16. CHITRABHANU

CHITRABHANU           PAGE16                    

The year 1944 happened to be another good year. There was a birth of my younger brother which is described in this page 16. You like to read the same.    A PAGE IN MY MEMOIRS

CONTENTS                                                                                                                            

1944

Introduction (message from me)             Page 1

Contents                                                                         Page 2

Standard 3                                                                      Pages 3 - 4

Birth of Younger Brother                                          Pages 5

Games 2                                                                          Pages 6 - 8

Standard 3

Meanwhile I continued my studies as usual. Schools opened in June and I went to the new Standard 3. I purchased new text books and note books when the list of books was given by the class teacher. I went to Venkatrama &sons shop on Kingsway where all text books and note books were available. There were two shops of book sellers Venkatrama & sons on Kingsway and Srirama Book Depot on Market Street for the text books. In the evenings there will be large crowd of students with their parents or grandparents for the purchase of the books for about 10 days after school reopening. My father accompanied me and got all books and stationery. After coming home I covered all the books with a brown paper wrapper with a label on these wrappings. The labels were given free by the shop keeper to be pasted on the wrappers.

 The new books used to smell with a peculiar sweet smell and I liked it and I repeatedly smelt the text books with happiness. This was due to the glue used for binding the books. The number of books increased compared to standard 2. My mother stitched a cloth bags on her hand peddled sewing machine and gave it to me to keep my books in the bag while I go to school. The Sewing Machine was of famous brand Singer.

In the school I used to see other class mates coming with leather chappals. I was not having any chappals I go bare foot to the school. I remembered the tyre chappals purchased by my Grandfather when I was in Shahlibanda. But they had become too tight as my feet have grown. I saw another boy having a sandal shoe with a strap and buckle for tightening. It was a good design and shape and it attracted me instantly.

After going home I told my mother to have a sandal which I saw in the school. She said those are worn by rich people only and not by us. She told me that after I go to college we buy chappals for me. But I did not listen and insisted that I should have the same. The sandal was so much attractive for me I could not sleep properly that night. My mother seeing my determination she put up a strong recommendation to my father. Luckily to my surprize my father agreed and said he would buy them subsequent month after he gets his monthly salary. I was counting days for the first of month to come. Yes finally the date has come.

Without any reminder to my father he said he would take measurement of my feet to get the sandal by evening when he comes from Office. He brought a paper and asked me to place my foot on the paper. With lead pencil he marked the outer perimeter of my leg. This represented my leg. He pocketed the paper. I went to school. After I came back from the school I was waiting for my father to come home eagerly. Finally he came at 6.30 pm with a packet in his hand. I was excited. He called my mother and handed over the packet to her and told it is the sandal for me. I was elated, happy and eager to see and wear it immediately.

My mother opened the packing and took out the sandal. OH it was a wonderful sandal almost same as I saw in the feet of my friend in school. I was very happy. The color and design all suited and the size was very perfect and   comfortable to me.  I became the proud owner of these leather sandals a dream come true. My father brought it from the same Bata shop from Kingsway as it was a famous shop in those days. The price was Rs 2.25 P.

I continued to wear the sandal after applying a coat of castor oil to the inside portions of the leather to smoothen it as it was the practice otherwise the leather will react with the skin causing injury.  I showed my sandals with pride to all my friends in school. They were all happy. This continued for few months.

 One day I had a drill period (this is now called as PT Class). It was the last period of the day. In the drill we have to have the drill with bare foot. I removed the sandals and kept it under the nearby tree. After attending to the drill I left for home when the bell rang forgetting the sandal. After reaching home I did not notice the sandals. When my father came home he did not find my sandals at the place where all chappals are kept. When he asked me about it, I remembered that I forgot it in school. I told the same to him. He did not scold me and told he would send my elder brother along with me to school to find out. Next morning when we went to school we could not find the sandals. My elder brother asked the watchman but he said he did not see any sandals. Thus my precious sandals were lost.

My brother informed my mother and father that the sandals are lost in school. I had no courage to ask for a replacement. I felt ashamed for my forgetfulness. I was not provided with any chappals or sandals by my parents till I reached college in 1952 that is after a period of 8 long years. I got new chappals in 1952 when I started attending Intermediate class in Nizam College Hyderabad. That was my sweet award I got from my parents. No regrets.

 BIRTH OF YOUNGER BROTHER

The year 1944 started with New Year celebrations fallowed by Sankranthi festival a festival of kite flying very famous in Hyderabad and Secunderabad. This was also a big festival in Gujarat state. After enjoying these festivals we come across Shivaratri and Holi. A series of festivals keep us with holidays, festivity, and good food in the house with a number and variety of sweets. These festivals again followed by Telugu New Year Day Ugadi and Ramanavami. That was the examination season also in the schools.

 The annual examinations were held in April in schools. In my school also the examinations were held in April. After few days of correcting the examination answer sheets results were declared. I passed out second standard and was promoted to third standard. I ran to my home and announced that I passed out second standard. My parents were very happy and made some sweets  for me in the house that evening.

In this year 1944, my mother delivered a male baby. The Baby was named as Hanmanth Rao by my Grandmother. A cute boy and he was my third younger brother in the family.

The celebrations as usual went on in the house a cradle ceremony, naming ceremony etc were done in our religious style arranged by our family by our family Purohit Hanumanthachar.

The news was spread across our relatives and friends through word of mouth by our Purohit, relatives and friends, People came to see the baby and my mother. Mother was blessed by all senior ladies and Purohit as she is now mother of her 9th child. It was a great honor in those days to have more children unlike as is today. I was very happy to have another small baby in the house. I used to sit near my mother in the evenings take the baby on my laps. It was a thrilling experience to have the little small baby on my laps.

My mother was under complete rest for 3 months and my Grandmother looked after her very well to recoup from after delivery syndrome.

Games 2

We played games in the evenings after school from 5 to 7 pm in the open ground opposite to the house in Jeer Compound. I had mentioned a small Para in Shukla Page 3 earlier on Games Time. Hence, I named this as Games 2.

Every day when we come back from school by 4.30 pm we have some snacks in the house and jump out to the open Maidan in front of the house where 15 more children of our age group also join. Meanwhile our senior group of my elder brother another 10 to 12 also come for playing ball badminton. We the junior gang of 15 are not allowed to play ball badminton. But on our repeated requests they allowed us some times and we play ball badminton on a day once a week.

On other days all children together will decide the game to be played on that particular day out of Gilli Danda, Chocho, Kabbadi, Marbles, Hide and Seek etc.  After deciding unilaterally we play a particular game on that day.

Gilli Danda is a game one person will play and others will field. The person playing will keep a small wooden piece (Gilli) on the ground slightly excavated in an inclined plane. The edge of this piece is sharpened to a pin point. The other small stick of 12 to 15 ins. long is held in the hand. The player hits the Gilli with the handle mildly. It jumps to a small height in the air. The player hits this gilli hard to go into the air. It goes far away in the air. The other boys fielding will try to catch the Gilli before it falls on ground. If anyone of the fielding player catches the Gilli, the player is out and will quit. If the gilli Falls on the ground he gets certain runs as determined by distance set in the beginning of the game. Thus the batsman scores some runs.

After the first player is out the second player takes to play. The line up seniority for playing is set up before the start of play unilaterally.

There were incidents where the Gilli used to hit some passerby walking on the roads or a window of the nearby house or even our own players on their body causing some injury. We used to sort out the incidence amicably or getting bandage for wounds from nearby homes.

The next day we play Kabbadi. We form two groups of boys and play Kabbadi.

We enjoyed the games till 6.55 pm and all will go to the nearby temple by 7.00 pm for Aarthi.

The third day we play marbles. Boys will bring marbles with them. Marbles were of different kinds. Marbles made of flour, glass marbles, Marbles made of bones and marbles of steel. We have three Gunta (a hole in the ground) made in the earth of ground at equidistances. The player one will use a marble from a distance predetermined and will try to insert it into the first Gunta using fore finger.

If the marble does not fall into first Gunta he quits. The second player comes to play.

 If the marble falls in the first Gunta he moves to first Gunta and try for second attempt to insert it into second Gunta.  Similarly if he succeeds he moves to the third. If he succeeds the third Gunta attempt he is the winner and all other players will give him 2 marbles each. If he fails in any one of the Gunta he will quit.

Thus in the end of the day, we could have either gained some marbles or lost a few ones. We enjoyed getting coloured glass marbles, marbles of steel or that made of bones.

The other games of Hide and seek, Chocho were played on subsequent days.

On Sundays or holidays in the morning we used to play from 6.30 or 7 am onwards. Sometimes no play and talk to each other on subjects of mutual interests or happenings in our schools.

During our Dussehra Holidays or Christmas Holidays we go around Secunderabad in search of empty match boxes, empty cigarette packs, broken glass bangle pieces, postage stamps on used envelopes etc. in groups.

On some other occasions we just go and sit on shop phials (open platform in front of the shop) on Kingsway observing different cars moving on the road. We make two parties. One party is assigned to cars moving from left to right. The second party is given cars moving right to left. The first party notes down all the cars moving from left to right its make, number, color etc... In the end whichever party gets more number of cars are the winners. By this we were able to identify the Brand and make   of any car. In those days all cars were imported from England.

It was interesting to know the number of cars we used to observe in any one hour. Any guess? They were hardly 7 to 8 in each direction. Can u imagine how many are moving today in the year 2014 on Kingsway (R P Road) at Jeera Compound location? May be more than 350 per hour??

The games we played are rich in our memories and with innocence and unity we played were exciting. The cooperation and friendliness we had is very sweet which I cannot forget in my life. Those days were very exciting both at home and outside home with friends. Friendship with no egos, cooperation, honesty and affection is divine and sacred. Innocence played a greater role.

 Today after 7 decades though we all the 15 are  in a different locations known or unknown  may remember those sweet days and  games played if not at least by reading this PAGE 16.

Concept: Krishna Rao Khanapur

Graphics Support:  Manu Konnur