thrivikramji, work story- 4

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    Thrivikramji.K.P. shifted to Trivandrum Officeof Directorate of Geology

    (Work story-4)

    Once I went back to the Chalapuram office, in mid-March, 1967, within the stipulated time of

    one week, I finalized the accounts and cleared all the dues to the office. Completion of the

    scientific report was the second task. It took hardly another ten working days or so to submit the

    same to the geologist boss. By the end of first week of April, 1967, I was a freed bird. Enjoying

    gossip and contributing to the gossip or chats.

    Down south in Trivandrum, by that time the University of Kerala started a search for two

    lecturers in the Dept. of Geology. In response to the advertisement, I filed a c.v. for the job. Yet,

    I earnestly believed that my chances of bagging an offer are extremely slim. For one thing, I am

    far outside of research and secondly the past experience (if a better qualified person shows up

    he/she will walk off with the job). In fact in the 1966 selection, a similar situation arose and the

    offer went to a PhD mineralogist. Yet, this time around only difference is the availability of two

    slots.

    Alongside, my elder brother a politician without ambitions, through a compatriot of his was kind

    of pressing the Director to post me in the Trivandrum office. In general it is kind of difficult for

    many bosses to turn away the politicians if latter are quite determined. In my case, it was

    precisely so. There was a word from the Director that I will get top priority for a shift to

    Trivandrum, if an opening pops up in the Trivandrum office.

    By the time Iyer completed his filing of the scientific report to the boss, he too was free. On

    Sundays and holidays, our driver Mr. Joseph will come to the Valiyadi estate lodge with a

    packet of pasteurized milk, like around 6 am or so. On such occasions, Joseph will take over all

    chores connected with cooking. He will buy beef from Meenchanda and all the other stuff to

    make a decent lunch for all the three or four of us.

    One Mr. Gopi who instructored carpentry to a vocational institute in the neighbourhood, had

    given us some useful lessons about cooking beef curry, in the earlier days. Mr.Gopi is

    undoubtedly a connoisseur of good food. His physical appearance is the branding of his food

    habit. One useful lesson Mr.Gopi taught us was how to bringing of packet beef from the butcher

    at Meenchanda to Valiyadi estate. The sharp eyed falcons, perched on tall trees lining the road

    will be keenly watching from their vantage point, the passersby down below and will be looking

    for packets of beef, hand carried to home. The moment the large bird spots an unwary man or

    woman with a packet in the morning, the bird parachutes down to the packet and

    instantaneously grabs the packet by its claws to shoot and soar back up. Some unlucky

    persons, due to this falcon landing on their bodies lose their balance to fall down on the road

    and might even get injured. So Mr. Gopi told us to carry an umbrella open while coming back

    with the packet of beef. It was a very useful advice. We instructed Mr. Joseph to follow Mr.

    Gopi,s words of wisdom in letter and spirit, to avoid a fall and to save the beef for making a

    delicious dish, which he meticulously practiced.

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    One other thing needing record about my Kozhikod life, is about a little girl doing her

    assignments, in the verandah of her house adjacent to and on north side of the road from the

    third or fourth railway gate to the beach. That street is known for a large clustering of Gujarathis

    of Kozhikod. Our team (Iyer, Nair and I) on certain evenings would take a walk through this

    street to the beach. On our way down and up I took note of this cute little girl in her petticoat.

    She probably was doing her middle school. However, later on during the Naxal movement inKerala, this girl participated in the Pulpally police station attack. She is Ms.Ajitha, daughter of

    Mandakini and Kunnikal Narayanan. Now, Ms. Ajitha leads a NGO, named Anweshi based in

    Kozhikod, with the noble mission of protecting the women and womens causes and rights.

    It was a pleasant surprise for me to have earned a transfer to Trivandrum from Kozhikod. With

    the permission and warnings from my geologist boss, I left to Trivandrum by an and evening

    bus. In fact my friends gave me warm hearted send off. At the Kozhikod bus station I was

    planning to take the Kannur Deluxe to Trivandrum so that I will be home by the early dawn.

    Then, my friends in the bus station advised me to catch the first available bus to Kochi, so that I

    can hop into the Kannur Deluxe with no difficulty at all. The bus will be nearly empty by the time

    it reaches Kochi. I did exactly the same thing. I reached Kochi like at 12:30 am and in no timethe deluxe express arrived. I boarded the bus and after buying the ticket started dozing off. I

    would become alert only when the driver does a hard brake to stop the bus or to avoid a certain

    road situation. I remember having opened my eyes from sleep at Chertala and thereafter at

    Alappuzha. After Alappuzha, near Karuvatta, I suddenly woke up by a very loud thud and a

    rattling of the bus. When I became alert I saw the bus turned turtle. In fact inside the bus, I was

    standing with my feet on the ceiling of the bus, all the passenger seats kind of hung from above

    my head. There were only just 13 passengers and crew. I heard one woman wailing about her

    husbands face with shut eye. The conductor was loudly shouting about his professional cash

    bag. Otherwise, it was calm.

    Around 4:0 am, the south bound bus, while negotiating a right hand curve, ran across thenorthbound lane and plunged into a wayside pond and in that process turned turtle. Roughly the

    front half of the bus was under water. But, luckily bus was not entirely flooded but for the front

    end. In minutes I started shouting that the driver might be drowned to death as his seat was fully

    under water. In the next, instance I saw the man walking on his legs from the water in the pond,

    with his gold chain in tact around his neck. In fact, one older official, a security officer of the Bus

    Corporation died by drowning inside the bus as he himself was seated in a VIP seat or seat one

    in the bus. My seat was 13 and I sat without my shoes on.

    The bus was surrounded by members of the local community. I got my composure back andwalked toward the main door of the bus which is at the rear left side. I had only a tote bag with

    me, but never worried about my pair of shoes. Also I was very eager to get out of the scene, as I

    had left one day earlier to my official departure from Kozhikod. The crowd shouted at me to get

    out of the bus. Then suddenly the bus pivoted on the edge of the embankment started sort

    wobbling or mildly rocking. So I was afraid to get out of the bus fearing that if I was keeping the

    bus at stable equilibrium, my walking out might make the bus overturn on me. I was mortally

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    afraid of taking that decision to get out. In fact some member of the crowd literally grabbed me

    out of the bus.

    The next moment I saw yet another bus of the bus corporation, making a sudden stop across

    the road at the sight mishap. I saw the crew walking toward the capsized bus and spotted a

    familiar face among the three member crew, i.e., a person who lived in the Valiyadi estate

    lodge. After informing him, I boarded that bus and headed to Trivandrum.There is a specific

    reason for this early morning escape from the scene of accident. If stayed back my name will go

    to the passenger list of the ill fated bus in the next days news paper. I did not want any one the

    Trivandrum office to know that I did travel one day earlier from Kozhikod unofficially, putting the

    geologist boss to answer some inconvenient questions raised by the Diretorate at Trivandrum.

    My decision to board another Trivandrum bound bus, took me home by about seven o clock in

    the morning. The next day was a Friday and stayed home till dusk.

    On the following Monday, I went to the directorate to report and take charge. I had plenty of

    advice to behave correctly as the director was already fuming with my presence, as I earned the

    shift to Trivandrum politically and against the will of the boss. Within two months of my work inthe Trivandrum office, I received a letter directing me and another Nair who was still at the

    Kozhikod office, to join the newly created ground water wing of the Agriculture department.

    There was some more paper work to be concluded. I was pretty much decided on joining the

    new Ground Water Cell. The Nair joined the GW Cell finally, while I went to take up a lecturers

    job.

    Due to that delay I was send to a drilling camp for clay at Sasthamkotta, on the east shore of the

    Sasthamkotta kayal. The rig was setup in the property of a political-activist (Kerala Congress),

    one Mr Thomas at Muthuvila, on the eastside of Sasthamkotta-Kallada rd.. I chose to be a

    paying guest in their house. The home faced easterly overlooking the Chittumala kayal.

    While I was in the camp, I like others, would go home during alternate weekends but unofficially.

    On one of my visits, amma gave me a letter which wanted me to appear for an interview in the

    University for selecting lecturers. The geologist in charge of drilling got permission for me or

    approval from higher ups to go on a days leave from the camp to attend the interview.

    That Critical day arrived and I appeared for the interview. I had questions from experts like Prof.

    Viswanathaih (Mysore U), Prof. MGC Naidu (SV U) and Prof. CKN Nair (Agri. College). My Prof.

    KK Menon though sat in the committee did not ask any. The Dean of Faculty, Prof. A. Abraham

    had one or two questions. For one thing there were absolutely no erroneous answers. Several

    others also appeared before the selection committee.

    After the interview which lasted for about 20 min., in the forenoon, I went back home in town,

    just to change clothes and sat down for a lunch. For the questions about my chance to be

    selected I said it was fifty-fifty game. In the evening, around four pm or so, I was walking past

    the University College. I noticed a car went past but very close to me to come to a complete

    halt. The person driving the car hailed me toward him. It was shri.KVK Nair one of my teachers

    in the MSc class.

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    From his seat the car, I was told that Prof. Menon was looking for me after their lunch, but felt

    sort of bad due to my absence anywhere near Department. In reply I informed Shri.KVK, that

    right away I will walk down to Prof. Menon's home. The walk down hardly took only 20 min., and

    once I entered the gated compound, I saw the expert professors and Prof. Menon. I was mildly

    reprimanded for not staying back to see this special crowd outside of the interview. Then after

    pause, Prof. Viswanathaiah announced with the permission of the other two, that I was in theappointable list. I got to work hard and earn a doctorate in Geology and teach and train younger

    people.

    I was indeed happy beyond words could describe. I landed finally in my chosen field; my

    passion was for teaching and researching. I walked back home with boundless joy and the new

    achievement equally enthused my parents and brother. The following day, in the early morning,

    I got back to the camp. And attended my duties till the drilling camp closed after 45 days.

    Mr.Thomas and family, in Muthupilakad, also congratulated me at the selection.

    In the office on return from the camp, I walked into the directors chamber to report the new grab

    I made. That man did not care to look at my face or to offer a seat, instead he continued withwhatever signing he was doing. When I received a memo from the university signed by the

    Registrar asking me to join and take charge as lecturer, my office asked me to give a written

    request for relieving me to join the new job. The Directors office also insisted that the letter

    seeking relief shall have a statement that I will not demand any future claims for any job in the

    Directorate of Geology. I prepared the letter the way the boss wanted. But I was relieved of the

    job to join me as lecturer in the university on the FN of 18-3-68. A wonderful transition for much

    better stuff in future.

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