Dec 28, 2011

A Sherlock Fan’s Christmas

Before directly entering into the Christmas tale that I have in store for you, let me first inform you a story that my sincere bike also will be delighted to see it shared with all my friends . Following 20,000 kilometers, and 30,000 kilometers, my bike surpassed the boundary of 40,000 kilometers. Very proud moment, huh? Here is the photograph of the unique moment.


Now to the story. Please don’t expect anything thrilling in its content motivated by the title. This post is all about letter writing. This Christmas I received plenty of letters. Not emails, or SMS texts, but neatly handwritten ones; and they were love letters. 

Commemorating Christmas, at office, we had a funny event called, secret friend. You also can pick a friend from many lots, just the way you are picked up from the same lots. Then you can start writing letters to your friend keeping your identity concealed. Similarly, you also will be getting letters from the person who is supposed to be the one picked the lot on which your name was written.

I did not get any letter from my friend, since that person was away from the office, as I came to know later. But, lately someone assuming the name Jerry, began to write letters to me. Tom & Jerry together make a good familiar combo, don’t they? I wrote replies, and I was getting replies from Jerry promptly. While that cat and mouse game was on the go, another letter appeared in the letter box addressing me. This time it was from a person with a fake name Annamma.

Annamma is a traditional Syrian Christian name. It is originated from the common Christian name Anna. You will not find an Annamma anywhere in the world except in Kerala. Nowadays, this name is so rare in Kerala that you can find only elderly grandmas bearing the same name; because modern people name their children with more modernized versions like Anne or Annie. 

Annamma’s was a pure love letter. The letter expressed the writer’s wish to touch and caress my curly hair. I first suspected a boy who sits close to my seat behind the letter. However, I replied inviting her to come and caress my hair, and I had assured her in my letter that my hair was properly washed with shampoo, so that her finger would move through the curls with ease. I expressed my hairs’ intense wish to get caressed by her fingers. It seemed to me that Annamma was got scared reading my letter. Anyway, she didn’t write anything after that.

The letter from Annamma was made popular in my workplace by my colleagues. It seemed to me that the anonymous Jerry was got demotivated seeing the popularity of the letter from Annamma. But, suddenly one day, I got a letter written in Hindi, from a never-heard never-known girl called Meena Kumari

Meena Kumari was very flirty. She addressed me with such nice terms, like sugar candy, honey, and the names of some unknown eatables that taste sweet. Though not fluent in Hindi, I replied her with the help of my colleagues in the same punch and manner. When she asked me for a Taj Mahal, I offered her a full moon itself. When I asked her about her religion, since marriages between people of same religion are more likely to happen in the conservative Kerala society, she expressed her willingness to convert to Christianity. When she looked a little worried about my well known alliance with Annamma, I consoled her saying that Annamma was just my friend, but Meena Kumari was my everything.

Through the gap created by Meena Kumari, Jerry also popped up its head. Though was inactive for sometime, he (or she?) again continued writing letters. 

In the end, everything came into light. Meena Kumari, Jerry, and Annamma confessed to the crimes that they committed on the gift exchange day. Surprisingly, all were girls! Before the revelation day, Jerry was caught through my deduction method, which was partially influenced by the Sherlockian techniques. I identified her through her handwriting and the way she writes. Anyway I was very much thankful to them for the love letters they wrote, because I hadn't received anything of such nature previously.

Everything finished. No love letters now. But still you see a forsaken lover wandering through the corridor where letter boxes were placed earlier, hopefully searching for any new letter that came late, from any of those girls. 

Note: The title is inspired from Agatha Christie’s, ‘Hercule Poirot’s Christmas’

In Picture 2: Second portion of a love letter written by composer Ludwig van Beethoven on July 6, 1806. The letter was addressed to an unknown woman.

18 comments:

  1. Oh, I was so excited that you had found true love at last. Well, at least you have some lovely letters to keep. I can't remember when the last time was that I got a handwritten letter, especially a love letter. Those kinds of things are all too rare these days.

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  2. handwirtten letter ahh nostalgia ..

    All the best my friend sooon you will have everything

    Bikram's

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  3. Thats really marvellous to get handwritten letter as it has been obsolete nowadays because everybody sends email. Very beautiful and touching post.

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  4. It was nice to see a super excited Tom wandering around the corridors with suspicious eyes... searching for the letters and the lovers.
    - Half of Jerry :) :) :)

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  5. Nice exchanges in concealed mode though not lacking in the thrill of deciphering who they could be.
    A funny game to play.
    Thanks for the visit

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  6. Ok. There is only one thing I want to know. Where is this wonderful place you're working where you get to play such fun? (Anna pls help! I too haven't received any love letters :/)

    Please don't disappoint me saying it's a postoffice.

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  7. Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
    But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
    To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night,
    To know the pain of too much tenderness.
    To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
    And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
    - Khalil Gibran

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  8. Wish you and your family a very Happy New Year.

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  9. Wow, you are so lucky to have so many girls write love letters to you. I am sure you must have been on the top of the world then. Anyway, this is really a strange game you play at office. I heard of Secret Santa but Secret Friend is very naughty.

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  10. To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
    And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
    - Khalil Gibran
    powerful words indeed..
    tomz bhai...thanks yar..best wishes

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  11. Annamma requests Achappams...Jerry wants some original Gouda cheese(not the Amul one) and Meena Kumari wants a train whistling in the background while you praise her delicate feet in Urdu...they may then be inclined to write to you again. Hilarious your real or imagined antics sure are. :)

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  12. Dear Tomz,
    I liked that story! To get hand-written letters is so much better than emails (though emails are better than nothing :-), and not knowing who the writer is makes it even more thrilling.
    Everybody would recognize my letters at one glance: I write with purple ink (very seldom I use turquoise).
    The name "Annamma" is beautiful - in Germany we have the name "Annemie" (an abbreviation of Annemarie).
    Well - now that you know who wrote the letters I hope you will not sit back and play the violin - look at those girls and maybe you can go out with the one you like - always remember: there is no smoke without fire, and nobody will write you such letters without being a bit interested.
    So I don't have to be a fortune-teller to see that your 2012 will be a good one - which I wish you with all my heart. Britta

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  13. 40000 : A proud moment indeed!

    Happy 2012! :)

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  14. Oh what a lovely story! I love your writing style! A style usually reveals the writer's personality. As Britta has mentioned, "Look at those girls and may be you can go out with one you like"! Possibly!!
    Wishing you all the best for 2012! And thank you so much for your visit and commenting the other day.

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  15. @hello Walk2write

    Yes I got some lovely letters to keep, that too in the handwritten form..surely delightful

    @Bikramjit

    Yeah..handwritten letters have become truly a nostalgia..thank you for the wishes

    @Urmi

    Obsolete..? yes in a way..but I call it negligence ..thanks fr the comment

    @Poornima

    Thank you..I gave u some opportunity for chuckling rite?

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  16. @parthasarathi

    It seems that u also have same game in ur workstation? really a nice game, isnt it?e visit

    thnks fr the comment and ur webspace is a really delightful one

    @Vijay

    Its not absolutely a post office..i will tell u where is this place..but i dont know if u too will get love letters here..because here love letters are given to only those persons who do not want them..like me..hehehe:D

    @anonymous..

    Thanks fr ur anonymity..i know who u are..:D thanks for quoting one of my fav writers Gibran..

    @Urmi

    Thnak you Urmi

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  17. @rachna

    This is actually Secret Santa, though we call it secret friend

    @rameshji

    this page shud have been dedicated to Khalil Gibran..He has certainly imposed something on the mind of the readers

    @Rek

    I dunno, or I actually forget what were their favorite delicacies..but I am delighted to learn that u actually know what an Achappam is..

    and they are not imaginary, but real stories..:)

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  18. Dear Britta

    I am truly surprised to learn that such beautiful variants of Annamma(Anne) are popular in your country..and it is quite a new knowledge that purple and turquoise are more frequently used in ur country while writing letters. We have, blue, black, red and green inks here..thanks fr the wonderful comment..I am reading it over and over again

    @Chandrika

    Thank you chandrika..wish u the same..happy to see u again here after nearly one year

    @Sapphire

    Thank you for the visit..I like your critical comment..rather than enjoying the read, a step further, u tried to analyse the writer's personality..but to tell the truth, my writing style (as I believe) is one that attempts to cover (at least partially, though unsuccessful) my true personality

    thank you. more visits appreciated..

    ReplyDelete

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