Hai All!!!!!
A very good long silence from me... Well you can say I was occupied in getting things straight , that became too entangled, which should not have been so....
I was just rolling back my memoirs .. how my days had been where the incident were imminent to happan and how it just went off my vision and eventually how I had to struggle to make it happe and at the end I was not able to cherish those moments .....!
Yeah.. Me.. being the last kid .. in my family of 5 ... all assume I am a pampered brat.. ironically it is not so..
I had the previlage of being with my Mom & Dad at that time I was not having the liberty of being myself.. I was always under their shadow. I had attempted to be on my own and invariably got into troubles and I had always cementedd those struggles within me ...
The only change in my situation is my wife being with me .. and you all can imagine.. how I am suffering with this stigma in me.. and I had been too cautious that I should not put them in any sort of fix ... I could not quite clearly proclaim that I am so... I am sincerely trying not to ..!
I was good in Athletics and sports.and in those days.. as prize for winning I had got Soap Box, Tumblers, Plates as momentos.. but no certificates..this did irk me little later as I was nick named as " SOAP BOX" On one off the vaccation, after Chandra's marrriage, we wll wew at Neravy our village in Karaikal. While playing my mates.. Rajendran, Murugan, Ganesan, would tease me calling me as Soap Box, that particular day, I was going mad and I played almost from morning till late noon made those guys.. feel petty for not able to keep abreast with my fervor at football.. but later , while Chandra and Athan ( newdly wed) were waiting to take me out were bewildered seing my state with sweat and having played for whole day I was not at all presentable for any social events.. but yet I was time to refresh and join them...
It was one summer vaccation, I was alone as Bala was at Vallampadugai under Muru's guidance and Raja was at Chandra's place at Pudukottai.. I just brashly attempted to learn cycling. I went to my Aunt - Pappachinnamma's house atM.R. Radha Colony, Sangliandapuram in Trichy, ( That colony was owned by the famous Villian actor M.R. Radha of easter years.- for a masala to it.. father of Radha Ravi and Radhika actress...)where I had little extra liberty in doing what I wanted ,
Balu Sithappa was my admirer.. and it goes without saying..
I went to my cousin- Packiri who also resided in that colony, while I prompted him to get me a cycle on hire for an hour..he took me to the shop and just as we were standing a guy came to return the cycle that he had hired.. with excitement to heights, I looked at Packiri he noddded at me, I just plucked the cycle from that guy and rode away gleefully into the colony and cycled my heart out...for full one hour.. eventually Packiri had to go to work as he was working evening shift. While I returned to the bi-cycle hire shop.. the person at the shop demanded me to pay hire charge for one full day I was dumb struck.. for reasons: I had just hired the bi cycle for just an hour.. I did not have more than 50 paise that I had got from my Granny . I just cant ask my Aunt. While I attempted to exlain the shop keeper .. he was arrogant assuming that I am cheating him by trying to pay him only for an hour whilst the log says that the cycle was hired since morning. The best part was the hirer's name also was SEKAR... I was dumb struck.. I had none to my rescue.. The consequent scene at home was theatening me. The shop keeper refused to take back the cycle.. and the hire charges was adding on!!!
I was stranded on the street with just 50 paise in my pocket.. this shop keeper was closing his shop.. and I was down to tears.. he ignored me and he walked away..I had to go back home at the same time I had no place to keep the cycle.. other than taking it back home.. I had no guts to do that.. as I was strolling down dragging the cycle.. forgetting that I could drive the cycle.. with jerks on my knee.. feeling humiliated.. out from blue.. Packiri appeared as he had come on a break.. I was .. just overwhelmed seeing him... I bragged all the scene to him.. he just patted me on my back and he said.. just to leave the cycle in his custody and he would return it the next day.. and he assured me to go back home without worries...! After that each time I cross that road. and that cycle shop.. I would feel.. so humiliated and cursing my stars...
I was pondering that as one incident.. moving ahead.. I was quite involved in sports.. and you can say I had the traits ingrained as my Dad too was a sports person, he was Tennis Champion and he played Hockey and Cricket for his company-- Southern Railway and also he was member of Trichy District Football Association.. I was obssessed with games.. and at school I use to be good in Football, Cricket, Hockey, Badmitton, Athletics....
It was a history at Railway Mixed High School ( Tamil) Ponmalai , while Jay, my second elder sister would enter the arena to participate in the athletic events, all the other contigent would walk away muttering that they have no fancy to be just a participant as they would never make it to FIRST since Jaya was there. Later as she was asked to wear a skirt she turned down to become an athlete ( I was having my own doubts.. that it would have been because my Mom who had her own books of rules as to how the children are to brought up. this principles did deprive my both the sisters stepping into College / Universities.!!!) Bala and Raja were active in Scouts... I was certain to make it big in sports.. Bala use to prompt me to go for practises regularly and at the same time.. giving importance to studies.. There was an announcement for selection for Indian Railways Sub Juniors Team for football, I was proposed as a probable striker for the team even before I could get to the selection, my Physical Education Trainer / Teacher was Mr. Baby Thomas, who was a National Athlete and was Runner up in 1974 National Athletic Meet in Indian Railways Meet. He used to adore my swift movements with tackling the ball and my concentration in scoring the goal from anywhere 10-20 yards from the post. I was mostly successful.. in scoring it... I used to sharpen my knowledge.. I used to watch movies like " Escape to Victory"featering Pele and his instincts in playinng the game..reading books, watching matches from Zonal Matches to World Cup without fails.. with a fever. A month before the team could be announced for the selection.. I fractured my arm and again after 3-4 months I had fractured again.. my aspiration to become a sports person had been flushed out as Dr. Suryaprakash Narayanan , Ortho specialist at the Railway Hospital declared, that if I again fracture my hand I would become totally handicappped and have to forgett using my left arm completely... Though with such trhreats, I still played football for my school
While I was at High school, my cousins Muthu, Kannan studied in Bishop Hiber School, Trichy and Jaganathan was in the same school at St. Joseph's. That was my first year and at the Sports Annual Day.. I was just a number - 1358 in the roll number where as in my previous school even my shadow will be identified !!! beacuse of my Dad's and Grand Dad's reputation being in that place for almost 4 decades.... PONMALAI.. well I was at the start of he 100 meter's dash I had no clue what was happening, while the start shot was heard.. I just sprinted madly heart out.. to my mouth.. without any practise.. yet I came 2nd. I could not believe myself.. and you can imagine in that mele as winners of the events were lined upto to record the dats.. D.Babu was first, I was second and Kalyankumar who was hot favorite for the Sub Junior championship was third. At the time of writing the records, Mr. Kitappan our P.T. came forward, made Kalyan stand before me and I was made 3rd second runner up.. While the prize / certificate ( The first certificate that I got as felicitation for my sportsmanship) was distributed I was on the winner dias , yet I was lucky to make it to the dias but had to sacrifice my 2nd place , as this enabled Kalyankumar get the Sub-Junior Championship for that year, Jaganathan was the witness for the event, but he too was just a mute - spectator.
- At St. Joseph's College Higher Secondary School, Trichy, I played for my House Team- BLUE HOUSE, ignoring the fact that I have perilious situation if anything untowards happens.I represented the school cricket team were Sadiq was the captain and Samuel was the wickettkeeper, and also G.V. Suresh and Govindaraj were prominant in the team I was made as 12th man in the last moment.. and we were playing " Campion School "and they were the runaway winners for the tournament we lost the match hands down. I played Hockey for my School. I was " FULL BACK" . I played the game with the hockey stick that my Dad got it for me from Jullandar that was acquired after a very great pause from my parents as a gift for my achievements, both in Acaemics and Sports. Our school came upto to Inter School level.. and we did not make any impact.. Vadivelu the goal keeper had his heel bone fractured while trying to save a corner shot.. I shivered inside as I was standing next to him.. !!!!
- Railway Mixed Higher Secondary School and it was a record till date that we were Zonal winners for the conducted by Madras Zonal Football Associatios. My mates, Govardhanan - he is in Australia, Zubair - is in Chennai, Bhaskar , Bala, Vishwananth in Coimbatore, Giriraj and other team-mates were, Philip, Guru, Ravindran, Rafiq, though I am not too sure as to what all of them are upto now....
Yeah can you predict.. as the striker of the team, I scored maximum of 12 goals in that tournament.!!!!! but beyound that I felt that as a tribute to my Dad who had been supporting me and also to Bala & Raja who though half heartedly been promptig me ... for what al I did.
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