KALAKAATTUPPAATTI (7)

                                                      KALAKAATTUPPAATTI  (  7  )

                                            As told earlier, Periya mama's marriage was celebrated grandly  in June 1964 at Shenkottai and  he returned with Mami to Calcutta for office work.  In the same ,year I had finished my MSc Degree course and joined as Lecturer in MDT Hindu     college  on July 1st.For the first two months, I was staying in the Sudhamalli village near Pettai , a part of Thirunelveli where the college was functioning.The house rent for the full long house of village type was just 10'rupees, which my colleague and myself shared . A poor mami was running a mess where we took our food..The village is on the bank of Thambiravarni where we used to take bath.Our stay had to be shifted to Thirunelveli Junction due to some lack of conveniences.I had made it a practice to spend my weekends Saturday and Sunday with my parents , Sankari and the two younger brothers Krishnan and Sathi. Every such week end trips , I used see KTV  in the entrance hall with people and horoscopes and betal box as usual.When he is relatively free ,he would come inside, talk with me for a few minutes ,enquiring about my health and college and rush back.Most of the time    I spent with the other members of the family on such occasion ,chatting and helping a bit in my prime youth. 

                                Krishnan was not much interested in college studies but in working after his school education.He finished type writing, short hand and was ready to go to North seeking for  jobs. He was asked to wait upto Sankari's marriage; Her marriage was a bit delayed due to the fact  that she had not completed  her SSLC  examination, which was the minimum requirement from the would be grooms! Sathi also had finished S SL C E xamination in 1966 . Both myself and Sathi coached her in different subjects made Sankari appear privately to sit for  SSLC . Such private candidates were supposed to take their examinations at Palayamkottai.Myself and Sankari stayed at Vannarpet at the house of  a leading advocate Balaji ,by name, who was a close friend of KTV and the chithappa  of Sri,C.P.Sankaran , the very  grand father of Harini. Sathi joined Paramakalyani College ,Alwarkurichi for P U C.

                               A premonition: :  One  weekend, in the month of June 1966, I was somehow not in a mood to go to Kalakad ,which I had regularly doing all along.I thought of taking rest in my room. But at the last minute I changed my plan and decided to go.This very decision made me happy to an unexplicable level,Because of last minute decision, I took some small money and could get only the last bus of the night  fortunately which had eventually only one seat unfilled! I took out the change from my pocket for busfare to find that it was exactly the busfare!  Happy was I.! Throughout the travel for about one and three quarters hours I was too happy which cannot be explained! I happily walked down the distance from the bus stand to our house and  entered . Inside the house our Father was sitting in the room with his head down and he was surrounded by at least twenty local friends! Absolute silence at least five minutes! I failed to understand what was taking place .Nobody says anything.   Always this hall use to echo the sounds of KTV and others ,talking mainly of marriages and matters of public interest.Then , one person at last broke the unfortunate news of  K's death. Then KTV began to weep loudly and was joined by Mother also who appeared from the kitchen. It was a dreadful night for me naturally,   Well wishers spent sometime with us and left. Periya mama and mami went to Allahabad where this happened spent a few days with GK  consoling him !

                      ( to be continued )

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