Nurungukal….

      It was after a prolonged, strenuous and concerted effort that I managed to get a transfer to Kozhikode warehouse. From the social and personal point of view the new assignment was pleasant as I could join my near and dear, but officially it poised many challenges. The trade union activity in those days in Kerala was very sensitive, vibrant and volatile, which demanded endurance, proper perspectives in tackling trivial issues which erupted unexpectedly. Previously I was sailing in safe waters as the work culture in Tamil Nadu and Pondichery was totally different.

      Any way my first priority was to ensure admission to my children in a good school. It was not an easy task as I thought to be. I had to go from pillar to post, taping at every door as the admissions were already at the verge of closure. I wondered how easy it was once upon a time, for me to step into the first standard without an entrance test or an evaluation of the social preparedness of my parents.

       We managed to live with my mother- in- law till her death and moved on to a rented house. Although it was near to my office, on the whole we were not happy and satisfied with the surroundings. After a prolonged search and hunt we were lucky to move to a new place, where even though there were a few inconveniences, the neighbourhood kept us to remain there until after a few years when we moved into our own house. There were twelve identically designed houses, in two rows separated in the middle by a service road which also was used as a play ground by the children. The tenants belonged to many walks of life. There were officials, businessmen, advocates, bankers, insurance agents etc. Even though each of us hailed from different back grounds, considering our cast and creed we lived like a cohesive commune in perfect harmony. Our togetherness was so intense that we never felt wanting in anything. It was sharing, caring, helping each other and an air of tranquillity ever prevailed. The rest of the family was always safe in the hands of the next door dwellers, even when the bread winners were away.

       The day as usual begins with a slow tempo. Men enjoyed a walk on the adjacent highway or went for marketing, invariably unaccompanied by their family. The prayer calls and devotional songs from the nearby temple and mosque kept us conscious of the time. My wife switched on her radio to schedule her chores in the kitchen and to manage the time efficiently. If by chance that tiny machine went off, the rhythm of her daily routine used to be in shambles and we had to bear with her through the rest of the day. As the day progresses one by one, starting from the children spurted out either in search of knowledge or bread as the case may be.  Say by ten in the morning the colony settled down in a slow pace, followed by the sound of the washing machines. Gradually by noon a silence prevailed as the inmates fell into their habitual slumber. Once again the tempo would slowly increases, when the women flocks for an afternoon gossip. If by chance any of the male members reach earlier than the scheduled time, he had to be a dog in the manger. By evening the children will take over the ground and it becomes a battle ground in all sense. There were many girls and boys of the same age and agility. A few babes also were there. It was the most enjoyable part of the day. As we witness their games and prangs, enjoying every moment, we elders shed our worries. This will go on and on until one of us forcibly put an end and call it a day. It is no wonder that many of them are even now frequenting us through our social media as intimately as they were used to be face to face in those days. 

       Those few years we consider were the best in our life as it taught us many lessons of the values of give and take, deriving immense pleasure and satisfaction.

These thoughts flared up in me when the other day I happened to chance through a video clip, celebrating the seventieth birthday of Mrs. Kumari Abraham who was our neighbour.  Mr. Abraham was popular and a good friend of some my relatives. He was a much desired personality in the then social circle of Kohikode. Perhaps he was the only one in those days to own an exclusive SKODA car. Their four kids Ojes, Thejes, Ushes and Martin were the bosom play mates of our children. I still cherish the happy moments with them enjoying many a movie and cricket match on our Keltron television screen. Together how we chased a rat snake, fetched buckets of water from the well when the public water pipes went dead, the cheer full faces of the children peeping through our window bars are some rare occasions still fresh in my memory chip.  

   I wonder how we might have behaved if a contingency like the one we are facing now would have confronted us in those days is beyond my comprehension. Whenever I feel lonely, for being forced to be away from the near and dear, thoughts like this appear in the distant horizon with a note of consolation. Venturing into the wilderness of the past and picking up a thread here and there is a mere fantasy and fun to drudge away boredom and loneliness……so refreshing...is in't it.....