The very first purchase of my life...

Afternoon during a conversation with Amma, she happened to touch upon the purchases I made when I was a small boy, especially the very first purchase I made in my life. The very first item I bought, going alone on my own - you wont believe - was raw mutton (the uncooked one).

As Amma says, I was around three-and-half years old, when I made this first purchase. I uniquely remember most of what happened on that day, due to the unique nature of the incident. I should be between 3.5 to 4 years old, as I still remember that incident.

It was Marie Akka, who was a sort a middle-age lady, in those days, who happened to stay two homes away from our railway colony home. As I and my first sister were small kids, it seems Amma used to give money and a small vessel to Marie Akka when she visits the Kambi Kadai, a small daily market in our locality. Marie Akka will buy the the non-veg that Amma asks for and hand over the vessel with the non-veg item along with the change, if any.

On that particular day, Marie Akka had started from her home and had reached the farther end of our block, but was still visible. Amma called her "Akka... Akka...", but she had gone so far that she didn't hear and didn't respond. I was standing next to Amma, clutching her saree. Amma immediately gave me a small vessel, and some money. I vaguely remember that it was a one rupee note and some coins, but I do not know how much it exactly was. She told me that "Nooru Nenju Kari" (100 gms of Chest mutton) and asked me to hand over the vessel and money to Marie Akka and tell her the same "Nooru Nenju Kari".

I collected those items and immediately started running towards Marie Akka, repeating the words "Nooru Nenji Kari" in my mind, so that I don't forget it. Marie Akka dis-appeared, and after running for a few minutes, I myself reached the market. I knew where the non-veg stalls will be, and continued to run in that direction, repeating "100 Nenju Kari" in my mind and searching for Marie Akka.

I could never find Marie Akka. But a person in the first mutton shop asked me what I want, upon seeing the vessel in my hand, which I was managing to hold with both my little hands, that also had the money in it. I immediately replied "Nooru Nenji Kari". He immediately took the vessel along with the money from my hand, cut a piece of mutton from a big one that was hanging, weighed, placed it in the vessel and gave it back to me. He also gave me some change, and asked me to give it safely to Amma. I said "Sari" ("Ok"), and started walking towards our home.

Amma was still standing near the entrance of our home, anticipating my return. She was surprised to find me with the vessel with mutton. I also handed over the change to her. With that, her dependency on Maria Akka ended. I remember going many such trips to the market, and always went to same first shop, who gave me what exactly I asked for, along with the correct change.

---Childhood Memories---
- Pavala.

Siva Rathiri

Like most Tamils the first thing that comes to my mind on a Siva Rathiri day is the "Siva Rathiri" song from the movie "Micheal Madhana Kama Rajan". All these years I was believing that they danced on a Siva Rathiri day. This year only I understood that they made their "Subha-Rathiri" a "Siva-Rathiri".

This year the Siva-Rathiri was on Feb 17. This year I decided to observe the Siva-Rathiri by keeping awake all through the night. Earlier I read in a book about the rituals to be followed on a Siva-Rathiri day. From the nearby Siva temple, I got to know that there will be five Poojas all through the night in the timings 7:00 PM, 10:00 PM, 1:00 AM, 4:00 AM and 6:30 AM. I decided to got to temple and participate in the Poojas at 7:00 PM, 10:00 PM and 6:30 AM.

Morning as soon as I woke up, I watched the "Siva Rathiri" song that I mentioned in the first paragraph three times. Then prayed to God in home and went to office. Came a bit early from office in the evening. I missed the Pooja at 7:00 PM. So, prayed at home around that time. I went to temple around 9:40 PM, and stood in a big queue. Reached God in about minutes and prayed. Got Prasadam and reached back home. After dinner, I started my Siva-Rathiri. Worked on office tasks till around 2:00 AM. After that I didn't know what to do. Just kept reading some blogs.

Every one hour I was hitting mosquitoes with the mosquito bat all around the house. In that way I was able to keep myself busy. I somehow managed till 4:00 AM. After that it became really difficult to be awake. But still I pushed and managed till 5:00 AM. From 5:00 AM, I started preparing to take a bath and visit temple. Around 6:00 AM, I went to temple again and prayed to God. This time there were not many in the temple. Prayed and came back home, but surprisingly I didn't get sleep. I laid down for sometime on the cot, but still didn't get sleep. So, I started my routine and went to office. I felt very tired in office, but still I was able to manage. But there was a calmness in my mind and a sense of satisfaction.

In the night after dinner, slept early and had a long deep sleep. Thus my first attempt to observe "Siva Rathiri" went successfully.

- SPGR. 

The story of my watches (2)

While I was in 10th standard, Appa bought a digital watch from a Burma Bazaar shop, which was near the Armoury gate ration shop. This was a Burma Bazaar shop selling electronic items that existed in those days, prior to the roadside Burma Bazaar shops. It was a black colored resin-strapped number watch. It had an analog face around the digital screen, purely for aesthetic reasons. I wore this watch for the whole of 10th standard and this was the watch I wore for my 10th standard public exams. Prior to this Appa got me another rectangular number watch, a model famous in those days. But unfortunately this watch was short lived.

The watches I wore in my childhood will not be complete without writing about the "shoba watch". In 7th standard my parents told me that they will get me a watch if I take good rank in the half-yearly examination. That was the time when I started showing good interest in my studies and I think I got 2nd rank in that exam. One evening when parents returned from town(in TVS 50), they bought a new "shoba watch". It was a HMT ladies model winding watch. They gave the watch to me. It didn't fit my wrist, but still I wore to school for a couple of days, and also wore it for the exams. After that my mother started using it. The watch still works and in my last visit to my native, I keyed it and it immediately started ticking.

[Pic: HMT Shoba]

HMT Shoba

- PAVALA G SUBRAMANIAN

The story of my watches (1)

I do not know when my obsession for wrist-watches started. I am neither punctual nor understand the importance of time. Recently when my sister asked why I have the obsession for watches, after a long thinking, I said "May be they were the first sophisticated devices I ever had in my life."

The earliest memories of me having a watch dates back to my childhood when I wore digital watches, more popularly known as number watches in those days. These wrist watches were bought by Appa during his "line duty" to Delhi. Those were the "ladies model digital watches" and were initially used by Amma.

I still remember the look, feel and color of two such watches. Once dark blue(the Casio blue) and another golden-yellow. They had a stainless steel case, back cover and chain. They were cute little watches with a simple machine inside. I continued to use one among - on and off - till I was in 9th standard. They were also the prey of my early inquisition to know about the internal workings of a watch. Two decades later, I realized that those watches were the imitations of the famous Casio-Mini ladies model watches.

Those watches were eventually destroyed by me. Now I sadly remember hitting one of them with a hard stone in an attempt to open it, which destroyed it. Also in that watch, I discovered that the screen(the LCD one) is made up of multiple thin layers. Yes, I peeled the layers of the screen one-by-one.

Had I preserved them, those would have been my invaluable collectives now. But unfortunately, they continue to exist - only in my memory.

[Pictures of Casio Mini below]

- PAVALA G SUBRAMANIAN.

The story of my bicycle

I started riding bicycle when I was studying in second standard. Appa, and at times Sathi mama painstakingly used to run behind the cycle holding the seat. I still remember the way Appa used to run behind the cycle. In those days, I used to rent small cycle from cycle shops, which was the norm in those days. Soon I learnt to ride my Dad's Raleigh cycle in monkey pedaling and also in bar pedaling.

The moment Appa comes back from work, I used to take his cycle and go out for rounds, mostly in monkey pedaling. One day I was riding cycle along the Jesintha Akka street and came back home to have a short break and have some water. I saw a beautiful new light-blue colored cycle in front of our home.  When I went inside I saw Alukkuli Thatha (my maternal grandfather) inside, as usual in his beautiful smile. I was filled with immense joy when I got to know that he has bought and brought that cycle for me from native. I immediately took it and went for cycling again. All my friends watched it with jealousy :-).

That was a "Hercules Captain" cycle, which became my companion for the next 25 years. I went to school on it, took my sisters to school on it, went to the passport office to apply for a passport on it, and I used it to go to all the places, until my marriage. At times I have rode it for more than 14 kilometers in one stretch. I have spent lots and lots of joyful evenings with it, going for long "rounds" around our area.

Even driving a car didn't give me the pleasure and happiness that I used to get when I rode my bicycle. I started using a bike only after my marriage. Because of my personal bonding with my cycle and the memories of my grandfather associated with it and that of the happy moments I spent with it, I refused to give my cycle to anyone even when I no more needed it.

I also had a similar bonding with my small tri-cycle, which I used in my childhood. But unfortunately  it was given away and it went out of my possession. Years later I saw that tri-cycle in someone else's home, parked in front of that home. My heart became heavy and I became very sad. But there was no possibility of retrieving it again.

I definitely cannot even imagine someone else having my Hercules Captain cycle. It is still preserved in my native. Hoping to relive the happy moments with it again in the later part of my life.

My Captain Cycle

My Captain Cycle

- PAVALA G SUBRAMANIAN.