Life in the Sixties

There were University examinations in  the second year of the course and I continued to maintain  my over confident approach to  studies  .. The examination month  was fast approaching and I really started worrying a lot for not able to cover the portions for the examinations and regretted very much for the foolish attitude I  took from the beginning of the academic year . However  with the available time I started studying vigorously day and night   , getting up early  in the morning at 4 am( Amma used to wake me up without fail )and sitting very late in the night  everyday.Studying.Hindi  was still  problematic ..Co- students asked me why I selected the language  when I was good at Malayalam  having got the first prize in essay writing at the College Annual  Day competing with students who had opted for Malayalam.There was no answer except  that  for getting job one had to go to north India and Hindi would be of some help  in future.I remembered the struggle my elder brother made to get a job in Kerala after passing his diploma in electrical engineering.(In fact I  wrote a the story about his struggle  for job   in a short story competition    conducted by the local library and won the first prize)   

I passed the second year exams in the third class . .After knowing the results of the exams I decided that I  should start studying systematically from the new academic year( Third year).However the habit of postponing the studies had taken deep root in my  mind. . .So I became a victim of my own  bad habit of postponing important matters for tomorrow..I made a trip to Coimbatore to get some text books for the final year exams from the eldest brother ( during May-June period  the weather used to be pleasant there with cool breeze blowing  after  4 pm .)...I  could get a book on Economics given by another professor of the college who was my brother's friend but could not not get any book for Political Science and World History. Brother  suggested while parting  that after passing the degree I could go for MA in Economics and thereafter try for All India Service Examinations and should not be sorry for taking Arts subjects for degree..I came back with renewed enthusiasm for hard work and study for the final year.

One Professor KTV   had  good opinion about me and  used to tell in the open class that  he was expecting two first classes in the university exam that year, one being  myself and the other being oneU K,.a boy from Ottapalam, Kerala. staying in the hostel So one day I went to the hostel  to request UK to take me to the warden of the hostel. KTV was the warden then and I had a long talk about my ambition and lack of text books.Text books were not being issued by the college library and the book stalls in Thrissur rarely keep text books on Arts subjects and  we had to depend entirely  on the notes prepared by the professors in each subject .These notes were to be taken down  in the class manually as  photostat machines were unheard of. during those days Buying text books used to be rare among most of the students . My Political Science Professor (actually we called him lecturer only )gave a good book on Political Science(Appa Dorai) before leaving  the hostel that day and that book helped me a lot to get good marks in that subject. .

. Every day  after the classes, I  used to go  for taking tuition classes.. RD  used to go to hotel everyday and  used to invite me ..Since he started earning money as an advocate he       was lavish  in spending
..We used to go almost daily to vadukkunathan temple in the evenings(not inside the temple but within the  compound  as RDdid not like to remove his  shirt  for entering the temple)We had a trip to Guruvayur temple also In the sathram(lodging provided by the devaswam) ,  a man staying in the adjacent room ( a tamilian)came to meet RD and told us how he became devoted to Guruvayurappan and got cured of his disease(loss of voice)like chembai Vaidyanatha bhagavathar, the renowned classical musical genius of Kerala.
After the final exam which were over by April  first week or so  I had plenty of time  at my disposal and therefore  started tuition classes for local  students of village O . to earn some pocket  money.
Father  told frankly that it would be better for me to try for some jobs in Kerala  after knowing the results of the degree final year  as he could not afford to send me to Ernakulam for pursuing  higher studies.There was no post graduate classes  available in colleges at Thrissur  then..
 Remembering the unemployment experience of  by my elder brother ,  I made a  decision not to try for job in Kerala but to go to north (Bombay was the favorite destination then)People used to stand in long queue for one full night at the Thrissur railway station for getting a reserved ticket to Bombay those days..Mean while my other elder brother who  was  in Ranchi , Bihar wrote to father that I  should come to Ranchi as  that year there  was a proposal to start MA  course in Economics in the Ranchi university and I could try for it after coming over there.
I was very happy to go to Ranchi and try my luck .He gave the directions how to reach  Madras, how to get   Howrah mail      and reach Kharagpur  and  how to come to Ranchi by train. from Kharagpur.The result of the final exam was not known but I  was confident that I would be successful and convinced  father.and got the money for the train journey(I  do not remember how much he gave me, not much as he was very  frugal in spending).He used to say that we boys should be careful about these things-- frugal in spending in all matters, not playing cards, not to booze and smoke and not to eat meat..

I started from Thrissur by train with an reserved ticket as there was no time for advance booking as I wanted to reach Ranchi before the University started admission process. So my cousins  and elder brother came to the station to see me off and since  the unreserved  bogie  was fully packed  I was pushed through the window along with the luggage,Fortunately one north  Indian man asked me in Hindi  to occupy his seat till he return from the platform after buying some snacks and later when the train started moving ,agreed to share his seat with me..I reached next day morning in Madras totally tired having no food in the night except one vada  given by the north Indian..Fortunately one  B K M  son of my  mother's friend and classmate of my elder brother  came to the central station to pick me up and I spent the day comfortably with him He came to the station to see me off also.
After several hours of journey(probably  24 hours)  I reached Kharagpur in West Bengal,  with the dress and body full of coal dust( the trains were run with coal as fuel).,took bath in the retiring room and  food in the railway refreshment room.Since my connecting train was  running  late , I  kept the luggage  in the cloak room and went out of the station for sight seeing.. I strolled  in the railway station area for some time.Then somebody called me in Hindi from behind and I found a  man looking like a beggar  was calling..First I thought I should not respond to him, a stranger  but later changed my mind and asked him the purpose of his calling me, out of curiosity.. He started telling in Hindi  that he was an astrologer and could tell my future correctly and completely for a small fee .I refused telling him that I did not believe in astrology.Then he started telling that  I was going in search of employment  and would struggle for some time in life but  would be  successful in later   ,a statement that made me happy, . .I do not remember whether I paid him  any fee or not    but  rushed back to the station   as the Ranchi  train was to arrive shortly according to the platform announcement .
.I again got into an unreserved compartment of the train but this time  fortunately the rush was less and I could get  comfortable sitting  accommodation
Next  day got up early in the morning and was watching from the train the scenic beauty of Chhotanagpur region of Bihar . .At one of the small stations a  a train ticket examiner  entered the compartment..I searched  for my purse to take out my ticket  but lo I could not find  it anywhere in my pockets  I realized I had lost my purse along with the ticket.kept in the purse  .I started perspiring and  all thoughts came to my mind how  I would now end up my search for higher studies and job  in the jail. I  could not remember where I lost  my  purse Probably during sleep somebody might have pick pocketed  as this was my first  overnight journey by train and had slept like a log enjoying the train journey during the nights...With no one to help in a strange land with unfamiliar language with no money to pay  even for tea I  was totally depressed  and worried.. I also thought  that if my elder  could not come to the railway station to receive me due to some reason or other what course of action was left for me., nothing but go  to jail. .I called all the deities to help in  that critical situation
. .I thought of hiding in the toilet till the TTE goes to the next compartment but then good sense prevailed and I thought  I should be frank instead of hiding in the toilet room .So I  went straight to the TTE before he reached my place in the compartment and with tears in eyes dramatically explained my predicament in broken English and Hindi.  The  TTE , a stout man  with a black coat and tie,smiled  at me and  told me not to worry and asked me to  meet him on getting down at the Ranchi railway station  and went to the next compartment after some time.. There was great mental relief and I   thanked all the gods and the TTE  in helping me out..After seeing his smile I thought  the TTE would not charge me anything   as I was frank and innocent and  I was the only madrassi in the compartment according to the TTE.( he  addressed me  madrassi  though I told him that Iwas from Kerala  and not   from Madras)
When the train arrived at the Ranchi station my brother was waiting at the platform and  I got down  and explained  to him the whole situation . .  .He told me to go out of the station immediately as we were near  the end of the platform from where we could go out without through the official exit gate and that the TTE might have excused me being a madrassi.... I  remembered what the TTE told and wanted to thank him for the kindness shown to me  and hopeful of exonerating me.at the station platform..  We went to the TTE  who was busy in  making receipts for all unauthorized travelers and seeing me  he immediately prepared  a   receipt for   certain amount and told smilingly that he  had charged  the madrassi  for the ticket less travel only from Jamshedpur  and not from Howrah , the starting station of the train.( which he was  expected to charge as per rules).. Brother paid the amount immediately and we came by manual rickshaw  to the place where my brother stayed with his friends  known as Nivarampur mess of malayalees
This journey taught me that during  travel  one  should not keep  money and ticket at the same place as loosing both will be highly problematic. By keeping  important things separately even if you loose ticket you  will have money in your purse to reach your destination and if you loose  the purse you can still  reach your destination  with the ticket you had .I had made several train journeys later to different parts of India  and this principle was religiously followed.I never lost money or ticket thereafter in any of my journeys subsequently.