School days and Thrissur

Though I was my mother's 14th child she always had a special consideration for me. I was her pet child even though Kamakshi chechi (my youngest elder sister) was her favourite.

I was an idle fellow and didn't like to go to school. So I joined school only in the 3rd standard. When it was time to go to school, I used to hide behind my father's sofa and Father would say let him be here and play and I would be happy. Playing was always with Chechi but often alone going around the house MITTAM (courtyard). No specific game plan. Venu from the house opposite, or Kuttappan or Balan or Aanaathe Gopi played with me. Often GOLI kali (marbles) or PAMPARAM chutti kali (spinning tops). No money for buying an expensive football or anything like that. I used to go to Kattoorsharam to play there or Pallithamam with Balan and Kuttappan and occasionally Aanathe Gopi. Once in the Pallithamam we saw a few baby snakes (vipers actually) and we touched them. Fortunately the mother snake was not nearby. Another was NAAYAATTU (going on a royal hunt) - disturbing stray dogs there by throwing stones, making sounds etc. Pallitahamam was a huge place meant for flower growing for the Vadakkunnathan temple. Now all that area is gone - I don't know what happened.

I saw (my future wife) Rema once in Kaattur sharam with (her cousin) Bhavani, who was Kuttappan's and Balan's sister. She was a teenager, slim and tall. but I didn't come to know her then. Once while playing I fell down and injured my lower lip. Ramachettan (my future father-in-law) immediately took me in hand and gave me first aid there itself. Kuttappan and Balan were allowed to go and play football in Thekkinkad Maidan. But I was never permitted. So it was for learning cycling also. But one day, I went with them just to learn how to balance on a bicycle.

In school, our 3rd std class teacher was Ezhuthachan master - very tough. Punishment was beatjng on the palm with a cane stick. My toughest assignment was multiplication table for 13. Later I came to know that most people had this difficulty! I was not very bright in class - just average - and went on like that till 7th std. In the 6th std I just wanted to try Sanskrit (in language learning class), but found it difficult and went back to Malayalam. The teacher commented, "Mooshika sthree veendum mooshikasthree aayi".

One Sankaranarayana Aiyer was my tuition master from 7th to 10th and he was responsible for all my successes from 8th std onwards. I was 1st in class throughout, and became a serious responsible student. I don't know the present whereabouts of my classmates of those years. Some must have died. My school was Vivekodayam Boys School. Chechi was in the corresponding Girls school. She was 3 years senior to me in class and in age.

After SSLC, I applied for Intermediate (present day XI and XII), selected 2nd group (present day Bioscience) because Ettan (elder brother) said so, and got admission. It was the first batch of science groups. We had excellent teachers for Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Labs were good too. The entire science block was brand new. Physics Professor was a retired Prof. Ramachadra Aiyer. Chemistry had Prof. Sugathan, Botany lecturer Aravindakshan and Zoology Sulochana. There was a Ponnunni Kartha tutor in Physics, an excellent teacher. We had mutual appreciation for each other. The Principal was Akhileswara aiyar.

When I was in 1st year inter, Chechi was in 2nd year BA Economics. She used to sing well and had studied classical music. She had a beautiful voice . Every year she had the prize for Music and the students used to call her Nightingale of the college. In fact my eldest sister Padmachechi and her daughter Vijayachechi were all classical singers. Padmachechi was a Violin player too. Music literature was Padmachechi's passion.

I completed Intermediate with flying colours and was first in our 2nd group - our college was under Madras University. Got some books from the college as a prize.

At last, the time had come to join for Medicine. Had good marks and so admission was easy and routine. Our classes started on time - June 1st 1955 if I remember correctly. Till that time all studied was "spoon feeding" but from this point onwards everything was self help and self study. It took me some time to get into that routine. We had no text books - none available and very costly. So class notes were the only way. Did that throughout my course. I probably had God's blessings and a little luck - passed all exams at first shot. The results came in Jan 1959 and immediately after that, I started compulsory Internship.