Little Anna

Ochappan travelled far and beyond, hand in hand with Ittikalan & Little Anna. But this is Anna’s story.

Her journey began from South aiming North. From a remote yet beautiful village on the shores of Arabian Sea to a metropolitan without a shore.

She is a village lass, with lots of dreams and aspirations. Here, brothers give a helping hand for their sister to learn segway, while there brother and father helped her learn cycling. But her world wasn’t bounded within four walls. As she cycled into the wider world, Anna had to endure catcalling, jeerings and whistling.

Apparantly, she belongs to a traditional Christian family; stringent boundaries and norms. Its labourers and migrants who cycle? Why should a Little girl cycle? Afterall she has No need to learn skills that is not needed. One day, she may be married to a well-to-Do family.

Stubborn little girl never gave up. Although her underwear was visible, while on wheels, she didn’t stop pedalling. At the beginning, she fell again and again; passerbys booed; girls chuckled, yet she persisted and eventually her father noticed, ”She could cycle, at last!”

Next chapter was eduction. She excelled in physics and maths. Since, she had a sophisticated Mercy from noble upbringing, every soft attempt was made to make her stop studying. There were dishes to be cleaned, dog that needed to go out for walk, chicken to be slaughtered, dog that needed a bath. But for her, she juggled; studies first and everything else next. She managed thanks to her family, friends and acquaintances and sometimes even strangers. If a stranger can bring a reliable, practical solution for her problems, and help complete the task efficiently, why not?

Education helped her, life experiences gave her joy as well as heartache but also resilience and strength; it prepared herself physically, mentally and spiritually towards ’What was to come next’.

Next chapter in her life was alliance & childbirth. Thanks to her productivity, good looks and good brains. Back then, she was the poster child of the nuns’ community under whom she studied. They eagerly sought after New faces into their order. Political changes then challenged their authority in welfare and they were in dire need of many newcomers. Wasn’t little Anna going to be the perfect nun?

But her father refused; he was shrewd, bersk and practical, yet had a brain and vision of his own. When everyone around him produced mega families, he did the contradictory- only 2 children. Why not follow the trend? He may have been tempted to follow the flow or may have respected/feared his ever demanding wife. So, he took practical mon-clinical measures to keep birthrate low . Not 5,7, or 14. Only 2. Luckily God blessed him with both sexes: a boy and a girl. He gave them both education that he couldn’t for himself: both were trained to be teachers in diverse Fields: one in botany and zoology whilst Anna in physics and mathematics. My girl shall not be limited within the four walls of chastity, within any order. She must go out beyond the loving yet protective convent environment, use her skillset, the right way and eventually multiply.

Education helped her, life experiences gave her joy as well as heartache but also resilience and strength to drag Ochappan’s perambulator, alone in one of the heavily populated metropolitan in the world. From a well settled agrarian roots, how did Anna become a seasoned traveller?

Failed marriage, folklore and Destiny. With Ochappan on her toes , in an environment very foreign to her, how did she cope in her Journey alone , despite despire, hopelessness and all sorts of negativities? Despite introverted uterus, she concieved and delivered. She says, ”Every men and every woman and every LGBTQ is a beautiful mix of many parameters. And human have capacity to plug and play. No science can find an absolute nature of a being. Because Nature is shaped in such a way that there is good, thereis bad & something in between within all.”

”Even through they are so many kilometers away from me, I know my Field of specialisation. Yet it is Nature where I find courage especially after every shortcoming and disappointments.”, she says.

Together, the three or the two walked, hand in hand , from south to west then north east, again south, then north, then south East. Occasionally, their ways parted, yet Ochappan hopes that they reunite and multiply, and reach a happier place with happy little ones .