Today what Onam, vishu, our culture and tradition means to us is Achan and Amma's gift to us.
What joy they felt by celebrating these festivals with great aplomb. It was not mere celebration of festival with sumptuous food but a feeling of warmth, oneness and sharing they expressed that made it all the more special.
I don't remember an Onam when we have not distributed sweets in our neighbourhood or invited someone over for lunch.
We've never had an onam without calling relatives and friends to wish them.
We have never had an onam without flowers and colour.
Life was a true celebration.
I would like to thank them by walking in their footsteps, by celebrating every onam like Achan and Amma did.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Think of pain, think of what achan had gone thru...everything else seems so small
One of the most unforgettable incidents of my childhood- achan's youngest sister's wedding. I must've been 5 or 6 years old. Sreeju was barely 6 months and Jai was 10 years old. We had gone to kerala, wedding was in guruvayoor. Since there was a tea party in the evening at achan's place, only a few of us went to guruvayoor in a tempo traveller. Jai stayed back with my cousins whilst the four of us went. On our way back home we met with an accident. believe it or not I had a bad feeling for a few seconds before it actually happened. So it did not come as a surprise. I was stuck under the seat and amma was trying to pull me out. i was scared to go out so I foolishly said i will wait here for some more time. I could hear people screaming and I knew somebody had a serious injury. Achan and somebody else was in the boot of the van due to lack of space and when the tempo slammed onto the truck at the sharp bend on the highway something sharp on the roof of the tempo pierced into achan's head. He was bleeding profusely, soaked in blood, he held his head tightly with one hand and hailed an autorikshaw and sped with the others to the hospital. Amma, sreeju, my aunt and me went in the other direction. We had no clue what was happening. I had minor bruises, Amma had fractured her leg. I was still in shock. We went to veliachan's house. Got to see achan only the next day in the hospital. It was not easy...
after that accident achan had all his teeth coming off one by one. A couple of years later, he got them all removed and got his dentures.
Almost every year after that achan had some or the other health problems. A fracture or asthma or gout , the pain he has gone through was endless.
But what we admired about him is he never ever gave up. he wasn't willing to let pain keep him away from his work or the household responsibilities.
He was on the move all the time. And all that he did was for us, his family.
The greatest regret in my life would be that I couldn't give back any of it.
after that accident achan had all his teeth coming off one by one. A couple of years later, he got them all removed and got his dentures.
Almost every year after that achan had some or the other health problems. A fracture or asthma or gout , the pain he has gone through was endless.
But what we admired about him is he never ever gave up. he wasn't willing to let pain keep him away from his work or the household responsibilities.
He was on the move all the time. And all that he did was for us, his family.
The greatest regret in my life would be that I couldn't give back any of it.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Bonds for life and beyond....
When i reflect on the person achan was and how he became 'achan' i can't fail to mention velliachan. Our velliachan, our second father if i may call. He played a pivotal role in our family. If i've got it right veliachan was achan's mentor, brother and friend.
Whenever we returned from palakkad after our summer vacation the last hour spent in the railway station waiting for the train was always sad. But achan and veliachan would be busy discussing. We would evesdrop only to realise that veliachan is advising achan about saving for future, his responsibility towards family,about each of their children and a lot of fatherly stuff.
And achan used to follow his advise. Although they were cobrothers and didn't share a blood relation they bonded so well. I am sure they both always cherished and will cherish that relationship.
When we were in Kerala this time for achan's first anniversary veliachan was reminiscing on old times and said that the last thing achan had bought for him was a pair of leather footwear. he wore it only once, he wants to keep it for achan's memory.
We have so many sweet memories of our childhood, the time we spent in kerala, thanks to veliamma and veliachan.
veliachan used to work for United Breweries so beer bottles used to be stacked in the cupboards and every evening both of em spent hours with their drink, talking on the balcony.
our ooty trip is unforgetable. we woke up at 4 am and sat waiting for the car, only to know after a few hours that the car will not come. we ended up spending the day at home with the food n snacks packed for the picnic.
more later
Whenever we returned from palakkad after our summer vacation the last hour spent in the railway station waiting for the train was always sad. But achan and veliachan would be busy discussing. We would evesdrop only to realise that veliachan is advising achan about saving for future, his responsibility towards family,about each of their children and a lot of fatherly stuff.
And achan used to follow his advise. Although they were cobrothers and didn't share a blood relation they bonded so well. I am sure they both always cherished and will cherish that relationship.
When we were in Kerala this time for achan's first anniversary veliachan was reminiscing on old times and said that the last thing achan had bought for him was a pair of leather footwear. he wore it only once, he wants to keep it for achan's memory.
We have so many sweet memories of our childhood, the time we spent in kerala, thanks to veliamma and veliachan.
veliachan used to work for United Breweries so beer bottles used to be stacked in the cupboards and every evening both of em spent hours with their drink, talking on the balcony.
our ooty trip is unforgetable. we woke up at 4 am and sat waiting for the car, only to know after a few hours that the car will not come. we ended up spending the day at home with the food n snacks packed for the picnic.
more later
Monday, June 15, 2009
Small things
I remember...
Achan used to take us through the triveni road back home after school when he was in a good mood and bought us savouries which were my favourite. It was more like a reward when we'd been good.
Achan loved root vegetables like yam, sweet potato, they were his favourite!
I never knew achan's favourite colour. Although I think he liked brown quite a bit.
Achan idolised the BJP leaders Vajpayee and Advani.
Achan loved the malayalam actor Murali. I think somebody had mentioned that he looked like him and thats where the secret admiration came from. He was a fan of Mohanlal too.
He despised Shahrukh especially because his daughters were big fans of his :-)
He made fun of most mallu actresses saying they only knew how to cry.
Achan made fun of amma's gossipping friends and made us laugh although he would show a lot if interest when she spoke about them. I thought it was cute :-)
Achan loved his nephew one in particular although that favourite nephew never turned up even during the difficult time of the loss of achan.
Achan went out of his way forto help people...sometimes strangers and never expected anything in return.
I always observed that achan had many friends, some very close, some platonic. But the ones he loved most deeply most often let him down and those he had least expectations from came to his rescue in the difficult times.
His favourite person in the extended family was i think velliachan. he respected him, idolised him and unconditionally loved him.
Achan did not express some things to his loved ones. He had a long converstaion with one of my friends on my wedding day about each one of his children which I came to know of much later, after we lost him.
Achan had strong opinions about everything including cricket. He would argue and fight to prove his point on how we have patronised Tendulkar and have lost the sense of a team and it has become all about individual achievement.
Achan hated it when we spent too much money and time in putiing extensive pookkalam for onam. :-) He used to sometimes help us do the finishing touches so that we could have our breakfast together. sweet no?
Achan would always be stubborn about certain things, like the friends we made, visiting people or being courteous which seemed very conservative and unnecessary at that time. we wondered how does it matter if our friends hung out with boys,or if we visited somebody without a formal invitation or went out of line once in a while and despised him criticising us. But today when i look back at each incident, i realise my dad was right in every way.he said it for a reason. life experiences have taught me that he was always right. i hope i could pass on atleast some of those learnings to my children when i'll have them.
Achan used to take us through the triveni road back home after school when he was in a good mood and bought us savouries which were my favourite. It was more like a reward when we'd been good.
Achan loved root vegetables like yam, sweet potato, they were his favourite!
I never knew achan's favourite colour. Although I think he liked brown quite a bit.
Achan idolised the BJP leaders Vajpayee and Advani.
Achan loved the malayalam actor Murali. I think somebody had mentioned that he looked like him and thats where the secret admiration came from. He was a fan of Mohanlal too.
He despised Shahrukh especially because his daughters were big fans of his :-)
He made fun of most mallu actresses saying they only knew how to cry.
Achan made fun of amma's gossipping friends and made us laugh although he would show a lot if interest when she spoke about them. I thought it was cute :-)
Achan loved his nephew one in particular although that favourite nephew never turned up even during the difficult time of the loss of achan.
Achan went out of his way forto help people...sometimes strangers and never expected anything in return.
I always observed that achan had many friends, some very close, some platonic. But the ones he loved most deeply most often let him down and those he had least expectations from came to his rescue in the difficult times.
His favourite person in the extended family was i think velliachan. he respected him, idolised him and unconditionally loved him.
Achan did not express some things to his loved ones. He had a long converstaion with one of my friends on my wedding day about each one of his children which I came to know of much later, after we lost him.
Achan had strong opinions about everything including cricket. He would argue and fight to prove his point on how we have patronised Tendulkar and have lost the sense of a team and it has become all about individual achievement.
Achan hated it when we spent too much money and time in putiing extensive pookkalam for onam. :-) He used to sometimes help us do the finishing touches so that we could have our breakfast together. sweet no?
Achan would always be stubborn about certain things, like the friends we made, visiting people or being courteous which seemed very conservative and unnecessary at that time. we wondered how does it matter if our friends hung out with boys,or if we visited somebody without a formal invitation or went out of line once in a while and despised him criticising us. But today when i look back at each incident, i realise my dad was right in every way.he said it for a reason. life experiences have taught me that he was always right. i hope i could pass on atleast some of those learnings to my children when i'll have them.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
A Creative Genius
Achan's food....yummmmmmmm. I can bet that our achan was the most creative cook. I am sure many women in our family were in awe of his culinary skills. And the best thing was he was quick, creative and passionate about it. His favourite passtime was to try new recipes in the late afternoons between lunch and evenings before he went to the shop. He was soooo good that till today my school and college friends tell me about the bajjis and pakodas they ate at my place. My cousin is ashamed that I did not learn to make biryani from achan. His recipes with leftovers were a winner among the three of us. He would just taste a curry and list out the ingredients that went into it. He taught me how to cut veggies without hurting my fingers, to make yummy dosas and many other things. Most of all he created this love for the art of cooking in all of us.
We never had the money to shop on MG Road or commercial street, in fact achan used to say I can't take you there cause people who go there have gunny bags filled with money. But whatever we wore, our friends and relatives always admired and praised. Achan would buy the dress material, design and get it tailored. Some of them were so popular among my cousins that they insisted they wanted the same outfit. Can you imagine kids of different age groups all wearing the same attire in different colours? ummm yuh yes, we have done that. My favourite was a denim skirt and checked shirt.
When we built our house, although we had a contractor, it was achan who planned the layout and took care of every single detail including the furnishing and paint. No experience whatsoever, he single handedly got everything done. We had our first duplex house in 1990. It was a great achievement considering our humble background. It was one of achan's proudest moments.
Craft work at school was always the most exciting and terrifying experience. We would be given this long list of unique things to buy and make. And our life saver was achan. He was so good at craft work and creative stuff. He would bring all the stuff we needed after closing the shop at 10 in the night, and stay awake till late in the night completing it to ensure we meet our deadlines. Mostly it was me who used to throw tantrums if things didn't get sorted, I would cry and go to sleep. In the morning when I woke up I would see my craft beautifully done and kept ready. Achan, our fairy would ask - is it good enough? - still smiling. I remember once i had to take 100 ice candy sticks to school and achan took me to this ice cream shop late in the night and the store person who was achan's friend gave it to us for free- and i thought wow achan has such great friends.
At another instance I had to dress like a coorgi bride groom for a fancy dress competition in LKG, it was achan who dressed me up. I just can't forget the pains he took to make the costumes and find out the coorgi translation of the script i had to read out....all in one evening. Those days there was no google to type in and click search.
We never had the money to shop on MG Road or commercial street, in fact achan used to say I can't take you there cause people who go there have gunny bags filled with money. But whatever we wore, our friends and relatives always admired and praised. Achan would buy the dress material, design and get it tailored. Some of them were so popular among my cousins that they insisted they wanted the same outfit. Can you imagine kids of different age groups all wearing the same attire in different colours? ummm yuh yes, we have done that. My favourite was a denim skirt and checked shirt.
When we built our house, although we had a contractor, it was achan who planned the layout and took care of every single detail including the furnishing and paint. No experience whatsoever, he single handedly got everything done. We had our first duplex house in 1990. It was a great achievement considering our humble background. It was one of achan's proudest moments.
Craft work at school was always the most exciting and terrifying experience. We would be given this long list of unique things to buy and make. And our life saver was achan. He was so good at craft work and creative stuff. He would bring all the stuff we needed after closing the shop at 10 in the night, and stay awake till late in the night completing it to ensure we meet our deadlines. Mostly it was me who used to throw tantrums if things didn't get sorted, I would cry and go to sleep. In the morning when I woke up I would see my craft beautifully done and kept ready. Achan, our fairy would ask - is it good enough? - still smiling. I remember once i had to take 100 ice candy sticks to school and achan took me to this ice cream shop late in the night and the store person who was achan's friend gave it to us for free- and i thought wow achan has such great friends.
At another instance I had to dress like a coorgi bride groom for a fancy dress competition in LKG, it was achan who dressed me up. I just can't forget the pains he took to make the costumes and find out the coorgi translation of the script i had to read out....all in one evening. Those days there was no google to type in and click search.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Our teacher
Be it sharing stories about his childhood days or his adventurous journey through adolescence or inculcating moral values in us, achan was very articulate. As kids my sister and I used to have tiffs. Achan always wanted us to be united and never fight. He told us bed time stories , my favourite was about the 4 united cows and the lion who got them to fight, so that he could attack them when they were by themselves.
He would say thats why we should never fight cause we are stronger together as a family, but if we fight we become weak and vulnerable.
He used to show us examples of other kids when they took care of each other and played happily and peacefully.
He always said no matter how many quarrels we have, in times of need we will be there for each other.
"Family quarrels have a total bitterness unmatched by others. Yet it sometimes happens that they also have a kind of tang, a pleasantness beneath the unpleasantness, based on the tacit understanding that this is not for keeps; that any limb you climb out on will still be there later for you to climb back" ~Mignon McLaughlin
I really feel sorry for all those times when we hurt him. But I guess if not for those times we would'nt have learnt such a valuable lesson.
Achan instilled some strong values in us early in life which laid the foundation for our later years. An incident that will never fade from my memory is when I had got the first place in the class test in the first grade, I was so happy! Achan had come to pick us up from school and I was brimming with pride and joy. Achan smiled and congratulated me and then said; Never be overjoyed when good things happen and never get too disappointed when things don't turn out right. Always aim higher! Those words echoed at every improtant milestone in my life. Likewise we have never ever cheated in exams or to get jobs. Never have done and will do anything dishonest or dodgy even in dire circumstances. May be thats why we have this intolerance to people who want to have things the easy way in life, who lie and cheat even though it is harmless.
As kids every summer vacation was spent in Kerala. We visited other relatives but our headquaters as such was at our favourite aunt and uncle's. Achan would join us for a few days and get back to look after the shop. When we got back he had wraped our school books with brown covers with lables (which was compulsory then) and bought our school uniforms and shoes for the new academic year. He enjoyed doing little things like that.
Achan also wanted us to be well read and knowlegeable. He bought us expensive books and weekly magazines and tried to inculcate the habit of reading in us early. Not that we could afford it, but achan didn't want us to be deprived of anything. He used to occassionally quiz us on general knowledge too to create an interest in reading the newspapers. I guess when fathers take interest in these lil things children also feel motivated to do well.
We have always looked upto achan our hero because he always worked hard, never wasted time, lived an honest life and family was his universe. He set his own standards and lead by example.
He would say thats why we should never fight cause we are stronger together as a family, but if we fight we become weak and vulnerable.
He used to show us examples of other kids when they took care of each other and played happily and peacefully.
He always said no matter how many quarrels we have, in times of need we will be there for each other.
"Family quarrels have a total bitterness unmatched by others. Yet it sometimes happens that they also have a kind of tang, a pleasantness beneath the unpleasantness, based on the tacit understanding that this is not for keeps; that any limb you climb out on will still be there later for you to climb back" ~Mignon McLaughlin
I really feel sorry for all those times when we hurt him. But I guess if not for those times we would'nt have learnt such a valuable lesson.
Achan instilled some strong values in us early in life which laid the foundation for our later years. An incident that will never fade from my memory is when I had got the first place in the class test in the first grade, I was so happy! Achan had come to pick us up from school and I was brimming with pride and joy. Achan smiled and congratulated me and then said; Never be overjoyed when good things happen and never get too disappointed when things don't turn out right. Always aim higher! Those words echoed at every improtant milestone in my life. Likewise we have never ever cheated in exams or to get jobs. Never have done and will do anything dishonest or dodgy even in dire circumstances. May be thats why we have this intolerance to people who want to have things the easy way in life, who lie and cheat even though it is harmless.
As kids every summer vacation was spent in Kerala. We visited other relatives but our headquaters as such was at our favourite aunt and uncle's. Achan would join us for a few days and get back to look after the shop. When we got back he had wraped our school books with brown covers with lables (which was compulsory then) and bought our school uniforms and shoes for the new academic year. He enjoyed doing little things like that.
Achan also wanted us to be well read and knowlegeable. He bought us expensive books and weekly magazines and tried to inculcate the habit of reading in us early. Not that we could afford it, but achan didn't want us to be deprived of anything. He used to occassionally quiz us on general knowledge too to create an interest in reading the newspapers. I guess when fathers take interest in these lil things children also feel motivated to do well.
We have always looked upto achan our hero because he always worked hard, never wasted time, lived an honest life and family was his universe. He set his own standards and lead by example.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Our hero
Most children feel their achan is a hero..... we surely did...i think most of the kids in our extended family also believed jayamama was someone daring, outspoken and the 'go to' person.
He just had this impact on people. We felt he could'nt go wrong.
Be it a family vacation where things needed to be organised, or some crisis in the family or among friends, a relative in trouble, to bargain for something, mediate or negotiate, he was in the forefront.
But as a kid what impressed me the most was whenever mum found that a rat had managed to sneak in to the house, our saviour and protector was achan. Like I said he was the jack of all trades , he was an expert at trapping the mouse and attacking it and then holding the dead body of the rat in his finger tips to show his achievement. I would scream my lungs out like a gigantosaur had landed and was about to swallow us.
The auto rikshaw drivers in bangalore are famous for conning people by charging more. It was customary for achan to have an argument , almost a brawl with the drivers everytime we came back from kerala and took an auto from the station to home. And the minute achan raised his voice, leave alone the drivers , amma, we and even our neighbours got scared.
Like all kids we were scared of achan too. Never asked him to buy us stuff, amma was always the mediator. If we bought something without his consent, we were scared that he would tell us off for paying more or not bargaining. Since achan was a business man, he knew all the business tricks, prices for things and the margin too. So he always insisted that we bargain and never pay the MRP.
In 1981 achan started the shoe shop - New Fashion Foot wear. Achan named it himself. When I was 3 - 4 years I used to spend a lot of time with him in the shop. I used to watch him closely when he spoke to customers, outsmarted them when they bargained and got frustrated with silly customers. He was so passionate about whatever he did, gave a 200% and was confident that he was good.
Achan had many friends, being a business man meant having a huge network and achan sometimes knew so many people by faces but would not recall their names. I think most small business men in yeshawanthpur knew him. After gaining a firm foothold in the veggies business he had started oil and egg business, he brought his nephew from kerala and helped him also set up a shop. A couple of others who came to work in his shop also went on to become independent businessmen later on.
He just had this impact on people. We felt he could'nt go wrong.
Be it a family vacation where things needed to be organised, or some crisis in the family or among friends, a relative in trouble, to bargain for something, mediate or negotiate, he was in the forefront.
But as a kid what impressed me the most was whenever mum found that a rat had managed to sneak in to the house, our saviour and protector was achan. Like I said he was the jack of all trades , he was an expert at trapping the mouse and attacking it and then holding the dead body of the rat in his finger tips to show his achievement. I would scream my lungs out like a gigantosaur had landed and was about to swallow us.
The auto rikshaw drivers in bangalore are famous for conning people by charging more. It was customary for achan to have an argument , almost a brawl with the drivers everytime we came back from kerala and took an auto from the station to home. And the minute achan raised his voice, leave alone the drivers , amma, we and even our neighbours got scared.
Like all kids we were scared of achan too. Never asked him to buy us stuff, amma was always the mediator. If we bought something without his consent, we were scared that he would tell us off for paying more or not bargaining. Since achan was a business man, he knew all the business tricks, prices for things and the margin too. So he always insisted that we bargain and never pay the MRP.
In 1981 achan started the shoe shop - New Fashion Foot wear. Achan named it himself. When I was 3 - 4 years I used to spend a lot of time with him in the shop. I used to watch him closely when he spoke to customers, outsmarted them when they bargained and got frustrated with silly customers. He was so passionate about whatever he did, gave a 200% and was confident that he was good.
Achan had many friends, being a business man meant having a huge network and achan sometimes knew so many people by faces but would not recall their names. I think most small business men in yeshawanthpur knew him. After gaining a firm foothold in the veggies business he had started oil and egg business, he brought his nephew from kerala and helped him also set up a shop. A couple of others who came to work in his shop also went on to become independent businessmen later on.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Jayettan
Jayettan, Jayamama, Jaya kutty, Jayan - achane ellavarum vilicha perukal. Now reflecting on his name, I guess he was born a winner, a survivor. My favourite is Jayettan.
Born on 14 April 1948 in Kalladikode, the fifth child of Janakiamma and Gopala Menon, he grew up holding life by its horns. A humble living with his mother and seven other siblings; his father was away from home most of the time for work. Achamma used to work to feed all of them.
We have heard him speak fondly of his childhood days. Some things have faded from memory and some of them crystal clear.Like I still remember achan had studied only till 6th grade and he was his teacher's favourite student. He used to bring tea and snacks for the teacher and although he had done his exams well he was surprised to find out that he had failed. Later he realised that the teacher didn't want to lose his loyal tea bringer, so he failed him.
He was also active in the school dramatics. He had won the prize for the best actor for the role of an old lady :)
At barely 12 he left his family in search of work. Those days people hardly knew a world outside their small village or hometown. He had no money for tickets so he travelled without one, managing to slip into the toliet everytime the TTR came to check tickets. He met this slightly older boy in the train who was on a similar expedition and tagged along with him, after a few days of their adventurous journey they reached Bhilai. He started working in hotels as a waiter and slowly graduated to the Indian coffee house. Even in those early days he used to send his hard earned salary of 5 rupees by money order to his mother in Kerala. His days at the Indian coffee house brought out the culinary skills in him. He learnt a lot of the kitchen tricks which he would later pass on to us when we used to help amma and achan in the kitchen. Our favourites were french toast, scrambled egg, veg cutlet and all the umpteen innovative dishes he used to make out of left overs.
Don't know when he decided to come to Bangalore. But he ended up helping Thangappan mama , achan's older brother at a hotel. He sure did not settle for a job with the inherent entrepreneurial skills. He started a vegetable shop in the Yeshwanthpur market and supplied veggies to hotels.
Achan had excellent social skills. He would start a conversation with anybody old or young with ease. he even tried to speak their language to make them comfortable. His smile was like a reflection of his character - warm, sincere and generous.
I think he was 26 when he got married to amma(21). It was an arranged marriage. they only saw once before marriage. brought her to a single room rented house. When he went back to the shop after his return from Kerala, he had to start afresh. I know he did not even have money to buy the supplies. But he managed, the go getter that he is.
He was very hardworking. In the veggie business , the vendors have to go early in the morning to the wholesale market and bring fresh veggies for their daily supply. Since they did not have regular supply of corporation water achan woke up early to fill the water tank and then rushed to the market. Hardly took any days off work. No movies, no weekend outings.
Born on 14 April 1948 in Kalladikode, the fifth child of Janakiamma and Gopala Menon, he grew up holding life by its horns. A humble living with his mother and seven other siblings; his father was away from home most of the time for work. Achamma used to work to feed all of them.
We have heard him speak fondly of his childhood days. Some things have faded from memory and some of them crystal clear.Like I still remember achan had studied only till 6th grade and he was his teacher's favourite student. He used to bring tea and snacks for the teacher and although he had done his exams well he was surprised to find out that he had failed. Later he realised that the teacher didn't want to lose his loyal tea bringer, so he failed him.
He was also active in the school dramatics. He had won the prize for the best actor for the role of an old lady :)
At barely 12 he left his family in search of work. Those days people hardly knew a world outside their small village or hometown. He had no money for tickets so he travelled without one, managing to slip into the toliet everytime the TTR came to check tickets. He met this slightly older boy in the train who was on a similar expedition and tagged along with him, after a few days of their adventurous journey they reached Bhilai. He started working in hotels as a waiter and slowly graduated to the Indian coffee house. Even in those early days he used to send his hard earned salary of 5 rupees by money order to his mother in Kerala. His days at the Indian coffee house brought out the culinary skills in him. He learnt a lot of the kitchen tricks which he would later pass on to us when we used to help amma and achan in the kitchen. Our favourites were french toast, scrambled egg, veg cutlet and all the umpteen innovative dishes he used to make out of left overs.
Don't know when he decided to come to Bangalore. But he ended up helping Thangappan mama , achan's older brother at a hotel. He sure did not settle for a job with the inherent entrepreneurial skills. He started a vegetable shop in the Yeshwanthpur market and supplied veggies to hotels.
Achan had excellent social skills. He would start a conversation with anybody old or young with ease. he even tried to speak their language to make them comfortable. His smile was like a reflection of his character - warm, sincere and generous.
I think he was 26 when he got married to amma(21). It was an arranged marriage. they only saw once before marriage. brought her to a single room rented house. When he went back to the shop after his return from Kerala, he had to start afresh. I know he did not even have money to buy the supplies. But he managed, the go getter that he is.
He was very hardworking. In the veggie business , the vendors have to go early in the morning to the wholesale market and bring fresh veggies for their daily supply. Since they did not have regular supply of corporation water achan woke up early to fill the water tank and then rushed to the market. Hardly took any days off work. No movies, no weekend outings.
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