Oh My Umbrella....

In southern part of India there is close relationship between Umbrella and Rain. When the first shower touches the mother earth and the soil starts to emits smell these umbrella's are start wake up from the long six month sleep.
The word Umbrella was derived from Latin word 'Umbra' it means shade or shadow, it was invented 4000 years back. In 16h century it’s very famous in European countries.In my memories oldest umbrella I have seen was large curvy wooden handle one it's cloth was made out of black coloured thick cotton. Now a days these umbrellas are dissapeared from the market more slim, colourful, foldable umbrells taken their place. When I am joined the school I got my first umbrella, it was an ladies umbrella. That days only folding umbrellas are not available on the market only two types of umbrellas 'Ladies' and 'Gents'. Curvy handles steel stem umbrella was called as Gents and straight handled was called ladies. There is good practice needed to open and shut these umbrellas because one can open it just pushing hardly, to close little practice is must becasue when you are trying to close the umbrella by holding umbrella's handle with left hand and try to push the lock with right thumb it slips suddenly and and comes over your thumb leads to slip of your skin and shower starts to comes from your eys, I think it's common in everybodys child hood.

In my child hood most attractive thing in umbrell was it's handle, because it was made out of Glass type of (Sea throguh) material. Inside the hadle we can see colourful yello, bright green or red coloured some designes (still I don't understood what sort of designs are these) Thats why it was one of the most attractive part of the umbrella. When ever a new umbrell broght to class we first check the handle and make comments on it, the fellow who brought new umrella was always keep on eye on it and never permit to anybody to touch it becasue it was such a valuable thing. Other attractive thing are Manufacturers emblem on cloth those day's 'Deer Branded' Umbrella was famous for their quality. Many people writes their name at inner side of the cloth using red colourd thread and needle. But mins was always written on 'Silver' or 'Golden' Paint by my Anna (Father) and I proudly shows this to others.

The common problem of Umbrellas was if you take it heavy windy rain the breaks the thread which holds the cloth in the arch, but it was repairable at home by means of needle and thread. To tackle the heavy rain you must have good practice to hold the umbrell and one must hold the umbrella against the direction of wind otherwise it will folds upper side. Whe I am studying in sixth standard first time I saw the the Automatic Umbrell. One rainy day our naighobour who was working at Dubai broght this umbrella, it was not foldable it's shape is just like a Gents umbrell but it had black shining silky cloth over the arch and and it cosists small round button on the curvy black handle, just press this button using your thumb it will open with 'Dub' sound, thats why it was called as 'Swichchy Kode' (Swith Umbrella), some people are call it 'Bombay Kode' also.

When I was reached to Seventh standard Foldable automatic umbrella are started to available these are not available in open market but only throgh Gulf parties they sell these umbrellas at the cost of Rupees Ninety and only rich party can afford this. When ever I think about this foldable umbrella one thing comes front of my eys. It was heavy rainy day y class mate 'Samshuddin' who's brother was working at Gulf brought this umbrell to our class, after the calls he starts to demonstrate his new umbrella in the rain he just keep his step out of the corriddor of the school and just press the button 'Dub' it's opened as soon as it opened one heavy wind take upper part of the umbrella whole the way to Perla town, only half of it's stick left his hand, he started shouting and running and at last manage to get it back.

Now a days colourful umbrellas are available with lots of gizmos like laser beam, tourch etc. but never match the those days one because in those days owning a umbrella measn it's not just for a one season but its almost for a life time.

One Rainy Day....

Rainy days are always sweet and memorable, it always takes me back to my child hood. After settling in Delhi one of the most missing thing in my life is rain. I still remember those days...... When I am studying in my primary school I always goes school with my elder brother who was studying in high school. Our school waslocated small town called Perla, reason behind we call it 'town' because of it had a facility of well built High school and all other government offices like, Post office, Village office, Panchayat office, Bust stand and Government hospital villagers prefers to call it Dharmaspatre, if you can translate this word by word it from 'tulu' means 'Free Hospital', because here medicines are available free of cost.

When ever I remember this 'Dharmaspatre' two things comes in front of my eyes, one is red coloured liquid and another is violet coloured powder, these two medicines are common medicine for all sickness. In monsoon cold and fevers are common villages, every day on the way to school it's common site villagers carrying this red (Pinkish red) coloured liquid in bottle I am really wonder about how this medicine works because for fever, cough, cold etc. they will give same liquid. Just looking patients face doctor diagnosis, as soon as compounder get order from the Doctor he fills three days quota to patients bottle from huge can kept inside medicine room and says come again after three days but nobody returns after three days that was such a wonderful medicine. Other 'Purple Coloured' powder is for skin infection.

To reach my school I have to walk One Mile (I don't want to use Kilometer here) I left the house around 8:30 in the morning and reaches school around 9:15. I Always goes school with my elder brother who was studying in high school because he had a capacity to protect me from heavy rain and wind which is common on the way. There was no school uniform on those so we have freedom to wear, A cotton bag was sling over our shoulder, it contains one Black slate, Stick to write, Kannada Patavali (Kannada Text book), One Copy book, Pencil and a old razor to sharpen it, but still my high school I never get permit to keep this on my bag as a precautionary method. After collecting all these things I left school with great sorrow (because I never like school) holding umbrella in one hand and brothers hand in another hand.

This was starting point of our journey, to reach the destination we have to cross many natural elements because as soon as we left our house we have to ascend many steps to reach the small passage way which passes through beetle nut plantation. These steps are very risky because as soon as monsoon comes a small tiny plants starts to grow over these steps and it was very slippery. As soon as we reaches the passage between the beetle nut plants the whole passage was slippery due to muddy water and when we put steps with great caution to avoid slipping suddenly a large frogs jumps over the way. As soon as we reaches to the end of plantation then there we have to cross bridge made out of beetle nut trees. We have to cross it great cautiously we never look under our feet because red coloured rainy water rushing underneath. As soon as we cross bridge we reaches to the plain it it was called 'Adka' in Tulu. In this region we get little more freedom because there was no need to hold brothers hand here. we can walk as you like style, I always like to splash the water using both feet, some time it leads to fell over the ground but never mind I always like take risk on my life (?). After crossing this stage there was steep ascend ahead we can easily crosses this stage but only enemy on these region is rainy wind in case wind starts it's very difficult to control our umbrellas some time it starts to fly, some time it needs brother's support to stand straight. As soon as we cross this stage we crossed half of the way and after word only plains no trees . If wind permits then we can easily crosses these ways and reaches the school.

Minnal Bhaskaran

I come to touch with this great character in mid 90's, that time I am working in my cousins workshop. That was my first and joining day when I get off from the car I saw him, he was a 16 year old round faced boy standing behind an autorickshaw, wearing typical muddy dress (oil and grease stains) and holding a screw driver in one hand and a bunch of waste in another looking curiously towards me. Other character of this story was Bhaskarettan who was Senior Mechanic of the workshop and in local language he is called as Bhaskaranna/Bhaskarettan/ Main Pittar/Ashaan etc. He also preferred these titles. He was not holding any certificate or degree/Diploma's in automobile field he studied only till 8th standard he dose not know about gear ratio, bhp, torque curve etc. But he can dismantle and assembles whole Bajaj RE & Lamby Autorickshaw and Scooters like Lamby, Bajaj, Vijay Supers etc. without any difficulty and do the tings even better than many trained authorised service station, he did not uses any special tools to measure play of CR bearings nor to check worn out piston rings his eyes, ears and hands are sufficient for these works.

Third and fourth character was 'Chandra' and 'Sassa'. Chandra was little educated guy and senior to 'Minnal', 'Sassa' was studied till primary and he can only able to write his name in paper in such a manner that others are not able to read or even cannot able to recognise the language whether it was 'Kannada' or 'Malayalam'. His actual name is 'Satish' but due to high speed pronunciation it shortened to 'Sassa'. He takes at least one to two leaves in a week and also not expert in any field just doing the things in write way and at least not spoiling anything. Chandra was quite opposite to him, he comes regularly and also have better skilled person, he can able to do some small works independently. But the common thing in both of these boys are teasing the 'Minnal' every day if they got little free time they never miss the great opportunity.

The poor fellow 'Minnal Bhaskaran' was new to the workshop, he didn't know much work, his work is just cleaning dismantled Machines thoroughly in kerosene. As soon as Engine Dismantled 'Minnal' ready with holding old varnish bottle in one hand and bunch of waste in another, as soon as he got money from the Driver/Owner he rushes to 'Hajars' shop just near the workshop. First he buy a packet of 'Pan Parag' (Tobacco Product) for himself and buys Kerosene with rest of the money and starts his work promptly and again he appear in front of the Driver/Owner only after their machine fully ready, to collect his 'Milage' as well as Tip. He also expertize in the filed of changing the inner cable of autorickshaw was but only 'Lamby' makes, he never touches Bajaj RE, because it's engine is situated rear side of the auto and cables are travelling from the hole the way from handle bar to rear engine through twists and bends just like Train No. 2618 travels through the Konkan Railway, if in case it stucks in of these tunnels only God will survive.

That was very interesting incident that he got 'Minnal' title in front of his name. In Malayalam 'Minnal' means 'Lightning' it's really very attractive, in rainy nights it's common thing in villages that electricity disappears, once it disappears then it will appear only afternoon of next day, and again its stays till night and get disappeared by simple rainy wind. I never miss such as great opportunity. as soon as electricity goes I open the front half doors and stands in front of it the whole sky was looks like a dark screen nothing is visible, we can here only the sound of heavy rain, and flow of water near the small river like water passage which help to takes whole the rain water to river. In such a night lightning lite up the whole sky, there are different types of Lightnings some are very thin but sharp and bright some are having many curves and other are thick Lightning, wide Lighting and so many varieties, oh god I really miss it. It appears in the sky with background music of Thunder. One can measure the place of lightning by delay of Thunder it means In case Thunder roared as soon as lightning it means it is very near to us in according to the time delay between Lightning and Thunder we can measure the distance correctly. In such a heavy rainy day our 'Minnal Bhaskaran' got his title. Due to heavy rain there was no much work and Bhaskarettan also take leave, rest of the members are just sitting around 'shops flour and simply gossiping, Chandra and Sassa does not want to miss such a great opportunity they started to comment over the 'Minnal' who is sitting in side of the workshop, generally he always neglect the comment but nobody knows what happened to him within a fraction of second he rose up and pushed 'Sassa' over old tyre and start beating every, body wonder by his action nobody able to believe their eyes it was happened just within a fraction of second. That was last their after 'Sassa' Never try to tease this boy and this incident brought the great 'Minnal' title in front of Bhaskarn permanently.