Once upon a time, in a
land that is your present, there existed a kingdom. A kingdom named ‘Trophycus’. In that kingdom,
according to the revered yet secretive laws of the land, the status of a
plebeian was decided based on the number of trophies his family could garner
and showcase in their cemented abode. The social acceptability, repute and
honour of the ‘Trophycus’ clan, depended solely on the quantity of trophies
glistening in their shelves. I belong to ‘Trophycus’.
Like every other house,
our house too had a main room or as I call it, the drawing room. The drawing
room had a big diwan strategically
placed to get the best view of the television, a brown sofa, two nilkamal chairs and one big cabinet. A big cabinet of trophies, big and small. Being the only child in the family till the
age of 8, the task was bestowed upon me to fill up the shelves with the fruits of
my victories. The cabinet was divided ‘generation’ wise. The lowest storey held
the trophies and medals that my grandfather won. Trophies so old, that they
resembled the artefacts collected from a lost ship. The latest addition and the
only shining piece was the medal he won for winning a game of carrom in his company’s
anniversary celebration in 1981. The
next row, contained the metallic accolades that my father and his two siblings managed
to acquire. Trophies ranging from ‘Best Student M.Sc (Physics)’ to ‘2rd
Prize Javelin throw’ to even ‘Complimentary prize Fashion Show Year 1983’ were
all part of this row. The above mentioned three, won by my father. I was a
proud daughter who had to accomplish a colossal feat and usurp the record
maintained by my father.
When I was born, the
top shelf was cleaned and the show pieces that had been a substitute till now
were removed, except for the giant face of Kathakali
because you are not a Malayalee family, until you have one of those on your
shelf. I was the rightful heir of that tier and I had been assigned the mammoth
task of filling it up. Fill, I did!