My dad's siblingsand Bangalore Holidays ( contd)

Here are a couple more stories on the escapades of my dad and his brothers:-

The Chaluvaiya family was staying in Mysore where Ajja was the Secretary of Krishnarajendra Mills.

One day Ajja and Ajji were invited to a Cricket match where Ajja was to be the Chief Guest.So there was Ajja and Ajji seated in chairs in the pavilion watching the match going on. Meanwhile dad and his brothers were out on the grounds with their friends and watching the match. They came across a person selling cucumber slices to the spectators. The fare was very tempting but they were figuring out ways to get the cucumber without having to pay for it.

While they were hanging around him, the cucumber seller came up with a proposition.He offered to give them one cucumber slice for every one round of the ground that they did while selling the cucumbers.This was too tempting an offer to let go.

So here was Ajja and Ajji sitting in the comfort of the pavilion and watching the match while a couple of their sons were going around the ground shouting " Southekai, Southekai". As they neared the pavilion, Ajji told Ajja " I think I hear someone shouting "Sothekai" and it sounds very much like our children. Ajja shushed her and they continued watching the match. Sure enough, the children came into the pavilion shouting" Southekai" and were offering it to the spectators. I'm not really sure if they offered it to their parents also but Ajja got into a right royal rage when he saw them and berated them " Nanna maana thegithidira. Naan illi Chief Guest aagi bandidini. Neevu nodadre southekai maartha idhira. Nimmage naachke illa??" etc etc.Needless to say, that was the end of their cucumber selling campaign.

Here's one more story, again when Ajja and Ajji were in Mysore.
Ajji was the President of the local Women's Club and had gone to attend one of the weekly meetings. Meanwhile my dad sat down for dinner and asked his brother Anti to serve him.When he came to the curd rice, he asked for pickles ( Dad wouldn't eat curd rice without either pickle ot chatnipudi). Anti said he couldn't find the pickles.Dad flew off into a rage and asked Anti to run to the Club and ask Ajji where the pickle jar was kept.

Picture this scene. Ajji is addressing the ladies from the podium ---- no doubt on some important issue such as women's emancipation or liberation or something like that. Anti reaches the club and yanks open the door to the meeting hall and in a breathless voice shouts " Amma","Amma". Ajji looks up from the speech she is reading and in a loud voice asks " Eeno?"( what?). Anti shouts back " Hiriyanniya wants to know where the pickle jar is kept". I'm told that my dad got a sound thrashing when Ajji returned from the club but I'm not able to verify this.

Now , it's time to go back to our holidays in Bangalore .These holidays were mostly in the late 50s when Sandhya was not yet born.We would travel from KGF by train--- usually the Madras-Bangalore Express which reached Bangarpet at around 6.45 PM.
We had a standard set of luggage--- 1 blue trunk, one holdall and one kit bag.

There was the inevitable argument with the porter at Bangalore City railway Station and the inevitable argument with the jutka driver for going to Gavipuram.The driver would demand Rs.3, dad would say Rs.2 and we would stand there staring at each other for around 30 minutes. It was like a Mexican standoff. Mom would periodically pitch in urging dad to pay what the driver demanded and that would only make dad more stubborn. Meanwhile , Rummy and I would cry plaintively because we were hungry but dad would be unmoved.

Anyway, we would finally troop into Gavipuram thoroughly exhausted and drained.

Ajja and Ajji had a room to themselves with this huge four-poster bed. The bed itself was around 3 to 4 feet high and just getting on it was a major feat.
Every morning, Ajji would lovingly comb Ajjas's hair and show him a mirror to get his OK. On most days, Ajja would walk to his office in City Market. He was a very fast walker and we would very often have walking competitions up to Gandhi Bazaar and back where he would outpace me. We also continued with our draughts sessions.

Meanwhile, dad would draw up a list of relatives to visit in Bangalore.We would hire a jutka and be on our way.Chaluvaiya's brother Anantharamiah in Berlie Street Cross, Cantonment was always on the list.Then there would be Ajji's sisters and a host of cousins.Much as we hated the visits those days, today I realize the value of maintaining family links and I try to visit as many people as we can during our trips to Bangalore.
In fact, during one of our recent vacations in Bangalore, I drew up a list of around 40 houses to visit and we did this in a period of 10 days.

Ajji knew that my favourite thindi was obbattu and would always make this when we visited Bangalore.I remember one Ganesh Habba when she had made obbattu and was told that I could have it only after the Pooja was over. I cried a lot and Ajja forced Ajji to give the obbattu to me saying that it was a shame to deny food to a child while doing Pooja.

Ajja died in June 1961 and Ajji followed him soon after in August 1962. An era ended with their passing away and I'll always cherish the love and affection that they showered on me.

Kanteerava and Kamala as well as Chubbadi & Indira and Papanni were the other occupants in the Gavipuram house. Lambi moved away in 1958 after she got married and I still remember the treat she gave me as well as her co-sister Balamba at MTR after she got married.We had masala dosa and ice-cream with fruit salad and the bill came to a princely Rs.10 !!!

During the summer vacations, Chambi and family, Sethuram & Seetha as well as Satya and Susheela would also come and there would be marathon cards sessions with much laughter and bonhomie.

Akka would frequently drop in with Omprakash, Suresh and Sheela ( Latha was too young then). Omprakash would then relate his trademark Prahlada story. I must have heard it around 20 times in those days and there was no variation in the narration.
( Chaluvaiya KithKin, we must all ask Omprakash to relate the story when we meet up this Jul in New Jersey for Anand's wedding!!).

That's it for now and in my next blog, I'll bring you all back to KGF for life in our house opp Skating Rink. Sometime later in the blog, I'll introduce the Chaluvaiya Kith Kin---- my cousins on my father's side and their spouses.
Bye for now.