The Dreamful Visit - A day with Writer Jeyamohan

I met the great writer Jeyamohan in the month of August. I wrote a letter to him the next day about the time we spent together in Germany. Enjoy reading and give your feedback.   

Dear Jeyam uncle,

Have you reached India? I hope everything went safe and sound. You have asked me to send my stories and articles to you. I will type all my stories in Word soon and also the Book of Arguments, the self help book I wrote and send them to you. I want to talk to you frequently and develop my knowledge. So, I have decided to send mails to you.

Please read my article about the day I have spent with you. I have named it, ‘The Dreamful Visit’. As I write this mail, I got a new idea. I am thinking of writing 'The Dreamful Visit' as a story with other characters.

Thank you so much for sharing so many information with me!

Wonderful lives,

AmritaSai Elango.

The Dreamful Visit

I finished my breakfast at the IBB Blue Hotel in Parderborn city and hopped on to the car, waiting to see the great writer Jeyamohan. My dream of meeting another writer was about to get fulfilled. Eventually, while stepping into the home of Prasad uncle and Zahra aunty where the great writer was staying, I began to tremble with shyness. As we entered the living room, my father explained Jeyamohan uncle about my passion and intelligence.

Immediately, Jeyamohan uncle lost no time to allow me to sit next to him. Also, he told within a few minutes that I will be the future Jeyamohan. Then, I did not talk much in my trembling mode. Jeyamohan uncle and Aruna aunty came with us in the car. It was a dreamful visit for me, my father, and my mother. I had prepared some questions back in Belgium to ask Jeyamohan uncle.

These were the questions:

1. Dear Uncle, how do you have time for all of these things in one day: managing your website, writing a few pages to finish your version of the Mahabharatha, writing for movies and many more.

2. For writing your 10 year project, Venmurasu (30,000 pages), you must have a very good experience. How many times should you have read and memorized the big epic?

3. At what age did you start writing as your passion, and what inspired you a lot?

4. I finished reading Mahabharatha in July 2018 in Valparai. This book was gifted by Logamadevi aunty. I am currently writing a story called, 'Mosquito Bite', which is an inspiration of Mahabharatha and I want to finish writing it before Summer 2019 (100 pages). Is it true that when you make a goal, it is decided to be finished?

5. What was the latest and best story you have wrote until this year?

6. If I turn into an adult and decide to translate your Tamil books into Dutch, which book would you rather give me?

7. Would you rather write a small book about your trip here?

8. What do you like most:

8 a. India, for it's fun and write based on the frequent incidents?

8 b. Europe, for it's personal time and write based on the life here?

These were the rules I had in my mind for Q&A sessions with him

- After finishing formal talks (hi, how is life, how is work,..), begin it.

- Do not rush to ask the questions

- Talk well without shyness

I started asking the questions whenever we had free time.

Me: To write your epic of Mahabharatha (30,000 pages), how many times must you have read it?

Jeyam Uncle: I’ve read the original collection of the Mahabharatha and also a few smaller versions. Approximately two versions in Tamil and one version in Malayalam. Minimum 10 times.

Me: If I ever asked you to give a book to translate into Dutch, which book would you rather give me?

Jeyam Uncle: Panimanidan, is a book you can translate and is very appropriate for kids.

Panimanidhan means, ‘Snowman’ in English. This was the first Tamil book I have read with the help of my mom. I should learn Tamil faster to read it myself.

My dreamful visit only became more interesting when I was exposed to his knowledge and intelligence during my talk with him. I thought, ‘A real encyclopaedia…’. Later on, we arrived at a German castle of ancient times. After telling one of my stories, I thought to be quite since Jeyam uncle started exploring the castle for his writings.

I, however, joined talking with Suchitra aunty, another fan of Jeyam uncle. She was very kind, and listened to everything that I explained. When I said that I had read the small copy of the Mahabharatha (350 pages), she was shocked and recommended a lot of books that I can read for my creative mind. Suchitra aunty was very much interested in listening to the interesting points made by me and Jeyam uncle.

Suchitra aunty also told that Harry Potter was a very good book for creators like me, and she also mentioned about the book ‘Gullivers’ Travels’. She also told that Greek mythology would be very interesting to read. Aruna aunty told my mother that Suchitra aunty writes short stories and also translates Jeyam uncle’s stories into English.

After exploring the entire castle, we went on our car to a place where big rock structures were made by nature. Those rock figures had small hermitages in all the places where sages used to live in the ancient times.

Jeyam uncle told me, “In these hermitages, it will be cold during summer, and warm during winter. Since the small caves are very protected, it will always be the opposite.”

I was confused at first, but then Jeyam uncle made it clear. Then, we all started to climb the man made stairs on the rock figure. On our way back to the ground, he started talking to me about elephants.

‘What do you think is the most dangerous animal in the woods? Not the Lion. Not the Tiger. But, the wild elephant. First of all, it has a powerful sense of smell. It does not like the smells of chemicals that humans use. For example: toothpaste, perfumes, and many more,.. Elephants are also very sensitive to sound. They have huge earlobes. If you make even small noise from distance, it can hear.  Now, the walking power of elephants. The elephants can not run, but if takes one step, that will be 12 feet forward. But for you, it’s 6 steps. It does not chase you normally, but if it decides to chase you, it won’t leave you alone.”

I was very surprised hearing all these. How did Jeyam uncle collect so much information about the elephants?

After that, we went to have lunch on the lawn next to a monument. Prasad uncle and Zahra aunty brought the food for our entire group. My father was very surprised to find out that Prasad uncle was his senior in the college where he studied engineering. He told me that he was a great dancer who had lot of fans during college days.

We then went to see the gigantic statue of Herman. We have also climbed up the statue and enjoyed the beauty of nature. After coming down, we all went to a small viewpoint to sit down and relax. While I was talking to Cyril uncle, another fan of Jeyam uncle, I told about Vishwaroopam, the second part  of a Tamil movie was released a few days ago. Unfortunately, on a slip of my tongue, I said Vishnupuram 2.0instead of Vishwaroopam 2.0. Ha ha ha. Vishnupuram was a very famous novel of Jeyam uncle. May be I will really write Vishnupuram 2.0 I got confused since the two names were almost the same. It was also because my dad explained about both at the same time in Belgium a few months ago.

My dreamful visit became interesting as the writer began to talk with me soon enough. I was pushing the car for fun as if I was exercising. When Muthu uncle and the others were discussing where to go next, Jeyam uncle came to me and told a short story.

“Two white men were doing an exercise at one side of a car. When two Punjabi men saw the white men, they thought the two were trying to push the car upside down. The Punjabi men carried the car and put it upside down. The white men were shocked.”

I liked the story. I then thought, “If I do something or say something, this writer has a thousand things behind it.”  I also thought, “He knows a valid point and philosophy for every activity in the universe”.

Then, we came back to our Q&A session.

Me: How do you have time to write everything in one day: Few pages of the Mahabharatha, your website, movies and other work?

Jeyam Uncle: I don’t do all the kind of useless stuffs. I avoid looking at the useless dialogues and thrills in the movies. Instead, I spend most of my time on my dream.

Me: Avoiding useless stuffs is possible here. But in India, the culture is like that. People keep visiting, we are forced to watch cinema, etc., So, how do you manage there?

Jeyam Uncle: I don’t allow people to visit me. I know how to say no bravely.

After completing the session, we went to the Paderborn city again in our car. As usual Jeyam uncle and Aruna aunty came in our car. After parking the car, we have walked down to the most important place near the centrum and saw the source of the Paderborn river. When my father and Muthu uncle went to get the car, we all waited there.

Cyril uncle asked me, “Ah, so nice water! How would you rather describe such clean water in your stories?”

I immediately responded, “Crystal clear water.”

Cyril uncle told this to Jeyam uncle, but then he told me, “These are used many times by many people. It is called a cliché. You should not use clichés but try to create your own one.”

He then gave me some examples that he has read. He asked me to create something differently. I immediately said, “As clear as recycled paper.”. Everyone in the gang clapped for me.

After that, Jeyam uncle gave me some more examples. Then I said, “So clean as if the water gets cleansed by itself every second.”

Everyone congratulated me for this creative line. I thought I should talk to him every day to learn more so that become a good writer like him. Then, after talking more with Jeyam uncle, we all went to have dinner at an Indian restaurant called ‘Taste of Chennai’. After that, I took leave of the amazing writer with the dream in my heart that I will become just like him one day.

Important Moments:

·         The times when Jeyam uncle attended my Q&A session.

·         The time when I discussed with Suchitra aunty.

·         The time when Jeyam uncle told about the elephants and the hermitages.

·         The time when I mistook Vishnupuram for Vishwaroopam.

·         The time when Jeyam uncle told me the funny Punjabi story.

New Learnings from Jeyam Uncle:

·         I have learnt facts about the elephants (speed,  power, listening ability, and smelling power…)

·         I have learnt the story about the Punjabis and the white men.

·         I have learnt about clichés