It's dad's third Remembrance Day.

Today was dad's third Remembrance Day as per the Malayalam calendar.

Time has really flown, since my dad had passed into the mist of time in the afternoon of 10 Jan 2012. I'd gone to the nearby 'Thiruvenkidam' temple, around 7 AM, to perform the yearly ceremony. Hari 'Thirumeni' steered us - there were four others with me - through the proceedings with clipped short instructions, that took a little over forty minutes. In his mid 40s, he'd gone about giving us the requisite ingredients that were to be offered to the 'souls' taking quick, short strides despite being restrained by his huge bloated legs thanks to the sickening ailment of Filariasis.

What I liked about him was that he didn't have a business like attitude, unlike quite a few others who're eager to make a fast buck during such occasions.

And dad remained in my thoughts all through the day. Mom - she's still recovering from the nasty viral fever and the after effects of the antibiotics administered on her - recalled a few anecdotes about my dad and laughed at his clumsy moments. A few distinct snapshots that zoomed into my mind from the deep recesses of my mind were:-

       - my dad trying to wake me up - I was feigning sleep and was angry with him for not having
         taken me along for an outing - to give me chocolates and a toy.

       - him walking away without looking back, even once, after admitting me at the boarding school.
         Earlier, he'd told me that I needed to be a brave boy!

       - his excited demeanour at my passing out from the NDA, Kharakvasla.

       - his happy countenance, at the New Delhi airport, when he and mom had come to spend a few
         days with us.

       - his thrill throughout the journey when we'd gone to the 'Palani' temple of Tamilnadu. He'd then
         told us that we needed to undertake such trips more frequently but little did I realise that it was
         gonna be his last trip!

Dad, we miss you!


Tailpiece.

It was a day of getting back to the 'Guruvayur frequency'! Clothes had to be washed, interrupted services had to be restarted and a few errands had to be run!!       

Bangalore to Guruvayur in 9 hrs.

I don't claim to be a fast driver, in fact, I must confess that I'm never comfortable beyond 90 kmph though I'd touched 120, in a sustained manner today, since the highway was really good. It's the odd vehicle that cuts across through the gaps in the center median that upsets once calculations and can end up in disasters, that are always waiting to happen.

We'd kicked off from my sister, Minni's place at Gottigere, Bangalore at the crack of dawn by 6 and the traffic was absolutely manageable. There was a bit of a faux pas committed by me in finding a stopover for a rest room break as mom and Lekha, why even me, had desperately wanted that break, as our bladders had begun to agitate, but the appropriate(?) place just didn't fetch up. Finally, there was this old lady's teashop by the wayside that stood out as a godsend! She was very kind and seeing my mom's difficulty in getting out of and into the car, she gave her a 'special' cup of tea. Kindness, yet again, from the quarters that one least expects it from!

And soon after, we drove past numerous swanky joints - a recurring phenomenon, always. You may have experienced it yourselves! - that came by but I can bet, without the kindness and thoughtfulness of the ever smiling Maariamma!

At Palakkad, we'd gotten into my sister's flat where she'd kept hot beverage for us before leaving for her school in the morning. Subsequent stops for lunch and for picking up some fruits, were the only breaks, that I'd allowed in between, before driving into 'The Quarterdeck' ...........after a fortnight! We'd done it in 9 hours flat!!

And as I parked my Chevy at the porch, Mom did echo our collective sentiments, "It's nice to be back"!


Tailpiece.

(a) It's disheartening to find the landline telephone dead.
(b) The grandfather clock had also stopped working!
(c) The evening walk was exhilarating and I could meet many of the people that I usually come across during the time.......and wish a few of them a happy new year, belatedly!!   

Back at Bangalore.

The morning went by without me doing anything much as we're booked on an evening flight. The guesthouse staff were expressive in their farewells as we left soon after lunch.

Alam, my 'saarthi', was as efficient as ever but hit a bad note when he was flagged down by a traffic cop for jumping a traffic light. He went running to the cops to justify his misdemeanor citing the reason that I was getting late for my flight. The cop was a nice fella and I did apologise to him for Alam's error saying that I should have corrected it then and there, when it took place.

At the airport we'd come across KS Vasan, my senior at school, quite accidentally and it was nice catching up with him after leaving the Academy. He has been able to indulge in his passion for flying by owning a small, light aircraft at Denver, USA that doesn't require any license as I understand. What was interesting was that he continues to be the simple guy that he was known to be at school! He'll be going back to Denver after 10 days but has promised to visit us at Guruvayur later!!

The flight was late by about 15 mts corresponding to the delay in taking off from Bombay. The Bangalore airport is the one that has really catered to the needs of the thousands of passengers by having the coach and cab facilities pretty close to the Departure and Arrival terminals!


Tailpiece.

Got our things ready for an early take off tomorrow morning. Mini had received us with a lovely dinner as usual. Thanks sis for everything!    

A late but interesting afternoon.

Prakash Vishwe had left for Pune early in the morning and soon after we'd left the guest house for dropping the Inanis at the Bandra Railway terminus before heading for the Garewals' for an afternoon tryst. I shan't forget the journey for a long time to come.

The roads were choc-a-bloc with people in a celebratory mood thanks to the Milad-ul-Nabi. There were colourful pandals by the wayside waiting to provide food and water to the participants in a long procession of trucks and other carriers. Moving from one place to another was excruciatingly slow, one could lose one's temper at the drop of a hat.

And finally, we did reach the Garewals by 1630h......for lunch! But as the afternoon had melted by, we realised that out tortuous journey was worth undergoing for the sheer pleasure in meeting up with Gary sir and Sarabjeet.

The evening was short and sweet but meeting up with people continued to be the salient theme.


Tailpiece.

Could not make it to Pune to look up a friend simply because time couldn't be squeezed and suitable exit and return couldn't be worked out. Our loss!

A great union at Rithika's wedding!

I'd got up at 4 in the morning with thoughts of mom. After going through the morning chores, earlier than usual, I'd begun saying my daily prayers. It was then that I'd promised 'Guruvayoorappan' that I'd do the 'sayanapradakshinam'(side rolling on the inner pathway around the sanctum sanctorum) if I got good news about mom later in the morning.

And, as if on cue, my sister did tell me that mom was much better by about breakfast time! Phew!! God had responded!!!

The elaborate rituals and ceremonies, connected with the wedding, went through most of the forenoon and had ended by lunchtime. We did have the privilege of meeting up with more people but interacting with Mhaisalkar's wife, sister and mother was a wonderful moment.

The reception that followed, in the evening, at the Army Institute was colourful and gregarious. A brigadier had walked up to me in the course of the evening and introduced himself as my cadet at the NDA. He told Lekha that I was a 'terror' to him and his course mates during their training time and had attributed my efforts for his having come thus far in life. The 'Kodak' moment of the evening was when Pushpa, his wife, had captured us on his cellphone so that he could upload it to all his friends!
Thanks, Pradeep Nair, for making my day!


Tailpiece.

As we're driving into Colaba, we saw the infamous 'Adarsh' extending skyward like a huge behemoth but completely dark as though it was trying to hide itself because of its ignominy! I'd call it the symbol of blatant corruption indulged in by a few 'supposed to be honourable men'!!   

A guilt ridden journey

It was the early morning bus that brought us to the airport. The weather was nippy and the almost one hour wait at the Koramangala bus stop passed by without my realising it thanks to my conversation with Gopi Chittappan. It was at the airport that we'd realised that Lekha's identity card was not on person. The security staff was explained about the piquant situation and the young lady had allowed us entry into the airport!

The flight was uneventful and we reached Bombay at the appointed hour. Alam, my 'saarthi' during our stay, out here, seemed to have a cosmic connect with me as he'd given a call within minutes of my reactivating my cellphone after the landing formalities were over. The baggage clearance took an awfully long amount of time but soon we're off to the guesthouse that was gonna be our home for the next few days.

I'd called up my sister to inquire about mom's state and the answer was not very encouraging. The lab results were to be collected and shown to the doctor, which my sister did towards evening and she'd connected me to the doctor who said that he might have to admit mom if her condition did not improve within another 24 hrs. Her coughs had gotten to be too harsh and he'd prescribed a very potent drug to control it.

Suresh Inani with his wife, Indira and Prakash Vishwe had arrived before teatime and after, respectively. It was the commencement of a long, almost non stop chatter updating each other about ourselves since we're meeting up after having passed out of the Academy, so many years back. I felt that I was back in the Hunter Squadron as we recalled a slew of anecdotes.

The 'sangeet ceremony' was a grand affair and meeting up with Shekhar Murthy and Vijaya was simply great. The evening was exquisite meeting a whole lot of people - both friends and their relatives! It was almost midnight when we'd hit the sack.


Tailpiece.

As I was drifting to sleep, a strong feeling of guilt had overpowered me. I was having a ball out here while mom was suffering. Did I do the right thing by embarking on this trip notwithstanding the risk of losing the entire ticket fee?    

The first day!

The Bangalore sky was overcast as I'd got up from bed. And rains weren't far behind. But despite all this, the weather was comparatively warm.

The packing was accomplished within no time. And we're ready to leave about an hour before the evening tea. Mom had also decided to accompany us in the car and her earlier weakness was nowhere to be witnessed! As I'd a quick glance at her weakness during lunchtime, I'd warned my sister that she must be having her weakness thanks to the regimen of antibiotics.

But it was glad having her along with us during our journey to Koramagala, the place where Lekha's uncle stayed. We'd seen them off soon after but not before mom's impromptu going around the corner at the parking space where there was hardly any movement of people.

Did I see my mom grow old over the last few days? The sudden discomfort, the consequent medical management and her almost passive existence have been quite worrying. Hope she regains her chirpiness by the time we return from Bombay! She'd nodded vigorously when I'd told her that she must be ready by 05 Jan in all respects so that we could leave for Palakkad and onward to Guruvayur on 06 Jan.

The deadline is real in that 07 Jan happens to be my dad's remembrance day and 08 Jan, my mom's birthday! I need to be at Guruvayur, positively, by PM 06 Jan. Period!


Tailpiece.

It was a wonderful evening with Lekha's Gopi chittappan and Jayanthi kunjamma. Moni, Derek and Adrian had dropped by to be with us. The evening at Korammangala was heavenly........And we've an early day tomorrow!