Netting the Mosquitoes away

Being in India reminded of our youthful days in Hyderabad. We had a lot of mosquitoes, some of them quite fierce. My father would tie a mosquito net all the way around our beds, and made sure we got in and were protected. Often he himself did not have a net. The wet side of getting rain is that we also get mosquitoes. Unfortunately, rain with the bites is better than no rain with thirst.
Delhi right now is suffering from high heat and dry days..just got a drizzle yesterday and today.

Express...Indian Express

Indian Express was the newspaper we subscribed to at home. My father was a loyal Express reader. It was a serious newspaper, and did expose quite a few scandals. There were other papers like the Hindu and the Deccan Chronicle, but we all liked the Express. We would also do the crossword puzzle at times...

Sweet..

I was talking to a friend here - she recommended that I take some Agarwal sweets back home. Reminded me of my father- who always bought the expensive but fine Pulla Reddy Sweets. He always went for quality, even at high prices- put us in the best convent schools and sent us to the best institutions. Always indebted to him.

Water Problems

One striking memory of my youth- my father pulling up buckets of water from the ground level. Our owners did not install a storage tank and a pump. Given the water shortages, the city would release water for a short while and there would be no pressure, and the water would not come through our taps. So our dad had to lower the buckets and we would go down and let it fill, and then he would pull it up. Apart from all his other stressful, physically demanding work, he had to do this most mornings. What a tough life!

Delhi

I remember my father getting excited when my elder sister went to Delhi representing her school in the Model UN Assembly. She had a wonderful time too. Later my younger sister went to Delhi for her Master's degree. Today these memories came to when I landed in Delhi.

Mango kulfi

I went to an Indian restaurant with a colleague and for dessert we had Mango kulfi. My father loved mangoes. He preferred eating the fruit itself or drinking the mango juice. I don't remember having mango kulfi in India. Mango picke, the avakaya, is an extra-ordinary creation from southern India.

Roses

I remember our rental apartment in Hyderabad- on the first floor. In our balcony we had a beautiful rose plant in a pot, along with other plants. Once in a while father would sit in the balcony for a few minutes and watch the kids play on the street.

Siri Siri Muvva

One of my father's favorite movies was Siri Siri Muvva, a beautiful movie about a speech-impaired girl played by Jayaprada. It had spectacular songs, and my father bought the record so we could listen to the songs at home. The movie was later remade in Hindi as Sargam, and Jayaprada reprised her role. It also had good songs, some classic tunes of LP.

A special father's day- thanks to my brother

My father passed away in 1990 - more than eighteen years ago. We never celebrated father's day while he was alive. Today, my brother sent us some songs that we all listened to and enjoyed with our father back in the seventies-
Catch me if you can
Awaaz de kahan hai
La Bionda
Bread
and a few others.
I also listened to Aye pyaase deil bezubaan by Mukesh, another favorite of our father.

Light Years Ahead of the Times

My dad had an eye for beautiful pieces- these decorated our house and made it really lavish though we were too young at the time to truly enjoy them. One of them was a large framed picture of Lord Venkateswara and Alivelu Mangamma- it must have been 3 1/2 by 5 ft or so. My father had arranged lights all around it it so that when it was lit, it truly sparkled. Lord Venkateswara being our family deity, this was quite inspiring.

Flooding of Tank bund

When I was very young there was a rumour one evening that the banks of Tank Bund, a big lake in Hyderabad, were giving way and that the water was going to flood the city. People were panicking somewhat. I remember activity late night where neighbors were discussing what to do. By the next day everything had dried up and things were back to normal.

Half sleeves versus Full sleeves

For as long as I can remember, father used to wear half-sleeved shirts. This made eminent sense because of the warm weather in Hyderabad throughout the year. It is therefore surprising that while I used to wear half sleeved shirts in school, I began to wear full sleeved shirts and pants in college. I used to wear Kurtas and pants, and would have my sleeves rolled up. Kurtas are extremely comfortable and fun to wear. I don't remember my father wearing kurtas, even at home- he was a traditional South Indian, wearing pancha and either a banian or a towel on the shoulder.

Radio Days

A musical memory of our childhood- we used to listen to the radio while doing our homework. I used to play outside until my mom called me in for studying- usually around 7:00PM. I would come in, wash up and then get down to doing homework. My sisters and brother would all do the same. We had a couple of radios we would play music on- whatever came on the radio is what we would listen to. Eventually we would have dinner around 9:00PM, and my father would eat after we were done- a really late dinner for him, every day.

Adding sugar to sambar

My dad had a sweet tooth, and one manifestation of it was that he liked his sambar to be a little sweet. Today my sister added some sugar to her sambar too....Some things just get passed along...

Sportsman to the Core

My dad was a sportsman at heart. He enjoyed playing and watching sports. I remember watching cricket and Wimbledon tennis with him. He taught me how to spin the tops, and how to get them on to the palm so the top spins in the palm.

Keeping the Light on - with Beautiful Lamps

One of the problems in Hyderabad, while I was growing up, was the very frequent but unpredictable power cuts. We would be studying for an exam and the power would go out. For these reasons we had a few Kerosene lamps in our house. My father would take great care of them, keeping the glass dome very clean, and the lamps well painted. I remember red, green and blue colored lamps. They would be in fine working condition, and while other houses would be dark, our house would have the lights on even during a power cut. Those lamps enabled us to study for exams, on many occasions. Thanks for showing us the light, father.

Same story, across generations

My father was very close to one of his childhood friend and classmate, who later became his brother-in-law. The latter, CM would visit our house often. A true gentleman, he would always bring flowers for the ladies in the house. He and my father would discuss their childhood days and the fun they used to have, and then look at us and say that we kids did not have any fun. Nowadays, I find myself telling my students about the fun I had in my College days and how they are missing out on a whole lot of fun.

A marblellous memory

Another dear childhood memory is that of playing marbles. We had created quite interesting games with marbles, and I happened to be quite good at it. We used to buy and sell marbles too, and I made a few rupees in the game. Our creativity in inventing new games was amazing.

Dad's biggest Fan

Dad used to keep all the equipment in the house extremely clean and well-oiled. He would clean and remove all the dust and oil the ceiling fans in every room during the weekend. It was a matter of pride to him- that these devices worked properly and smoothly with little noise.

Going to Exhibition grounds

Fond memories from childhood- going to the Exhibition with father. We used to have fun with the trap shooting, we get our lailappas, and the tik-tikis. I also remember going on an elephant ride, doing the Ferris wheel, and playing other games. Those were nights to remember.

A milestone

Today was a big milestone for our family...all of us became permanent residents of the U.S. My father, who was instrumental in sending me to the U.S. would have been thrilled to see this day. He would have enjoyed visiting the U.S. and looking at the systems in this country- unfortunately he was taken away from us before he could come here. Thanks, Dad, for making me what I am today.

VIsiting father in Madras

Our father was posted to Madras for a couple of years while I was in school. One summer we went to Madras to stay with him for a few days. It was an interesting time. We visited our aunt's house fairly often. One sad memory of father's stay there was that his apartment was burglarised when he was at work. In addition to shouldering enormous responsibilities, he suffered so much through these criminal acts. The people who stole his belongings hurt a kind human being, for no reason. I hope these criminals have their just reward.

Donga Ramudu and Jikki

My father had the Donga Ramudu album at home, and it had the lovely song "Chigurakulalo Chilakamma" by Ghantasala and Jikki. It is a marvelous rendition by these two great singers, and a favorite of all of us.

Carrying the cycle

One of the tough memories of my childhood- we used to live on the 2nd floor (1st floor in India) and my father had to take his bicycle down the steps every morning. The worst part was having to bring the cycle up the more than twenty steep steps every evening, after having biked for more than an hour. It must have been so painful and difficult.

Joining IIT

My dad came with me to the interview at IIT Madras. After my admission, he took me to the bank and opened a checking account for me. My dad loved coffee, just like I do.

Bhakta Tukaram

Another movie that my father liked a lot was Bhakta Tukaram. He bought the record and always enjoyed listening to the songs. Two songs in particular that were his favorites- Ghana Gana Sundara by Ghantasala, and Shyama Sundara by Ramakrishna. I also enjoy those songs.

My father always used to talk about how Mukesh would songs with the word Allah. I am currently playing a song from Hariyali aur Raasta, where Mukesh sings "Allah jane khya hoga aage." The song is a sheer masterpiece by SJ.

dance

Mom was telling us about the dance program my sister and katyayini did at Ravindra Bharathi- one item was the Tillana. I also remember the dance program and the preparation. My sister had a beautiful dance dress made in Madras.

Keen Interest, in all languages

My father had an album collection that spanned many languages. He grew up in Nellore and spoke Telugu, but developed a great appreciation for Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi and other languages.
My brother has inherited the same interests, and he has an amazing repertoire of langauge skills and appreciation. Today he sent me some Bengali songs, including some private compositions of Salil Choudary, and a song sung by Raj Kapoor. I had not even know that he had sung a song.

I am simply awe-struck by the talent of my brother. It is the world's loss that he has not yet realized his full potential.

Coffee--tastes much better when shared

One of my great memories of father is seeing him share coffee with his colleagues. My dad would take a flask filled with coffee to work, and would pour out a cup for his colleagues and visitors. He would also give me a cup when I went to visit him in his office. My father had a big, kind, and generous heart- the driving force behind his life of giving.