Introduction
See and read some glimpses of a Government Primary School Market Street, Secunderabad in this Page 15.
CONTENTS
Introduction (message from me) Page 1
Contents Page 2
Govt. Primary School Market Page 3 - 4
Food Rationing Page 4 - 5
Petrol Rationing Page 5 - 6
Govt. Primary School Market
I was admitted in Govt. Primary School at Market Street Secunderabad in the year 1943 for the academic year 1943-44 in second standard. My Grandfather came to the school and admitted me after filling a simple form along with my transfer certificate from Shahlibanda Marathi School. Though we speak Kannada language in the house, all of us were conversant with Telugu, Urdu, and Marathi.
The Primary School had only 4 classes 1 to 4. The Head Master was one Rama Murthy. He was fair and soft person but very harsh in giving punishments. He will ask students to bend down and hit with his fits on the back if any student misbehaves. There was an open ground inside the school compound where we had our Morning Prayer meeting and drill in the evening. We also played games in this ground.
The Primary school was just behind the old jail. The jail was shifted to Masheerabad. In this old jail building a number of shops were housed. This school exists even now in 2014. But the old building was demolished in 2012 and a new building with 3 floors has been constructed in its location.
I spent 3 full years in this school from second standard to fourth standard from 1943 to 1946. When I was in standard 4, my class teacher was Ramamurthy the Head Master. I was very much afraid of him. But fortunately he never bet me any time in that whole year. He appreciated me for getting very good marks in Mathematics as I had a very good foundation laid by my Grandfather.
There were no monthly fees as it was a free school of Government.
The school timings were from 10 am to 4 pm with a lunch break of one hour from 1 pm to 2 pm. I had 4 period in the morning session of 45 minutes each and 3 periods of 40 minutes in the afternoon. The school was closed on Fridays and Sundays. Though the medium of instruction was English, Telugu language was fluently used. I used to wear a half pant and a half shirt. No chappals or shoes.
Walk from Jeera Compound house to school in the morning and after school back to home by walk. We walked even in rainy season without umbrellas. We choose the covered places of the shops along the road to avoid rain water and just run to cross the road. We had difficulty at Ghasmandi as there were no shops on the eastern side of kingsway. Shops existed only on western side of Kingsway. There were no shops because it was a big sheet rock on the surface itself. No one attempted to build shops there. We just used the western side of Kingsway here. The Bible House building near Bansilalpet on Kingsway was a land mark for us. They used to distribute small story books for free or for 1 or 2 paise. They had glass display windows of large size displaying their books. I was just peeking through the glass display windows to see color printed books displayed.
This Bible house building still exists even now after 7 decades and a source of excitement for children.
Again the space between Arya Samaj Building and Bible house did not have any shops as it was again with sheet rock on the surface itself. In the times of rain we walk along the other side of road where shops were in existence.
There was no friend of mine who attended Market school from Jeera compound. Some of my friends from Jeera compound were studying SPG School near Secunderabad Railway Station or Wesley High School. I used to go alone though some boys accompany till Barton School adjacent to Hyderbasty near Railway Bridge on Kingsway.
After the marriage of my sister in 1943 we had our half yearly examinations in December and regular classes after Christmas break. Entered in to New Year 1944. Starting with Sankranthi festival, Shivaratri, Holi, Ugadi, Ramanavami I completed class 2 in April 1944 and had summer holidays.
Food Rationing
After the Second World War in 1942, there was difficulty to get food grains in market as it was in short supply especially Rice, Wheat, Jowar and Sugar. Government introduced food rationing. Each family was provided with a Ration card with number of people in the family their names age and sex were shown.
This also contained the quantities which can be drawn. The shop from where the ration is to be drawn was also mentioned.
Our family ration card was assigned to Karnatic Kirana Stores on Kingsway adjacent to Boorgu Mahadev residence. We had to draw our ration from that shop every week. The ration of food grains was a tough experience to all families. Though the quantities were sufficient to the families but it had imposed a strict code in family life. It had become a part of life to draw on
every week. Though sometimes my father is to get them in cloth bags used for the purpose, we also go and bring the rations. Some time we go all three brothers by walk to purchase the Rations and carry the same in cloth bags hanging to our shoulders both sides. Weekly rations were of adequate quantity but cannot be held by single person as such we used to go 2 or 3 persons.
The shop owner was known to our father. He was from known Chimalgi Family. His other brothers were in Photography business. He will send bills once a month and my father pays the amount. Apart from Rations we used to purchase other groceries also from him on credit. Even after we shifted from 32-33 Jeera Compound to Begumpet house we continued to draw our rations from this shop. We had to walk all the way from Begumpet along the railway track and take home these rations every week. We used to come on Sundays for the purpose. This almost continued till 1949.
It was nice to see this shop in its same location in its old style even now after 7 decades in the year 2014.
Petrol Rationing
After the World War II of 1942 there was acute problem of supplies of petrol. The Government imposed Petrol Rationing. Although there were fewer vehicles at that time it was still a problem. The Police department was entrusted to deal about this.
All the vehicles were issued petrol coupons by the police department based on a formula considering the type of vehicle, its horse power, purpose for which used, age of vehicle and the like. The quantity so fixed was equated to coupons.
The coupons were issued every month by the police department to the vehicle owners. When any one goes to petrol pump they have to surrender the coupons in exchange of petrol and pay necessary price.
The petrol was sold in imperial gallons in those days. There was a petrol pump on Kingsway in front of our ration shop opposite to Boorgu Mahadev House. Its owner was Eswariah my father's class mate. I had visited that petrol pump along with my father man a time
The petrol station had only one pump for petrol only. The petrol from the underground buried steel tank comes in to a glass ballooned cylinder through a hand pump. The capacity of this glass ballooned cylinder is one imperial gallon There were two glass ballooned cylinders. The petrol boy attendant, hand pumps the petrol to one glass ballooned cylinder and drops into the petrol tank of the car through a hose pipe. As the petrol is discharged into cars tanker, he pumps petrol into the second glass ballooned cylinder. Then after first cylinder is emptied into the car tank he empties the second cylinder through the hose pipe. If the requirement is 6 imperial gallons he pumps into each glass ballooned cylinder three times each. The glass ballooned cylinder is transparent and anyone can see the petrol in it when it is filling or emptying.
I as a young boy was wondering how the petrol was coming into the glass ballooned cylinders and it is poured into the petrol tank of the car.
Since petrol is being rationed the use of vehicles in the city were restricted and used on bare necessity. This also helped people to conserve petrol and used walking for short distances.
Concept: Krishna Rao Khanapur
Graphic Support: Manu Konnur
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