As one gets older there is an inclination to revisit the childhood. It is not conscious. Why do I remember certain things, I don't know. Here are some Vadakara memories (1968-1972 when I was 4 to 8 years old)- Earliest memory of school is my walk holding on to an Aluminium School Box when I was in 1-2 Standard from my home in Paravanthala to School in Vadakara. I had two bags. One Khakhi coloured, to be worn in the shoulder and then the Aluminium box. It was a pretty good walk to the school, climbing a flight of steps, hearing the steady sound of the handlooms in the houses nearby, and splashing water that flows down the steps during rainy season. Being the son of the Assistant Executive Engineer of KSEB, I got a bit of VIP treatment in the school. This was the time I got two prizes - one a mirror with a stand, and other a Soap Box. I remember the mirror was a prize in a singing competition, and always believed, considering my singing skills, the Soap Box was given as an encouragement to me for not singing again.
- Vadakara used to host a National Level Volley Ball Tournament every year. Once, my father was the Chief Guest for the Final, and obviously he took his youngest son, who was 7 years old with him. There were huge temporary stands that allowed more than 5000 people to watch, and the atmosphere was electric. I can recall the ferocious spiking of Balwant Singh of BSF. Every time Balwant Singh jumped, the crowd roared.
- The songs that drift in the air through loud speaker from the various local functions and payattu was my first introduction to music, which stayed with me for a long time. I also fondly remember my sisters friend, a dark lean girl, who had a melodious voice and once sang 'Thamara kumbilallo mama hridayarm..................' while on a visit to our house.
- I lived in Vadakara till I was 8. There was a boy who came mid way through the 3rd standard. His father was a Judge. The Boys name was Balasubramanyam, and was very street smart. When we asked him his name, he retorted ' Perakkai'. This was a shock to most us, as we were always told to be polite to others in a rural place like Vadakara. He had lived in big towns, and this was perhaps my first exposure to someone from the City. We became friends later.
- Another friend was Rakesh. After I left Vadakara for Palghat in 1972, I got a black and white picture with about Rs 2 in a postal cover from him. He owed my money for something and returned it. The honesty of the rural people
- Being very frail, my father thought it fit to send me to the RSS Shakha in the Paravanthala Subramanya Swamy Temple premises. Owning and wearing the Khakhi trouser, sleeveless white banyan, belt was a dream come true for a child, who used to watch RSS guys having their disciplined games and shakha practices every day.
- It was during this period that father bought me my first cricket bat from Thalassery - it cost him all of Rs 6. He bought a HMT watch for my elder brother when he cleared his SSLC with good marks. He wore that watch for a decade, and then it was passed on to me.
- Twice father took me to Thalassery to watch Ranji Trophy matches. Kerala vs Hyderabad, and Kerala vs Tamil Nadu. I was fortunate to see Abbas Ali Baig, Pataudi, M L Jaisimha, S Venkataraghavan, etc which encouraged me to take up the sport seriously. The matches were played on matting wickets, and Kerala was a very weak team then. There were not tickets, and we just sat on the ground in the boundary and watched the whole day.
- I remember Sarojini, our maid, who was very fond of me.
- Then there was our neighbour, Raman, and his family. His mother used to call me out whenever their cow was milched, and gave me a very small glass of raw milk, straight from the cow's teat,literally.
- The owl, that lived on the roof, was benignant and stared back dolefully whenever I looked up at him.
- Our family doctor used to move around Vadakara in his lemon green Volkswagon Beetle. As a child, I used to watch the car with wonder. In 1972, he brought a new Volkswagon Beetle, and my father moved in quickly to buy the old one. It cost a princely Rs 17,000 in 1972 and ate up all the savings of my father. For a 8 year old child, this was the pinnacle of his childhood and something beyond even dreams. Soon, father was transfered, and we all drove down in the Beetle to Palghat.
I never had a chance to visit Vadakara again.
