Raju blogs

 CRICKET is a very popular game.  Every one likes to be a part of it  all the time.  I am no exception. Our cricketing life started when we were in middle School.  Four to five of us join , choose any place , be it a "barsathi" (terrace) on the Road etc. play cricket .  Our bat used to be the laundry bat which  my mother used it for washing clothes. .  Many of our younger generation may not have seen it.  It looks more or less a bat but not long one.  Those days no washing machines.  We stealthily take it and start using it as a bat.  The ball used to be a plastic ball.  The wicket is the wall. Sometimes we don't even get that plastic ball.  We put some stones , cover it with newspaper, tie it up with rubber band ,make it a ball shape and play.  As we grew older, we used Tennis Ball, then Cork Ball and finally graduated to the actual Red cricket ball.   No T Vs those days.  Only Transister Radios....

 The year was 2003.  One day when I looked down from my Balcony, I could see lot of activity happening in our next Building.  Big long sophisticated cars lining in , suited -booted people going in .  Wondered what was going on.  The adjacent top floor next to our house was fully lit up.  Thought some Events happening.  Curious to know what was it I went down just to see what it was all about. I could gather  there was a Lions Club Meeting Hall on the 6th floor and the event was District Governor's visit to the Club .  A District Governor is the head of the District (Bangalore) of Lions Clubs International.  He visits each club to inspect and assess the activities done by a particular club. I said to myself, Lions are big influential people ,business guys in high places and surely not my cup of tea. I was new to Bangalore then with no friends and I just left it at that and forgot.  In the next few days , a new Lions Club was formed i...

 In the late 70s we enjoyed visiting Palakkad , Kerala.  I remember for the first time we took a long rail journey with family to Palakkad after a gap of a decade.  I still wonder why we did not venture out for so many years. It needed lot of planning.  It is a long journey.  Almost three days travel.  No direct train connectivity to Palakkad  then.  The only train  was G T (Grand Trunk )Express up to Madras .  G T Express terminates there and the Kerala compartments stay in the Platform till a Train Trivandrum Express comes to get it attached to these compartments in the Evening.  Those days in Delhi there used to be a Bakery shop near our house. They  used to make nice biscuits for you .  You need to give Maida flour, ghee sugar etc. and the Bakery  makes biscuits and put it in a big Tin for a  some small amount as service charges.  You could see all your friends at this Bakery who were going on vacation ....

REGAL AFFAIR I can never forget my attachment with REGAL Cinema.  Those were very good childhood days . REGAL CINEMA used to be our only entertainment those days.  Situated in Connaught Place in New Delhi.  Whenever I think of Regal Cinema my memory goes back to my school days. This was constructed in 1932.  We Tamilians used to live in Karol Bagh , New Delhi  for almost over 20 years. Whosoever comes to Delhi those days find Karol Bagh a very nice place to live . Each Tamilian knows the other one as it used to be a small community then. We lived in a small rented accommodation in Karol Bagh,  You need to climb six stairs to reach your Kitchen , another six steps to Washroom, a drawing room, one small room . Enjoyed life immensely. We five of us, my parents,  a sister and a brother spent our entire school and college life in that small accommodation My father used to work for a private organisation, just behind Regal Cinema.  Those days No T V, no...

It was the year 1973 in Delhi.  I always wanted to have a Military outfit. So joined NCC in College. My friends laughed. They said you get a new uniform free that is why you are joining. I just laughed.  Got a new pair of big  heavy shoes unable to even lift with one hand. A  new pair of pant and shirt with NCC cap.  I was quite lean and the dresses were hanging loose,  But I liked and was dreaming how I would look in  this outfit .  We used to have regular Drills before college started.  After each Drill the Drill In- charge gives a break.  He says" Das minute ka break hain bhai.   Beedi /cigarette peeyo".  I had not started smoking then. But many around me had started. When we do parade,  the In-charge says " Left Right Left Right, 3rd row 4th Lounda Ullu Tha Patta  Seedhe Chalo.  So much Gaali he used to utter,  We were  scared. Though I was interested to  join NCC  these regular Drill...