Eyes Speak Volumes

Prajna Prasad Sravan Kumar

Really eyes speak volumes! If you don’t believe, read the story of Priya – the overnight internet sensation.

Few days back, Priya Prakash Varrier was just like any other girl-next-door you did know but thanks to the era of social media and hashtags and that beautiful and spontaneous blink of her expressive eyes that made her an overnight internet sensation.

The viral video clip of the song “Manikya Malaraya  Poovi” of the upcoming Malayalam movie “Oru Adaar Love” has added fillip to the already charged and love soaked hearts during this Valentine’s week celebration and helped  Priya to conquer millions of hearts across geographical boundaries. Through the mischievous flirts inside the classroom, the girl from a little village of Thrissur district in Kerala has really justified the literary meaning of her name and has now become a rage and nation’s new crush and beaten the likes of Sunny Leone and Deepika Padukone to become the most googled celebrity. This awesome transformation simply glorifies the fact that eyes speak volumes.

Being a beholder of beauty and an ardent fan of thought provoking, expressive and beautiful eyes of Malayali women, I couldn’t resist the urge to share my experience in Kerala, God’s own country and its thousands of wonderful eyes like that of Priya with the readers. My association with Kerala, the city of Cochin in particular for nearly about two years was not because of choice but out of sheer professional compulsion. My initial hesitation for opting Kochi as my place of work was not due to any bitter experience. Rather it’s purely due to its distance from my home and my moderate economy that couldn’t entertain air travel every time I did wish to pay a visit to my home town.

My love for Kerala was suppressed by my intense homesickness. But with each passing day, my inclination for the God’s state got intense.

For IT professionals like me whose work place is far away from their sweet home, the much anticipated time is the weekend. That is the time to hang out and spend time with friends, plan for a small trip to nearby tourist destinations, enjoy a candle light dinner with the heart throb and watch the favorite star in a 70mm screen. Every time I stepped out of my hostel room of 9*5 feet dimension and call on the nearby shopping malls to kill the boredom and come out of the weekend blues, I got completely lost and my heart always found a solace seeing the Malayali beauties and their beautiful eyes.

It’s worth seeing God’s most beautiful creation in God’s own country. It always compelled me to have a comparative analysis of my experiences in various Indian cities that I have stayed in. I have never been through any article or statistical analysis or opinion poll regarding the beauty quotient of women in different Indian metros and cities, but what impressed me the most and captured my imagination is the perfect portrayal of Malayali beauties by amalgamating tradition with modernity in Kerala.

Whether the Malayali beauty is a teen or she is in her late thirties, whether she is waiting to be hooked or deeply engaged in a relationship, whether she is newly married or a mother of two, whether she is employed or a student, whether she is from Kasargad or Kazhakuttam, Calicut or Cochin, whether she is draped in saree or styled in western shorts, whether she has a ponytail or hairs of waist-length, whether she is working for an MNC or is a part of “Kudumbashree”, the flagship women empowerment scheme of Kerala Government, whether she is indigenous or a gulf returned silver spooned Malayali, whether she is cantankerous or soft spoken, whether the occasion is Onam, Christmas or Eid, and the place of worship is mandir, masjid or geerja, whether she is performing Thiruvathira or hiphop, whether the ambience is a hot sunny summer day or a sizzling rainy afternoon, the bridge that connects all disparities, the striking chord that ensures unity in diversity, the signature that embodies the uniqueness of Malayali feminine mass is their beautiful eyes and its decoration with kanmashi, the eye liner.

She may be in a shopping mall with an ultra-modern outfit or returning from office in a local bus after a long working schedule, she may be at home with her new born kid or cracking a light hearted joke with her mates in the college canteen, she may be in the elevator or in office cubicle, but the constant companion that accompanies her throughout the journey of life is the dazzling kajal. Black eyes are the uniqueness that stands clear in the crowd for the Keralites. It is there with everyone irrespective of caste, creed, color and religion. It tries to abridge the rich and the poor, the haves and have nots. It may not be a defined principle or I may not present you with complete statistical input, but it’s my assumption after having a keen observation of the Keralite beauties and their beautiful black eyes while crossing them in city streets, observing them during the week long celebrations of Onam, sharing the workspace with them in office, during my daily travel in public transport or attending any sort of social gatherings.

The logic behind applying kanmashi in the eyes may be unknown to us but my wild guess assures that it might be to protect the self from evil spirits. Whatever might be the reason, undoubtedly it is the one that steals millions of hearts and transforms an eighteen year young Malayali girl like Priya Prakash from a newbie to an internet sensation within no time.

The eyes speak volumes in utter silence. They spread love and care that transcend all hearts, all geographical boundaries. They force you to fall in love and reiterate the iconic verses of the movie Umrao Jaan

In Aankhon Ki Masti Ke Mastaane Hazaaron Hain…

In Aankhon Se Vaabastaa Afasaane Hazaaron Hain”.

Every time I behold those beautiful eyes, I pray “Oh God..! Kisiki Nazar Na Lage”…

(Prajna Prasad Sravan Kumar is an IT Professional and currently based at Kolkata)