STILL in 1940s and 1942s

Continuing the period upto 1942:-

Quit India Movement:
Somewhere early Jan or so, we all the students came out and saw what is happening outside.Full of police personnel in front of the playground before our school. It was something like the ‘Quit India Movement’. We were told that the big police force came to arrest Mohan Kumaramangalam son of Dr Subbarayan, a staunch Congressite.

School vacation and School pass:
During vacations, I used to fill up a form from the school and get a school pass to go to my father’s place. I used to go to Bezwada by the night train Puri Passenger and reach early in the morning. Father used to buy shirting for me at the rate of 6 yards per one rupee and give it for stitching. They are handloom cloth, coloured ones, from Chirala and the merchants used to sell at the station for the station staff..

Father as S I C and P.I
My father worked in Bezwada in 2 slabs. Once as Signaller-in-charge in the Telegraph office at Bezwada and he is called S.I.C. I used to learn the code of signaling and it is called as : kattu kada, kattu kattu kada, kada kada kattu, kada kada kattu and so on. I used to talk to my father and my mother used to say what are you talking without me knowing the gist of your talk.!

After some time, the signaling cadre was made surplus and all the signalers were transferred to various departments and my father was transferred to Traffic and posted as Platform Inspector at Bezwada.

Posted as ‘Receptionist’ in G.M office.
Then he was transferred as ‘Receptionist’ in Madras Central G.M’s office his office is next to the lift at the entrance. I am still having vague remembrance. Then he was transferred to Hubli as Platform Inspector.

Catarat operation.
My b.in.law Mr. P.R. Kalyanam, had a cataract operation from the eye doctor in Purnanandampet near the station.

Rly Qrs in east and West as SIC and P.I
As Platform Inspector, he was given quarters on the other side of the station.

Doors outside opening, inter class
The coaches in 1940s used to have doors opening outside and how dangerous it is, if I recollect those days now in 2006. There used to be first class, second class, and Inter class. I used to travel in inter class. There were no reservations in the sleeper class. People used to sleep in the lower benches. My father used to make the sleepers to get up and give space to the standing passengers and this work was a thankless job. People generally rush and sleep in the luggage berth in the top and since it is written for luggage only, nobody used to object if one sleeps in that upper berth.

Naxalite leaflets:
There used to lot of English leaflets and small bits of news paper cuttings and these were against the government. Now, I am thinking that was something like the ‘naxalite’ and they used to write in the leaflets that they will rise against the government and so on. I don’t know it is some underground movement in those days in Andhra and I still remember the various notices which used to be circulated in the station.
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Winding up:
So much now. I just got up and I thought why not write something of the old days.
Let me stop here and do my morning routine.
Paper, make payments being the first of the month, go to the eye doctor for check up,
Find out SAIL, NTPC addresses.
I did not get Rs 5000, again 500, again accounts statement. Let me go at 8 am itself and tell the manager to set right. I have already e-mailed to the E D on this. I will take a copy of this e-mail also.

Venkatraman, 6.07 Tuesday