It was past 2000h. I'd long since returned from my customary walk and we'd our fruit session when mom was regaling us about incidents that had taken place during her school/college going days. My cellphone, plugged in to a power socket for charging, started ringing incessantly, urgently.
It was Ninakka, one of my childhood friends and neighbour at Thiruvananthapuram. She was calling from Kozhikode after finishing her official work and was checking out as to whether we're at Guruvayur and on getting the nod, was quick to announce that she'd like to spend the night at our place. Later on during our conversation, we'd come to know that she was booked into the Inspection Bungalow of the state'e electricity board out here - she's one of the five chief engineers and is slated to get kicked up into the Board of Directors, this May - and had changed her plans to be with us!
Nina's pappa(Balaguru Soman) and mamma (Dasamma teacher, who taught Physics and English at the popular Cotton Hill Girls' High School) had become our neighbours while we stayed at 'Kalpar' - the acronym for two sisters, Kalyani and Parvathi - on the Eswara Vilasom Road. Since Nina's pappa went on a lot of official tours, I and my younger uncle used to be diverted to their house for - what they'd call in cricket - night watchmen's duties.
Nina, then, had four siblings and they used to join us in our evening games that consisted of seven tiles, hide and seek etc, etc. It was fun as there was a sizeable amount of children thanks to our joint family! Nina's maternal grandmother took a special liking to me, used to regale me with her stories and give me eatables, that she'd keep aside only for me. The two families' easy going relationship had got disrupted when my grandparents had shifted into another rented house at Vazhuthacaud. I'd, meanwhile, become a boarder in the Sainik School.
After her arrival a trifle after 2230h, we'd reminisced those halcyon days in which a visibly excited mom was an active participant. Time did fly past and we'd tucked into bed later than usual!
Tailpiece.
There's never a dull moment. Those of you who'd thought Guruvayur to be far away and isolated need to really have a second look!
It was Ninakka, one of my childhood friends and neighbour at Thiruvananthapuram. She was calling from Kozhikode after finishing her official work and was checking out as to whether we're at Guruvayur and on getting the nod, was quick to announce that she'd like to spend the night at our place. Later on during our conversation, we'd come to know that she was booked into the Inspection Bungalow of the state'e electricity board out here - she's one of the five chief engineers and is slated to get kicked up into the Board of Directors, this May - and had changed her plans to be with us!
Nina's pappa(Balaguru Soman) and mamma (Dasamma teacher, who taught Physics and English at the popular Cotton Hill Girls' High School) had become our neighbours while we stayed at 'Kalpar' - the acronym for two sisters, Kalyani and Parvathi - on the Eswara Vilasom Road. Since Nina's pappa went on a lot of official tours, I and my younger uncle used to be diverted to their house for - what they'd call in cricket - night watchmen's duties.
Nina, then, had four siblings and they used to join us in our evening games that consisted of seven tiles, hide and seek etc, etc. It was fun as there was a sizeable amount of children thanks to our joint family! Nina's maternal grandmother took a special liking to me, used to regale me with her stories and give me eatables, that she'd keep aside only for me. The two families' easy going relationship had got disrupted when my grandparents had shifted into another rented house at Vazhuthacaud. I'd, meanwhile, become a boarder in the Sainik School.
After her arrival a trifle after 2230h, we'd reminisced those halcyon days in which a visibly excited mom was an active participant. Time did fly past and we'd tucked into bed later than usual!
Tailpiece.
There's never a dull moment. Those of you who'd thought Guruvayur to be far away and isolated need to really have a second look!
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