In my early childhood, I had a taste of drawing pictures onto my house walls with charcoal.  It had helped forgetting punishments from my parents.  They would make me wash the charcoal lines using water.  When they realized that I was unable to stop drawing, my father gave me advice about the cleanliness of house walls.  Then I began to draw on papers with lead pencils.  Once my father bought a box of different colour cakes for me.  I am unable to describe the pleasure, which I felt at that time.

One day I saw a Malayalam book at home, which had been brought by my father. He used to read books. But he was not a constant reader.  I was studying in a primary school.  I read the book.  I could understand that I was able to read non-curriculum books also.  Alternatively my father brought books and he knew that I was reading the books he brought. But he did not hinder my reading.  Some books were kept away from my sight.  Slowly I could understand that those were only for adults.  I had had the anxiety for reading such books.  Fearing the punishment of my father I did not try to take those books from his safe custody.

Day by day the taste of reading was becoming uncontrollable.  After primary education I was sent to the far away high school.  I had to walk daily six miles to and fro.  So many pupils were going to the same school.  I could understand that there was a big library near.  I became a member of the library.  So I could read a lot of books.  I waited impatiently for the coming Saturday and Sunday.  I read class texts rarely.  I did not attend my home works.  So I could get punishments from my teachers.

The craze of reading had influenced me a lot. After matriculation I could have gone for college studies.  I was reluctant.  I wanted to get  a job and read books in leisure.  For a matriculate getting a job was not an easy thing.  My father took me to a private Art School from where I could get good practice in drawing.  Then I attended a government examination and gained certificate in Art. First I worked as a drawing master.  Then underwent for teacher’s training course and became a regular teacher.  It helped me a lot reading Malayalam and English books. In between I had started writing poems.  Then turned to writing stories.  In Malayalam and English I wrote.  For writing a short story in Malayalam, it took only one or two days.   In English it took more than one month.  But yet I was a lover of English language.  I was unable to stop writing of English.

I used to send Malayalam stories to periodicals.  My first story was published in Kaumudi Weekly, which was run by celebrated writer and orator late K. Balakrishnan. It was a pleasure giving occurrence to me.  I cannot forget that event.

Up to his death my father had been proud of my artistic abilities.  He had thought that I was a great artist and a writer.  In fact I have had parted from my drawing works years ago.  I continue writing.

If I was willing I could have passed a degree examination and I could got a post graduation. In my good ages I thought that those were a waste of time. I wanted to read books using my leisure times. So I remained a matriculate.

Eighteen of my works in Malayalam have been published in Kerala.  But I felt I have not got the deserving consideration from the part of Malayalam critics.  In this seventies age, I expect good responses from English Readers.

Joy J. Kaimaparamban is the author of The Ayurvedic Healer, a novel published by Copperhill Media. For further information log on to his blog at http://www.kaimaparamban.com.