Happy when examinations were cancelled....

It was 1963 March when I had appeared for SSLC examination held by Mysore state Secondary Examination Board.I had papers like English, Social Studies,General Science, Mathematics,Sanskrit, Hindi and Kannada.My school and centre was Seshadripuram High School, Banglore.

After writing English,General Science comprising Physics, Chemistry,Bioligy and Mathematics I was happy the exams will be over soon within a week giving me relief from studying or pretending to be studying in front of parents.My parents were expecting I should get high marks,get a rank,study Medicine, become a Doctor or Collector.It was astonishing for
me to see the morning News Paper Deccan Herald that all the  5 exams held were cancelled since the question papers had leaked out.Ofcourse my parents asked me to recollect the books,guides,notes and prepare well for re exams.For me it was pain to study again from books I hardly opened and studied.The re exams were held ..I appeared again without any more preparation ...but couldnot get high marks.

In my efforts to get admission in a good College,I took my father to the Principal,St Joseph's college, Bangalore.My father requested the Principal to give a seat for PUC and told the Principal that I got less marks since the original examinations were cancelled and reexams held.The good Principal admitted me in the College and I came out of  the College with a BSC degree in 1967.Thus cancellation​ of SSLC examination helped me get a seat in St Joseph's College.

I was reminded of it hearing elections to RK Nagar  due on 12 th got cancelled by the Election Commission.Ofcourse the troubles for the electorate  and the parties must be immense...

Thondikulam ...my connections ..

I was born in Trichur in 1947.We hear people telling ...I hail from Palghat, Pathamadai,Vaikom,Tanjore, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai,etc.So I used to say I am from Palghat.
But the fact remains I donot have much connection or link with Thondikulam a village it gramam in Palghat.It appears there are over 100 gramams or agraharams in Palghat like Noorni,Kalpathi, Thondikulam, Tharakkad,Thathmangalam,etcThese are plsces where Brahmins migrated from Tanjore or Kumbakonam decades ago and settled..

Probably my father was not brought up in Palghat.He had his schooling in Ernakulam and College Education in Madras.Later he served in Cochin state service mostly neighbouring to Trichur.As such my link with Thondikulam  through him was less.

It was during my service in Bank I came across a few persons hailing from Thondikulam..

I was married to Brindhalakshmi of Andipatti her father hailing from Pathamadai and mother from Thondikulam.Her father's mother  Lakshmi also was from Thondikulam.But we did not know them being from same place Thondikulam before marriage as they too lived in Tiruchirapalli, Madurai,etc.

Thondikulam A Seshadri was my senior in Inspection and Audit.He was from Delhi or so and not much linked to Thondikulam.

Thondikulam Easwar Iyer Dhandayuthapani  was my senior in Branches and Audit.Incudentally his sister was my wife's aunt who had passed away much early in life.He studied in Nurani etc but had not much similarity with me as I never studied in Palghat.

Then Thondikulam Ramachandran Anantharaman was my colleague in Bank of India in Bangalore.He too lived in Banglore​ from birth so not much contact with Thondikulam.His father Ramachandran is my wife's uncle's or maama's son.My wife has never seen them.He still continues in Bangalore.

My wife was telling me I donot know my kuladeivam..Etc when I thought of this situation.Of course Venkatachalapathi is our kuladeivam and Manapallikkavu our Kaavu as heard from our elders.

Ofcourse my children and grandchildren will have lesser idea about Thondikulam .and may know it as a place in India.

.
There are hardly 20 families or so in Thondikualam and all must be related to each other but migration to other places have made such a situation .Also many of them are abroad and come home rarely.There is one famous Sasthapreedhi festival yearly when many people come home
.

Nurani is the adjacent big village and many males marry from Nurani.My mother is from a large family in Nurani..Being married at age of 9 she also did not have much remembrances of the place.