Autobiographical musings

My memories of my father are very scanty as I lost him in 1950 while I was in 7th std. My father was Mr KN Pisharoty, son of Mr Rama Pisharoty who was a Munsiff in Cochin state at Thrissur. Grandfather died while his children were very young. He belonged to Thonnangamath (now PT House) which is Rema's house. Achan (Father) had an elder brother K Krishna Pisharoty, who was only 12 years old when their father died. Achan must have been around 8 or so. He had three sisters too, all younger than him. They had an uncle who, fortunately, looked after all of them. Memories about their school years are blank.  Achan always respected and obeyed his Ettan (elder brother) very much. Achan studied for Law in Trivandrum with limited financial help and had to study at night under street lights. Going from Cochin to Trivandrum was tough in those days - no buses or trains - they had to cross Vembanad lake in a large country boat. Once, while travelling by boat, he developed diarrhea. Since t...

This is about me - Nandakumaran.  Young days An attempt at writing an autobiography!! I was born in 1937 (ME 1113 Kanni masam Sept 20th Pooroorutathi nakshathram) three years after my father's retirement as Devaswam Commissioner in 1934. Chechi was born in that year. They wanted another girl but were disappointed. Anyway - I was one among many and got care as anyone else. I grew up mostly in my Chechi's company because there was no one else. Since there were seven men as my elder siblings, I was an easy target for all of them to run errands - especially Balachettan to buy snuff powder. I remember how we, being children, used to get Vishukkettam from distant cousins and uncles and Ramuttyettan especially used to collect that money from us! Vishukkettam amount was 4 or 8 annas and very rarely Re 1.  Onam and Vishu were true festivals in those days as that whole week was enjoyment. Even when I had nothing to play and no company I would be loitering in our house compound among tre...

Chechi was very close to me, even from childhood. We played together and she always bossed over me. We seldom quarrelled, and that too, only momentarily. I remember Amma taking us for bathing together to our pond and we used to play by sliding on our oiled bodies. The pond was rebuilt and rebored by father. It had water throughout the year and was nice to swim in, especially in the rainy season. Parathy amma taught us swimming by guiding us using a long cloth.  Chechi was 3 years senior to me in class also. We both studied in Vivekodayam School and later in Sree Kerala Varma College. I studied there only for intermediate while she finished her BA (Economics). She was a great singer and received laurels from College. A bhagavathar taught her classical music - after her marriage too. So both my sisters were musicians. I too had a taste for music, but only for listening to it. When Ramdas was born to Chechi, in 1955, I had just joined Medical college. Appuchettan's Devi was also born...

Mother's name was Ammukutty Pisharasiar. She was a beauty in her young days. Achan fell in love with her and wanted to marry only her. He was correct in his selection and we must congratulate him because she was the epitome of all the goodness in the world. Like Devi Sahasranamam, if I had to attribute a thousand good qualities to a person, it would be my mother. She was beautiful, loving, noble, understanding, honest, and dutiful. I have never seen her upset or angry at anyone unnecessarily. She was intelligent and wanted to study even after her marriage. Achan (Father) completely agreed, and employed a teacher for her. She learned English too. I have seen her reading English novels even in her eighties. Amma (Mother) respected all religions and was a SARVA MATHA believer. So naturally Swami liked her and gave her Padanamaskar, blessed her on the head in her eighties and gave her created Vibhuthi. I had the good fortune to take her for Sathya Sai darsan along with Kochechi who wa...

In my childhood, I hadn't gone out of Thrissur . The first trip was in a train with Rajappachettan, I think, to Thrippunithura . Padmachechi was there in Banglavil Kovilakam as she had married into the Cochin royal family to Banglavil Thampuran. Rajappan (Rajagopalan) and Vijayalekshmi were their children. Rajappachettan was 3 years and Vijayachechi was 11 years elder to me. Rajappachettan showed me  all around that place, enthusiastically. We went one day to Ernakulam to see the beach - I was seeing the sea for the first time and was thrilled. We had darsan at Poornathrayeesa temple and also a speedy look around the Hill Palace where my parents had stayed and worked for 14 years a long time before that. Thampuran had food separately made by a Kuttysami (a Brahmin) and served separately, and separate bathing arrangements, too. A very aristocratic style. Thamburan would wear Poonool ( Yajnopavita thread ) as a Kshathriya. My sleeping arrangements were with Rajappachettan and Vijaya...

During my childhood, during Vishu or Onam, in those days, we made THRIKKAKARAPPANS and MATHEVAR with clay and prayed to them. The icons were usually made by Narayanan Nair. Daily morning pooja for four days. We would all eagerly await pulikali on the 4th Onam. Of course, we children enjoyed Onam season especially due to school holidays, usually 9 days. Quarterly exams were sometimes before Onam or sometimes after. We preferred to have the exams before, for enjoying the Onam vacations.  In Thrissur, we had not only Pooram , Mandalakaalam also was important. In both Thiruvambady and Paramekav - there were vela kalamezhuthu and velichappad thullal in the evening and Thayambaka . I enjoyed Thayambaka. Finally after the 41 days of Mandala kalam, there would be a procession with Elephants - Ezhunnallath called VELA - a mini pooram - mainly at night. Balagopalachettan rarely joined Chechi and me for playing. The other brothers were too senior. I have seen Ettan and Sreechettan figh...

During school days, I was not very quiet. From 5th std onwards I used to go to the school playground in the evening, playing MASS, KOTA - a form of running game, KhoKho (for which I got a prize), tennikoit, and volleyball. And near our drill class, I had a go at pole vault, long jump and triple jump as well as exercises with bars and rings. Faith in God was first instilled in me by Kochechi (my mother's sister) telling us the Dhruva story. She also told us many stories from Bhagavatham. One story which struck me and touched my mind was that of Balagopalan. His mother was very poor but a great Bhaktha. The boy came back from gurukulam and said all his classmates are bringing some present for the teacher and he too wanted to take something. His mother was helpless and asked him to pray to Krishna Bhagavan. He said a brother used to come with him when passing through a small forest to school. This brother told him not be afraid and if he needed anything call him loudly 'chetta, c...

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 n...

Father There was a request from a friend to write more about my father"s association with the Cochin royal family. My father was a munsiff and the king ( Madiraasiyil theeppetta thampuran ) Rama Varma selected my father, noting his honesty, straight-forwardness, integrity and other good qualities. The King wanted him for all purposes and made him Sarvaadhi kaari. He held that post for 14 long years. Mother used to tell the stories of life inside the Kottaram (palace) to us later. Our whole family had a cushy life then. Food and accommodation were free and whatever food was made for the King had to be tasted by Sarvaadhi. Father could have saved a lot, but he felt he had to repay all the loans his uncle had brought upon himself for looking after them in childhood. Even the Pisharoty Munsiff's house had to be pawned for repaying the loans. So finally my father didn't have much savings, which caused him to have depressive illness.  I remember him feeling sorry for that state...

Our family house in Thrissur was called Pisharoty Munsiff's madhom , named after my grandfather who was a munsiff in those days. His wife died young when my father was a boy, when his elder brother was only 12 years old. They had 3 younger sisters too - Amminichechi, Kunhikavvchi and Thathyamma. Amminichechi had one son Kannarettan and daughter Amminichechi. Amminichechi was Mrs late Dr KN Pisharoty, retired medical college principal. Kannarettan was a retired Tehsildar who loved all of us brothers very much, and he too was loved by all. He was treating Thathyamma as his mother and the two of them were staying in our old Pooja room. As you know, my father died in 1950. We children had been performing his SRAADDHAM at Thrissur every year until my mother's death in 1985. She was very particular that she should come with all of us for the function. In the beginning, Kannarettan and Ramachettan used to join all of us brothers for the sraaddham. Mother was particular to give the u...

I am my mother's 14th child. She lost 5 daughters in her prime age and wanted girls. Her prayers yielded Kamakshi chechi. Going to Rameswaram, they again prayed for another girl. God made me and gave them and the priest blessed them to have a SALputhran (good son), it seems. True to their word, I could look after my mother till she left at 92. I felt a big void after she left, in spite having been with her for long .Everyone feels the same when they lose their mother. I lost my father in 1950 when I was in the seventh standard. The headmaster gave me permission to write one exam on the pindam day (12th day ceremony) in his office. Father had some depression due to money loss and was feeling guilty for not saving much for the children, especially the last two, Chechi and me. Father was a mild Diabetic too (no proper tests then - they used Fehling's solution to test sugar??). Treatment was based on clinical signs and doctors' guesses. Achan was under Dr Vaidyanatha Iyer, one ...