It’s a story that Malayalis who live all over the world
will draw close to their hearts.
For every Malayali who lives in a foreign country,
who is working hard to put down roots there,
this could look like a personal experience.
The greatest tragedy that can befall an expatriate
is the loss of his individuality.
MT sketches the doubts and hopes that an emigrant feels
through the eloquent silences in this entertaining story.
Wafting over the Thaannikkunnu hill
And over the banks of the silvery Nila river
O come to me, my lonely dreams
As you wander continually over my mindscapes
Wafting over the Thaannikkunnu hill
Did you sleep on the flight?
A bit.
You’ve lost a lot of weight.
Rest well for a few days.
We’ll sort out everything after that.
It turns dark here by eight.
That’s how it is in winter.
Put your suitcase down there. Your room is upstairs.
We’ll take it up later.
Hello Sherlock!
This is Balu.
Balu, here’s Sherlock.
Have your dinner now. You can have a bath later.
I’m not that hungry. I’d like to have a bath.
Your room is upstairs. I’ll show you.
Do you want me to carry the suitcase?
Oh no! I’m still healthy enough to do that!
Keep your suitcase down here.
I’ve cleared half the rack,
so you can hang your clothes here.
The bathroom’s on the other side.
Have a bath and come down.
This flight is very convenient.
You can have dinner go to bed and wake up feeling fresh in the morning.
That's enough, Chechi.
Jayant will come this week.
He’s free from Thursday to Sunday.
It’s a long weekend.
In San Jose, at the other end of America,
a flight of nearly eight hours.
- Some more? - I’ve had enough.
- Sure? - Yes.
You can wash your hands. That’s the powder room.
- Do you need anything else? - No.
Then come. Let’s sit over there.
I have a meeting tomorrow, so I can’t take leave.
But I can get back early.
Is your office far from here?
An hour and 15 minutes.
That’s not considered much of a distance here.
It’s Jayant who named him Sherlock.
Sherlock Holmes is Jayant’s favourite detective.
We got him last winter.
One night, we heard a scratching sound at the door and opened it.
he darted in to escape the cold,
climbed up on the sofa and curled up there!
He keeps me company now when I’m on my own.
It’s a big relief.
Is Kuttimama, our younger uncle, in better health now?
I sent some money for his daughter’s wedding.
I didn’t hear from anyone after that.
He’s better, but he still can’t travel.
There was a marriage proposal for our elder sister Valiechi’s daughter, Ammu from here.
They asked me to make enquiries about the boy.
He had a reasonably good job.
Did they fix the marriage?
I don’t know. No one said anything to me.
Valiechi is still angry with me.
It would surprise me if they are not angry with you!
Don’t worry, he has no claws.
When he started jumping over the furniture, his claws made marks all over it.
So Jayant took him to the veterinary hospital
and had his claws removed surgically.
Everyone does it here. It’s not painful.
The claws never grow again.
I’m going to bed, I’m very tired.
You can sleep late tomorrow.
I leave very early.
We do things differently here. Come, I’ll show you.
To heat food, put it on a plate and keep it in here.
Press this button
and you’ll hear a beep when the food is hot,
you can take it out then.
The cereal and bread are in here.
Everything else is in the fridge.
Take out whatever you want.
- Okay, good night. - All right. Good night.
Don’t Balu!
Couldn’t you have slept longer?
I’m used to doing all this in winter.
You cannot even imagine how cold it can get here.
You’ll find some winterwear of Jayant’s in the house.
I'm off.
I’ve left a note for you on the fridge.
Read it carefully.
What are your plans? Are you going out?
No, I’m not going anywhere.
There are books inside or you can write about…
your impressions of America!
Okay. See you.
Good morning, Sherlock!
The front door keys are under the statue of Nataraja.
Keep the laundry room door open all the time.
Sherlock’s food bowl and his poop box are in there.
Hi Balu, how was your day?
- Good. - First, a tea. Then we’ll go out.
I have to get some things from the supermarket.
Hi Sherlock, did you miss me?
How was your meeting?
Just the usual.
We’ll discuss your job when Jayant comes.
We’ll try to get you a fellowship as well.
I must do something, I can’t sit idle.
There’s so much you can do with your qualifications.
In America, only people who work hard can be successful.
Work hard, the sky’s your limit!
Go for a walk now and then.
This is a safe neighbourhood.
There’s a lake nearby.
Our friends always say that we were really lucky to find this house.
Get ready, let’s go.
- Do you want anything? - No.
Jayant will be here by night the day after tomorrow.
When I’m alone for months, it’s a comfort to see
a living creature scurrying around the house like this.
How long will Jayant’s project in San Jose go on?
At first he said a few months.
It’s been almost a year now.
Who knows?
I’ve begun talking to Sherlock when I’m alone.
Shouldn’t I hear my own voice now and then?
Just taste this.
Do you know his full name?
Sherlock Holmes Shinde!
He won’t even look at food that’s cooked at home.
He eats only cat food bought at the supermarket!
Nor will he touch anything that’s bought on discount.
He knows it’s old stock from the way it smells!
The only country where cats don’t steal and eat.
America!
You are right.
Sherlock, you may go.
Get out, Sherlock!
Get out!
Balu?
I fell asleep for a while.
Here’s your coffee.
What did you do all day?
Nothing much.
Rest well. Your health will improve
That’s the reason I insisted you come here.
Jayant has a collection of wine bottles in the basement.
It’s his hobby.
He has a register for all his wines.
We buy liquor only when we have guests.
We drink rarely,
and only wine.
I didn’t want to keep any drinks up here
because I didn’t want you to feel tempted.
I’ve stopped.
Didn’t I write and tell you that, Chechi?
People stop and start again.
Valiechi told me why the Deccan Herald office wouldn’t confirm your job.
Why would anyone appoint a person who’s always in a drunken stupor?
If you want to stay here, you have to work hard.
Whatever your field, you cannot survive here unless you work hard.
America is no Heaven!
I know.
I told your Kumarettan I’d get him a green card
You know that, right?
Yes, I’ve heard.
He said the month he spent here was like being in prison.
His complaint was, there were no human beings on the road, only vehicles!
What was worse...
You must listen to this.
Valiechi and Malechi accused me of having committed a crime!
Because his ultimatum was, if one couldn’t live in a place without
learning how to drive, there was no way he would ever live there!
Kumarettan is a professor in a college now.
Good for him!
Let’s go out for dinner, to the Chinese restaurant nearby.
I don’t feel like cooking today.
Here you go. Thank you so much for coming.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
These are fortune cookies.
It’s a Chinese custom. Open and see.
It’s fun for children.
Come, let's go.
'Great things happening'.
Aryambadath Balakrishnan has arrived in America!
Wretch! What do you expect to see here?
Sherlock, get out!
Sherlock, you can leave!
How far did you walk?
A short way, up to the market.
Jayant will be here at nine.
His flight lands at 7:30.
I bought some fish on my way back.
Jayant loves our Malabar-style fish curry.
I’ll have a quick bath.
I bought a bottle of wine as well.
Just wipe these.
Jayant must have landed.
Hi Jayant, on time?
Jayant is not coming.
He’s too busy.
Go and eat. The food will grow cold.
I don’t want anything. I've a bad headache.
I won’t give you any, since you’ve stopped drinking.
Eat and go to bed.
Okay. Thank you.
It’ll work out. Be patient.
I’ve been talking to several people.
I wanted to rescue you, that’s why I sent you a PTA and got you your ticket.
Two thousand dollars is no small sum.
But it’s three months since I came.
Even a small job would do.
I’m tired of sitting idle like this.
Do you want some dollars?
Well, if you want to go out…
We had no problems until Jayant went to San Jose.
Now we have two houses to maintain. There’s the mortgage as well.
At the end of the day, we’ve hardly any savings.
From San Jose, Jayant.
No, he said he would call if he was coming.
Let him finish all his work.
Give me that plate.
Once the snow goes, the cherry trees will start to blossom.
This place will look really beautiful then.
This region is called the Pearl Buck country.
When Jayant comes, we’ll go and see Pearl Buck’s place.
Mala Chechi, why didn’t you pick up the phone when I called yesterday?
The phone wasn’t working.
It’s raining heavily here.
What’s all the news, Balu?
Nothing special.
I’ll stay a month longer.
If nothing comes up, I’ll come back to Kerala.
Be patient.
She took so much trouble to get you over.
I don’t mind being alone.
But that cat!
It follows me all the time!
I’ve made an offering at the Guruvayur temple, it will all work out.
Put the phone down now. Don’t waste money.
Cigarettes.
Four dollars, please.
Anything else?
Smirnoff, a bottle.
11.75.
Stay on your side!
Can you give me a cigarette please?
Thank you.
Do you want a drop?
Sherlock,
do you want a drop?
Sherlock...
now you too have broken rules!
How will you let Chechi--
Your mistress, into this secret?
I’ll give you another drop. Don’t ask for more.
you must learn Malayalam.
Ma-la-ya-lam!
What do you know about this youngest of my older sisters, this Kochechi of mine?
This Kochechi, who speaks English through her nose, it was she who brought me up.
You...
who have learnt how to read even thoughts, you’ll understand.
In the old days, we didn’t have a latrine in our house.
So, as a child, I had to stand guard over this Kochechi,
whenever she went to relieve herself behind the snake shrine on the hillside.
Jayant Shinde, the Bombay-vala who taught you how to spy.
when Kumarettan arrived for Kochechi’s wedding with the bridegroom’s retinue,
in his white full-sleeved shirt and a gold-bordered dhoti,
it was I, this Balakrishnan who washed Kumarettan’s feet.
You know my language.
You’re just pretending that you don’t.
Tell me, is Jayant a finer fellow than our Kumarettan?
Where shall we hide this, Mr. Sherlock Holmes?
we’re going to have lunch together today.
We’ll settle all scores today!
India, China, Burma, Thailand...
there are many countries outside America...
where people eat this.
Cats there eat it too.
Therefore, cats raised by Indians can eat it as well.
Rice!
It is for rice that the Indian prays to God.
We’ll go halves on the last few drops.
In our arrack shops, we call them the lucky drops.
I’ll give you some on condition that you eat this rice.
Now you too know how a bribe tastes.
That shows how clever we Indians are!
Go, have a look at the outside world and come back.
Go out for a walk, Mr. Holmes!
Sherlock, little one, don’t you know, this is me! Come!