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While studying in Std IX & X at the weekends, when I learn the lessons by sitting in the rubber plantation near our boundary, I imagined that when I get a Govt job, I would buy about four acres of land. In one acre, I would build a house with all the basic necessities, it would not be a luxurious one. In front of the house, there would be a small garden consisting of jasmine flowers, rose, hibiscus, marigold, sunflower etc. At the back of the house, there would be curry leaf plants, medicinal plants like the thick leaved lavender, the sweet basil plant etc. In the 2nd acre of land, there would be full of cashew trees. The 3rd acre would be utilised for growing coconut trees. In the 4th acre, there would be tapioca, plantain tree, elephant yam, colocasia, peas, lady's finger, cucumber, pumpkin etc. would be grown. Rose apple, guava tree & the drumstick tree would be there everywhere. In the boundaries, different types of mango trees and jackfruit trees could be seen. Pepper would be grown in every big trees like coconut trees, mango trees & jackfruit trees.
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While studying in Std IX & X at the weekends, when I learn the lessons by sitting in the rubber plantation near our boundary, I imagined that when I get a Govt job, I would buy about four acres of land. In one acre, I would build a house with all the basic necessities, it would not be a luxurious one. In front of the house, there would be a small garden consisting of jasmine flowers, rose, hibiscus, marigold, sunflower etc. At the back of the house, there would be curry leaf plants, medicinal plants like the thick leaved lavender, the sweet basil plant etc. In the 2nd acre of land, there would be full of cashew trees. The 3rd acre would be utilised for growing coconut trees. In the 4th acre, there would be tapioca, plantain tree, elephant yam, colocasia, peas, lady's finger, cucumber, pumpkin etc. would be grown. Rose apple, guava tree & the drumstick tree would be there everywhere. In the boundaries, different types of mango trees and jackfruit trees could be seen. Pepper would be grown in every big trees like coconut trees, mango trees & jackfruit trees.
I decided that when I get a Govt job, I would own only two or three pairs of clothes ( sarees ) because I imagined that when I grow up, the washing machine's technology would be well - developed and the clothes I wear oneday would be washed and dried in the next day. Then, what is the use of more clothes ? I didn't like the luxurious life of people especially women but I liked the most modern technology not only in my kitchen but in every woman's kitchen. Personally, I know how difficult it is to burn a fireplace. From the newspapers, I knew that the women in rural areas of North India suffered very much to burn the fireplace & to collect water. Therefore, it is very important to make available all the modern amenities in the kitchen in every family, I thought. Then the rest of time, they could spend with their children, find a job and make money & the young girls could continue their studies.
On the terrace of my house, I would install a telescope so that I could observe the sky and if possible, make new discoveries. There would be a small room in which I would collect all my books. This idea came to me like this. During a midsummer vacation, I went to Puthiyaveettil house and requested kochechi to give some old Sunday Supplement Papers to wrap my textbooks. She asked me to come with her. In a small room, the newspapers were arranged datewise, neatly. She suggested me to select enough of paper from there. Then there were Vanitha & Poompatta. There were other books also but they were textbooks of their children, I think. They were not great readers but they arranged them neatly. After seeing it, I decided that I need two Malayalam newspapers & one English newspaper. Then, for my 'spiritual growth', I would be a subscriber of Athmadeepam, a magazine published by Jacobite Syrian Christian Church. Then, I wanted Vanitha. The rest I would decide when I grow up, that was my imagination.
The reasons which stood against my studies were ( 1 ) my mother's talkative character. My sister was a five year old child and I was fifteen. During that year, she had attended the Anganavadi in Kadayiruppu. She would always go to our mother, whimpering or asking some silly questions. Then my mother would shout at her and her cries would be reverberated in our house. Sometimes my mother would be fondling her and at the sametime she would murmur that the eldest daughter should be the 'righteous' one, then only the younger ones would be good children. ( 2 ) my brother and sister would often quarrel with each other and at last it would end in her cries. Then I would wonder whether he knew that I was studying in Std X and was facing the final examination. He knew that but being a VIth Std student and having no playmates, it was his hobby to play with my sister. But she was so small that she couldn't play with him and win the game. But for this also, the blame was upon me. My mother always scolded me by saying that in every family, if there is an eldest girl, the youngest child won't cry.
Sometimes, I would ask myself - "why does my brother makes such a noise and make my sister cry? Doesn't he know that the Teachers had great expectations upon me ?" Yes. The Teachers expected distinction for Nitha, Eldhose and along with them, I was also included. There were some other students also who were capable of achieving distinction. They were : - Alan, Shincy, Jessy, Praveen, Ramani, Shinto & Sarath. At last, the time for the final examination was approaching. We had revised our lessons many times in the classroom. Many testpapers were conducted. The Teachers advised us not to waste even a second. Then I remembered the real situation in my house. "I have to suffer all these things", I thought. In that 1st batch of of our school, I faced the examination by crying in my mind.
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