Nurungukal....contd....

    There was not much luggage I carried to Trichy. I had stuffed most of my things in the hold haul and the remaining , a pair of khakky pants, white shirts which was the uniform dress for the trainees and one or two shirts and dhotis, under garments and my certificates, appointment order etc. were kept in an iron trunk. This trunk bought from Ponani was with me for quite some years but had to abandon for the sake of convenience and style. Even now my wife is fond of preserving her old clothes with the help of naphthalene balls in such trunks but bigger in size. When I get the smell of these balls I feel even now the presence of a wooden box which my mother had , in which she kept our property documents [ ezhuthu petty  ].

        Those days the travel was not much organised. We never bothered about reservation of accommodation. In fact I preferred to travel in a general compartment , because the co travellers used to be more friendly and informal.  Very soon all will be immersed in intense conversation about subjects of common interests. My mother was an expert in entering into such pleasantries. As soon as she settles down she would  throw a smile to the one next to her. Then a few remarks about wheather and followed by enquiries about the purpose of the journey and family connections. Very soon she may be able to carry a few of the co passengers along with her and there after she becomes vociferous till the end of the travel. She used to be comfortable with people from other states also  as she can handle with ease Tamil and Hindi. For me her company was very absorbing hilarious.

       I had to change the train from Erode and by next day noon reached Trichy. It was my first journey for such long distance . I did not get sleep as it was a passenger train and passengers got in and out at each stop and I had my seat on the floor near to the window. Trichy was a busy station . I was not equipped to handle Tamil. But managed to reach the Railway hostel [chummery]. Cycle rikshaw was the main mode of transport. It was altogether a new experience. The first thing I noticed was the dress pattern of the women and girls. All teen agers were in pavadai and dhavani and elders wore check saries and very colour full blouse. All of them had smeared turmeric on their face. Their earrings and bangles were very catchy. Kanagambaram and jasmine garlands were profusely tucked to their plait. Their gait , swaying delicately from side to side caught one’s eye. Many women carrying big baskets of vegetables, fruits, flowers etc were hurrying to their destinations unconcerned about the rest. The aroma of boiling ground nut oil pierced through my nostrils as we passed through narrow streets. Huge bullocks with long horns and high humps squat on the middle of the road without budging. So was the cows with  bulging udder slowly found their way from shop to shop in search of the remnants of vegetables. I was amidst a set of  strange characters and was in love with them at the first experience.