Alleppey Chronicles: Navigating the Dynamic Journey of the Pais-2

Schooling and Journey Beyond Alleppey

Recap: The story begins with Achuta Pai, a prominent figure in the local trade, whose life changes when his beloved wife Karuna dies while giving birth to their twins. In an unexpected turn of events, he marries Karuna’s friend, Lakshmi Ammal — a woman known for her unwavering strength and kindness, lovingly called Dindakka. She is a woman of indomitable spirit and faces the herculean task of raising her children. Despite the challenges, her determination and commitment to her family never waver.

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Dindakka was a lively woman who started her day at 4:00 am by milking the cows with the help of Mallamamu. She stored the milk in the kitchen before Rama, her assistant, arrived at 7:00 am to distribute it to the neighbouring homes. Ellikunju was a young girl who helped Dindakka with her household chores. As the children had grown and begun attending school, Dindakka had enough free time to manage her household. Achutha had a vision of expanding his grocery business and he wanted his children to be a part of it. To achieve this he wanted his children to be well-read, he got his sons Nagendra, Damodara, Ramdasa, Sarvothama and Sudhakar enrolled in the Sanatana Dharma Vidyasala English Medium School. This school offered secondary education up to the 10th standard and intermediate level. Later, the school added some diploma courses. In those days, getting a graduation degree was quite challenging, and there were only a few places in Kerala where one could receive it.

Kamlavathi, the eldest daughter of Dindakka and Achutha, was growing into a beautiful young lady. At the age of thirteen, she was married off to a trader who lived in the Parkad district of Kerala. Although this may seem strange in modern times, it was a common practice in those days. Nirmala and Sudhakar were born after Kamalavathi got married, so they did not have many memories of her. However, despite being married, Kamlavathi loved Sarvotham as if he were her son. There was a strong bond between Sarvotham and Kamalavathi, and he missed her a lot. Kamlavathi would often invite him to her house to enjoy his favourite foods.

Jaini attended a government school. Although education for girls was becoming more popular, co-education was rare. Nirmala was a bright and intelligent girl who was eager to attend St. Antony’s Girls High School, a convent school known for its excellence in spiritual, intellectual, and cultural aspects. The school was close to their house. Dindakka understood the value of a good education for her daughter and sought admission. However, Nirmala’ was denied admission as the seats were full for the year. The school was under the administration of the local church, which received donations and supplies from various countries. One regular item the school received was milk powder, which was not commonly used in Kerala during that time. The school would sell the milk powder to Achutha, who would buy it and include it in his grocery store.

However, that year when the school approached Achutha to buy milk powder, he refused to purchase it and said, “Every year, I buy the milk powder and help you avoid the trouble of finding customers, but this year, I refuse to buy it.”

The school authority pleaded with him, asking if they had offended him in any way. Achutha replied, “Yes, you have refused admission to my daughter Nirmala in your school.”

The school officials were unaware that Nirmala was Achutha’s daughter and immediately offered to admit her. They requested her to meet the school’s principal the next day, assuring her that she would get admission to the school. Nirmala began studying there from her 4th std till she completed her intermediate from the school.

Jaini attended a government girls’ school, while the boys went to SDV School. All of the children had a shared love for music. Sarvotham had a natural talent for playing the harmonium, while Nirmala attended classes in Carnatic Music and Dance. She also learned sewing and tailoring. During their free time, Sarvotham would play the harmonium while Nirmala sang Carnatic songs. They both took part in dramatics and performed acts in English and Malayalam during the temple festivals, known as Kala Paripad, which were well-attended.

It is said that the Bhima (Jewellers) brothers, who have their shop at Mullakel, once visited the temple during the 41 days of temple festivities and wondered ‘Who is this melodious singer?’ People said, “She is Achutha’s daughter.”. Nirmala was presented with a garland and a silver cup in recognition of her superb performance. Sarvotham gained confidence and developed excellent oratory skills from these experiences. Jambavathi, who was Dindakka’s sister, lived across the street with her three children. The eldest, Sanjeev, was a natural speaker and eager to learn oratory skills. His mother encouraged him to learn from Sarvotham, who was more than happy to mentor him.

Sarvotham started tutoring students in Hindi. Nirmala was a quick learner who studied Hindi with Sarvotham and cleared her Rashtrabhasha Visharad exams like the other students. Sarvotham was passionate about English Literature and the Shakespearean sonnets. He enjoyed reading and teaching his works to his students. He memorised and modulated the Shakespearean quotes ecstatically while rehearsing “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow — Out, out, brief candle!”

Sarvotham played various instruments like the mouth organ and flute with great dedication. His energy, enthusiasm and energetic personality led the temple authorities to bestow upon him the title of Sakalkala Vallabhan, which meant a Performer of Great Distinction.

Achutha’s sons grew up in the same environment, but each one turned out to be different. Achutha and Dindakka affectionately called Nagendra ‘Bangarputhu’, which meant ‘the golden one’. Nagendra was fascinated by wealth, like Midas, and felt that trading in the stock market was the best way to get rich quickly. However, at that time, the risks were greater and required greater management skills. Although Nagendra was intelligent, fluctuations in stock prices, volatility, and uncertainty sometimes affected his decisions. Sometimes he made a lot of profit, while other times he faced losses. Nagendra was drawn to the risks despite the risks of losses. Damodara was called Vishwanath and he loved travelling extensively, the only snag was that he would never inform others, which proved stressful.

Jaini was a pretty girl despite her paralytic hand and a twist in her leg, she managed her studies well. One day when she was in the 9th std she had an epileptic attack. Dindakka and Achutha brought her home and nursed her back to health. Dindakka felt that it wasn’t wise for Jaini to continue her schooling with these risks. She gave Jaini the job of handling the accounts of her entrepreneurship. Jaini was excellent and extended her help in the milk distribution accounts and took over the chicken farming independently. This kept her busy and never let her feel low.

As Dindakka’s children grew up and the stresses of life increased, she developed diabetes. She then learned about Dr Sarojini Prabhu, a lady doctor practising medicine across their home in Mullakel. Dindakka visited this doctor regularly for her treatment. Dr Prabhu was educated at AIIMS — All India Medical Sciences. After visiting Dr Prabhu many times, Dindakka became increasingly convinced that Nirmala would become a doctor of the same calibre. She began encouraging her in a variety of ways. As a result, Nirmala followed her mother’s footsteps and studied hard to become a doctor. At that time, Trivandrum opened a relatively new medical college called Trivandrum Medical College. Admissions interview calls were sent out to eligible candidates. Nirmala appeared for the interview and she was selected to join the medical course MBBS. Nirmala told her mother, “You inspired me to become a doctor.”. Nirmala’s mother was overjoyed that Nirmala was ready to start her medical journey.

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