My “Independence Day”– or was it?

During my childhood days I was known for my ‘gluttonous’ hunger. I had a “stomach clock” – I mean body clock related to the stomach – that was very very accurate and would not tolerate any variation in feeding time.

My tolerance towards hunger was very low. The minute my mind decided I was hungry, I HAD to eat something. This mindset is probably the cause for what I am today – “roly – poly” during childhood and overweight now (although, I prefer to stress that is by only 10-12 Kgs). It could be any thing solid – liquid food would not do. Raagi – hurittu (popped – ragi flour mixed with sugar, milk, ghee), meNasinapudi anna (cooked rice mixed with chilli powder and oil), avalakki mosaru (puffed rice with curds), avalakki kaai bella (puffed rice with coconut gratings and jaggery), etc. Even the required quantity was not too much. But I had to EAT.

Not eating when I was hungry would send hunger pangs like I had not eaten for days. I would sweat. I would get nausea. My hands would tremble. I would feel like I would almost collapse. Such was my intolerance towards an empty stomach.

Coming home from school one evening, I was at my ravenous best. Throwing aside my school bag, I had a quick wash (if it were not for the rule that “NO ENTRY TO DINING AREA WITHOUT WASH” I probably would have avoided it) and rushed to the kitchen with my “HOTTE HASHIVU” (translated to “I am Hungry”) shout. I was not greeted with any eatable but with the advice to wait for 5 minutes. Obviously my mother was busy pounding something (No mixies/grinders in those days). I was not in the mood for any excuses that day. I “demanded” that I be attended to immediately. But who heard the demands of a 9 year old.

I, then made my declaration of “Independence”. I threatned to “run” (“walk” would have been a more appropriate word for it) away from home. I got a cool “let me see you do it” reply from my mother from whom I least expected it. I had thought that that threat would get me something to eat. But now my reputation was at stake. Do I keep my threat or do I meekly surrender to the situation and wait those few minutes?? In the heat of the moment, I decided to make my threat come true. Banging the front door, off I went onto the streets. I had “run” away from home.

I was then about 9 years of age. My knowledge about Mysore and its localities was restricted to what I had traveled with the elders. I had never gone out alone further than Devaparthiva Road and Gita Road (See my other post “Walk the Walk – With an Elephant”).

I reached the end of Devaparthiva Road near the Aralikatte (Banayan Tree) at the north end took the familiar right turn towards Ramaswamy Circle. As I approached the junction of Gita Road, hard reality struck. I was not confidant of going any further – I was not aware of any other roads!!! With no other way out I went along Gita Road, rounded back towards Devaparthiva Road, back in front of our house (to see if anyone was searching for me) and along the same route once again. I had nowhere else to go – I was not confidant of going anywhere else!

I meekly walked back into the house. I was greeted with the “Yaake, yelligu hogalillava?” (didn’t you go anywhere”). It was a great eye opener. I realized that I had not grown up to the extent of “running” away from home. I also realized that if I had waited in the house for those 5 minutes, I would have got my food. If only I had the patience, I would have saved the the extra effort of walking for 20 minutes on an already empty stomach.

I have since gained control of my hunger pangs – although the same cannot be said about my overall weight.

Every time I am hungry and feel like demanding food, this incident acts as a great reminder to calm me down.

CFTRI SCHOOL

CFTRI School –Part (Building) #1

Year 1967 – Kindergarten - School term had already begun. I remember my mother taking me to school on the first day. The CFTRI School was running in the building beside the Director’s Quarters. There still is an open area between the two buildings that was being used as the Play ground.

The kindergarten class was in the right side shed behind the main building. Toys we had were drums, trumpet (one of my favourites), blocks, etc. There were a total of 34 others in the class. (Can you imagine it now – 35 is just half the class!). We used to get pasteurized milk (a luxury then for the general public), mango pulp bars, etc., from the pilot plant of CFTRI. We even used to get about 2 hours sleep in the afternoon.

The First Standard classes were in the left side shed. The desks were about 2 feet high and we had small wooden chairs. The uniform was a red and white checked shirt with olive green shorts/pinafore skirts, Mrs. Parpia (wife of the then Director of CFTRI, Dr. HAB Parpia) was the headmistress then. I remember an incident that indicates the kind of discipline and nationalism we were exposed to then.

January 30, 1969 it was. As is the norm, at the stroke of 11.00AM, we were all intimated that we would hear a siren when we were all required to stand up in silence for 2 minutes as a mark of respect for the Martyrs’ Day. At the stroke of 11 the siren sounded and we all stood up. It was then that I noticed ‘Aunty’ Parpia just coming round the corner of the main building and there she stood. She had frozen in the postion she was in – one step ahead of the other and head bowed. The importance and the value of that posture comes to my mind every time I have to stand in silence for paying respects to any departed soul.

We had the facility of the School Bus that would pick us up and drop us at our doorstep daily. I would be one of the last to be picked up and one of the last to be dropped off. The route that we took was covering almost the entire city of Mysore. Yadavagiri, Vontikoppal, Bannimantap, Tilak Nagar, Mandi Mohalla, Nazarbad, Ittigegud, Chamundipuram, Vidyaranyapuram, Chamarajapuram, Krishnamurthypuram, Jayanagar, Saraswatipuram – That was almost the entire city in those days (See Map).



The entire route could be covered in about 90 mins. Imagine that now! This facility was available until 1971. Then we had to travel by city bus. What fun we used to have in the school bus. But all that later.