EXERCISES FOR VERTIGO

1. Sit on the bed with both legs straight and touching the floor.

2. Slowly turn your head to the left at a 45° angle (look at an object placed at that angle).

Lie down slowly, keeping your gaze at 45°, and rest your head on the pillow.

Stay in this position and count up to 30.

3. Return to sitting slowly, keeping your head at 45°. Count up to 30.

4. Slowly turn your head to the right at a 45° angle.

5. Lie down slowly, keeping your gaze at 45°, and rest your head on the pillow. Count up to 30.

6. Return to sitting slowly, keeping your head at 45°.

7. In the sitting position, count up to 30.

 All movements should be slow. Use a normal-sized pillow.

 Steps 1–7 = One sequence.

Repeat 5 times in the morning and 5 times in the evening.

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Exercise 2

1. Stand straight, facing forward, with both feet together.

2. Look at an object in front of you at eye level.

3. Slowly move your head in this sequence:

Left → Center → Right → Center → Up → Down → Center.

Count up to 30 in each position.

 One sequence = above movements.

Repeat 5 sequences in the morning and 5 sequences in the evening.

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Exercise 3

1. Stand straight with your arms resting at your sides.

2. Step forward, placing the heel of one foot directly in front of the toes of the other foot.

3. Continue walking this way, heel to toe, at each step.

Keep eyes focused straight ahead (do not look down).

4. Walk slowly for 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening.

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✅: Key Benefits

Regular practice of these exercises helps the body become more aware of positional changes, enabling it to maintain balance in various circumstances, including those affected by ear balance problems like vertigo.

LIFE IN THE SIXTIES- CONTD

ORISSA KAND 

  After receiving the appointment letter I started thinking about whether I should accept the offer at all. There was an improvement in the designation, from upper-division clerk to senior clerk. There was some increase in salary and all the facilities extended by the existing organization like independent quarters to live, free medical facilities and leave travel concessions, etc were also extended. The scope for promotion was better, being a new venture of the Government of India under the Defence  Ministry. However, the minus point was that the factory was located in a remote place with no public facilities. Continuing the studies for the company secretaryship at such a place would be difficult.

  There was a rumour that more people would likely be transferred soon due to the additional requirement of staff in the field. I then decided that I should not continue with a company with the threat of transfer always hanging over the head. I submitted my resignation letter.

I booked my rail ticket to Vizianagaram from where I proposed to go to Koraput by road as suggested in the appointment letter... However, on the way to Vizianagaram by train, some co-passengers suggested getting down at a place called Rayagada and then go by road to Koraput and then to Sunabeda, the place where the factory was under construction,... I thought it would be a little adventurous trip to take a new route and accordingly got down at Rayagada, a sleepy bg village those days. I  did not find even a single bus with the destination board 'Koraput 'in the bus stand and thought I made a bad decision. On inquiry, I was told that there was no direct bus to Koraput till the next day but some suggested taking a bus going to Jeypore and get down at Koraput on the way.

I reached Koraput by around 7 pm and, though a district headquarters, Koraput had no good hotels, I do not remember how I could locate a small hotel run by a Sardarji. Sardarji welcomed me and my luggage was taken inside immediately. He did not show me any room immediately. He simply told me that everything would be arranged according to the available space., after dinner. Since there was no alternative I waited and after dinner, he brought a wooden cot and kept it in the courtyard, and told me that I could sleep on that for the night as no room was vacant.. ...... I spent the night lying on the cot watching the starlit sky and since it was summer it was pleasant and I slept well..

In the morning., had a bath, changed my dress.,took breakfast and asked the hotel manager how I  could go to the Aero Engine factory.of HAL He told me  that I should catch a bus going to Vizianagaram and get down at a place called Sunabeda. No other mode of transport was available then. to reach the factory. I reported for joining at the factory office and while processing the joining time papers the official asked me where I would be staying. I told him I did not have anybody at that place and did not know what to do as coming every day for work from Koraput was also difficult. He was a Malayalee gentleman from Palghat by the name G K He told me that till I got official accommodation allotted I could stay with him. I thanked him profusely and thanked  God. for such an offer. GK became  one of my close friends. .

. The factory for manufacture aero engines was under construction and civic facilities were minimal at Sunabeda. Food during the daytime was available at the factory canteen but at other times we had to depend on small hotels working in temporary sheds on the project site.. The. food was horrible,, neither north Indian nor south Indian, the tables used to be dirty and the whole area used to be full of flies, We had to wave our hand continuously to get rid of flies while eating. After a few days, I was allotted a quarter to be shared with a draftsman belonging to Orissa. He was a nice chap and we decided to cook food in our quarters itself jointly at night. That was an experience  He taught  me how to cook food according to Orissa style and I  in turn taught him how to cook food in Kerala style, and we  continued our joint cooking venture for some time

After a few months, a hotel was opened in the township and we abandoned our self-cooking project and started eating in the hotel during nights. The food was ok in the initial stages but later it became so bad that many  of us decided to start cooking in our own quarters'.. The. food tasted exactly the same every day in the hotel.  It was painful to go to the hotel to have such food. The food in the canteen was a little better but the quantity of food was limited.Many days Ifelt hungry after taking food.

. It was this time that some of the engineers and technicians belonging to Kerala decided to start a mess and I was invited.. I  had some hesitation initially to join because the organizers told me that some days there would be non-veg items. also. Being a  pure vegetarian by birth  I thought I should not join. But as the days passed I had to change my decision and join the mess as there was no other alternative except self-cooking which somehow or other I did not like

. For a few days, the cook at the mess prepared only veg items but later he started preparing non-veg curries also probably due to pressure from members who were confirmed non-vegetarians. The friends including a brahmin engineer from Palghat by the name RK   persuaded me to eat non-veg items to improve my health... Thus reluctantly I started eating non-veg items little by little. I did not relish the taste and the guilty feeling continued for some time that I was doing something my dad specifically prohibited ..

A Christian family hailing from Guruvayur used to invite me for lunch on weekends and they used to make excellent veg curries in Kerala style for my sake. It was a great relief for me those days. Mr. J whom I considered as my elder brother was an engineer from Air Force on deputation to the factory and our friendship was very deep. It was he who took me to the house of a Malayalee engineer(B) working in the aircraft engine testing house who was an ardent devotee of Satya Sai Baba and showed me the miracle of ashes and honey continuously coming out from Baba's photo kept in his pooja room... This happened a few days before my resignation from the company and leaving Sunabeda for good

    Work in the office was very hectic, practically no time for studying, etc after office hours, and my plan to continue the studies for the professional examination(CS) was in the doldrums After -office hours were spent with the friends in their quarters. Some of them were in the habit of drinking and they tried their level best to make me drink (for company sake) on Saturday evenings. I resisted but one day they forced me to drink and after drinking I started vomiting. I  told them that drinking was not suiting me and  I did not find any joy in drinking tastewise or otherwise and asked them why should I keep their company at the cost of my health,..I decided that I would never drink, and thus honor my promise to dad that I  would abstain from alcohol for life. Fortunately, after a few days of happening this incident, there was a meeting arranged by the office for all the executives to be addressed by the chairman of the company. The chairman who was an Air Marshall in the Air Force emphasized during the meeting the need to avoid alcohol for the health  of mind and intellect quoting his own example..Though occupying a very high position in the  Air Force, he remained a teetotaller ( he became the Chief of Air Staff of our country later). We were so impressed with his speech that some of us decided to abstain from alcohol for life. During those days I was suffering from hyperacidity and the company doctor also advised me to avoid alcohol at any cost.. Looking back I  feel that it was one of the most beneficial decisions I have ever taken in life. Some who continued to enjoy Booz among our friends later became so addicted to it and when tried to stop became mental wrecks showing withdrawal symptoms. requiring long treatment.

 During my stay in Sunabeda, I had gone to a place called Sitapur in UP  where my elder brother was admitted for an eye operation in a famous hospital. there. That trip made me understand how ordinary people in UP  adore capable surgeons as gods. ..After the treatment was over we visited Kasi Viswanath temple on our way back from Sitapur. This was my second visit to Kasi Viswanath temple and I prayed toVisweswara for protection  and blessings always.

Most of my friends at Sunabeda were either engineers or technicians working in the factory and they suggested taking up another professional examination conducted by the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants and offered to help me to clear papers in engineering and mathematics which were difficult for me... Since the studies for Company secretaries examinations were not progressing well, I thought I  should take up simultaneously this new course so that whichever course I  complete first could be my profession for life. Moreover working in the Accounts branch, ICWA qualification would be more relevant for career growth. compared to company secretaryship. (CS)

I registered for the cost accountancy course, appeared for the first group of the  Intermediate examinations, and passed in the first attempt itself as the subjects were very familiar to me such as Industrial and Commercial Laws, Office Methods and General Knowledge of Commerce and Finance. I could not further pursue the course as I  found that I did not have sufficient background knowledge of mathematics (being an Arts Graduate ) and engineering.though the friends offerred to help.

   The studies for the examinations for company secretaryship thereafter continued with the available time but with a heavy workload in the office and consequent tiredness and lack of adequate study materials in the place(an isolated township surrounded by barren hills, cut off from major cities and towns)  I found it extremely difficult to prepare for the examinations. Still. the studies continued against all odds and all groups in Intermediate and Final examinations were cleared one by one,. . When I  appeared for the final Group.,  I found that in the advanced accountancy paper  I could not clear the balance sheet question correctly which made me depressed as the question carried maximum marks.

 I was thinking with the passing of the final examination, all my struggles for studies would end.

 I   had appeared from Chennai center for the Final  and was staying with my elder brother. I consulted him and my sister- in- law and on their advice decided to visit the Balaji temple at Tirupati to seek blessings to pass the examination.

I visited the temple accordingly and prayed to the lord of the Seven Hills to help me. to come out of the struggles for getting a professional qualification.and settle in life

 

After the darshan, I thought of visiting Puttaparthy, the abode of Satya Sai Baba,  re-incarnation of Shirdi Sai Baba as many friends at Sunabeda advised me to seek Baba's.blessings also.  I traveled up to Dharmavaram by rail and then by bus up to a place called Bukkapatnam where I had to get down to catch another bus to Puttaparthy..Bukkapatanam was a small village...a very backward place with a few small shops near the bus stop. I was told that I could get the connecting bus to Puttaparthy the next day only. It was evening and I found that there was no lodging facility nearby and the thought of how to spend the night at such a place troubled me a lot. While I was enquiring how I  could reach Puttaparthy,  a villager came forward and told me in pure Telugu that he could take me to swami's ashram. I  immediately agreed as it was getting dark. The man took me to a bullock cart, kept my hold all(sleep bag) and the suitcase in the cart, and asked me to get in. He took the cart initially through small roads and then to the paddy fields. It was summertime and the fields were having paddy stubs only after the harvest. It became very dark and I  was wondering whether he was taking me in the right direction. He was continuously talking in Telugu, about Swamy and his astonishing powers, and as I was not very comfortable with his language I kept quiet. The cart journey in the paddy fields under the starlit night was an experience. Finally, we reached Prasanthi Nilayam, the abode of peace, the ashram of Satya Sai Baba. During those days (1969-70)  the place was not that developed. Presently it is a full-fledged town with shopping centers, hotels, etc, and even an airport.

When I reached the ashram, soft evening bhajans were going on in the hall., After the Arathi, people started coming out of the hall. Somebody showed a long shed open on all sides with a roof of  asbestos sheet. where visitors could rest for the night. He also told me that I need not worry about the safety of my baggage as Baba would take care of everything. I had some food in a nearby hotel, a very small one. I slept in the shed after spreading the holdall. In the morning, somebody told me that the prayer hall would be opened early and baba would participate in the bhajans...After...taking a bath in a makeshift bathroom where water was to be purchased?  . Water was kept in big drums. It was a Muslim man who gave me the water and told me something about Shirdi baba and his connection in an earlier life?

I attended the morning bhajans and participated in the parikrama of the place. I found many women weeping while doing the parikrama on touching the walls of the building where Baba was staying. After the parikrama, we were asked to sit in a row to wait for Baba. I was told that Baba was not giving any interviews that day and also for the following few days. I was a bit disappointed as I wanted to meet Baba personally and get his blessings to pass the examination.....Baba came to the row where we were sitting and as I  had closed my eyes when he came near., I lost the opportunity to see him closely

I came to Bangalore from Puttapathy and then to my hometown to see my parents after a gap of a few years as I  was always preparing for the CS examinations and did not get time to visit them.

       I returned to my place of work with a heavy heart worrying about the outcome of the final examination ...When the result was due there was an announcement from the institute that the candidates who had appeared for the particular group should write the examination again( as there were some mistakes in the question paper  I was told). Now that I got another chance to write the examination and improve my performance, I was extremely happy

I appeared for the final examination again from Chennai center, went to the great temples of Ranganathaswamy at Srirangam and  Meenakshi temple in Madurai. before returning to Sunabeda

The result of the final examinatio came, I passed the examination to my surprise since I  was thinking that I did not write well even in the re-examination as the time for preparation was less. I thanked Tirupathi Venkateswara Swamy, Satya Sai Baba, Ranganathaswamy, Madurai Meenakshi Ammal Sudareswar Swamy (shiva) for my success.

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I  was promoted to the post of Accountant after completing one year of service. But chances of getting further promotions in the organization were bleak. So I started trying to get a better job elsewhere. I was called by another unit of our company at Nasik for an interview for the post of Assistant Accounts Officer but as I had not sufficient experience in a supervisory cadre then, I was not selected. However, I  took the opportunity to visit places like Jalagaon, Ajanta caves famous for their cave paintings and architectural beauty, Maihar Devi temple in Madhya Pradesh ( one of the Sakthi peethams situated on a hill and having 1000steps to climb which used to be climbed by BabaAllaudin Khan, the guru of Ravi Shankar.,  the sitar maestro to offer his musical offerings to Devi daily), Jabalpur with its beautiful marble ghats in Narmada river, and the famous Khajuraho temples with mind-boggling sculptures.

Since I  was the first person to pass the company secretaryship examinations from the factory, I requested the management to transfer me to HAL corporate office in Bangalore where my services could be better utilized in the secretarial department. The Chief Administrative Office, an IAS officer from the Orissa cadre, strongly recommended my case to the corporate office. I  went to Bangalore with the letter and met the Director(Personnel). However, the Director did not make any commitment and told me that as and when the vacancy arose, my case could be considered

As I was disappointed with the outcome of my trip to Bangalore I continued to send applications to outside organizations for jobs. Fortunately a central govt. organization having a huge aluminum project at a place called Korba in Madhya Pradesh called me for an interview and  I was selected as Accountant. The scale of pay of the post was better though the designation was the same. All the facilities extended by the present employer were also extended by the new employer...Moreover, the company was new and the scope for promotion was definitely better. . I decided to change the employer and therefore submitted the resignation. I was relieved and I left for Korba the next day. by bus up to Rayagada and then by train to Bilaspur/, Korba.I reached Korba the next morning
Korba was a small town developed after the set-up of a thermal power station of 1000 MW. Of course, collieries of National Coal Development Corporations were there but the importance of the place became more only after the setting up of thermal power project. There were some state government offices also.at Korba . As suggested by somebody I went to the PWD office at Korba and requested to give me a room in the Rest House which they agreed readily as I was from a central govt. organisation.The Rest House  was very neat and clean, located in a calm and quiet place and the cook cum in charge was a nice local chap.

LIFE IN THE SIXTIES --CONTD.

Ranchi  situated in the then state of Bihar and presently in the state of Jharkhand   with  its cool climate was a hill station in olden days .Later  due to population explosion   on industrialization it   lost  that  status now .In 1961  it had a pleasant climate and  particularly during  summer nights it used to be very cold..I liked  the  place immensely having come from a hot place like Kerala. with year round  sweating  The town was not that crowded  then and  if you walked a little distance away from the  town   you  could  enjoy the beauty of the country side with small villages of the tribal people

We  were six members in the mess occupying 3 rooms, 2 members in each room..There was a kitchen outside the rooms and a toilet  and a  bath .All members were malayalees then .,  one working in a bank, one working in a newspaper office,   three in a central government organisation and myself ..Our cook used to be a  boy Panna  by name , a bihari.  and all of us liked his food preparations particularly  his wheat roti and dal./subji .In fact he used to challenge each one of us about the maximum rotis that could be eaten at a stretch and he  used to prepare the rotis without any grudge or complaint. I remember I had once eaten  12 rotis at a stretch.and Panna congratulated me for the achievement.Subsequently we had more members in the mess for short periods  and we accommodated them by adding  more  cots made of wooden frame and  a sort of  interwoven ropes made of   bark of certain plant. We had one Rao from Andhra Pradesh, one  person from Karnataka and  another   of Tamil origin, thus making our mess  really a Madrassi mess  as was known locally.
Panna was very trustworthy, never cheated in money handling for local purchases of vegetables and provisions, (Later when Panna left us , we tried to  get a replacement and while interviewing one  candidate asked whether he was to buy vegetables and provisions for the mess and when we told that we would provide him whatever  required , he frankly told he was not interested in the job . .It appeared he wanted to make some money out of  the  purchases. Panna wanted leave to go to his native village and we gladly permitted  him.Unfortunately he did not return after the leave and we  did not have his address either. ..So we had no cook in the mess and had to resort to hotel food.Another interesting  person we came across during our stay in the mess  was  Abdul (?) by name.Whether sun or rain Abdul would come every Tuesdays with our dresses washed and pressed to  perfection . Without him we could not even imagine how we could go to office neatly dressed. Laundry shops were few and far between and shops where pressing of dress  alone was done were not there .

SEARCH FOR JOB
One day a letter was received  from my father stating  that I passed the degree examination with high second class. For Arts group students, getting a second class itself was  difficult in those days.       and getting first class,  extremely difficult..Valuation of answer papers was very strict then  unlike now  when  most   students get above 80 percent marks, .Brother got the marks sheet and provisional certificate etc. immediately(final certificate would be given only after the convocation) from the college .A discussion was held in the mess among the members about the possible places where I should try for job and the member working in the news paper office suggested that   I should meet the editor of his paper  and show the certificates and request for taking   as an apprentice.So I went to the news paper office the  next day , met the editor., a Bengali lawyer whom I admire even now for his vast knowledge and abilities. .He told that I could be taken as a proof reader(Sub Editorial Assistant). and asked me  how much salary I expected .  I replied that  it might be fixed after  seeing  my performance.   for  a month and the editor liked the reply...So I joined the office the next day and was posted under the  Sub-Editor. a grand old   Bengali gentleman who  was a freedom fighter once upon a time.. My duty was to collect the proof from the composers, read the proof and correct it ,and give  it to my boss and then give it to the foreman after it is cleared by the boss for printing..Important first page news and editorial pages  were to be  corrected by sub editor only..Since the paper was not daily but published on certain days of the week, I had to work throughout  the night prior to the publication days. After the month was over my salary was fixed at Rs 75/ per month .

 .The monthly contribution to the mess was only Rs 50  for lodging and boarding and I had  only Rs  25 left for small expenses like hair cut ...Meanwhile an  advertisement came out for jobs in the biggest central public sector  company in Ranchi  where my brother was working . I gave my application. immediately. Ranchi University also published the admission notification for admission   to the post graduate course in Economics( MA  in Economics)I went to the university and submitted the application form  and also met the Head of the Department of Economics.After seeing  that I got 58.5% in the main paper (Economics) in my degree exam he was very happy and told  that I would definitely get the admission.However when the final selection list came my name was not there .. I was devastated and immediately went to see the professor to seek clarification.He told that the matter was discussed in the syndicate meeting and it was the decision of the syndicate to give preference to students from universities located in  Bihar   and take students from other universities  only if any seat was left over. e. The professor suggested to wait for the next academic session which was obviously not acceptable to me. Thus  having lost all hopes of going for post graduate studies (the very purpose of my coming to Ranchi), I thought of returning to Kerala,Meanwhile I had joined for evening classes in German  language conducted by the local private college run by Jesuit priests from abroad..Anyway ,  I thought  ,  I should wait for the fate of my application for the  job already given before deciding to return to Kerala

The work in the newspaper office was continued and  with  the total income of Rs 75 per month  which was just sufficient to meet both ends.. I  thought why  should I  not start taking tuition classes for children  as I was doing in my home town before coming over to Ranchi .Fortunately one family who was  known to us  told that they would like to engage a tuition master . .Happily I accepted the offer 'The additional income helped me to meet some more personal expenditure like going for movies and  for eating south Indian dishes' in the madrassi hotel  once in a while 

Everybody  in the news paper office  openly appreciated my work and I  decided not to return to Kerala but continue in Ranchi itself  ..As things were moving according to my  liking in the job front, a new  person was recruited  in the advertisement department and I  came to know that he was  given an initial salary of Rs 150/ p.m  i .e double the amount of my salary ...He was only an ordinary graduate like me with no previous experience and I   could not reconcile with  the new situation..The sub editor consoled me  telling that he was given a higher start because he was in the advertisement field and his job required aggressive canvassing for advertisements..Whatever might have been the justification for giving him a higher start, I felt completely upset over the action of the management and decided to quit the job as early as possible.My  immediate boss understood my feelings and though he was sorry to loose me  he could not take up my case of fixing my salary also at Rs 150/ with the editor as he himself was worried over the security of his job.

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I could not find any job suitable to my qualification  as the job market in Ranchi was too tight then.,One day one of the mess  mates told me that his friend had resigned from the company he was working  and probably  the company might take a new person in that vacancy..,So the very next day I went to the office of that company  situated about 10 kms away from Ranchi, a place called Dhruva..That was a design office of a  multinational company entrusted with the designing of  factory buildings for heavy engineering corporation , a huge public sector factory complex being established by govt, of India.The chief accountant , perused through my  certificates and told that I was the right man  having first class in school final  and high second class in the degree exam..I was  taken to the Chief of the office , an  European by name E. Kempf. I was given the appointment letter across the table  with a  salary at Rs 200/ p.m, a salary beyond my  expectations..  I was on cloud 9  and promised to join as soon as I  was  relieved by my present employer.

I met  the Editor the next day and told about joining the new company as the salary offered was very good and I  was finding it  difficult to meet both ends with the present salary..The Editor gave a long lecture how I   could shine in the field of journalism.and suggested to continue but without mentioning about the salary increase.I told him that  I  would like to go for career  in accounting profession and I had  already applied for a  job in  X company and expected to get it.,.My resignation was accepted and I was relieved . The Editor gave a very good service certificate to the effect that I am" a conscientious young man with a  high sense of responsibility"

I joined  my new office  the next day and the Chief Accountant    told me that I should not only keep books of accounts and do other related jobs, but also manage cash office also, a work I did not like because of fear of loosing money while handling. The work load was very heavy, the work itself was quite new as I had not studied accountancy at all..But my boss, the Chief Accountant, took great pains to make me understand the basic principles of accountancy like a teacher and .I am ever  grateful to him for the training he gave me in accounting matters and also for  the great lessons he taught me  to face various problems in life.He was only a matriculate by qualification, but because of his hard work, he was promoted  from the lowest position to the highest post by his European bosses.

. He used to  advice me  on every aspect of life and I have no words to express my gratitude to him  .

I  used to stay in the hostel provided by the company. According to the rules of the company we should report at 8 am  sharp  and any late attendance was severely viewed .I being a late riser found it difficult to keep the punctuality and my boss used to scold me for that. ....The work load was so heavy that I could not get time  even to stretch my back. during office time. .Then I understood that for every increase in salary there was  increase in workload and responsibilities and there was no job  in this world with less responsibilities and more salary.

While I was struggling thus, . I got selected( after the interview) as an upper division clerk in the  accounts department in the central public sector company. where I  had applied earlier. I was in a dilemma whether I should accept the new offer     with the  salary of around Rs 150/,pm, a reduction of Rs 50 / per month..My boss assured me that  once  the project was completed he would take me to Bombay(now Mumbai)  head office and I should not resign.That was a nice offer  .Having experienced the heavy work in the private sector , there was a charm for joining public sector company where workload would be much less though money also would be much less.
I tendered my resignation and told my boss that I would like to join Law Classes and that  could be possible if I work at Ranchi .only So  the boss  he reluctantly relieved  me of my duties enabling me to join the new office   immediately.

I joined in  my new assignment on 2 - 2 -1962 and was posted to Accounts department . .The work was  not at all heavy compared to my previous private sector  job and after office hours I could go to British Council Library or State Central Library  regularly' for reading.

When the new academic year started I joined for Law classes in the Government Law College. .My classes used to be from 5.30 pm to 9 pm and I had to travel  after the classes a distance of about 3 - 4 kms in the night, to reach my quarters...I bought one  new cycle by taking a cycle advance from my new employer and used it  for going to office, college and back to quarters.In winter months  it used to be very cold in Ranchi  and found it difficult to cycle in the night with no street lights on the roads, shivering( though wearing sweater, muffler  etc.) .  We used to have breakfast and lunch in a nearby(to the office) madrassi  hotel. In the evenings  myself and brother used to cook our food in the  quarters  as madrassi hotel used to be closed  after the office hours and it was also faraway .

I was very much devoted to work and rarely participated in the discussions(unofficial ) held by my colleagues(about 12 or so) who were mostly Bengalees..However I could learn their language a little and I used to go to see Bengali movies along with my  friends..My liking for Bengali movies started then.

I passed the departmental examination conducted by the company for the purpose of confirmation of  appointment and  and was declared first among the candidates appeared from Calcutta and Ranchi centres.I was congratulated   in my achievement by my South  Indian friends as South Indians rarely got the first rank in the past. .I was also appreciated once by my Departmental Head for completing the assigned work (preparation of salary bills for the staff numbering over 250)  manually  within   record time without any mistakes, at any stage whatsoever.My work was to prepare salary bill for over 250 staff members and the bill had to be prepared manually ..writing down the names, designations, scale of pay , basic pay, allowances, deductions to be made for provident fund,  recovery of advances taken like cycle advance, festival advance etc,increase in pay due to annual increments, promotion and decrease in pay due to leave taken without pay etc ...There were no calculators available then   for the staff  doing work in the accounts department  and so we had to do all calculations  manually only .When all the works  were completed    the salary bills, statements of accounts would be checked  by  a machine called Comptometer which is only a  big calculator  to be operated  manually .Usually during the final checking  the statements would not tally due to mistakes and it was in  my second or third month of joining the company  that I completed the assigned work without any mistakes and hence the appreciation  of the boss.

  Days passed and the date for the  final Bachelor of Laws examination  was announced ..It was difficult to get leave from office as the works relating to annual closing of accounts were going on.However with the available time I prepared for the exam very hard, studying  day and night and  passed the final  obtaining 60.9% marks and was placed second in the university in 1964
After passing  the Law Examination   the thought came what next. Employment opportunities were much less those days.To practice law one has to take up another examination .I was not inclined to pursue the legal profession after seeing some practicing junior lawyers getting very meager remuneration in Kerala then...Joining  in a company in the legal department was another option but that required good connection as companies rarely notified such  vacancies..Then I thought of going for company secretaryship course , the examinations for which were conducted by govt. of India.( as suggested by my ex boss of the multinational company.) I registered for the course and    despite having no  guidance from anybody(as the course was quite new and Govt, itself took initiative to promote the  profession of company secretaries in the country) I decided to appear for    group 1  of the intermediate exam . I found it easier to take up the examinations group by group. in view of lack of time to study .

I passed in the examination held at Patna, the capital city of Bihar and I still feel that I passed not due to my efforts but due to the blessings  received from Sri Viswanath, the lord  of Kasi, on   account of my visit to Kasi  made immediately after the exam..Benares (Kasi)  is near Patna  , a few hours by train .Later  I made it a practice to visit some holy place near the examination centers  after every examination..

Now came a  bigger problem in professional life.The company decided to decentralize its accounting  operations and  accordingly started sending the employees to different zones and  collieries located mostly in  northern  eastern  and central India.If the   transferred place is good there was no problem but  most of the places of collieries  were very backward and remote from civilized world  with no facilities for education, entertainment ,  eating places etc..

As feared  I was transferred to a  remote colliery office.Now  came  a new development .The day the transfer order was issued I was bedridden with high fever and could not go to the office .I was down with chicken pox .It took nearly 25 days  for me to recover from  the disease .As I was not available, the office sent somebody else in my place  and  my transfer order was cancelled 

 On my joining back after the medical leave , though very weak  I was asked to go with the truck carrying important records to   a distant colliery office in Orissa (Talcher)and I   went  there due to fear of loosing the job ,if refused.It was an experience to travel in a truck hundreds of kilometres during day and night .

On my return I  was told that  a new section of the department was started a few days back  for  investigating all cases of over payments made in different collieries to contractors for overburden removal . and by sheer blessing of God  I was posted  to that department..I worked in the new department for a few months   and could   could find several cases of over payments.The Financial Controller was very happy with my performance and when the department was closed down on completion of the work  I was posted in the accounts department  of the headquarters  region as a special case.The threat of  transfer to collieries  was  thus over for the time being.

On decentralization of the  Headquarters offices, the scope for promotion  for the employees remaining in the Headquarters  became bleak and many of us started applying for jobs elsewhere   I saw an advertisement for the post of senior clerk in a  Defence  organisation situated in Orissa.I Immediately applied and got interview call which  was held at Visakhapatnam, a town in Andhra  Pradesh .The interview went very well and as     decided  after the interview I went to the famous Simhachalam temple  of Narasimhaswamy situated in the town .,On return to Ranchi, after a few days I got the appointment letter.

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. 

Life in the 50s

I was admitted in the Middle School  adjacent to the church in the 5th form and it was in that year that I decided that I  should study well. That was after reading a book on Madam Curie, the Nobel laureate.Her tireless work  which culminated in getting the Nobel was really inspiring.Meanwhile one of our uncles told us that scholarship would be given by a Trust in Thrissur to deserving poor students and I should apply for that.Accordingly I applied  for it and to my surprise I was given the scholarship.As father had no specific job to maintain us  and the tenants start delaying the payment of rent thinking that new Govt would bring legislation to end the agricultural tenancy,financial position of our family became critical.However the eldest brother completed his graduation and  got  a teaching job in a college in Palghat.
 .The life in those days was pretty  bad as  financial position of the family  continued to be poor though the elder brother had started sending money through money order facility of the post office.
Father also earned a little by doing  some work for the local namboodiri family such as visiting their farm houses and  supervising the agricultural operations there and also attending to sraddham etc.There was no pocket money given to us by father but during cashew season we were allowed to sell some cashew seeds and utilize the proceeds for going to cinema etc.I became a member of the local grameen vayanasala(library) on the specific advise of our Head Master and became a voracious reader reading anything that was printed..I passed the 7th Form  from the middle school run by the church and while receiving the certificate and TC  the teacher told me that I got the only first class in the public examination. from that school

My  elder brother was admitted in the Government School in Thrissur  and I also wanted to join in that school.But  father took the stand that it would be better to join a nearby school as Thrissur was faraway (about 5kms) .So I was  admitted in the high school  in a nearby place, about 2.5 kms from our house.

I used to carry the lunch in a box which would be kept in a shop  near the school and at lunch time I would come all the way from school ,  had lunch and returned to school. Everyday the same items used to be kept in the lunch box, rice  mixed with buttermilk, some achar of gooseberry and sometimes some vegetable .One day I  complained to mother that I was fed up with these items and wanted some money for buying something fried from the hotel near the school. but mother told that we didn't have enough cash to meet such expenditure.So my desire for fried snacks(vada) remained only in dream.
I also joined in the Boy Scout organisation of the school and  had  opportunity to  meet Boy Scouts from another school(Wadakkancheri).In one of our camps I showed a magic of burning paper  without the help of match sticks.and my friends were wonder-stuck.It was done with some potassium  permanganet and glycerin, a knowledge I got from a  magazine.
Due to financial problems I could not buy new text books and therefore depended on second hand books available at half the price from seniors.That practice was continued till I passed School Final(Secondary School  )I used to walk about 4 kms sometimes(village A) to read books available with my cousin..I studied well and got first class in the final exam(SSLC).Another boy also got first class in that year.The rest of the students  passed without any class.
During the school days I developed a  liking for writing short stories and  got  the first prize for short story writing conducted in connection with School Annual Day.I also got the first prize in short story writing conducted by the local Library.
 Having passed the School Final  the only option for higher studies was to join in the college as I did not like to go for diploma/certificate course in engineering. Since I had first class there would not be any problem to get admission in the best college in the town.So I applied and got admitted  in the Pre-Universty Cass, a one year  course   to be completed for joining degree course
.I used to walk from home to the college, a distance of 5 kms in an hour or so everyday as the buses were very very limited and  they charged also..I approached the management of the college for financial assistance and I was called for an interview.at the office of the bursar of the college  at the Bishop's Palace.I told everything about our financial condition and how I completed the school education with scholarships from charitable organisations.The priest took a favorable stand and recommended  my case for reduction of 50 percent of the normal fees.Still I had to pay Rs 9 every month which my family found difficult to pay. as other brothers were also required to pay their tuition fees
As already stated in an earlier blog , immediately after joining the college, the Asian   flu(1957) started spreading throughout  India and most of the people fell victim.In our family mother did not contract the disease and we were all believing that because of her pious nature she did not get it saving our family .After  I got rid of the disease, my health condition became poor  , had to be on leave very often from the college.My close friends including R came to our house and one of them expressed the view that I might not survive.
As already stated in an earlier blog I passed the Pre- university exam  with the encouragement received from my Professor of English VS
After passing the PUthe problem again arose  about future studies.I went to Coimbatore alone  at that age(17-18) to meet my elder brother who was  a Lecturer in a Govt. college there.He advised me to go for Arts subjects as my marks in the  PU  for maths , physics and chemistry were not that good.The other option was to go for zoology, botany group for which I had better grade in the PU but I  did not like those subjects  and going for medicine later was unthinkable as I was  afraid of sickness. and death.
Finally I joined in the local college for BA  Economics Main with Political Science and World History as subsidiary subjects
In those days there was a feeling among the students that only dullards would go for Arts subjects and the intelligent  would go for science , maths or commerce. I found the classes boring and got the feeling that I could clear all the exams with ease.Only  selection of Hindi as an optional  language during the degree course was my mistake and I cursed myself         for selecting a subject I was not interested..I used to tell all  thereafter  never select a subject you were not interested for studies for heaven-sake  and make your life miserable .
As I was overconfident  in getting through the exams  I   started  skipping the classes and doing some extra curricular activities like participating in the Association programs of RD, starting a small library in our village and taking tuition ..That tuition work brought me some pocket money and I  started coming to college by bus instead of on foot and  going to hotel  during lunch break instead of bringing the lunch from home .all the way.
The Association used to bring out a magazine and I was officially the printer and publisher.It appears that every year by march the publisher should publish the ownership details of the magazine and if not published, liable for prosecution.
One day a police man came to the house in the morning with a  notice that I should explain why I should not be prosecuted for not publishing the details as required as per law.We  were all agitated and father told that I should immediately discontinue   the membership of the association ... RD had become a full fledged Advocate then and I consoled father that RD would sort out the matter with the authorities and no need to cut off the membership. or association with RD.
The library became very popular and we tried our level best to increase the number of books in the library so that we could apply to the state library council for registration and get some grant every year,I approached some of our professors and lecturers to donate books and some of them gladly donated.We could collect some books but not sufficient enough  to get recognition from the Govt.Then we arranged for the Annual Day, invited important people to preside over the function and deliver speeches .That was the  second occasion when I tried to make a public speech.I was terribly upset  being an introvert but  with    much effort could deliver the speech and later I was told it was not bad. by our President .The earlier occasion was when I was studying in the middle school , I was asked by my class teacher to make a speech at the send off function for the  Father(priest) of the church managing the school. In spite of my reluctance, I was forced to come to the stage,  say something, but no words were  coming from my mouth.Fortunately the Father understood my position and prompted me from back( in low voice) what  I should tell about him and I faithfully reproduced his words.and the audience applauded and we were  taken to the new church at Thrissur were the priest was posted and were given a grand tea party.

After the  Annual function of the library the accounts were  to be finalized. A committee member told that he lost the receipt book and could not remember the exact amount he  collected.The other members got agitated over the issue  and started abusing the member telling that he had misappropriated huge amount..I tried to explain that the amount should not be that too big as from my own experience people gave maximum one rupee or half a rupee and not more than that..The financial position of most of the people was bad then and I found  to my surprise poor people were giving more compared to the so called rich.Any way the dispute continued and the accounts could not be finalized and I got so much fed up with the whole thing that I tendered resignation letter as secretary of the Library .I also decided that henceforth I would not hold any responsible post in any organisation and get myself worried over small small things.With the resignation, the  Library was closed for ever. the books were taken over by the President.and the owner of the library room  let out it to some other people, I think
The last year (1959) passed away without any major event I think..I will come back again for stories starting  from the year 1960

What Amma said this Sunday

Amma said to see only the good of everything .Those who can see good in others only experience peace and happiness in this life

We are seeing the world around us through the glass of our mind,.If the mind is filled with doubts and,hatred., we will be  seeing  the world  full of defects and deficiencies. Whereas if we see the the world with a mind full of love and,faith  we will able to see goodness in everything.

When we see the defects in others it is only our mind that gets disturbed and when goodness is seen it is our own mind that get  happiness. It is, therefore.  in our own interest that we see goodness in others and not the defects
we should not stress on the bad aspects of any ones life but good aspects  only..
There is no one in this world who is totally bad or totally good.There will be some  goodness  even in bad people. With proper development of mind if you can see only the good aspects of other people, blessing from God will come to you  and it is only this blessing that is the base for success in life

Life in the Forties continues

On the day of departure ,  we, children, were excited of the thought of travelling by car,by  bus and by train and seeing new places ...The car came to our house at about seven in the morning and was parked in the road on the eastern side of  the paddy fields and we all went walking through the fields carrying  something or other to the car as we were were permanently shifting.. Laxmi was weeping inconsolably as the car was getting started and  mother told her repeatedly that we would  take her to Thrissur one day, if God willing...The people in the village were  emotional and showed their love without any inhibitions and we also wept  as the car started.finally bidding good bye to all the people gathered there to see us off..
We reached a place called Perinthalmanna where the car had to be released to the owner as agreed and we took a bus(mayilvahana bus service, I think)run on coal steam,. unlike the present day petrol/diesel driven buses'.When we reached Pattambi we were all damn tired and hungry, hungry because we could not find a brahmin hotel on the way , as restrictions  imposed on eating in non-brahmin hotels were strictly followed by father though we children wanted to eat from any hotel..
I do not fully recollect the places where we went from Pattambi, but surely we  had visited father's ancestral house situated in a remote village surrounded by hillocks and forests .A small temple and a beautiful tank in front of it reflecting the  trees around  and  the green paddy fields reaching the foot of the forests were the only things I remember now of that place.

From Pattambi we  started for Thrissur and reached Thrissur in the evening.It was almost dark when the train reached the station and the man sent  to receive us was finding it difficult to locate us. .He ,therefore, shouted on top of his voice while running in the platform along  side of the train 'Are there anybody to go to -tharavad  of village A ---.Then father immediately shouted back" yes,yes  we are here" and then he could locate us .His name was kocchappu, a Christian by religion engaged by our tharavad  to do all miscellaneous  works like,  woodcutting for fuel purpose, bringing grocery items from Thrissur market etc....Since there was no electricity those days in Thrissur ,I remember the railway station was poorly lit  and was quite dark when we reached..Kocchappu had arranged a bullockcart(or was it a horse cart?) for us to go from the railway station to our village which was about 4kms.away.
All the members of  our tharavad, grand mother, mother's three sisters, their husbands, their children  and mother's three younger brothers were present  to receive us at the poomukham(front side of the tharavad).After the dinner,we children were to sleep in the padippura(gate house), a  building comprising two bed rooms in the ground floor and two in the first floor.There were 4 or 5 bed rooms alloted for  mother and her sisters  in the main building of the tharavad..The uncles slept in the ground floor of the padippura and the children occupied the rooms in the first floor of that building.
Life in the tharavad was   happy for the children with the cousins( brothers and sisters) ever ready for playing, elder cousin sisters ready to tell  exotic stories like Alibaba and the Forty Thieves, Sinbad the Sailor etc everyday   in the night..
. Then the great partition of the family came and I was too young to understand the circumstances that lead to the partition of the joint family. Probably the tharavad could not accommodate all the daughters , their husbands, their children. Everybody accepted the fact of partition but grand ma was devastated and was in a state of depression till death.. Mother's two sisters went to a village called P for settling there permanently and we came to a village called O while the youngest sister and brothers were given the tharavad   for staying. We moved to a house in O village  constructed already by my father out of his savings...
.I was admitted to class 4 1/2 in a local church school as I  had finished my class 4  in Malabar. If I had continued in Malabar I could have been promoted to class5 as there was no class41/2 there, so we pleaded but the school authorities insisted that I should be admitted only in 4 I/2 class and not in class 5 according to the rules .
My performance in the class was probably poor as there was lot of difference in the standard of teaching,  ..The class teacher who was a nun used to cane me  whenever I gave a wrong answer  and I could not understand then why I was specifically targeted. for caning.
.The students  sitting in our class could see through the windows the dead bodies being brought  to the church cemetery for burial, every now and then bringing a depressing mood  to the children in the class...The nun teacher subsequently became seriously ill and myself and my  close friend decided to go to convent to see her one day,.We saw her lying in bed in a dimly lit room of the convent.She tried to speak to us something but we could not follow her as she was very weak and hardly any sound came from her mouth..However , she raised her hand and blessed me before we took leave of her and then the thought flashed in my mind  that she was punishing me all along only to help me better my performance in the class..She slept in the lord for ever after a few days and we were very sad..Apart from this incident the  days in that school were uneventful.and nothing worth mentioning happened.

When I passed  the annual exam,. I sought to  get admission in a Govt. school in Thrissur(Model Boys School) but the idea was rejected outright as it was thought  walking nearly 5 kilometers up and down daily would be difficult for my age..I wanted to go to  a school far away from any cemetery as I did not want to see dead bodies  and hear the sad music of the funeral  procession every now and then., I pleaded .Finally it was decided that I should join in the 5th class of the Middle School run by the same church in the same locality.