Every odd semester exams were eventful for me, something out of the world would happen to turn my exams upside down, and everything is a story of its own. I will go back to all of it along with my journey at TKMCE.
The day before my Architecture and Town Planning exam, I found that I don’t have any manuscript prepared by me to brush through the principles of Architecture: I made a few calls to the ladies hostel and a few friends, and found that it’s been on wheels going round Men’s and Ladies hostel and to various enthusiasts hands, who were all keen to win the gold medal even if they flunked for the semester.
I was told by one of my class mates the notes are with my child hood buddy Riji G Nair, “Kochucherukkan” as my Valiammachy and Amma fondly called him and me too!!.
I have written earlier about Amma and her asthma attacks and how Appa and her dear uncle Samychayan, along with very close family including Dr. Ninan Kuruvilla (Baluchayan), Leela Kochamma, Chechy, Thampy Annan etc. would cure her instantly if caught in good time with a round of rummy (320), the card game, played with a lot of fun, noise, music, food, and one paisa per point. Amma won all the time, Appa slept over the cards and Amma’s Asthma would have gone with the wind, with every win
It was a Sunday and they were all at home playing cards and feasting amazingly sumptuous food. I told Amma that I have to go and get my notes and rode my bicycle to Riji’s home near Prathibha Junction.
It is universal for grandparents to be our buddies than parents, and Riji’s Ammoomma was my best friend just like my Valiammachy. She was plumb, fair, and full of life and cheer. She didn’t walk, she rolled, she was always in her white mundu and rouka, and she was an expert in handling the nuances of life and had amazing wits. She was absolutely pragmatic and taught us all where to draw lines in life.
She and my grandparents had a bond which, went decades back to the shores of Chavara, in Kollam, where my Valiappachen was post master and her older daughter LakshmyKutty Amma Saar, as she was addressed with respect and love, was also in P&T, they all knew each other much before we were born. Such bonds do not die hard! These are cast in concrete just like the Fallingwater and the fondness lingers forever.
Ammoomma was definitely fond of me, many a times she has blatantly made very bold statements that I am instrumental for a few of my vagabond friends passing the exam, whether they accepted or not, she believed so!!, She supported me and my intentions to the hilt. I can still close my eyes and feel the taste of her amazing Theeyal and Aviyal with the tint of red chillipowder in it, which gave the Aviyal a chromatic lift, and enhanced the taste so much, I literally polished the steel plate.
My focus was to make time table, and get all my friends to congregate at home for combined studies, feed all my buddies with the best of homemade food and make sure they pass the exams.
Riji’s home!!, never have I seen a DOG, nor a kennel there.
It was lunch time; I called out for Resmi the younger one, who was the pet of all there, no one answered, to be honest I had no intention of stepping in, all I wanted was my notes to go back and study.
I got down from the bicycle, took the top latch off the black gate with grill and took the cycle inside. The minute I put the stand, I felt a shrieking pain on my right hand palm, next thing I saw was a golden colored chemban naadan patti (DOG) running past me and there was flesh in the form of cooked rice dangling from the inside of my right palm.
Ammoomma was the first one to roll by, to the front collapsible door and she started screaming out for help, I didn’t cry, nor budge, I just stood there trying to find out whose DOG it was.
They said it’s their DOG. She called out for Riji and the rest of the family, everyone was stone shocked, I revealed the intention of my trip and managed to get my notes back. Thank God!!
I insisted to ride back home ASAP, amidst protest to call home etc., all I said was not to beat the DOG and make sure it’s not on a biting spree and has no rabies. I didn’t want to go through the rabies shots around my navel. There was no time for all that
By the time I started pedaling, with my right hand dangling on one side and the handle bar being balanced by my left hand, I could feel an aching pain creeping up my shoulder. As soon as I reached Prathibha Junction I had to ride for a while on to the right side of the road to get a gap to swing by to the left side, I could see blood trickling on the tarmac, well never enough to leave a trail like the bullock on the road. I was so anemic and so little bloody!!
I managed to reach home and just rested the bicycle by the porch half wall and walked in, everyone was having lunch, I called for Amma from the end of the corridor, when she came near me I told her “Amma, I have been bitten by Riji’s DOG”, she looked at my hand and called for Baluchayan, he was quite worried as I had exams the next day.
He decided to take me to his clinic and sew up my palm and bandage it. He told me it would be swollen and painful, quite sad I will not be in a position to write the exam, the only thing clear to me was!! I don’t care about my marks, there is no way I will do supplementary ever. All I need is 35 marks.
My parents had already called our dear Princy POJ LEBBA Sir and conveyed the message, he was also of the opinion to skip the exam and do it later. I was dumbfounded and said NO WAY!!! After much deliberation he said ok let her do the exam. There was another major issue our exam halls had sloping desk and that would cause more pain and swelling for my hands with the arm having no support when I reach the bottom end of the paper.
Princy said I can sit in his office room and use a flat desk, and I would have Shenoy Sir as my invigilator and I can stay until the papers are collected from every hall, which means extra time.
I was detemiend not to take any extra time as a favor and I completed the 4 hours exam within 3 hours and walked through the corridors in front of the halls to establish the fact I have not enjoyed any privilege.
Exam! I used the principles of the architects I adored, and expressed myself with appropriate and innovative design, sketching all over with the color pens and my two fingers that were free of the bandage.
A few months down the line the exam results were published. My batch mates including Abdul Hameed, Rehuma’s little brother, who never cared a damn for the results were all so enthusiastic to know the marks for Architecture and Town Planning. It was a dream for every one of them to win the Gold Medal and for me I was truly not in the run, with the boys having DOG’s running after me!!! and getting a real DOG to bite off my right hand!! This is exactly what my buddies told me, when the marks came: My marks 84/100
There was only one person who was very keen I win the Gold Medal and the irony was we were never talking, we were not allowed to talk to each other.
The GOLD MEDAL in memory of the promise, the DOG, Ammoomma who must have definitely shed a tear for me and prayed for me to win.
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