The advent of Srinath Part I
I simple need to take a break from Shahabad and Wadi and return to my home for a while at this point both to maintain the chronology of the storyline and to be faithful to my promise of this being a chronicle of my life and times. In the later part of 1978, when I was in class Nine, an event occurred, which became a turning point in my life and changed its course irreversibly. I learnt that I was soon to have a sibling.
Having been the only and the eldest son of my grandmother’s only and eldest son, I was on a pedestal since my birth. I do not know if I was irretrievably spoilt on that account or whether I acquired a sense of being someone special, or if I developed into a creature with a fragile albeit selfish ego. I leave it to others who have known me before and after 1979 to judge. But learning that one is to become an elder brother at the age of 15, changes something in you. It confuses you. It is like discovering that the Earth is not unique, and that there are other life bearing planets. I felt like the Church, which in the 15th century AD (what a coincidence! 15th year of my life and 15th century AD!!) had to contend with the increasing quantum of evidence that the Earth is not the centre of the Universe. During the early summer of 1979, Rajamani Periyappa arrived at Wadi one day to take my mother away to Moovattupuzha for her delivery. In the early hours of Wednesday the 20th of June 1979, my brother Srinath was born. In the absence of telephones, we received the news by telegram, that a boy child was born on the Aswathi day of Mithunam. It was a day of happiness and we waited for the newborn to arrive. It was eventually in September 1979 that Srinath, or Madhu as we call him arrived at Wadi. We had gone to the railway station in the ACC Willy’s Jeep to receive my mother and him and he looked very cute and cuddly indeed. The trip to the station was my last trip as a sole chosen one. The rickety Willy's Jeep making a U turn outside the railway station was somehow symbolic. My life has never been the same since. My grandmother remarked that he was much fairer than I was, when I was a baby and it was then that I realized that I was not possibly the special one. There were fairer kids than me. Srinath, the cute kid who came into my life when I was in Class Ten, is now past 30. He also blogs, and exceptionally well indeed on http://www.srinathonline.blogspot.com. Looking forward to his views on this on his blog. Will continue on this theme for a few more posts.
Having been the only and the eldest son of my grandmother’s only and eldest son, I was on a pedestal since my birth. I do not know if I was irretrievably spoilt on that account or whether I acquired a sense of being someone special, or if I developed into a creature with a fragile albeit selfish ego. I leave it to others who have known me before and after 1979 to judge. But learning that one is to become an elder brother at the age of 15, changes something in you. It confuses you. It is like discovering that the Earth is not unique, and that there are other life bearing planets. I felt like the Church, which in the 15th century AD (what a coincidence! 15th year of my life and 15th century AD!!) had to contend with the increasing quantum of evidence that the Earth is not the centre of the Universe. During the early summer of 1979, Rajamani Periyappa arrived at Wadi one day to take my mother away to Moovattupuzha for her delivery. In the early hours of Wednesday the 20th of June 1979, my brother Srinath was born. In the absence of telephones, we received the news by telegram, that a boy child was born on the Aswathi day of Mithunam. It was a day of happiness and we waited for the newborn to arrive. It was eventually in September 1979 that Srinath, or Madhu as we call him arrived at Wadi. We had gone to the railway station in the ACC Willy’s Jeep to receive my mother and him and he looked very cute and cuddly indeed. The trip to the station was my last trip as a sole chosen one. The rickety Willy's Jeep making a U turn outside the railway station was somehow symbolic. My life has never been the same since. My grandmother remarked that he was much fairer than I was, when I was a baby and it was then that I realized that I was not possibly the special one. There were fairer kids than me. Srinath, the cute kid who came into my life when I was in Class Ten, is now past 30. He also blogs, and exceptionally well indeed on http://www.srinathonline.blogspot.com. Looking forward to his views on this on his blog. Will continue on this theme for a few more posts.
posted by Ramdas Iyer at 11:49 PM
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