Tag: writing

My high school (8th to 10th)
~50 years gone — and still feels like yesterday!

Govt. Model Boys High School, Thrissur — the “Oxford of Thrissur” back then — ran under the iron fist of Headmaster “Laddu”, based on his overall shape. (Yes, the man’s nickname was a sweet, but his rules were anything but …!)

Only Balaji (my childhood friend) and I, from Wadakkanchery cracked the entrance exam. Balaji sailed through with flying colours, while I clung to the waiting list like a passenger on a crowded bus to Thrissur — eventually squeezed in! But later realized in the class that there were direct entries too, especially those little “over aged” back benchers! 😊

btw. Just two days before, happened to meet Joy Chandy and learnt that he too was there with us from Wadakkanchery, as daily commuters. 🚎

My “legendary” memories:
- Drama disaster: Got thunderous applause for a tiny role in a play. Then came the annual drama offer — playing a blind kid. I panicked, thinking I had to act with eyes literally shut. Stage fright + closed eyes = guaranteed collision! 🎭
The shed attached to the classrooms, where drama also was staged.
- Football fiasco: As goalkeeper, I perfected the art of diving… not to save goals, but to collect elbow scratches. The watching crowd cheered my acrobatics, not my saves, there were not many!⚽🥅
- Cinema escape: Balaji dragged me to Ramavarma theatre (later Sapna, now vanished to a “thin” ground!). The movie? Ponnapuram Kota! While in the queue, just as ticket counter was near, I spotted a familiar Wadakkanchery face. My survival instincts kicked in — I bolted like Usain Bolt. Balaji followed me without knowing the reason; I maintained my reputation stay intact. Only from pre-degree, that too from second year only, I dared to go for movies from college, which continued throughout. 🎥🎞️
Theatre space is converted parking space by Joy and Jose Alukkas! 😒
- Maths master “Goods”: Famous for walking with his umbrella in a particular swing of hands like a train coal engine. His equations were tough, but his locomotion was steady.🚂
- Social studies “Mooken”: Constantly fiddled with his nose, and graded papers by weight, not by the content. A heavy answer sheet meant heavy marks!📚
- Drawing Mashu: Had his favourite student, though I still sketched decently. Sadly, favouritism > talent. But I liked him like Ekalavya.🖼️
Recently met Kuriyappan Master who was our PT Mashu and when he asked me about few teachers by name, but I could not recollect them by their real names! 😒

Arts college, nearby. 🎨
- School strikes: Though rarely, St. Thomas boys storms in declaring freedom to students from their prison class. Once, I saw a fight between factions during such a strike, where a compass became a weapon. Geometry turned violence! 💪
- Daily commute: 25 paise ST ticket each way, crossing three railway gates, hopping Maya, Bharath, Karippal private buses. Balaji and I were like a sitcom duo — always returning from school together. 🚐
- Lunch luxury: ₹5 allowance, after commuting charges, meant daily masala dosa + coffee at Hotel Thriveni nearby Paremekkavu Temple. Sometimes I skipped a day just to double-dose the next day. Small but crisp dosa, super masala with coconut chutney, and sambhar — pure heaven! 😋 Never tasted that delicacy ever since as I still feel it! 👅
Hotel Thriveni is now “Candere” by Kalyan group.😭

Those were truly the golden days, nostalgic indeed.🪙

It’s amazing how those little details, like the tasty masala dosa or those nicknames of teachers, first movie experience, can still bring a smile decades later.

I could see few notable unchanged ones, while many changed.

Back gate: 🚪

View through the back gate.

Effect of rains.

This big house was there opposite to the back gate! 🏘️

Front side, this building was there but not sure if there was a hotel, but remembering a stationary shop.🏪

The only Pen hospital, the same now too.

with consulting time:🩺

Sahithya Academy, nearby.📘

Back side of Academy. It seems to be a trick by Corporation to justify those places which are not maintained well.

Model Girl’s. the other side of the road, but this entrance is towards the famous Thrissur round. At times, we used to take the short cut through this gate to Vadakke Stand to catch buses to Wadakkanchery.🏫

Flower shops remain the same.🌻💐

Town hall road is now a shopping place for both textiles and gold.💰

But the school remains the same with all its magnificence. 🙏

Tail piece:

Just learnt that, the Government Model Higher Secondary School for Boys in Thrissur is the oldest government school in Kerala, established in 1836. Wow!

Childhood memories are dear especially here, for those who were in Model High School. ❤️

Comments would be encouraging for improvements in future posts. 🙏
August 28, 2026
P-Chetan from memories – A Tribute

P-Chetan (പിയുച്ചേട്ടൻ, പീച്ചേട്ടൻ), I am proud that I am YOUR brother!

Pius Tharayil, my mother’s elder sister’s son, were at Mission Quarters, Thrissur.

We were very, very close. Lot of time in my childhood I had spent at his house. For his parents too, I was his real younger brother, integral part of that family along with other 3 elder brothers of his.

He was exceptional in everything he did.

–              He was a genius in Computer programming. Initially solely wrote Corporate Banking software for CSB Bank, Head office, Thrissur which was in use for several years.

–              A good teacher of Computer programming. Trained many including his colleagues at CSB EDP department. Each of them remembers him on his knowledge and teaching skills. For me I was already into Job so seldom had got chance to attend his classes which was set at first floor of his house, with board, desks and chairs. It was like a tutorial.

–              Developed a number of general-purpose applications like file encryption etc. and several games, all by himself. His eldest brother was in the USA (who was into computer field itself) had gifted him with several computers over the time, starting with a Casio PB-100.

–              P-Chetan had studied at NIIT, Mumbai and had won 1st Rank in COBOL. There was only 2 NIITs in India then, one was at Delhi and the other was at Bombay. In fact, I too had bagged 1st Rank later (1982-83) from the same place, for BASIC, as inspired by him.

–              Passed BSc Degree by writing all papers of 3 years together (even after Hindi text was changed and came to know only few days before the exams). In fact, he wrote those exams when I was doing my final BSc, (note that I am 3 years younger to him). Later he took MCA too. I was staying with him for combined study to help him. While he was rigorously studying my notes at night though out, I was not that determined in studies though I could grab the subject faster! I remember him crying like a baby after Chemistry exam, as he could not write all the answers since he lacked writing practice for years together. In fact, he could narrate the entire Chemistry notebook by heart, remembered even the page numbers!

–              Exceptional in Tennis (Thrissur District Champion from Banerjee club)

–              Excellent Shuttle badminton Champion

–              Record holder in weightlifting feather class (University of Calicut). Practiced at gymnasium mashu’s place just opposite to his house.

–              Was in St. Thomas college football team as a famous forward & goal striker (We used to play തുണിപ്പന്ത് (thuni panthu, a strong ball made up by closely tying strips of cloths over and over in many layers) at the rough paddy fields at Mission Quarters beside current Ekkandawariier Road.

–              Intellectual, as he had put record fastest in solving Rubik’s Cube then! I remember accompanying him to the Manorama Office at Ekkandawariier Road, Thrissur. for the live demo. It had come in the news papers. Don’t remember if I was in that photo!

– ⁠          Good painter

– ⁠          Composed music and sang too on occassions

Guess I left few more points!

He was so determined if he decides to do anything!

His birthday was on Apr 30th!
Last month 30th was his 10th celestial birthday, on which I shared this to my friends and relatives thru WhatsApp.

Those days won’t come back! But almost every day I remembers, still

R.I.P.

May 6, 2025
My ancestral story (Medical shops)

AInickal

My grandfather and later my father also separately were running medical shops. In fact, Grand father’s shop was right in front of the Government General hospital, the first of its kind in Wadakkanchery/Ottupara and around area, which is 16 km from Thrissur town. Then the shop also had to have a dispensary room attached because the qualified pharmacist (Grandpa himself) were to mix some medicines in required quantities and combinations to make the prescribed medicine as off the shelf ones were not available on many medicines then, unlike now almost all medicines are supplied by companies thru distributors.
Then the relationship with doctors at the hospital was very cordial by the medical distributors and shop owners as well. Medical representatives were giving small gifts like a desktop company calendar (paper only, with advertisements of their flagship products they distribute) on some occasions. The intention was to make the doctors remember the medicines, those they have stocked in the near by shops to boost business. I remember on every Christmas, my Grandpa too used to distribute cakes along with a wall calendar (earlier even without the photo of his shop!) to each doctors at the hospital. Later the competition increased, naturally with some of the doctors as well as distributing company’s greed! Those gifts were of small costs, grown to like house hold items like fridge, AC, cooler, washing machine, etc to influence doctors who prescribed additional medicines too like a general health tonic even if the patient consulted them for mere common cold! 🤷‍♂

Medical shops got doubled/tripled and the competition as well! Hence some doctors started recommending a particular shop to their patients to buy! Reason is obvious! While My grandfather continued to stay traditional, while medical representatives started tie up with doctors and medical shops with vested interests lead doctors demanding tour packages earlier and then later into direct cash from the medical companies thru the medical representatives. Shops started piling up fast moving general medicines like tonics and both doctors and medical representatives started keeping account of their prescribed medicines and exchange money accordingly between them! Of course unethical practices like low quality medicines, unwanted prescriptions etc got introduced! My grandfather never entertained ghost medicines and used to shout away the medical representatives who tried to sell those ghost medicines with huge discounts like order 12 and keep 3 additional free or give money only if the medicines gets sold off! Of course sales at my grandfather’s shop might have affected adversely but the location of his shop, right in front of the hospital main gate was a huge advantage! although my father’s shop were facing challenges but managed somehow due to the relationship they developed with customers. My grandfather was better in doing business than my father! After the demise of my grandfather the shop was run by my father’s younger brother who was helping grandfather at the shop but in few months sold off the shop. Before my father’s death itself his shop was closed. Probably Grandfather was the piller giving confidence to my father in his business. Before that too he had tried to run a bakery at the very same place but not very successful though except during Christmas season! I was the only one were not destined to be at the shop and come out of our traditional business, though I vividly remember on helping at both shops after school or especially during my school vacations! In that era, they used to remember the stock and location of the medicines at the shelves by heart! Now everything is on computers which is easy for anyone to run a shop by just having a pharmacy license for one! 🥴

Thank you for triggering the good old memories 🙏🏻

Btw. My grandfather’s was Central Medical Stores at Ottupara, and my ancestral home was right behind, adjacent to the shop, the entry to house was mostly thru the shop though there was a side entrance! Admire my grandfather who hardly had a good sleep at nights as people come to the closed shop to bang on the grill to get medicines even at midnights, apart from acute medical cases at the hospital like accidents, suicide attempts etc. at times some patients ask for some small general medicines like Vicks in the middle of night which made him angry though he supplied it after coming out of bed. Grandpa was knowledgeable almost like a doctor and patients at times comes to him without seeing a doctor for the mixer he makes at the dispensary! Waterberry’s compound like some medicines had good alcohol content was favourite for some especially during prohibition! 😊 അന്തോണ്യേട്ടാ (Anthony cheta!), I do remember those request calls him to get the “medicines“, and to the known he entertained their demand but unknown guys, he used shew them away!
My father’s shop was Baby Medicals at Wadakkanchery erstwhile Baby & Babu Medicals, later Play light Bakery..

ഇതോർമ്മ കാണും! അപ്പാപ്പൻ കാലങ്ങളായി എല്ലാവര്ക്കും കൃത്യതയോടെ അയച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരുന്ന ക്രിസ്മസ് ഗ്രീറ്റിംഗ്‌സ് കാർഡ്!
Note his Ambassador car!🚗
Definitely he was so proud of his shop which was built solely by his own efforts! 🙏

Memories starting to flow in…

Guess its time to write about these too apart from an autobiography on my 40+ years of IT career, which faced ups and downfalls as well like Bhopal tragedy, Indira Gandhi assassination time etc, Bombay, Bhopal, Ujjain, Mumbai, Coimbatore, USA, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur…continue to live through; Not out, yet!!
Thank God for all his interventions when needed 🙏🏻

May 4, 2025