Nataraja Service !

A blog post by Ashwin on his bus travel to/fro schoool inspired this short blog post.

The period is between 1959 and 1962.

Appa was transferred from Nellikuppam to Pettavaithalai in 1959.  Mani was studying (?) B.Com at Vaniyambadi; I am not sure about Chandra - probably studying at ER High School, Trichy, staying with Swayambu Mama (Amma's uncle of sorts).  Cheena and I came to Pettavaithalai with Amma and Appa.  Cheena was in the 6th Class and so he was admitted in a High School at Kulithalai (a town some 6 miles from Pettavaithalai).  I was too small to be sent to the High School.  I was admitted to the "great" Pettavaithalai Higher Elementary School in Class 3.  For the first few months we stayed at a big banglow near the school and I used to walk to the school without much of difficulties.  In those days we did not carry Kgs of books to school; I had a slate and a few "balabams" in a yellow bag; may be a two or three books.  Things were OK till we shifted to the Managers' Quarters.  The new place was about two miles off the school (through short-cut).  As Appa's Jeep would have left for the office much before I got ready for the school, it was almost always "Nataraja" service for me.  Cheena, however, had his three wheeler van ferrying children from Pettavaithalai to Kulithalai and back.  The Nataraja service, therefore, was unique for me.  None of the managers, except Appa,  living in that Quarters deemed it fit to put their children in the Great PHES.  I was almost always alone to walk to / fro the PHES every day; I was also supposed to come back home for Lunch  during the lunch break.

The Nataraja service was great fun.  The first thing I used to do, on the way, was to get some "raw" tamarind (Puliyankai) by the then available method of throwing stones to get the target down and stuff the "crop" in my drawer pocket.  That used to give me some thrill on the way; of course I used to avoid all those trees which were supposed to be abodes of "Puliamara Pei" (clearly marked by nails fixed on their trunk with human hair wound over the nail head); luckily no Pei had ever objected to my fetching the Puliyankai.  In those days of "barter system", the puliyankai was my currency to get "avichcha verkadalai" or "kodukapuli" or something like that from other students of my class.  I used to wonder why my mother was not making Avichcha Verkadalai (Paththu !!!).  My route to the school passed through paddy fields...full of snakes and frogs.  In those days I did not have fear for the reptile.  I don't remember as to what kind of slipper/chappal I was wearing; but I do distinctly remember that the half pants was always loosely stitched and it remained in its place because of the cross-belt attached to it.

.......I stop here now...as my memory is failing.  But I am publishing so that I can complete it later.

(By the way, I visited this school last year... a great feeling to be there again!!!)