Cooped up 11
Licking our wounds we shift to a Abhiramapuram.
Please allow me to tell you here that , that family was an aberration rather than the norm. Army families are never ever brought up on caste lines. Basic religion yes but no overt displays . All religions were equal.In fact since Appa was in the Sikh regiment we would often go to the gurudwara at the back of our house near Sun Theatre . Okay I will confess that it was for the ghee dripping wheat halwa prasad.
Here in Abhiramapuram we are on the first floor of a house. Very small flower garden . No fountain or playing space. No place for Amma’s vegetable garden.
I remember people saying that the house near the bend on our road in T. Nagar belonged to Gemini and Savitri. Here however we are in exalted company . Opposite is Cho's father's house and on our left Lourdammal Simon an ex MLA.
The boys make do with the drive in between the two houses for their games. I too discover some school mates near by . I am struck by their sophistication and unwillingness to play in the evenings. I always remember them as the girls who introduced me to Enid Blyton.
My youngest brother and I commute to Pondy Bazaar , while the other two to Santhome. Sometimes I would miss my brother on the bus as he would be asleep. The days he is not with me I become devious. I would get down at the CP Ramaswamy road stop and walk on a short cut. Saving that 2 paise to buy some sweet.
School is often closed due to Hindi agitations. Amma gets an invitation to MLV 's house Golu, and this we talk about for years to come.
The landlord does not allow us to pluck flowers . He however has a saving grace. We get his collection of Illustrated weeklies to read. Appa on a holiday takes us to Moore market. Here we buy Imprint and Readers Digest by weight. He also buys Popular Mechanics old editions , which the boys devour and I never touch.At home we get sports and pastime magazine .They read the sports pages and me the pastime.
Appa makes an announcement. Shortly we would be in our own house.
Licking our wounds we shift to a Abhiramapuram.
Please allow me to tell you here that , that family was an aberration rather than the norm. Army families are never ever brought up on caste lines. Basic religion yes but no overt displays . All religions were equal.In fact since Appa was in the Sikh regiment we would often go to the gurudwara at the back of our house near Sun Theatre . Okay I will confess that it was for the ghee dripping wheat halwa prasad.
Here in Abhiramapuram we are on the first floor of a house. Very small flower garden . No fountain or playing space. No place for Amma’s vegetable garden.
I remember people saying that the house near the bend on our road in T. Nagar belonged to Gemini and Savitri. Here however we are in exalted company . Opposite is Cho's father's house and on our left Lourdammal Simon an ex MLA.
The boys make do with the drive in between the two houses for their games. I too discover some school mates near by . I am struck by their sophistication and unwillingness to play in the evenings. I always remember them as the girls who introduced me to Enid Blyton.
My youngest brother and I commute to Pondy Bazaar , while the other two to Santhome. Sometimes I would miss my brother on the bus as he would be asleep. The days he is not with me I become devious. I would get down at the CP Ramaswamy road stop and walk on a short cut. Saving that 2 paise to buy some sweet.
School is often closed due to Hindi agitations. Amma gets an invitation to MLV 's house Golu, and this we talk about for years to come.
The landlord does not allow us to pluck flowers . He however has a saving grace. We get his collection of Illustrated weeklies to read. Appa on a holiday takes us to Moore market. Here we buy Imprint and Readers Digest by weight. He also buys Popular Mechanics old editions , which the boys devour and I never touch.At home we get sports and pastime magazine .They read the sports pages and me the pastime.
Appa makes an announcement. Shortly we would be in our own house.
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