09. YUVA

This Page consist of my experience on family help of daily necessity items      fuel and my participation and  a note on my locality Jeera Compound. Yes read

YEAR 1943

CONTENTS

Introduction (message from me)................................................. Page 1

Contents..... ......................................................................................Page 2

Jeera Compound.............................. ...............................................Page 3

Firewood............................................................................................Page 4

Steam Coal.........................................................................................Page 5-7

Jeera Compound

Jeera Compound area was in the extreme end of Secunderabad. Secunderabad was a British Government Cantonment area for housing Military Units. This was under Central Government at New Delhi and not under Nizam Government. The civil area of Secunderabad was restricted from Alexandra Road (present S P Road) to Karbala Maidan. The Burial ground was located at the end of Secunderabad town at Bansilalpet.

In 1930s Secunderabad Cantonment developed Jeera Compound area in to residential plots with fully developed roads, water supply, electricity and sewerage system. The plots were sold on 99 years basis. My Grandmother purchased two plots back to back 32 and 33 Jeera Compound during the year1933 out of her Stree Dhan got out of family partition. Thus there were two roads for us both in front and back. The plots were facing East and West as required by Vastu shastra.  The house was constructed in the year 1934.The concrete technology was still not in use. The local type of construction was with normal bricks of burnt clay . the roof was of Madras terrace with steel joists, wooden doors and windows and mostly Shahabad stone floors undressed, with normal lime color wash white inside rooms and pale yellow outside.  I was the first child born in this new house.

This new locality being very near to the burial ground at Bansilalpet many people  did not prefer to purchase.  Even after construction of our house my Mother said they could see dead bodies burning in Bansilalpet sitting in front of our house. There were in all 100 plots in this locality. Many business men including Gujarat people purchased the plots and constructed their houses. Though it was near to the burial ground it developed into a posh locality very clean with wide roads and all respectable occupants. There were good number of old trees which were not disturbing the road layout giving shade. There were also good number of temples in the locality which do exist even now in the year 2014.

The other locality next to Jeera Compound was Hyderbasty nearby between James street and kingsway. Jeera Compound is in the end os Kingsway.

The lease of this Defence land expires in the year 2033. This locality was the only locality to have a good play ground for children to play. The roads were good, clean with kerb stones all along fully carpeted with bitumen and it was a pleasure to walk or cycle. The hawkers four wheeled push cart had a good ride on these roads. This was the locality having full water bound sanitation. The toilets were fitted with flushing cisterns. The main road Kingsway was nearby and the locality fully safe from traffic noises. The existing very big old trees were not cut and left in their locations unless it came on the road alignment.

Even now the locality is good for living though the maintenance of infrastructure is not satisfactory. Our  house in Jeera Compound is still occupied by my brothers children.

Firewood

In 1940s the cooking in homes were done on firewood as there was no LPG. The other fuel kerosene oil and electricity were rarely used. There were chulla and chulla hoods in kitchens for the smoke and other gases to escape through the vents in the roofs.

My father used to get up in the early morning at 5 : 00 am and walk down to Mahankali temple on Subhas Road. He will be there by 5.20 am. Lot of bullock carts with loaded logs of tree cut for use as firewood will be there numbering 10 to 15. The bullock carts of lags of wood come from nearby villages travelling whole night for selling. The owners will auction the carts logs at 5.30 am. My father will take part in the auction and procure a cart for Rs 6 to 7. The owner will then drive the cart to our house and unload it in front of the house. He is paid after the cart is fully unloaded.

There are people available for cutting these wooden tree logs into small pieces manually using axes. Usually they are at Mahankali temple. They come along with the bullock carts and cut the logs into small pieces to enable use in chulla. They would charge around Rs 2 to 3 for the cart load. They start cutting by 7 am .

They come in batches of 2 to 3 people and complete the cutting of wood by 12 noon. The whole process is done on the footpaths and half of the road. Then our whole family is put on the job to take the wood piece from the road to into our house to store at a selected place for use.

 we carry this pieces of wood placed on our both hands 5 to 6 at a time. we complete the job by an hour or so. This process continues once in 3 months.

sometimes I accompany my father to Mahankali Temple to see the auction of cart loads of cut logs of trees. It was a pleasure to see the operations.

My grandmother used to cook food only using fire wood with manmade earthen chulla. There were three chullas to work with, over which there was a huge chulla hood.

Now in the year 2014 after 7 decades recollecting those days gives immense happiness sitting on my easy chair and recollecting the sweet old days I spent in a wonderful family.

Steam Coal

During 1940s we had two types of coal, charcoal and steam coal. Charcoal was made out of burning wood available from forest tress whereas steam coal is mines available in Mines at Singareni Collieries  near Dornakal and in Coal Mines in Bihar state. The main fuel used for cooking was with firewood. Whereas for hot water for bathing purposes  water heated in copper boilers in homes was steam coal. Steam coal was used mainly by Railway Engines and in Thermal projects.

This steam coal was not sold in markets. But we require this for our hot water boilers. There was an escape route. The railway employees were eligible for a small quantity of steam coal per month on payment. The coal sold to railway employees was of low calorific value which cannot be used for Thermal Projects, Railway Engineers or in factories using steam. No one in our family or relatives were serving in Railway Department.

However my father's family friend Bobbilli Ramachar who lived in Hyderbasty locality was serving in Nizam State Railway. They were getting the steam coal for their use. The quantity given by Railways per month was sufficient for a family for 3 months as such they were  using the facility once in 3 months and the permit was lapsing for other two months.

Thus on request by my father the permit was given to us staggering the purchases of coal.

So once in three months the Steam Coal permit was given to us. My father will get the permit from Bobbilli Ramachar.  Then myself, my father and my younger brother Srinivas will go to Railways stores at 10 am at Mettugadda. We go by walk from Jeera Compound via Bansilalpet old Bhoiguda, Elephant bridge near Secunderabad railway station and Tarnaka road to reach Mettugadda. There bullock carts were available for hire. My father will go the office clerk and hand over the permit. After making entries in his books manually will prepare a cash receipt after taking the payment and give him the gate pass and delivery challan. The quantity was 4 CWT (hundred weight) approximately quarter ton.

We then go to the store keeper along with a hired bullock cart inside the railway depot at Mettugadda The store keeper has a giant scale to weigh the coal. He weighs the required quantity of coal and dumps it into the bullock cart. We then come out by handing over the gate pass at the gate.

After coming out my father will hand over 12 annas (one rupee was equal to 16 annas) to us to give it to the cart man on reaching home. He then goes to his office by walk. Myself and my brother board the bullock cart. The cart man places some old gunny bags over the coal dump where we both brothers sit . The cart man starts the bullock cart and moves on slowly avoiding the traffic on road by moving on to the sides of the road. It would take nearly an hour to reach home.

On reaching  home  by 1 pm the cart man will unload the coal on the backside  road of house, We hand over 12 annas to him. My mother will take us inside and serve food, Later in the evening the whole family is in the job of taking the coal inside the house with small bags and trays of semi spherical in shape. This operation takes an hour.

 This coal is stored in a particular storage bin constructed with bricks for the purpose. My mother will use this coal for the copper  water boiler which she starts around 5,30 in the morning.

It was an interesting job for us and was repeated every quarter. Sometimes my elder brother Venkat Rao who was around 17 years used to accompany when my father had some other work.

It was thrilling experience to travel in a bullock cart sitting on steam coal that too for an hour in the streets of Secunderabad.

Thus we had to fetch either Steam coal or Firewood in phases for fuel for the family needs. We felt happy in taking part in the family works as young boys. Later we realised that training made us fit to live our lifes with dedication and dignity of labour. We never were ashamed of doing any work assigned to us.

Concept:  KRISHNA RAO KHANAPUR

Graphics Support: MANU KONNUR