Dedicated to my Babu –( Late Sri .C.K.Nalina Babu of
Ernakulam, ) –the angel in human form
P.R.Ramachander
I am taking you back to
around sixty years back.
I had just joined the
hostel of Annamalai university
. I was living with another five students in a room. My condition was miserable . If a vote
would have taken I was one of those
poorest dressed in the hostel
though students used to greatly honour
my intelligence . One day I met some
students from Kerala who took to me to their room and
were making fun of me especially about
the way that I was dressed.
Suddenly my angel, my savior , my own
Babu appeared in that room. It was
just like a scene from a Tamil Cinema. He shouted at those students for making fun of me (who was a stranger
to him) and took me to his room. He
called me “Sami” with great respect . He
had a very attractive personality
and was possibly one of the best dressed
in the hostel. His original name
was Sri. Nalinakshan, which he changed to Sri.C.K.Nalina Babu .He belonged to a village
called Moothakunnam near Alwaye but had
a very big house in Ernakulam. We had a long talk that day. Babu told me
that I was under his care and I should not be afraid of any body . He was about 6 years older than me and a
post graduate student of sociology He told me that those who did not respect me for what I am but were only bothered about how I am dressed were fools and I should
not have them as my friends. Just like
purifying gold , he brought changes in me. Another of Babu’s charges, P.Sivadas came and later joined as a
post graduate student.
Unfortunately he had not got his application
signed by his father , Babu told
me ,
“Sign the name of his
father” and I did with lot of
hesitation .Whenever Babu remembered about it
, he used to tease me about it . Babu who had very large number of friends
and who used to converse , laugh
and enjoy had set apart a time for his Sami. He used to take me for long walks and we used to only talk . Babu had
a great faith in my intelligence and advice and
would discuss many of his
problems with me Slowly step by step he improved me. Next time when I came back from vacation I brought a cloth
for a shirt . Babu took me to
the tailor and gave him detailed
instructions how to stitch it in the
latest style. He some times used to come along with me to Barber
shop and instruct the barber how to cut my hair.
In
the month of April 1960 I left Babu. I was the same poor man but I had tremendous confidence instilled in me
. From then on I was not scared of any body
and I had tremendous self
confidence and wherever I went I attracted
people with my
intelligence ,Looking back to my life
, I think, I never failed in any interview all my
life after that . All my life I
knew I was only a
statue chiseled
by my Babu . Now Babu is not there in this world , Two years back when his daughter contacted me to say that had my Babu had been alive , he would have celebrated
his eightieth birthday , I was
virtually in tears
I remembered a day when I was
studying in Delhi , when Sri Sivadas
came for an interview for his
Ph.D. Scholarship . I received him and
he lived with me in the hostel. Babu who knew
how fond I was of pickles , had got pickles of Nellikka( gooseberry) made
by a cook in the hostel and
send it along with my friend Sivadas.
Later
when his younger brother
Bharathan joined Manipal medical
college , Babu was particular
that I should be his local guardian
, as I was working near Mangalore at that time , Later
I had the good fortune to visit
his home when he was along with his wife and daughter . Slowly the
contact with Babu became less and
less and long long afterwards
I heard that he is no more
from my friend Sivadas.I wept like a child .Though my parents were responsible for educating me
and getting me employed it was
Babu who made me what I am –a very intelligent, confidant human
being not scared by any one .
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