Nostalgia: '87 -'93

In May '87 we shifted to T. Nagar (Habibullah Road). I was to spend the next 6 years of my life here. This also was an independent house with place for 3 families. I joined LKG in June '87 exactly at the age of three. As I mentioned before, I was not a happy school-goer in the beginning before I settled down.

Our house owners were Tamil and here is where I got initiated into the language - even managing to read a bit! The owner's family consisted of an old couple with his son and his family staying with them. The owner's two granddaughters were my first friends (of course, I have completely lost touch with them now and can hardly talk to them). One being 2 years elder and other, a day junior.

Besides the owners lived another family. They had a daugher and a son. The boy was 5 years my junior but it was with him I played cricket as long as I was there.

It was in kindergarden that I met one of my closest friends, Vedik. He and his family still remain one of our closest.

I was an average student in kindergarden but started picking up from 2nd std. I remember consistently topping my section from IV to VIII. I also remember having won the prize for academic excellence for a couple of years.

Let me recall some names I remember: Arun Bosco, Aravind, Charlie, Sriram, Arunkumar, Sivakumar, Prabhu, Vijayaraghavan, Karthik (D & N), vagairah, vagairah.

Vacations:
Most of my vacations were spent at my mom's village with my grandmom and my grandaunt there to take care of me besides my aunt and uncle. I have played hell of cricket in the front yard with neighbouring kids and my uncle's daughters, much to the irritation of elders and neighbours.

I always loved going to the village. A welcome relief from the bustling city. Things were so quite and so much greenery around. The vast paddy fields are awesome to look at. As good as the movies! The care people show for others (it can be irritating many a time) is also phenomenal. Everyone knows everyone. Not to forget the fresh fruits and coconuts we get. My mom and myself have always enjoyed the palm fruit. Nights were spent fighting mosqis and lots of stories from my grandaunt.

We also used to visit my father's village where my ailing grandmom and my father's sister lived. This village was a coastal one and far less fertile. This one was a typical stereotype village compared to my mom's which was far more modern. Thachted & bamboo houses with huge courtyards and kitchen gardens. With dry thorny branches as compound walls, and red mud roads. Electricity was a read luxury - only used to light a bulb. Fans weren't present and who needed them when there is an awesome breeze present all the time. Eventhough the village looked ancient, it had great educational institutions producing scores of professionals like my father who went out to towns and cities to make a living.

Nostalgia: '84-'87

I was born in American Hospital, Nellore, AP (my mom's village 'Damaramadugu' is 10kms from here) on 1st June 1984 (Friday) arnd 8.30am. This is enough for you to get a horoscope made for me i guess. lol.

My father had been working in Madras (now, Chennai) since '76. My mom also shifted after her marriage in '82 (she finished her degree and then moved in '83). So eventhough I was born in Nellore, virtually I have been in Chennai for the first 13 years of my life without vacational visits to Andhra.

I dont remember too much of these first three years of my life but my parents keep reminding about some things which happened:

• My first birthday party: Cake from the Taj - thanks to Hong Kong mama (my father's close friend). I guess that was my biggest b'day party for about a decade.
• We used to live in Raja annamalaipuram till '87. It was an independant house with us in the ground floor and the house owners above us. They were Telugu and there were 2 thathas who were very fond of me (both of them are no more), esp., the younger of the two. He used to teach me a lot and I guess what I grasped then are still embedded in me at a sub-conscious level. It seems I was very fond of cocunuts which grew in the compound.
  
• My mom's uncle also was amoung my early teachers. He passed away in '87. Eventhough I was too young to know him vividly, I still remember a few moments I spent with him. He was a great man. Equally great was my father's father who passed away before I was born. Both were farmers but valued education a lot.
• Indira Gandhi was shot 3 months after I was born.

As mentioned before we shifted our house in '87 close to my first school 'Sir M Venkatasubba Rao' where I studied till 8th. My first days at school were horrible. I think for a month or so, I kept returning home early crying like mad.

Rest in next blog.