Abdul Razack K T

Some are destined to walk the same path for 12 years; to the extent of being at the same place at the same time. The only difference was Razack decided to run all along and I walked. I have a small medal at home, which says "Winner - running race - LKG". This was my second prize ever and have preserved it; and for those same reasons I remember remnants of the event in itself. All I know is I came first in the race. But in hindsight, am sure there was another boy who ran the race - Razack. I faint when I think that I actually beat him in a running race. But that was to be the very last time. He won every other race that I participated or witnessed for the next 12 years I was to see him in action.
Then there was a new event once in sports day; "cricket ball throw". I enrolled as I assumed I was the junior star of State Bank Officers Colony and new how to bowl the cricket ball with full action and all that. How many kids of age 7 would know that? So we all stood on the D-day, in the lower ground; right side; immediately after you climb down the stairs from the ground where all the kinder garten kids used to play. We had the entire length of the ground to throw at. "Aaraa first eriyaan varunnadu?", the sister who was in charge asked around. The hero from State Bank Colony put his hand up; to display his bowling abilities and proceeded to the run-up, after taking 10 steps and all. He threw the best full toss he could; with complete action and all; (it is a cricket ball throw remember? - not any random ball) and the ball landed after about 10 meters. Then came Razack. No run up, no action, one wild swish of the arm and the red object flew miles and probably landed at the other end of the ground. "This is cheating, you are supposed to be bowling it, and not throwing it", a young boy rebelled silently in mind.

Then came the sports days in Presentation. No bags, only packed lunch and shoes if you are a runner. After usually getting defeated in the qualifiers in the 100 metres, I would wait for the long jump or lemon and spoon (when it was an Olympics event). An entire school wearing anti-aids-like ribbons in the colours of pink, white and red (picturising Joy, Peace and Love). I was never in the Love squad (heh heh.. and happy about it). Was in Joy house many times and Peace house a couple of times. By noon there would be a few people whom the fortunes of each of the houses depended on - Razack, Biju, Sumeesh, Lumina's brother (was his name Vinu?), Ajay Alex, Bijoy Alex, Lumina, another girl whose name began with an "S"; and as they turned the blind corner around the convent and crossed the headmistress' room into the last lap, the crowd roared; and said "up-up" [Such noble souls we were then.. hmmmmm] and some among us would race along with these folks outside the tracks as they ran; so that they could be with their racing heros at the finish line and listen in and empathise with their moments of fame. ["I was leading till the convent, till he changed tracks and blocked me.. else I would have been first"]. But I have never seen Razack complain. He would sit and look at his soles, drink some water and go do his next race. what strength and energy!
The strength and energy came every day packed in steel lunch boxes at 1220 in a Jeep. Hot and straight from the Sagar kitchen - for Razack and his brothers and sisters, who studied there. Chicken Biriyani - with a compulsory leg piece or Poratta and Meen fry - on alternate days. Immediately he was offered with open lunch boxes for an exchange. What he liked he picked for an exchange of stuff from his box. If he really LOVED it, Razack's lunch box was yours. At the end of the day, there was a little bit of Razack (or should it be strength and energy?) in each of us.

I told you about the destiny of walking the same path. When Amma and I went to Silver Hills for an application form; the only two applicants waiting for forms were Razack and I. Then post the "entrance exam" to Silver Hills, first day at new school, the attendance register had the familair ring. The attendance still started with Abdul Razack K T; as it always had - ever since I started school, it would remain so till 10 standard. Till that day when we exchanged autographs and set off in different directions.
For the first time in my life, I would not be sharing a classroom with Abdul Razack.

3 years later, I met him at a gym; during summer vacations. His physique said that he has been a regular. He drove me around in what was the best model of car available in Calicut in 1994. Then again, a chance meeting said he was in Bangalore and then again back in Sagar - when I was searching for a table for 5; on a busy Saturday afternoon. Nammalu ethra kaalayeda kandittu... he mentioned when he instructed his staff to take care of me and my lunch companions.

That evening, I dusted up my standard tenth autograph book. The entry signed by Abdul Razack said "we are the only people who have spent 12 years of school together. Forget me not".

Rajesh L S

There are some incidents and people whom after lying dormant in your memory for a long long time and the first instance of re-collection it all comes back fresh and vivid.
He had left a note at my home that said "just tell Ashok that Rajesh had called"; and I thought it was another person by the same name. So he called again and when I picked it up "Guess who this is?"; he said. I said "give me more context. talk a little more and give me some swear words or something, as many people have their own trademark words which give them away". In this case there was none, no accent of a particular district. Straightforward Malayalam for someone who lived in many places in the state and who can change the tune specific to where he is at any point in time or place. He said "edaaa idu Rajesh aanu". Oh "L S!!" I exclaimed.
Truly so, for Rajesh LS has faint roots in Tamil Nadu or bordering Palakkad somewhere which makes him rather at ease at Tamil as well as the Palakkaad graamam bhaasha. Then Calicut and then Trivandrum; he had actually lived across the state before he had turned 15.
There were two Rajesh's ; Rajesh LS and Rajesh P; so one was called just "LS" and the other RajeshPea; with no space in between the name and the initials. There is a second standard school photo; which went it gets dusted up from my mother's carefully preserved albums to see her sons in the way she always would like to see them; which is the picture I remembered Rajesh in till I saw him in March 2008; may be more than 20 years later. Big eyes, neatly combed hair and comparatively less gawky than the rest of the boys in the photograph.
And for some reason; some brothers are remembered in school as packages - and Rajesh had one too Ramesh L S. So it was only obvious that I asked him about his brother to only know that in he lived only 6 kilometers away from where I lived in Bangalore. He too led the exodus that happened from Presentation to Silver Hills after class 5th or 6th. At Silver Hills may be he had his circle and I had mine; am unable to remember too many instances at Silver Hills where we were in a story together. Then all I knew is sometime in high school he had left for Trivandrum. I was told Christ Nagar and later when on a school excursion to Kovalam, Kanya Kumari, Kodaikanal, Madurai etc; we stopped over at Christ Nagar school on a Sunday and I remember remembering "this is where L S studies".
On March 2008 one day he took the time from his office to visit me at the hotel and we met up for lunch. Rajesh had changed in his looks. We could have easily sat next to each other in a bus for about 5 minutes and got up without knowing who each other was. The neatly combed hair had not changed one bit. No shades of hair loss ; and not one strand out of place. If you morphed the hairlines against the second standard photo, it would overlap 98% may be. He worked in an investment banking firm and played a part in the Sensex movements in Dalal Street. If you be nice to him, he will let you where to put your money in the market - for free, else he charges you a fortune. I don't really remember what we talked - other than ramblings of what does one get to do in the city post office hours and some beer joints between Techno park and the airport - but I got the sense that LS had the potential to go wild; given the right amount of crystal glass, spirits on the rocks. Curious enough to tap that part of his I suggested we go meet up later in the evening before I my flight. My official event got delayed. We ended up meeting at the airport and wandered around to find a good sit and drink place which was not to be.

Am sure I will tap the wild side of Rajesh sometime soon. May be Bangalore is an easier venue.