His life, his story...

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Actor, director, scriptwriter, lyricist and producer Balachandra Menon had been on a forced hiatus and now cherishes every moment of the life he leads today, including the spirit of Onam.  These days, he finds happiness in every moment, every small thing, like never before. It is not just the very thought of celebrating another Onam after braving a critical medical condition alone that lights up his mind and thoughts. These days, he finds pleasure in everything like never before. “I’m happy seeing the sun rise, every day,” says Menon.He confesses that when he was battling the illness, which ate into his mental and physical being last year, he never thought about Onam. “It was a critical phase of my life. And I was not in a situation to think about anything, let alone Onam.”But it was not the illness alone that kept him away from the limelight. “I have had some bitter experiences from some people whom I trusted a lot. I grew scared of people. Coupled with that, I was weakened by my physical condition.”He has come out of it all and has started viewing things in a new perspective. But, his views on Onam remain unchanged. “I find Onam colourless, tasteless, odourless...It has been like that for several years”, he puts it straight. The reason being he has seen and celebrated Onam in its true flavour as a young boy of 5 or 6 – at his parents’ homes in Ambalappuzha and Aluva.Menon is very much disturbed seeing the Onam celebrations now. “As a child, there is purity in our thoughts and actions. Then it is easy for us to consider others as our equals. Something which is reflected in the good old song ‘Maveli Naadu Vaanidum Kaalam..”. But, as we all grow up, you become corrupt. You tend to exploit the festival. What is actually significant about Onam is lost. Onam becomes pale as years pass by,” Menon bluntly says, adding, “Many people might agree with my view that the charm of Onam is lost. Knowingly or unknowingly, we are spoiling the spirit of Onam.”Menon has been a witness to the feudal set up of the yore - the relation between a  landlord and tenant. He remembers with clarity the tradition of the tenant coming with the ‘Onakazhcha’ for the landlord who in turn would give him the ‘Onakkodi’. “There was something about the subservience of the tenant. Today Onam is a big trade centre. Every other item that comes out in the market leans heavily on Onam”. Therefore, he tries to find Onam elsewhere. “In the capital city, Onam is synonymous with illumination along the roadsides. I really cherish going around in my car during that time. It is that time when people from the city’s outskirts and rural areas flock to see the lights and join in the revelry. I try to find Onam in the balloons and other stuff they buy. There is a special glee in their eyes as they move along the road, carrying it all...”Something, rather, somebody, he misses deeply these days is his dear friend Venu Nagavally who passed away on September 9 last year. “We used to be very close and even sat for hours discussing about many things. But once he became a director, there was little communication. As time passed by, I happened to hear that he was not keeping well. And one fine day, I got a call from him. That was the renewal of a long lost relationship. We went back to the good old times we had together. After sometime, while I was recuperating in Hyderabad, I got a call saying Venu was no more. I froze, standing there. September 9 this year is Thiruvonam. And I fondly remember him this Onam”.