Being the sons of State Government servants, we were initially living in Todd Hunter Nagar, Saidapet, Chennai, in the second floor of the PWD quarters.
Oh, what a life it was. The area was surrounded by a golf course on the one side and a Model High school and Teachers college on the other, with a playground and Library inside the campus. One would wait avidly for occasions organised by the resident’s association. The slow cycling competition for the elders was a popular event.
It was on the playground that we honed our skills in gilli, football and cricket, during the summer holidays, it was playtime from 7 a.m. till dark, when the parents returned, with intermittent breaks for refreshments. Everybody ate at each other’s homes.
Come Deepavali, the happiest occasion of the year, and the echoes from the bursting of fire-crackers would have already been a month old. I still remember igniting “train” crackers from one lamppost to another, much to the chagrin of my friends, and feeling elated. There was something heroic in lighting up a rocket in one’s hand and releasing it just as it was about to go off. My brother was good at it and he felt like MGR.
The early mornings of Deepavali are a treat to remember for the legiyam (herbal concoction) that my friend’s mother would give us for good digestion, and the subsequent trips to every house where we would guzzle sweets.
As times changed, we moved into our own home in Adambakkam in 1973. Initially, we had no electricity for we lacked the means for lampposts. Studying my lessons in the warm glow of “Randal light” is still vivid in memory. We would try our luck fishing in Velacheri lake. Success eluded me till the very end, whereas my friends were able to catch one or two.
We learnt swimming in giant wells. On occasion, we stole musk melons from the adjoining field. Our group study sessions were held under the trees. The food was simple, consisting of curd rice and pickle. The Listeners’ Choice segment of All India radio was eagerly awaited every Wednesday night; the songs had a soothing effect and we were sound asleep well before the conclusion of the programme. Curd rice and the song ‘Unnai Arinthal’ have helped me survive wherever I travelled.
What a life to cherish! I am proud say that am made of Chennai.
