Nurungukal....contd....

     Some persons will never fade away from your memory. Ramesh was one such for me. It was a busy day in the warehouse. I was just preparing to go to my assigned godown when my sight fell on a young man climbing the steps. He was hesitant and moved towards me and wanted to know where he should report. He spoke English in a typical north Malabar slang and I could easily make out from where he hailed. He walked with a slight jerk and a bend to the right. Looked smart in his white full sleeves shirt, neatly tucked in the black pants. I was always fascinated by a crisp attire. I showed him the way to the office and left him to take care of himself. After a few minutes when I returned, he was  in our room preparing the joining report. When he attempted to resume the conversation with me, again in the distorted slang  I put him at ease by revealing my mother tongue. A sign of relief prevailed on his face. He had just passed out from Guruvayurappan College with a degree in science. It was his first job. A native of Dharmadam , near to Tellichery. Our routine tea was served at eleven. By that time he had completed the initial formalities of joining the post.  It was time for me to accompany the in charge of the warehouse Mr. Rajaram on his daily inspection of the activities in the various points. He told me about the new hand and to provide him with the initial orientation about our functioning.

                 Usually any new comer was taken to the laboratory to have acquaintance with various scientific aspects of warehousing. Mr. Decruze was in charge of the lab. He was a bundle of energy although puny in stature. I had accompanied him on many Sundays to Guindy race course. Horse race was his craze. He knew every thing about horses and jockeys. I do not know whether he had won any race or not.  If you can resist spending money on betting, I felt glorious to enjoy a day with jockeys, bookies, immaculately dressed gentlemen and good looking ladies , sipping a cool drink or licking an ice cream. For a few hours you would feel as if you were in a Royal turf. But the bad side of it is the misery of the families when the bread earner loose chunk of his income on betting again and again. The tendency is like a fall in a whirlpool from which no one can escape. It will only take you into the fathoms. Many years after when I met him he was still fondling the Guindy feelings.

           My relationship with Ramesh became more and more intimate. Till my marriage we shared a room in Nadar’Garden. A simple man without a passion to climb up the ladder . I learnt that he had lost his mother when he was a kid and his father was everything for him there after. He used to say that his father was like a playmate enjoying in each others pranks. We had spent many an evening in the dark cool corner of some joints in Madras sipping pitchers of beer. He was very talkative when the drink took the reigns. In such moments we used to invariably touch on the tender, nostalgic days of our childhood. He could not recollect much about his mother. It was his father who prevailed in him like a companion. Even after my marriage we continued to meet . When ever I touched upon his marriage he would evade it by changing the subject. But I could make out that there was a love affair in his life which he failed to culminate into nuptial. Perhaps he was nurturing its tender feelings, deep in his heart to derive a secret pleasure. Years later, after my retirement when I met him in Calicut he looked haggard. Then he told me about the unexpected demise of his father and the void it had thrust upon him. He had already become an addict to alcohol. The agony that he contained in him was visible in his un kept hair, beard, not to speak of the dress. He looked much older and emaciated. I could not bear the sight. But  not even for once he touched on his plight and left me after a few minutes of sharing old thoughts. This time his company did not trigger any feelings, but left me perplexed. I never thought that it would have been our last meeting..contd....