From the “Memories of My Boyhood” part2

In the first part, I had given a brief pen portrait of my beloved father and his daily routine.
We had usually two major school vacations – one for Christmas for about 15 days and the long summer vacation after the annual examinations. In our village there were almost 100 children attending our high school. The other two villages of Perimklulam also had almost equal number. Then there were the neighbouring areas like the nair houses around our villages, from which there were many students studying in our school. My father was one who encouraged children to play and exercise when free. We had enough time for games both in-door and out-door. Our neighbouring paddy fields were converted into foot-ball grounds and badminton courts after the monsoon months. We had our regular swimming for an hour or more during the morning and evening bath. Kabadi (which was known as “Chadukudu”) and similar other out-door games which did not require much of a ground, also were in vogue.
But our father was also keen that children should not be out of touch with scholastic subjects for months together. He had a large library of books on a variety of subjects. So he used to give us assignments, according to our standards, in English language, mathematics and general knowledge.
In English, father would give us books like “Story Poems “, Wren and Martin’s “Junior Essays”, “Essay Writing” “Paraphrasing”, “Epitomizing”, “Idioms Grammar”, etc. and ask us to write summaries, and do the exercises. At school, we had general mathematics for classes upto Fourth Form and an additional subject called “Optional mathematics” which comprised algebra and geometry. At the fifth and sixth forms (the last two classes in High School) one had to choose an “optional” which could be mathematics, physics, botany, etc. Father used to give assignments in mathematics too.
. Father would call the children in groups for giving the assignments, correct their work and when necessary, give them one or two sessions of coaching to improve their standard. All this was without any expectation of remuneration . Most of the children in the village and neighbourhood willingly came forward to do these assignments and they and their parents were grateful to him.
I was reminded of one such assignments after Vishwanathan’s betrothal to wed Nandini. I was in the III Form ( eighth standard).The assignment was to write the summary of the poem “The Well of St.Keyne”.
It was quite simple, but conveyed a wealth of meaning.
It seems that at a place in England, there was a well named “”the well of st. keyne””with a special feature. It was believed that as between spouses, whoever drank the water of the well first, would get absolute power to dominate over the other. Consequently there was a peculiar custom among the villagers. Immediately after the service at the church for solemnising the wedding, the bride and bride-groom would run at top speed to the well to draw water and drink it.
But the custom was broken at one wedding. The bride-groom ran as per custom, but the bride did not. She was merrily chit-chatting with friends. People were surprised and someone asked her whether she would be prepared to be a submissive house-wife. The bride confidently said “” Not at all “”and then drew out a half -filled bottle from her bag. She said “” I brought a bottle full of the water from the sacred well and I have already drunk enough. Poor Tom is running all the way to the well and back, only to be my subordinate for life”’.

Of course, our rituals are conducted in such a way that both the spouses are equal, pulling on together as two yoked to the same van and they have clearly ear-marked areas of functions , delineating areas in which each of the two shall have the last say.

The concept of Ardhanaareeswara is special to Hindu tradition and the principle of “”Eearudal Or Uyir”” is paramount in the husband-wife relationship. It is a relationship based on the principle of complementing and supplementing, to have a wholesome and purposeful life - not one of conflicts.
I wrote this as some pictures of my boyhood flashed through my mind - just a revival of old memories – and not with any purpose. It is to be taken in the lighter vein. But the fact remains that if I do write some pieces here and there, it is because of the beginning set by my father in those days, about 65 years back.
When Baalaperiyavaal asked me on 27th April,“”how could you do all these ? “”after seeing the few books written by me, I could only say that my father was the headmaster of a high school and what I have imbibed from him helps me and that it was all God’s work.
When I was at the village a couple of months back for the car festival, I paused in front of the house, where I was born and grew up, still standing there (unoccupied and locked) without any apparent change in spite of the passage of time. Old memories were stirred up and a strange craving to be inside the house, started filling the heart. Not all desires are capable of blossoming into reality and this one too for all my sincerity, may turn out to be a mirage. Only our presiding Deity Gopalakrishna can say!!!