപ്പോള്‍ത്തന്നെ
അത്‌ നമ്മെ കാട്ടിലേക്ക്‌ വലിച്ചെറിഞ്ഞ്‌
ആശ്വസിക്കും.
എന്തൊരു നല്ല വാക്കുകള്‍. !