BRICKBATS AND BOUQUETS OVER THE POST ON JDANIEL

 

When one steps into creative writing and its publishing, brickbats and bouquets are the natural corollaries.

 You would be flooded and floored with brickbats on your venture - the tottering steps into the domain of publishing. What you present would be critically analysed and you would have the real image on how people look at you and take you on for your faults, foibles and failures.  

Bouquets will be far and few.

A writer writes - from experiences, visualization and imagination. It could be freewheeling.  It's a natural progression from a void to a crescendo. 

He presents from the innards. There would be passion and  emotion that drive him.

He derives from an urge that prods him on. 

The product is unveiled.

Then the writer looks for the brickbats. 

They reveal what people have truly in mind.

They advise you where you have erred according to their perception. 

And you are happy the brickbats have been turned on.

It helps you to look at you from their eyes. Something you cannot activate from within.

A true revelation that alone can make you blossom.

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The  earlier post on JDaniel had evoked a few excellent responses.

I present them.

The first was a phone call from Satyan J Kairana

who became the Principal of St Thomas a couple of years later.

He said the post was a true reflection of JDaniel and he was happy he could go through that.

Incidentally Satyan had won the President of India's award for the best teacher while he was in service. 

To me,  JDaniel certainly had deserved such an award. 

But I am sad no one had recognised him though he never craved for awards or recognition.

However, he remains and lives on in the minds of the countless number of his students  who have become what they are solely due to the sca he extended with love and affection. 

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Quoting the  second  from Sheila Paul, eldest daughter of JDaniel

"Thank you Lalachayen for this beautiful account as a tribute to Pappa. I was not aware of some of the details and have only a vague memory of some. This is precious for all of us. ❤️ I always wonder how we all lived so very happily in that house in HNR , always welcoming extended families who visited us. It was such a joy for us when we had someone like you, Saji and some of our other cousins and their children stayed with us for a longer period. Those were the lovely care free days, made so by Pappa and Ammachi’s strong faith and trust in our Lord that - Lord will provide.🙏🏻 My siblings always remember that in our childhood, our parents always made sure that we felt that we were on top of the world ! 🙏🏻 Thank you  for remembering Pappa so fondly on this day."

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The third is from a brilliant and highly competent person who has made it big in the world 

"Lalachayen, 

Appreciate your post on Danichayen. He was a much loved person in the family. He also opened his house to me. 

In all this praise, I fail to understand why a paragraph with negative connotation was dedicated to my father. It is out of place and unwarranted. Also fail to understand the irony of accepting Koshi Paul as  Babychayen but having a problem with J Daniel becoming Danichayen. 

Respectfully request every one on this group to refrain from talking negatively about anyone who has already gone on ahead of us.

Sorry if I offended you, but no rejoinder or justification is warranted."

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I loved  the virulent reaction. It reminded me of the commands of an era long gone by.

And as I said in the post, JDaniel became 'Uncle' to us solely because he wanted it that way. We obeyed him. It was unfair if anyone wanted us to disobey him. 

As for 'Babychayan' instead of Koshy Paul, a name I had not mentioned anywhere in my script, there had been no irony. We had been structured by our parents to address him 'Babychayan'.  We were just obeying our dear parents on that when we were in an impressionable age.

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While I thanked Satyan J Kairana profusely over phone, I had sent a 'Thank you message' for two responses. I left the fourth alone.

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There had been a fourth response as well.

 It is from an eminent person who has done extremely well in life

"Pappa felt the use of uncle had a very distant western feel to it and trained us to address all his family as Mummy, Pappa, achayen, ammama and so on... that was his love for each member of his family which he wanted us to feel and convey too. 

Danichayen loved each of us as his own,  we spent quite a few summers with him at honnavar or hubli,  wonderful times of joy  and laughter. 

Appachen and ammachi were with us in Hubli before Appachen went to be with the Lord, ammachi continued with us in Secunderabad too, much after Anish was born too, till she said she wants to go to honnavar.  She lived for a year or so thereafter under the loving care of Danichayen and Animmama. 

Truly exemplary and inspiring"

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I am indeed happy there have been frank responses.

That too from people of high intellect.

I am grateful for that

I look forward to more and more responses.

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