Srinivas does a Zakir

After the "Two Rajas", almost like a hat-trick, it was G.R. Srinivas ~ renown to his later friends as Shandilya prefixed by Srinivas or just plain~ who stood at the doorstep without a hint. Him coming all the way from half way round the earth and then 90 miles from Bangalore, as he does most of the time, is just plain thrill. (Doffing my hat at this sustained affection). As I said earlier, Zakir does this - suddenly coming in at the most unexpected time of the year - also without flashing a clue beforehand - and showing himself in person.

Srinivas has been one of my very earliest friends and classmates. Our contacts had been disconnected as I had lost his whereabouts many years back. His NY Greeting card to my familiar address renewed it after his Delhi days after a gap of many years. E-mails replaced our 'snail mail' correspondence after that and I feel good continuity has been maintained. He will agree that he is a reluctant responder. But that does not matter and I've never minded it, because it is his heart that matters and that is what brings him from thousands of miles away. This time it was a nice surprise! Somehow he seemed to 'know' I'd be at home.

Visits by the two "Rajas"

End of December means vacation time for most of us as that is the right time to laze off using some saved up leave at work. Climate too in Mysore is at its salubrious best during that time with a little bit of that pleasant nip in the cool air. The two Rajas knew that was the best time to return to their old city in which they grew up and studied.

One Raja calls me to inform that he was touring Mysore 'next week' with his family (of four). Sounds as if he was traveling a thousand miles! He has flown or traveled thousands of miles in directions other than Mysore in the few years gone by. It was time for him to show his children the Mysore he had seen. He was returning after many years!

From where? Only from Bangalore! Just 90 miles away. The children were now grown up. Time had flown past and his son was standing taller than him and he had not shown Mysore to them! That is how time has escaped right below the nose of Rajaram. His job responsibility had made Mysore a far off destination! All said and done he made it after probably umpteen cancellations at the n'th moments.

(The clock up there has been stopped deliberately)

The other Raja has visited Mysore on a few occasions in the past. His surprise call when he was already on the outskirts was a real thrill. He was coming from erstwhile Madras. He does not e-mail often or almost 'not at all', but uses the telephone as a rule and preference! He is somewhat like Zakir who comes all the way from a small country called Brunei and stands in front of my door like a bolt from the blue! This Raja came with family (of 3) the old neighbour and school senior Srinivas and nephews too. How I wish Rajagopal had timed his visit with the other Raja! They were only Sundays apart. You can see that CKC-days look still bubbling in Gopi (this is what we call him) as if to remind his classmates his 6th std days when Sr.Prudentia had nicknamed (wrongly) as 'Cunning Fox'. Nobody knows the reason. May be during an English lesson that a fox was featured we do not recollect. Gopi has failed miserably to live up to his nickname.

Srinivas in red and Gopi in spotless white flank me in this picture. White has become Gopi's favourite in recent times (just my observation).

It is mutual visits like these that keep the fire of the old friendship burning. Old classmate-friends are unique and so different than other friendships.

CKC is the ladder to so many

Very recently, I was passing by my old school and I found this ladder kept above the main portico. I thought students use this ladder to climb higher heights in their career! In my days, it was kept hidden!!??

Some new pictures of Sarada Vilas High School

I was passing by Sharada Vilas High School recently (Dec.2, 2009). Since I had a camera in my pocket, I thought of taking a few shots. I had spent 3 years between 1970-73. There were a few changes in the quadrangle. The Head Master's room was shifted. In the old place there were some new rooms. Classes were on and except for the peon (seen in the picture below) in front of the HM's room none was out. It looked silent and deserted, though some boys near the windows tried to see what I was doing there! The classrooms looked crowded as teachers were doing their duties. I did not walk through everywhere, but just took a few pictures and moved out.

The quadrangle.

Another view of the quadrangle.

What was the backdoor entry to the field in our days is now the main entry to the school premise. Note the college structure standing right in front of it!!

We used to have our 10th sections here. Some of us used to bring our bicycles occasionally and they were parked here in this corridor in front of our classrooms. There was no cycle stand in those days! Since most of us came by walk there were just a few bicycles in total and putting them there was not a hindrance for our playful running in this corridor.

Classrooms had ventilators below the windows and now they are all closed up. But the little pipe that is provided to take out any water from the rooms are still there. It is through these pipes mischievous boys used to put their mouths and make a loud sound that took everyone aback. The teacher would then rush up to the window shouting "yaavano avanu muttaaLa" only to find nobody there - obviously the rascal would have gone close to the wall and "vanished"!

This is the vast playground from where we tried to escape home for lunch as the 'games' slot was just before luncheon. Later in the evenings during my college days in the same institution I used to come for tennis ball cricket here in the same field. A few years later I played one of my earliest cricket matches with the cricket ball here on this ground - there is no regular cricket pitch now because the institution has grown up with new facilities. The one in the background is/was the Girls High School.

The stone protection is a new addition. Earlier there was only soil. Erosion might have prompted them to come up with this. Tree roots were then not visible then.

As it now looks from the far field. The right side building that has come up is of the college. Ealier there was an open space with a nice gap between the college and the school buildings.

At this high school, which was a very reputed one in the 1930s and 40s, both my father and uncle also studied.

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.

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.

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.