Growing up in Hyderabad old city - Part 5

One of the things i disliked is to attend a tuition class. The more i protested the more i got. The House adjascent was the Mandliks Residence. The first floor was rested out to a Kannada family. A lady in that family was my first tutor. The evening time around 5 pm or later was perfect time to play. But i had to go to the tuition. Being in second standard i did not get much attention for my protests. My point was that i enjoy studying by myself. I was never a topper, did not bother my standing in the class. I enjoyed reading stories. The English reader in Class I, had nice stories that I would read on chapters in text book like the way some watch multiple episodes on Netflix. I remember only one story from my English reader of Class I, "Kutchus Glasses". The story had a middle aged Kutchu looking for his reading glasses. When he asks his wife to look for it, she points to his nose. they are on him all the time.

That's me in 1980.

In the Mandlik residence lived one of my school teachers, Mrs. Gokhle. She was also staying on rent in a portion of the ground floor. She would ask me to do some or the other task. Once she sent me to another teacher, Lata madam staying on the first floor at Gangakhedkars house at Bela Cross road. I was to bring a tree made of think wires decorated with thin green wire shaped like leaves and a number of marble(Goti for old timers) balls enclosed in a web of thin wire, to appear like fruits. It was a nice piece of art.  I went and collected it and started walking back. It started raining. I ran as fast as i could. When i handed over the tree to Mr Gokhale, she pointed to a hallow place. One of the marbles fell out. I got scolding from both the teachers for not walking carefully. Then on whenever I entered Mandlik house, either for tuition on the first floor or while playing with the Mandlik sisters, Rupali and Sonali, I would try to avoid Gokhale madam. Mandliks had a baby boy Neelesh, still a toddler then. On one occasion my mother and Mandlik aunty were chatting in front of the house, I went and stood close to Aunty holding Neelesh in her arms. The baby got interested in my hair, he clutched and pulled up my hairs with both hands. I had to be rescued. After a few months my parents stopped sending me to tuition. I was very happy for few days. Then I had to go to Lata madam. I found a few of my class mates there, including Ramesh. This tuition continued until my school was changed.

My mother took us to Telegu movies at Sudha Talkies and Menaka Talkies. Most of them were black and white mythological movies. Few in Colour were “Lava Kusha”, “Sardar Paparayudu”. Occasionally mother took us to watch Kannada movies at Padmavati theater in Kachiguda. I can recall “Halu Jenu”, “Keralida Simha”, “Shehnayi Appanna”. When my elder brother was here on leave, he took me and Diwakar to hindi movie Naseeb in Sudha. My father took us to Qurbani, Shaan, Dostana and a kannada movie “Onde Guri”. There used to be theater by name Royal and Dishaad at Sultan bazar. Watched Shree 420 at Dishad and Sangam in Royal.

My mother with my Sis-in-Law.

 Across the street was the Pathak Building. I saw two very white kids but never ventured across the road to play with them. I know they were not in same school as me. They would be my friends in future. The younger one Ullahas Pathak would be my class mate after about a year, in Raghavendra High School. Until then they were a curiosity.

That year saw another communal violence and curfew. A bus was burnt right in front of Sudha talkies. The smoke flew across and above the house for entire day. Around this time my mother had an accident. She was to carry boiling hot water from kitchen to bath room, the utensil turned spilling hot water on her left leg and hand. Her leg has burns up to knee. Took several months for her to heal. The scars remained permanently.

She was better by the time of brother’s wedding. The wedding was held at Pingali Venkatarama Reddy Function Hall, Opposite to Indira park. My relatives arrived from Hubli, Banglore and Lonavla. The three younger brothers of my dad, Mohan kaka, Ranganna kaka, Venkatesh kaka and my Grandma arrived form Hubli, my Aunt (fathers sister) Chandrawathi arrived from Bangalore. My mothers side arrivals from Hubli included, my mom’s elder sister, my cousin Laxmana Koliwad with family, Vahini,  Ravi, Shaila, Vijayalakshmi, Veena and Vani. Muralidhar unle, a cousin of my dad arrived from Lonavla , another cousin Chudamani kaka lived in Hyderabad at Ramnagar. Those who could not attend my brothers marriage included, two aunts Manjakka (Tadas) and Shantakka(Dharwad). Shantakka passed away recently in 2020. Chandrawathi passed away in 2019 at Banglore. I tried to find any photos of that time. The marriage album is in my brother home. Have to look up on my next visit.