Iyer

The Quadrangle at school

That time flys is manifest in how little we remember of the past. It is like while travelling, we capture only a few pictures in memory. I realize that, when I am trying to recollect each year from the past – the mind captures and retains only those that it cherishes, using a filter unknown to us.

Iyer with a Chotti

At school 4^th standard took the class into the new building at school. The primary school had a headmistress (HM) – a very strict stout lady. The new building was a square structure with class rooms all around a quadrangle with the HM room at one end. The junior classes were in the ground floor and the seniors in higher floors. I think this was my first year as a class monitor. Managing a boisterous class in periods was a task. If the class got noisy as a monitor one had to answer who were the mischievous ones – a very unfair task – a choice between the devil and the deep sea. If you don’t identify, the entire class got punished / caned with the ruler by the HM. On the other side one had to pick the troublesome ones and they could caned or sent to stand out. I would get tested, teased and called names. I think it was Vijayan who first coined ‘Iyer Jundy’ (Brahmin with a choti) to make fun of me as a monitor – I did have a strong brahminical accent and my hair would stand up at back of my head. Though there were a few skirmishes initially I soon developed the art to ignore and not get provoked, The jundy fell off in due course but I was ‘Iyer’ to all thereafter till I finished school. If there was a teacher acting for another then it was fun class and each would be called to do something I had sung a song, news of which reach the HM and made me famous with the teachers. It was a song from the movie Thavaputhalvan I mentioned in an earlier post. A English + Tamil club dance number that went ‘Love is fine darling when you’re mine’, which I sung many times to entertain the teachers.

I then used to sing it rote, not knowing what it meant but guess they found it cute, as they would repeatedly have a good laugh and even ask me to do it with the twist as in the movie. That I’m also a singer got set at school that enabled some privileges later.

Another great thing happened in this year, which even my parents don’t remember if they did it. I was sent all alone from Coimbatore to Chennai by train (a 10 hour journey). Because alone at night when it is dark was risky, I was put in West Coast express – a day train. Had my bag and snack pack and my father told the passenger next to take care and in Chennai my uncle came to receive me. It was thrilling to travel alone and guess shaped my independence. In an age with no phones, it is amazing how they took the call to do it- maybe the times we so different in terms of safety and they felt I can take care of myself.

We moved from the 8^th street to 9^th street into a larger house (22, 9^th street, Tatabad) exactly behind the earlier house. This house meant new neighbours, it had coconut trees in the front and back, a guava and drumstick tree, the owner vacated and we were the first tenants. Along with it came the owners dog Tommy a pommy-cross breed, which we had to maintain as a condition laid down by the owner. The only time we ever had a pet. Tommy had to be chained as otherwise he would walk all over the house as trained by the house owner but taboo now. Tommy had to be bathed periodically, de-flea d, fed curd rice - which he hated, safeguarded from street dogs etc. but he took to us soon.

This was also the year when I started getting wings – learning to ride a cycle. One had to go and get a cycle on hire on weekends when Dad was available to hold it and support as I learnt. After a few weeks, one weekend dad was having his Sunday afternoon siesta, I got impatient and sneaked out, got the cycle on rent and started trying it on my own. One side of the entire road was dug up for laying underground sewerage pipes. I attempted turning at the street end, alone for the first time and fell into the work in progress. Got a huge cut almost half of the knee cap area my left knee cut – one that could not be stitched or grafted – profusely bleeding. My dad was woken up and was livid but when he saw me just focused on taking me to a doc to attend to it. It took almost about 6 weeks to heal and left a South America shaped scar. It taught me the art of dressing and taking care of wounds for life as I was the best judge to dress it up painlessly. My grandmother was upset and thought this happened because she had just started narrating Sundara Kandam in Ramayan. She stopped it completely and would resume it much later after a year or so – exposing me to the concept of Shagun – the ESP the elder generation attaches to things they observed alongside while doing things.