The Steel Rice Vessel (The Steel Chottupathram)!
The food vessel I carried to College was a steel vessel with a holding handle fitted on either side of the vessel. In the morning I carried the food only if it was ready by the time the bus was leaving. And that day it was ready. The little steel vessel with an outer lid on the top. I moved to the bus stop with the vessel.
The Madras Eentha stood at the tripple road joint and people waiting for the line bus assembled in the shadow of that tree . The tree brought forth sweet long fruits which fell down from time to time.
Two buses passed under it. One is the red 'Sreeramachandra' coming from Thrikkur and the other one is the EBT (Buses in Kerala were named with letters denoting some names or family names and ending with the world T-denoting Transport). Nobodsy knew what EBT stood for but the it was a long bus with a lot of seats.
EBT came from a place called Puthur and the Sreeramachandra came from Thrikkur. That day, EBT came first and I got in with my books and the chottupathram. A seat was available as soon as I entered and I sank into it without a second thought. It is a beautiful journey on a side seat when the people are less in the bus. Just sit along and watch the houses, shops and temples and churches on the way. At times the road is wet due to rain, the flowers on the hedges are beautiful and the huge embossing houses or little palaces of the rich are good to see!
The EBT is green in colour compared to the total red of the Sreeramachandra. But inside colour is always light green with green seats which are very comfortable on a wooden floor. This day, I got the EBT and that too with an empty seat which really was a great thing to expect on a normal college day. Once I settled in the seat, I kept the book bundle on my lap and put the chottupathram under the seat so that my hands are free!
Enjoying the sights on the way, saeeing the passing cars, buses and trucks I got down at the Thrissur Municipal Bus Stand near the King's statue. The Municipal office in those days was a huge building with a tower with a clock and this clock sent out a siren at 8 o' clock, 1 o' clock, 6 o' clock etc. We did not know why this siren was being sent out ! Once I got down the bus moved off for its next trip. I walked with my bundle of books to the college towards the East Fort. In my mind was the periods and the subject which are to be covered in the morning session. Once in college, time passes quickly and it becomes lunch time. That is when I had the surprise..! My lunch vessel (chottupathram) is not to be seen. I wanted to search the vessel and thought back. I could reach back to my vessel being put at the bottom of my seat in the bus..! This meant, if my memory is correct I have forgotten to take the chottupathram while getting down from the bus at the city centre municipal bus stand. Oh...that is bad.
I had two options. To lose the vessel altogether and simply to go and visit the library which used to be my abode during lunch recess when I had not food carried to college. The old Malayala Manorama Weeklies carefully made into bunches and bound was good to go through for light reading. The 'Bobanum Moliyum” cartoon was always special and the jokes pages were a treat. The smell of the old books carried one to many many years in the past all the while improving and increasing once general knowledge about the state and the world!
The second option is to take the chance and revisit the bus when it comes to the municipal stand again. I took the second chance. The bus usually took a trip to a place called Thiroor on the north and then reached back and went to Thrikkoor on the south east and repeated the process. I calculated that after the second trip it should be around time that the bus came back to the municiapal bus stand. I walked fast crossing the Civil Hospital and the 'Poorapparambu' (The ceremonial pooram festival ground)! As I was walking into the municipal bus stand I could see the green EBT coming from near the 'Jos Theatre', one of the oldest theatres of the place. The bus slowly took a left turn to the bus stand and was going to stop near the King's statue. I walked fast and reached the bus!
I was anxious if I can get the vessel back at all. I had forgotten the vessel in the running bus and so many people get in and get out. It is not for the conductor to see all of them but still if no one has touched the vessel from where I have put it, then there is a chance..! The bus was empty when I reached it and the conductor was looking at me from his seat. I went in and looked at the place under the seat where I was sitting in the moring and found the place clean. The lunch vessel was not there. I turned towards the conductor: “Have you seen a lunch vessel in the moring?” His smile reassured me that all was not lost. He pointed to the driver and said “Look under the Driver's seat”. As I looked on I could find the vessel still standing up straight and shivering under the deep beat of the bus engine!
I thanked the Conductor and Driver and collected the vessel happily. The Conducter said: “We found the vessel after you left in our routine check after each trip. But by the time we got it you had left. Don't worry. No body loses anything in this bus. Once you come on our bus, you and your properties are always safe..!” I rturned to college and had a great lunch that day, the home made food with fried fish for side dish.
Those were the times, friends, most of it are gone now. The nostalgia is still there!
The food vessel I carried to College was a steel vessel with a holding handle fitted on either side of the vessel. In the morning I carried the food only if it was ready by the time the bus was leaving. And that day it was ready. The little steel vessel with an outer lid on the top. I moved to the bus stop with the vessel.
The Madras Eentha stood at the tripple road joint and people waiting for the line bus assembled in the shadow of that tree . The tree brought forth sweet long fruits which fell down from time to time.
Two buses passed under it. One is the red 'Sreeramachandra' coming from Thrikkur and the other one is the EBT (Buses in Kerala were named with letters denoting some names or family names and ending with the world T-denoting Transport). Nobodsy knew what EBT stood for but the it was a long bus with a lot of seats.
EBT came from a place called Puthur and the Sreeramachandra came from Thrikkur. That day, EBT came first and I got in with my books and the chottupathram. A seat was available as soon as I entered and I sank into it without a second thought. It is a beautiful journey on a side seat when the people are less in the bus. Just sit along and watch the houses, shops and temples and churches on the way. At times the road is wet due to rain, the flowers on the hedges are beautiful and the huge embossing houses or little palaces of the rich are good to see!
The EBT is green in colour compared to the total red of the Sreeramachandra. But inside colour is always light green with green seats which are very comfortable on a wooden floor. This day, I got the EBT and that too with an empty seat which really was a great thing to expect on a normal college day. Once I settled in the seat, I kept the book bundle on my lap and put the chottupathram under the seat so that my hands are free!
Enjoying the sights on the way, saeeing the passing cars, buses and trucks I got down at the Thrissur Municipal Bus Stand near the King's statue. The Municipal office in those days was a huge building with a tower with a clock and this clock sent out a siren at 8 o' clock, 1 o' clock, 6 o' clock etc. We did not know why this siren was being sent out ! Once I got down the bus moved off for its next trip. I walked with my bundle of books to the college towards the East Fort. In my mind was the periods and the subject which are to be covered in the morning session. Once in college, time passes quickly and it becomes lunch time. That is when I had the surprise..! My lunch vessel (chottupathram) is not to be seen. I wanted to search the vessel and thought back. I could reach back to my vessel being put at the bottom of my seat in the bus..! This meant, if my memory is correct I have forgotten to take the chottupathram while getting down from the bus at the city centre municipal bus stand. Oh...that is bad.
I had two options. To lose the vessel altogether and simply to go and visit the library which used to be my abode during lunch recess when I had not food carried to college. The old Malayala Manorama Weeklies carefully made into bunches and bound was good to go through for light reading. The 'Bobanum Moliyum” cartoon was always special and the jokes pages were a treat. The smell of the old books carried one to many many years in the past all the while improving and increasing once general knowledge about the state and the world!
The second option is to take the chance and revisit the bus when it comes to the municipal stand again. I took the second chance. The bus usually took a trip to a place called Thiroor on the north and then reached back and went to Thrikkoor on the south east and repeated the process. I calculated that after the second trip it should be around time that the bus came back to the municiapal bus stand. I walked fast crossing the Civil Hospital and the 'Poorapparambu' (The ceremonial pooram festival ground)! As I was walking into the municipal bus stand I could see the green EBT coming from near the 'Jos Theatre', one of the oldest theatres of the place. The bus slowly took a left turn to the bus stand and was going to stop near the King's statue. I walked fast and reached the bus!
I was anxious if I can get the vessel back at all. I had forgotten the vessel in the running bus and so many people get in and get out. It is not for the conductor to see all of them but still if no one has touched the vessel from where I have put it, then there is a chance..! The bus was empty when I reached it and the conductor was looking at me from his seat. I went in and looked at the place under the seat where I was sitting in the moring and found the place clean. The lunch vessel was not there. I turned towards the conductor: “Have you seen a lunch vessel in the moring?” His smile reassured me that all was not lost. He pointed to the driver and said “Look under the Driver's seat”. As I looked on I could find the vessel still standing up straight and shivering under the deep beat of the bus engine!
I thanked the Conductor and Driver and collected the vessel happily. The Conducter said: “We found the vessel after you left in our routine check after each trip. But by the time we got it you had left. Don't worry. No body loses anything in this bus. Once you come on our bus, you and your properties are always safe..!” I rturned to college and had a great lunch that day, the home made food with fried fish for side dish.
Those were the times, friends, most of it are gone now. The nostalgia is still there!
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