Biju was with me on my ship, quite a while back. He was the civilian bearer who saw to it that the uniforms were well tended and the shoes well polished. Further, he used to run essential errands when the ship was in harbour. He hailed from a place quite close to my ancestral house near Kottarakkara. After handing over command, my personal effects were being brought out to be loaded on to the vehicle that would take me to the railway station from where I was proceeding to my new duty station, when I noticed a couple of bags that were not mine among the several pieces that, by now, I was familiar with.
On query, I was told that they're Biju's who'd decided to leave the ship and tag along with me. I was flummoxed momentarily, because he was gonna be my responsibility as I wasn't entitled to a personal staff at that early stage in my career. My apprehensions notwithstanding and seeing the youngster's enthusiasm, I let him come along and soon after, had sponsored him as a candidate for entry into the IN. Rest, as they say, is history because he'd passed the examination with flying colours and is now a Chief Petty Officer in the Indian Navy, currently posted at Kochi.
He used to religiously visit my parents every time he came down on leave and it was on one such occasion that he'd insisted on my mom to initiate his elder daughter into the world of learning. And ever since, she was accepted as a goddaughter by mom, who used to take a keen interest in her academic performance.
This evening, a very excited Biju had called us to inform us about his daughter's stellar performance in the class X Board exam, where she'd scored an overall percentage of 86% and he'd attributed it to my mom's initiation of his daughter into the world of letters!
My mom was exhilarated, to say the least!
Tailpiece.
I could squeeze in my evening walk just before the arrival of Praveen and his family, who was coming to spend a day with us. His daughter, Shania who's now into the upper kindergarten, took to us as though she'd known us for many, many years! And we're seeing her for the first time........a cosmic connection, perhaps?
On query, I was told that they're Biju's who'd decided to leave the ship and tag along with me. I was flummoxed momentarily, because he was gonna be my responsibility as I wasn't entitled to a personal staff at that early stage in my career. My apprehensions notwithstanding and seeing the youngster's enthusiasm, I let him come along and soon after, had sponsored him as a candidate for entry into the IN. Rest, as they say, is history because he'd passed the examination with flying colours and is now a Chief Petty Officer in the Indian Navy, currently posted at Kochi.
He used to religiously visit my parents every time he came down on leave and it was on one such occasion that he'd insisted on my mom to initiate his elder daughter into the world of learning. And ever since, she was accepted as a goddaughter by mom, who used to take a keen interest in her academic performance.
This evening, a very excited Biju had called us to inform us about his daughter's stellar performance in the class X Board exam, where she'd scored an overall percentage of 86% and he'd attributed it to my mom's initiation of his daughter into the world of letters!
My mom was exhilarated, to say the least!
Tailpiece.
I could squeeze in my evening walk just before the arrival of Praveen and his family, who was coming to spend a day with us. His daughter, Shania who's now into the upper kindergarten, took to us as though she'd known us for many, many years! And we're seeing her for the first time........a cosmic connection, perhaps?
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