Thursday, February 19, 2009

A visit to Jothindra's


Many of you may not be familiar with him as he left CKC mid way and joined another school. But we were sitting next to each other at Sarada Vilas High School, I think in the 9th. We had been in touch even after his education, because the cricket link was still in tact. We used to play tennis-ball-cricket quite a lot and practised together for some time and he belonged to the rival team. This is the same boy in the 1965 class group picture standing second from right, top row.

His job has taken him to Udupi presently. After a long gap, he bumped in again this time through the net because one of my blogs bumped him accidentally!! I hope he will have something to say in the comment box below.... I want him to say because he is also getting into blogosphere in recent times with many articles and he has many memories.

It was my good fortune to visit him at his home yesterday because I knew he was in town for a short stop over. The visit is now documented in the foreground of some Cassia flowers.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Dr.Ravi visits Mysore

Dr.H.R.Ravi, a well-known surgeon in Bangalore and our CKC classmate was visiting Mysore for a relative's wedding. He informed his arrival and the next morning he was here, with his wife. He was the one who used to make charts for display or write some drawing on the board in the convent and high school.
I'm sure he uses the scalpel as skillfully as he used the pencil to draw pictures.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Evergreen Memories

Evergreen Memories

Gone are the days
when the school reopened in June,
and we settled in our new desks and benches.

Gone are the days
when we queued up in book depot,
and got our new books and notes.

Gone are the days
when we wanted two Sundays and no Mondays, yet
managed to line up daily for the morning prayers.

Gone are the days
we learnt writing with slates and pencils, and
Progressed To fountain pens and ball pens and then Micro tips.

Gone are the days
We began drawing with crayons and evolved to
Colour pencils and finally sketch pens.

Gone are the days
we started calculating first with multiplication tables and then with
Clarke's tables and advanced to calculators and computers.

Gone are the days
when we chased one another in the corridors in
Intervals, and returned to the classrooms drenched in sweat.

Gone are the days
when we had lunch in classrooms, corridors,
Playgrounds, under the trees and even in cycle sheds.

Gone are the days
when all the colors in the world,
Decorated the campus on the Second Saturdays.

Gone are the days
when a single P.T period in the week's Time Table,
Was awaited more eagerly than the monsoons.

Gone are the days
when cricket was played with writing pads as bats,
and Neckties and socks rolled into balls.

Gone are the days
when few played "kabadi" and "Kho-Kho" in scorching sun,
while others simply played "classroom book cricket".

Gone are the days
of fights but no conspiracies,
Of competitions but seldom jealousy.

Gone are the days
when we used to watch Live Cricket telecast,
in the opposite house in Intervals and Lunch breaks.

Gone are the days
when few rushed at 4:45pm to
"Conquer" window seats in our School bus.

Gone are the days Of Sports Day,
and the annual School Day,
and the one-month long preparations for them.

Gone are the days of the stressful Quarterly, Half Yearly and Annual Exams, and the most enjoyed
holidays after them.

Gone are the days
of tenth and twelfth standards, when we
spent almost the whole year writing revision tests.

Gone are the days
we learnt, we enjoyed, we played, we won, we lost,
we laughed, we cried, we fought, we thought.

Gone are the days
with so much fun in them, so many friends,
So much experience, all this and more.

Gone are the days when we used to talk for hours with our friends.
Now we don't have time to say a HI.

Gone are the days when we played games on the road.
Now we work on the road with laptop.

Gone are the days when we saw stars shining at night.
Now we see stars when our effort doesn't work.

Gone are the days when we sat to chat with friends on grounds.
Now we chat in chat rooms.....

Gone are the days where we studied just to pass.
Now we study to save our job

Gone are the days where we had no money in our pockets and fun filled on our hearts
Now we have the ATM as well as credit card but with an empty heart

Gone are the days where we shouted on the road.
Now we don't shout even at home.


Gone are the days when we shouted out names in front of friends' houses to borrow notes.
But we use mobile phones to call.

gone are the days where we got lectures from all.
Now we give lectures to all... like the one I'm doing now....

Gone are the days
But not the memories, which will be
Lingering in our hearts for ever and ever and
Ever and ever and Ever..... NO MATTER HOW BUSY YOU ARE,
DONT FORGET TO LIVE THE LIFE THAT STILL EXISTS.
IT WONT BE THERE FOR EVER.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Gorur Srinivas Shandilya visits

His name on the CKC rolls was G.R.Srinivas. But later on when he joined Engineering at SJCE [and resided at Sanketi Hostel for a major part], he came to be known as "Shandilya" among his recent friends. I knew only then that it was the name of their 'Gotra'.

He stays 'half way round the earth' [my favourite expression, borrowed from my favourite Phantom Comics] and whenever he comes to visit his parents in Malleswaram [Bangalore], he makes it a point to set foot in Mysore too at least for a few minutes. This time round, two days after Christmas 2007, he was already here as an opportunity had suddenly arisen to make the trip. His son Ashwin was still in the 'jet lag mode' as they had just landed about 30 hours or so back!

During the hour-long stay here with me we 'nostalgiated' the schooldays, for about a quarter part. He has a fantastic 'Doctor-like handwriting'. I managed to get a sample of the latest in my autograph book after I showed him - much to his awe - his own letter of 1980 written to me. We have kept the correspondence going once in a while all through, except for a longish hibernation until a few years back. His handwriting was better then!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Zakir Hussain


We have heard the name of Zakir Hussain, haven't we? He was the President of the country when we were in CKC. It was a familiar name for us and it continues to be. Our friend Zakir Hussain happens to be the son of the friend of the President at Aligarh Muslim University, if my memory serves right. Well, our Zakir, as most of us remember, was popular for his neat italic handwriting, his first-rank scoring ability and his Kannada! He was one of the top five students in school.
He never misses a visit to my house while he visits Mysore from Brunei. He is one of the top five of the century too! Ask him where? In Brunei. Details will be revealed soon. It relates to his accomplishment as a Paediatrician in that country.
Here he poses for our camera.
This time round, I had the pleasure of accompanying him for morning walks - we are all getting old!!- to Kukkarahalli Kere on 3-4 days. He has some leisure time on this trip and so we were able to spend a bit of time together.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Gopi and Merlyn's visits

Gopi [Rajgopal] called me in September that he is coming to Mysore on a business trip - for a day. He is living in Chennai for 19 years [hope memory is right]. That was an oppportunity to meet a couple of friends and enemies - yes enemies. I was one in our 7th and 8th classes. But it was fun in those days! I can neither recall why our good friendship soured nor the circumstances it got sweetened thereafter. While in 7th an incident happened [see my blog on memories] which I am not repeating here. Back to his visit now.

We had breakfast at home. Mysore's Bajjanna Lane is where he lived. That also gave him the opportunity to visit his old house opposite Keerthi Typing Institute and Mari Gudi. His old tiled house was as it was when he left many years ago. He was happy to enter that house now and to know that his own friend who is renovating their old house close by was living there temporarily. He went down memory lane in Bajjanna Lane! We soon bid goodbye after we visited another old closer neighbour of his.

Come November, Meera called to inform the arrival of Merlyn from Poona. After the expected teleconfirmation of schedules Merlyn arrived home with her CKC-studied brother. She spent about half an hour with my family and then it was time to go to Meera's house closeby.

I took Merlyn to Nandini's house also, since it was very close. Nandini is an English Teacher and you can see one of her young pupils here.

Meera and Merlyn were meeting each other for the first time in 30 years and they are indeed expressive here in this picture. Merlyn's brother returned after his shopping stint - he had gone from our house and returned to Meera's.

Back in August, another schoolmate - not our classmate - visited us. Sriranjini from Sydney, Australia. She had seen one of my blogs on the web and since I had mentioned CKC, she got interested to know who this is. After exchange of e-mails, we had become friends - her memory of those days is quite amazing even though she was in the "B" Section [kannada], same academic years.

We must make it a point to visit old mates at least to say hello, at least once in a while. It keeps us going!

~~~~~~~~

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Some of us meet

Meeting old mates is always a joy and a much looked forward programme. Another old mate Shantala invited us for her daughter Padma's wedding in Bangalore on 30th August, 2007. Some of us could make it on the eve of 30th, that is on 29th since most of us found this convenient. I had been to Bangalore that day to be there for my daughter's CET Engineering seat selection (she retained what was chosen earlier since no openings in 'better' colleges came that day, Vidya Vikas College, Mysore, Civil Engg.). The next morning we had to get the admission done since it was a very auspicious day. It was done by 1 pm as scheduled after we rushed back on 30th. Coming back, it happened to be an enjoyable evening as it gave the opportunity to meet, esp. to a few who were seeing each other after decades. The fun in trying to identify the face from memory is quite something even for the beholder!
Here are some of the pictures that were taken from my small camera:
Rupa [Machaiah], Rohini, Mrs. and Mr.A.R.Rajaram, [Dr.] H.R.Ravi, V.G.Jaishree and 'us' met.