Fond memories[4]

''fond memories of my childhood ''[4 ]
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One day, dad came home for lunch, a little earlier,and said, that there is a death, in his home town and he had to go for the funeral.Soon a car came home, with a canvas top ,foot boards on either sides and a horn so big with a ball like thing.Dad took my brother ,one of my sisters and me along with him in the car.We started our journey before noon.In those days roads were so narrow ...and full of curves ,no taring.ditches, and sharp stones projecting, everywhere.....When the car took curves, the wild plants on either sides of the narrow road, entered inside and it was very funny for us .that we laughed loud, and enjoyed the trip.While we were enjoying, like that  all on a sudden the car stopped. In those days it was a very usual thing ,that the cars and buses stopping half way because of engine trouble or tyre puncturing. As soon as the car stopped children and the wandering men gathered around like flies.
An old man came there immediately ;got somebody ,cut down tender coconuts  and gave us.There were no workshops nearby to get the car repaired.The driver and the people gathered tried their level best  to start the engine and to move the car.In those days the starter of the cars
was a very funny thing.The instrument was like numerical four.[4].One end of it was inserted in a hole, in front of the car and holding the other end twisted it again and again for hours and hours.It was a tedious job and when the driver got tired an other man from the gathering took over.Then an old man
with spectacles and a shawl on his shoulder covering the body almost, came there.From the very look we knew that he was a landlord.He himself came there to invite us to his house because my dad was a police officer.He took us to his home .gave us tea ,plantain and other eatables and arranged his bull'o cart for the rest of our journey.By  the time we reached there the funeral was over.
We spent some time there ....had kanji...and came away in an other bullo cart.Dad and my sister sat inside ;my brother and myself sat in the back keeping our legs down.It was a moonlit night .....all the surroundings were immersed in moon light.Though there were  no street light the road was clearly seen.By the time we reached home I slept off.
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'' Fond memories '' [3]
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One night I was lying down, with my mom, to sleep.Then I heard, a roaring sound, in front of my house.I got up, and went, to the drawing room.I saw one bus in our yard.Our cook Sreedharan , Pottanammachen and the cleaner of the bus ,carrying luggage, to the top of the buss.In those days, the body, of the buses were, open ,not covered, and from outside, we can see people, sitting in rows.Pottanammachen  was, one of dad's classmates, and neighbour, and he was deaf.He was in the military service
.When he was in Mesopotamia, he had an accident, and lost hearing power, and was dismissed, from service.His wife was, a military nurse ,she also dismissed him, from her life.He had a hearing aid, as big as a husked coconut .When ever anybody talked, to him he connected it, to his ear.As he was deaf, he was called Pottanammachan.He always stayed with us, ,helping dad, ,doing things like this,.My brother, also came there.He said,  that tomorrow, we are going, to an other place.,
Next day, when I opened my eyes, we were in a new house , on the slope, of a hill.From the yard, we could see the road, down; and a toll.When a vehicle;  usually bullock carts and sometimes buses, ,and very rarely, an old fashioned car, approached; the pole across the road, went up, and allowed the vehicle, pass through.Again the pole, used to come down.My brother, and myself, were wondering; how this pole knew that a vehicle was coming to pass through.After a few days we found out that a man in charge of the toll was siting there in a stool and that end of the pole is attached to a bundle of heavy stones and it was resting on a small pillar.When the vehicle come to pass through he examined the papers and moved the bundle of stones down.Then the other end of the pole was lifted up.Any way it was an interesting sight for us.We spent most of the time watching the toll.
Our house was an isolated one no neighbours and hence no one to play with.Our elder brothers and sisters go to school.Then dad said that it is high time for my brother to start education and he engaged a tuition master for him.Before starting tuition he had to do 'vidyarambham'
[start writing in presence of the deity Saraswathy,the goddess of learning]
One evening one constable and Sridharan took us to an other hilltop to a swamiji for vidyarambham.When we started our journey to the Swamijji's ashram my dad told them to give me also 'vidyarambham'.
Sridharan carried me on his shoulder and the constable hold my brother's hand.When we reached there we saw a swamiji with long ,grey beard ,wearing 'kavi vasthra 'and three fold rudraksha bead chain.He lit a lamp ,made us sit in front of it ,brought rice in a thali and made us write ''Hari...Sree''.He gave us sugar cubes ,Jaggary, and plantain.Again a trip, back on Sridharan's shoulder,,enjoying the beautiful scenery, of the blue mountains, encircling our small hill, where our house was situated.
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' ആകാശത്തിലെ പറവകള്‍ '' [അഞ്ച്]
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[തമ്പുരാട്ടി ...അങ്ങു ദൂരെഎവിടേക്കോ നോക്കി ഇരുന്നു ]
തമ്പുരനെയും തമ്പുരാട്ടിയും കണ്ടുമടങ്ങുമ്പോള്‍ തങ്ങളുടെ മനസ്സിന്റെ ഭാരം ഇരട്ടിച്ച്തുപോലെ.ഒരാശ്വസമെന്നതുപോലെ മേനവന്പറഞ്ഞു '' ങ്ങാ നമ്മളെ കാത്തിരിക്കാനും നമുക്കുകാത്തിരിക്കാനുംആരുമില്ലല്ലോ ...
വിടും കുടുംബവുമെല്ലാം ...പണ്ടേ കൈവിട്ടുപോയില്ലേ ...പിന്നെ നമ്മളെന്തിനാ അതൊക്കെ ആലോചിച്ചു വെറുതെ ...എന്നുപറഞ്ഞു
തിരുംമുമ്പേ സ്നേഹനിധിയായഅമ്മ്ചിയുടെ  ക്ഷിണിതമായ മുഖവും ...പറയാനും വയ്യാ ...പറയാതിരിക്കാനും വയ്യാത്തതെന്തോ തിങ്ങിവിങ്ങി നില്‍ക്കുന്ന മുഖഭാവവും ഉള്ളിലുണര്‍ന്നു.അവരാച്ചന്‍റെ മനസ്സില്‍ അപ്പോള്‍ മുറ്റത്തെല്ലാം ഓടി ക്കളിക്കുന്ന കുഞ്ഞു മക്കളും അവരെയെല്ലാം നോക്കി വളര്‍ത്തേണ്ട റാ ഹേലും വേദന ഉതിര്‍ത്തു കൊണ്ട് നിറഞ്ഞു നിന്നു .അതെല്ലാം മറക്കാന്‍ ശ്രമിച്ചു കൊണ്ട് അവര്‍ അടുത്ത മുറിയിലേക്ക് കയറി .
എല്ലാം നഷ്ട പെട്ടവനെപ്പോലെ ഒരു മൂലയില്‍ ..ഒരു കസേരയില്‍ ഒരു ഷാളും പുതച്ചിരിക്കുന്ന തമ്പി സാര്‍...വാട്ടര്‍ ബെഡി ല്‍   ബെഡ് റെസ്റ്റു
കൊണ്ട് തലഭാഗം അല്പം  ഉയര്‍ത്തി വച്ച്,പകുതികണുകള്‍തുറന്ന് ...ഉറക്കത്തിലോ ...മയക്കത്തിലോഎന്നുതിരിച്ചറിയാന്‍ പറ്റാത്ത അവസ്ഥയില്‍ ദേവകി .അവരെ പരിചരിക്കുന്ന ഹോം നഴ്സ് ..ഇടയ്ക്കിടെ ഒരു സ്പൂണ്‍ കൊണ്ട് വായില്‍ വെള്ളം ഇറ്റിച്ചു കൊടുക്കുന്നു .മാറിടം ഉയര്‍ന്നു താഴുന്നതുകൊണ്ട് മരിച്ചിട്ടില്ലെന്ന് അറിയാം .ഒരു നിമിഷം നിശബ്ദമായി അവരെ നോക്കിനിന്നിട്ട് തമ്പി സാറിന്‍റെ അടുത്തേക്കുചെന്നു .നിര്‍വികാരമായ മുഖഭാവത്തോടെ അദ്ദേഹം ഞങ്ങളുടെ കൈ പിടിച്ചു പുറത്തേക്കു വന്നു .എന്തു ചോദിയ്ക്കാന്‍ ...എന്തു പറയാന്‍ ...ഒരുനിമിഷം മുഖത്തോടുമുഖം നോക്കിനിന്നിട്ട് അദ്ദേഹം പറഞ്ഞു '' മക്കളും കൊചുമക്കലുമൊക്കെ
വന്നിട്ടുപോയി ....യു എസ്സില്‍ പണിയെടുക്കുകയും കുഞ്ഞുങ്ങള്‍ അവിടെ പഠിക്കുകയും ഒക്കെ ചെയ്യുന്ന അവര്‍ക്ക് എത്രനാള്‍ ഇവിടെ നില്ക്കാന്‍ പറ്റും ....വീട്ആളുതാമ സ്സമില്ലാതെ പൂട്ടികിടക്കുക
കാരണം അവര്‍ ഇവിടെ ഗസ്റ്റഹൌസി ലും..ഹോട്ടലിലും ഒക്കെയായി കുറച്ചു ദിവസം താമസിച്ചു ....മാറി ...മാറി വന്നുനിന്ന്അമ്മയെ ശുശ്രൂഷിച്ചു .അവര്‍ പോകാനും വയ്യാ ...നില്‍ക്കാനും വയ്യാതെ വിഷമിക്കുന്നതുകണ്ടപ്പോള്‍ ഞാന്‍തന്നെ പറഞ്ഞു '' ഇനി നിങ്ങള്‍ നിന്നിട്ടെന്തു കാര്യം ....ഏതിനുംഞാനുണ്ട ല്ലൊഇവിടെ .....എന്തെങ്കിലും അവശ്യമുണ്ടായാല്‍ അറിക്കാം ....രണ്ടുമക്കളും അവരുടെ കുടുംബവും അമ്മയോട് യാത്ര പറയാതെ തന്നെ പോയി .അവരെയാരെയും കാണാതെ യായപ്പോള്‍ അവ്ല്‍ക്കുമാനസ്സിലയിക്കാണും അവര്‍പോയിയെന്ന് .പിന്നെ അവരെ
അന്വേഷിച്ചിട്ടും ഇല്ല ...ജലപാനം ചെയ്തിട്ടും ഇല്ല....എല്ലാം കണ്ടുകൊണ്ട് നിന്നുരുകാന്‍ ഞാനും.'' അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്‍റെ കണ്ണുകളില്‍ നിന്നും ഒഴുകി ഇറങ്ങി യത് വേദനയായിരുന്നു ...ഞങ്ങള്‍ മോഴിമുട്ടി നിന്നു ...പിന്നെ നടന്നു നീങ്ങുമ്പോള്‍അദ്ദേഹം ഒരു പ്രതിമപോലെ നില്ക്കുന്നറിഞ്ഞു. മേനവന്‍ പറഞ്ഞു ''ഇന്നിനി വയ്യാ ...നമുക്ക് മുറിയിലേക്ക് പോകാം .''
     














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   '' Fond memories of my childhood ''[2 ]''
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When all my sisters, and brothers, go to school.,...I used to sit and play, alone with my dolls.My eldest sister, who was married to a man, from Singapore brought me a doll, with golden hair,;blinking eyes ,,frock, ,shoe and socks.It was very precious to me, ,because I had never seen, a doll like this, with golden hair, dress, and shoes.When I am alone I used to take it out, and play.It reminded me of a very big doll. One old man, with a long beard, and a cap on his head,wearing a colorless, half shirt, ,with golden buttons,; presented me,, when I was hardly, three years old. One evening, while I was watching, my brothers, and their friends, running and playing, in the courtyard ,,this old man came home,.,....standing out in the yard, he made a sound to attract, someones attention.My dad came out.,...he stooped down, and wished him, and talked to him,  with much respect......,
Seeing him, I went to my dad, watching him, and his movements...while talking, he showed one of his hands, towards the sky, and gave me, an orange.Seeing this, my brother also came, there.Again he lifted his hands towards the sky, and grabbed another orange, and gave my brother.Both of us, looked each other, in great amazement.When nobody was in the yard,...I looked around, to make sure, that nobody was seeing me, ...I went to the point, where that old man stood,, and lifted my hands, towards the sky,;...but no orange came, to my hand.The next day, again he came home, to see dad.This time, he lifted his hands, and caught a doll, ...a big one ,..as big as a new born babe, and gave me.But that doll had no dress, , hair, or blinking eyes, as this doll has
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'' Fond memories'
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Now I remember, my first visit to this estate.I was hardly five or six years that time.My father was a police officer and in those days, ... seventy five years back ,... he was respected much .More over he was honoured and the ordinary people around, looked him up with fear.
He was tall and stout with a big mustache; either end of it turned upwards.One midsummer vacation he planned, to go to the estate, for a short stay,.In those days, cars were very rare, and the appearance was very funny.,..canvas tops, and foot boards, on either sides.Our cook, Sreedharan and one constable, stood on the foot boards, and traveled.
We started our journey early in the morning .Any way reached there by noon.By the time the constable and an other man carried the bundles, and other luggage inside...our cook went to the kitchen to make tea and something for lunch.He opened the kitchen door, and went to the shed nearby to bring fire wood. There he saw two three tiger cubs sleeping in the ashes ..He rushed back to the kitchen and closed the door with much fear whispering what he had seen, in the shed.Without making any noise we immediately packed the luggage and came away.I was so disappointed ,so was my brother.The nice and cool breeze...the shady courtyard of the house ...the thatched roof...tall ..tall trees around the house or hut and the thick forest behind the hut ;all  was lingering in my mind for sometime and then faded away.But whenever I get a cool breeze while playing outside and whenever I get a glimpse of the bushy trees in the backyard ...they remind me of the thatched hut and the cool surroundings of the estate.
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Treasured Memories ''
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After some seventy years I' am back in my home town.Now I cannot say that it is my home ....
because years ago it was sold...Anyway all my child hood memories are in connection with this house and surroundings.The present owner of this house is a generous man, he allowed me to stay here for a day. The house is not changed at all.It is situated on the top of a hill..and from the drawing room we can see the blue mountains of tea gardens and underneath thick green forest
and rubber estates....and further down green paddy fields .At the begineing of the paddy fields
there is a very big stone ,called moorthi para.From a distance you can see it .Even now somebody used to light a lamp on it .Between the hill,where my house is situated ,and the paddy fields, there is a stream running down...On either sides of the stream  there are big.. big trees... so tall ...as if the tops are touching the sky. A thousand and one species of birds are nesting  on it.Early morning they start humming and singing.While we enjoy the singing....the blue mountains on the east is being bordered golden by the golden rays of the rising sun.
After seventy years now I' am here just to see the beautiful scenery and to recollect my childhood
memories.I saw the master bedroom ; where my mom and dad used to sleep ;and the adjusnt room where my brother younger sister and my self  used to sleep.When I entered my dad's room I
felt his presence there....even after seventy years.
On full moon days .we all..mom . dad .brother sister and myself put a mat in the courtyard
in front of our house and we used to sit..... lay down and play in the moon light  .when we lay down;  mom used to show us the stars and say ''these five stars together are 'pandavas'...these seven stars are 'saptharshis'.The star that glitters like a  diamond is'karthika'. The full moon in the centre of the blue sky is a  beautiful sight.The whole world around us will be immersed In moonlight .In Neuyork city you cannot even see the sky.Concrete pillars everywhere...To see the sky you have to go to the park or beach.The eagerness that brought me here to see my  home and see the place faded away...and now I feel
heaviness at my heart .I should not have left the place.
Now it is of no use thinking like that..my wife is an European lady  ; my children, born and brought up there.
They don't know anybody here....can't even dream of this heaven.Adding on to that now the house is not mine...so also the beautiful surroundings...even me is a foreigner for my home town...here nobody  wants me .
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''A black mole ''
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Father Albert is awoken  by a soft knocking at the door Father started gasping and shivering
with fear.His mouth became dry.Like a nightmare, one of his old experiences came to his memory.Years ago while he was sleeping a soft knocking sound awakened him.He tried to guess who was it at these late hours of the night knocking at the door?...two three faces of beautiful ladies came to his mind.Anyway, he opens the door without making any noise
not to wake up anybody.He saw three-four men with iron roads and sticks standing there.
All on a sudden they pulled him down and beat him up like anything...like a bundle of rags
they discarded him and ran off.After two-three days when he opened his eyes he was in a bath tub...and somebody was  giving him oil massage Again and again Benjamin knocked at the door ,in a husky voice called .''Father.....Father it is me Benjamin...Benjili..Don't get frightened.Any way he tiptoed to the window and peeped through and saw Benjamin in the dim light of lightning standing in the pouring rain .
Anyway he opened the door.'' come inside son .what brought you here...all wet ..at this time...of  raining cats and dogs .''Benjamin came inside.In a broken voice he said ''Father do you know what happened now?.When I came home after the 2nd shift from the company I saw with my own eyes that Francis
Aloshy's son Francis, running out of my daughter Veronica'.s bed room.Her mother is also on their side ....giving all help.
I gave them both nicely.''
'' cool down....cool down my son,  be calm..you have no right to beat them up ...I will speak to Aloshy.I don't think he will disagree''.
'' No father ....you need not talk to him...It is not possible.....See this..'' He turned to the other side ,lifted up his shirt and showed him a big black scar and said ''Francis also have this scar at the right place.He can not marry my daughter.
 .'' without his knowledge...
father's fingers reached to the black...round mole underneath his left nipple and started fiddling it.He remembered .Some twenty three years back ,when they gave Veronica in his hands for baptism; When he removed the dress he saw the same mole under her left nipple.Soon, before anybody noticing it , he wrapped her up and gave back.
  Father lifted his eyes towards the sky and said
'' Like stars in the sky, and sand in the beach, we must multiply and the whole world must be  filled with our brothers and sisters.''
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