From: mece21x@jane.uh.edu (Yesudas, Michael)
Newsgroups: alt.culture.kerala
Subject: Amme, EniKKum kiTTaNaM..
Date: 22 Jan 1993 13:22 CST
Organization: University of Houston
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: jane.uh.edu
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

My first day at Trivandrum Engg College was a very memorable one. That was the 
first time I ever thought of wearing shoes. Needless to say that the thought 
remained as a thought only. 

I got up at 7:17 A.M. in the morning of that fateful Monday. And after a very 
desperate and agonizing fight with my dad over the possession of the bathroom, 
where I had to pull my truimph card saying that I am his only son, and the last 
time he did not hand me over the control of the morning throne, I ended up 
dipping all my certificates in kindly droppings of bovine creatures, failing to 
hold onto the foot board of the K.S.R.T.C. bus which moved at 30 degrees to the
horizontal.

I put on my MVP (Most Valuable Pants) and the brand new shirt which, my Dubai 
uncle gave as a present on getting through Engineering. Combing the hair and 
brooding over other things, I suddenly noticed that the rate at which my 
meesa was growing is completely unsatisfactory for me. And God! I am going 
to Engineering College without a meesa.

As usual practice in those days, the felony of pre empting the eye brow pencil 
from my sister was never looked upon as a big crime. And so I proceed to darken 
the "meesa" for which I have tried everything including "kashandi thailum".

Oh! 8:20. Only 40 minutes left! Straight to the aDukkaLa. No time to squat and 
all, after all an Engineer is supposed to be a busy man, I told myself. What is 
cooking? Dosa! But the bad news was yet to follow. All the cooked dosas had 
happily sleighed into tummies of the other patrons of the same dish, namely my 
dad and sister. "Hmm, raavile veRa thozhilonnum illa, baakki uLLa manushyare 
budhimuTTikkan nadakunnu" I made a sly comment which went un noticed...

The bus! Oh, when is it? 8:40? Running to the bus stop would be the best form 
of reaching the bus stop. Oh, No, the chutney falls on the MVP. Forget it! 
Afterall I am not going for a swayamwaram. Hurry up! Oh yes, where is the money 
for bus ticket? Ok! here we go!

Oh, no forgot something? Yes, the admission letter! I cannot get there, without 
it. Run back! On the double! Those damn NCC words! I cursed them. Search, 
Search and Search! Where has My dear mummy kept it? Doesn't she know that I 
won't be an engineer if I lose it? Oh, yes there it is!

Run, Run and Run! Oh no! Not him again! Before I could react "Ah, Mon engoTTa?"
Oh, ee Manushyanu Purakinu viLikkan kanda oru nerum, I thought! Suseelan, the 
button-borer of the colony! He will hold you by your button and start talking...
God! Didn't he know that I made through to Engineering? How many people should 
I explain all this at this moonam maNi nerum??

Ah, there comes the bus! No he doesn't stop, and shows no signs of stopping. No!
he stopped, maybe 100 meters away, but that is the best bet! Run! God! I am 
sweating now! Terrible! But cannot give up! 

At last, now in the bus! What?? This bus goes somewhere else? Oh God! Now I 
will be late for sure. Get down! Oh, no, Not again, It is a limited stop! Do I 
have the money to come back? Ok! why not hit the bell and see? No. The 
conductor seems to have read my mind. He is looking at me...

9:48. Sweating and panting, I make it to my first day at Engineering College.

That evening I came back home and reiterated my usual cribbing.

"Amme, Enikkum kiTTaNam motorcycle...."

Sincerely
Michael
Newsgroups: alt.culture.kerala