Thursday, 8 October 2015

Nurungukal...2...contd...
     My job gave us an opportunity to live in places of different atmospheres. Out of which Pondy was the best. It was unique in many ways. There was a fusion of two cultures. The influence of a French life style  was still lingering side by side a Tamilian tradition. Even the Pondy town was divided into two by a canal. On the one side there lived a community aligned to french culture and those dedicated to a life propagated by Aurobindo. Where as on the other, the native Tamilians. But both lived in perfect harmony and inter depended. If one was  on the shores of Bay of Bengal the other was at the brim of a native village nurturing an agrarian legacy. Even the fragrance of these two identities differed. The east close to the ocean sensed ozone and perfumes . The west a rustic aroma emanating from the agricultural fields. Also the upkeep represented the respective way of life. If one was orderly and silent the other was vibrant and lively. But the nature around them mingled, intertwined and coexisted sharing each other ensuring a tranquillity. We lived there for seven years without feeling any strain and the passing of time.

            The weekends we spent our time either on the sea shore or in the adjacent park and a dine out to taste the best of French cuisine. Me and my friend Sathyaraj, an officer in Madras Fertilisers Ltd.used to enjoy the shallow waters of Bay of Bengal every Saturday evening. There was one joint, run by a french pensioner which served a crab dish topped up with a bulls eye. A scoop of the egg along with the flesh of a large crab was delicious and a dinner in a sea side restaurant  enjoying the caress of the breeze and the melodious music produced  when the waves pat the shore, remain fresh in our mind. An occasional visit to the Auorobido Ashramam and nearby Ganesha temple to feed the young elephant stationed before the temple gate helped to relieve the burden. The serenity of the Ashramam premises could revitalise the energy. The efficiency of the various insttutions run by them was always a model worth emulating. Where ever my posting, it was my pleasure to stray out to the nearby farms. It, not only gave me an insight into their way of life but also, a sense of togetherness. More over it is where we can meet true sons of the soil. The greenery around a farm is always my weakness. More than a square meal I enjoyed the sight of a setting sun at the brink of a vast paddy field, accompanied by a chorus of the home bound birds,insects etc..    contd...

Monday, 5 October 2015

Nrungukal...2...contd...
    Days,weeks and months passed, I was not successful in finding a suitable accommodation to increase the capacity of the warehouse. Although Pondy was in the high light of maritime business, when French was ruling , after independence the situation had changed. Those godowns constructed during French rule were already occupied by other agencies before our entry. A dilapidated pier and some adjacent godowns remained as remnants of a past glory. Ships used to anchor in deep waters. The cargo was brought ashore in small boats and unloaded with the help of an outmoded hand operated crane. Once in a way Food Corporation of India, who had built a warehouse in the port premises used to receive wheat from a mother ship anchored in Madras port.
   My superiors started expressing concern about my delay in locating a godown. Many offered small sheds, even a car shed, which were not complying to our norms. My only hope was to grab an accommodation, already in possession with a cooperative marketing society. As a bolt from blue the society faced an issue in managing their stock. I managed to convince the secretary about our flawless functioning and he readily volunteered to surrender their rented accommodation with the consent of the owner to us. It was a big offer,because they required the entire space on a reservation basis. This gave me a boost to work still harder and convinced me that perseverance is the only way to success.

       I was , all those days fully engrossed in my official commitments and settling down in Pondy.  It was long since I made a visit to my mother in Ponani. She was alone there,aged, yet fighting to live happily without any complaint. Her eye sight was fading, yet managed to read the news paper and holy books. She used to follow a strict schedule in daily chores. First the lighting of the lamp before her favourite Goddess Saraswathy. That photo still adorn our pooja place in Ponani. Then the recital of 20 stanzas from Narayaneeyam. She had her owner tune of reciting, which even now reverberates in my ear. To freshen that I am also reciting the lines in the same way she used to do, every day. It helps me to keep her fresh in my memory always. Bhagavatham was very dear to her. Every day at least one episode she would read, after lunch. As children we used to hear it fully engrossed. But her elder sister, we call her Valyamma was an expert in narrating the stories from puranas. May be that, such exposures during our childhood had enthused us to read many classics, even before completing SSLC. ....contd...