Those Were The Days, My Friend!

Dear Nonya
Talking of Triplicane, one can go on and on! There is so much there that it is difficult to squeeze in one Snippet! About Rathna Cafe alone one can go on and on particularly about its Sambar served in mugs. I visited it recently and honestly it is not the same old place that I had frequented in my childhood. There was one Coimbatore Krishnaiyyar Hotel in Pycrofts Road which served some heavenly Badam Hulwa. I don't find it there any more. The beach in the Chepauk area was a bit hard those days and we played cricket with tennis ball in the evenings. The road lights in Marina were a feeble 60 watts bulbs on top of an ornamental brass pipes. The Marina would be dead by 8 p.m. We had no electric lights in our house and used kerosene lights. It was my daily job to clean it and preserve it in sparkling condition. My brother who is seven years elder to me studied using this lamp till he passes his IAS exam with a national rank! He was the Chief Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Government during Jayalaltha's first tenure as Chief Minister.
Sri

 

My dear Syamala
You are indeed a faith healer! Every time you write to me, you never fail to mention how well I remember my past! To tell you the truth, the fond recall of my childhood has kept me going till now. Like a cow, I sit in a cozy corner and chew the cud of my childhood. Coming to think of it, my childhood was a lot more eventful than my professional life! I lived in a ten tenement compound with several children of my age group. We loved each other but occasionally there would be fights. Often the mothers came as mediators and settled our disputes. On festival days, there would be common cooking! On full moon days, we went to Marina Beech with our food and dined there. When there was sickness in one family, the rest of the houses would grieve. When I had my 'upanayanam' (Sacred thread)there was a three day celebration in all the houses. The muslim family next door allowed us to use their electricity for illuminating our compound. Oh, those were unforgettable days of bonhomie and jollity!
Sri

 

My dear Srama
At my age, a travel has to be necessarily back in time. There is so much to mull over about our life in the forties and fifties. Gold was selling at Rs.102 per souverin in the year I got married (1967)! In the 50th year of my marriage, it is sold at Rs.22000+ per souverin! It would cost us to travel by tram from Triplicane to Central roughly 9 pies! Looking at how costly the life has become now is one way of understanding the extent of devaluation. I used to go to the New Janda Market in Triplicane with 8 annas (50 paise) and come back with a huge quantity of vegetables!. If I say that life was cheap those days it is only to refer to the economics but not the quality of life. Coming to Vyjayanthimala, the one picture I can never forget was Vanchikottai Vaaliban in which there is a great dance challenge between her and Padmini!
Sri

 

My dear jskls
Writing about Triplicane is like going down memory lane. I have known the place for 70+ years! When I wrote this Snippet, I was not aware of its magnitude! You keep talking about the life there and it turns out to be incomplete! In the Hindu High School, I had a very classmate by name Suryanarayanan. We were so close that if one took leave for some reason or other, the other would go home too. His elder brother Chandrasekaran was also in the same class! I am telling you all this to spring a surprise. Suri's son is none other than the famous movie star Siddharth!
Sri

 

Dear Akanksha
I am never tired of talking about Chennai. To me it is still Madras. The indianized names have indeed hurt the colourful history of the country. Whenever I travel back memory lane, it's always Madras for me..I have visited Mumbai several times and I always feel like Alice in Wonder Land!
Thank you for your prayers and good wishes for my speedy recovery.
Sri

 

Dear PS
I am grateful to you for your concern about my health. I am getting better though at snail's speed. But don't grudge it as long as I am making progress. Your Masras connections have only firmed up now. I was rather surprised to hear that your sister lives in NSC Bose Road. It is a predominantly commercial center with traffic snarls and congested. Haven't you fully settled down in Chennai?
Sri