The Memoirs of an Eighty year Old- Episode XXIV

Episode: Basara

Hello! Welcome to Basara people. Now it’s not two but three people who have shifted here. Little V is almost a year old already. The family stayed for very less time, yet they still had a huge impact on the people.

Why? Well because even though Basara is located on the bank of river Godavari, the place had a severe drinking water problem. There were no bore wells or hand pumps and the locals had a tough time getting water.

So what did grandpa do?
“I had almost forty workers in my control. I selected the center of the village and had the workers digging a well. They worked on the repair of tracks till noon and dug a well for the rest of the day. It took us a month to complete the digging and construction of the well. I used the railway granite to get the walls constructed deep in the ground. It wasn’t easy to convince the senior, but I succeeded. They needed water and I felt they should have it.”
“The villagers were elated and thanked us with all their love. The well is still very there, I think.” grandpa explained.

Any incidents in personal life? I asked.

“Oh yes! The quarters we were allotted was built on a higher foundation. We had to climb 4-5 steeps and enter the house. The verandah had no protection and V one day fell from there. She was crawling or trying to walk and tripped from the edge of the verandah. She got a cut on her forehead; you can still see the scar. I was terrified and she bled so much!” Grandma replied and added. “Immediately we got the place surrounded by those long granite stones they use for fencing lands. The stones were placed so close to each other that no child can fall again. The others who would come after us to stay there may also have kids; we did not want to risk any child’s life.”

There weren’t many doctors back then and most of them were local village doctors with no hospitals. The treatment was mostly done in the patient’s house itself. And to have a small child bleeding from her forehead is bound to scare any mother. Luckily there was no permanent damage internally except for a scar. 

Next, the family moved to Medchal and I have a feeling that this is going to be fun. Little V is getting bigger and she must have been a naughty child. Also, baby P would be born, so the fun will be doubled. ;)


Meet you soon. Be happy, be kind..

Fragrant Star

The moon rose full,
not white but yellow!
against the sky so dark,
the blues were closer to black.

Tiny stars twinkled,
more delicate than ever,
their perfume a mild drug,
as they danced in the wind.

How beautiful they blinked,
a shapeless pattern of dots,
that winked and smiled at me,
urging me to trace a form.

Mesmerized, I drew along,
the fragrance my silent lullaby,
I hummed along as my finger outlined.
a giggle escaped my lips; the stars were night jasmine.


Painting Credit: Mrs Ratna Pochiraju

The Memoirs of an Eighty year Old- Episode XXIII

Episode: Other Aspects

Hi readers. This is the last episode of Lasur life. So it is going to be more of a salad bowl as I write about both their personal lives and the changes in the country.

Goa as we know now is a part of India, but it was ruled by the Portuguese till the 1960s. People protested, fought and tried to overthrow them since 1910 after the monarchy was abolished. 1928 was the year Goa National Congress was formed and by 1940s the independence movement gained momentum. Even after Indian Independence in 1947, Goa continued to be under the Portugal rule.

From the year 1953 the fight intensified and many organizations were formed which worked together for freedom from Portuguese. The United Front of Goans along with National Movement Liberation Organization, RSS and Azad Gomantak Dal led an attack on Nagar Haveli and won.
In 1961, the Indian military was ordered to enter Goa and seize the place. Finally the the Governor-General of Portuguese surrendered and Goa along with Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu were declared as Union Territories of India. In 1987, Goas was declared a full-fledged state while Daman & Diu remained a UT.

(In case you are wondering why you have just been through a history class, Grandpa wanted me to include it as he feels it is equally important to know about the history of our country and I agree.)

Coming to their personal lives, I asked grandma if she went around the place on her own.

“No, I didn’t. It was always with your grandpa or with the wives of other railway employees. I was brainwashed that the people there perform a lot of black magic on women, especially good-looking ones. Also, our place was surrounded by huge trees, mostly Raavi (Ficus Religiosa) and various other plants. The elders pointed out that I lost my first baby because I roamed among the trees instead of sitting inside the house all day. I was young, so I thought it would be better to listen to them. Next, when I was pregnant with V, I was very careful.” She replied in a matter-of-fact tone and I did not want to ask more.

V was born in Nov 1962 in grandma’s maternal home. She came back to Lasur carrying her precious three months old bundle and had her mother-in-law, brother-in-law tag along to help her settle with the child.
“They stayed for three months and by then I learned to manage with a child.” She added.

Tell me about V’s childhood activities, I asked and grandpa replied. “She was a baby when we were in Lasur, so there isn’t much to tell, now. I’ll tell you many incidents about all the girls as we go ahead with the story. But yes, she was the only child in the area as the other railway employees were much elder to us. So she was the star of the place. People always wanted to cuddle her. She looked so cute, like an angel.”

What next then? They got transferred to Basara, for just 3-4 months after which they went to Medchal for three years. Grandpa was specially posted there on the order of one of his superiors who also happened to be his training head during the initial days.


Let’s meet in Basara for the next episode. See you all soon. J