Front row from right: Sree Valsan (MA Student), Dr Vishakh Varma (‘Varmmaji), Mr Pradulla Chandran, Dr Ajith Dayanand D, Dr K.C. Mathew, the Principal of SNT Ponnan sir, Dr Madhusoodhanan (‘Madhu’), next ‘ayye, it is me! , (Madhu, Varmaji….pls comeplete this list!)

Tutorial College Phase

During the late 70s and 80s, there was a boom of Tutorial Colleges in Kerala (my friend Dr Ajith Dayanand,  had studied that boom in those period. He was with me in the Catholic Hostel. We also worked  in various Tutorial colleges). As any other youngster in those years, I also started tutoring in Tutorial colleges during my early 20’s age. I had to support not only my  own survival and my higher education, but had to support my mother, single-mom, who struggled hard to raise 8 children. I started at SNT College, Thampanoor. I was invited by my friends Dr. Madhu, Dr Varma, Dr K.C.Mathew, Mr.Profulla Chandran, who were tutoring there at that time after their Masters degree in Economics; Mr C.P.John, tutoring English. Before SNT College, while they were tutoring in ‘Our Tutorial College’, my sister Vimala studied  there as their student, thus the acquintance with them. The days at SNT Tutorial College with them turned out to be the best intimacy of friendship, sustained over these decades! Until I come to USA, may be about 25 years consecutively, I used to spent the day of Thiru Onam, the state harvest festival, associated with the re-visit of the legendary King Maveli, the golden rule, but ended by the trick of Vamana, under the pretext of ‘Brahmin offering’ of his kingdom. In a way, I was the Maveli in Madhus parental home. His mother and sisters, Aliyan, later his wife Dr Beena,  always maintained wonderful warmth and intimacy. Dr Madhu now ‘retired’ as the Principal of Govt. Arts College and Dr Beena as the Principal of the University College. Similar is the degree of warmness and intimacy with other friends, who were with me there like Dr Visakha Varma, Dr Ajith D, Dr K.C. Mathew.  Our students, who naturally with less age differences with us, being the Masters students, also maintained that level of intimacy. 

We used to gather at the University library lawn by evenings – informal chat on Economics, global issues and finally anything under the sun! Varmaji used to recite his own wonderful poems. Sometimes, he indicates his geneology, stretching to Raja Raja Varma. Immediately, K.C.Mathew jump by ‘refering’ his own geneology, extending all the way back from Babylonia, the time of his ‘ancestors’ crossing the Asian continent with their camels to India….; so innocent humor and teasing each other in the spirit of harmony; trascending one’s social, racial or caste background; unlike the present day deadly religious cleavages with the political clout, even among the highly educated groups! By the time library closes at 8 PM, we walk up to the East Fort, the city bus stand, from where each one gets their respective KSRTC buses (yes, private buses not yet by that time. unlike today). On the way, we visit the ‘Indian Coffee House’ nearby. Black coffee, Cutlet, Chappathi, boori, kuruma (in typical coffee house color of violet because of beet-root), Egg-scramble, another typical coffee house item, in pure white, caused by only egg-white. The items are announced in abbreviated forms like VC (Vegetable Cutlet), MC (Mutton Cutlet). We loudly order the expanded version, in a humorous way: ‘four Vice Chancelors’! 

Now…!

The intimacy of relationship with Dr Madhu equally applies to his other similar friends, like Dr Cyriac Mathew, who did his PhD in my Dept (Futures Studies, where I did my M.Phil and Ph.D). Dr Cyriac also ‘retired’, after being the Principal of the University College and the Deputy Director of Collegiate Education. Retirement at their prime creative years seems a national wastage, especially when I observe around here in USA, where the age-span of Professors in the colleges and universities in USA, stretching beyond the age of 70! 

After the completion of my Masters in Economics, the next year I started tutoring in AXIS College, that specialized in Masters courses. While, I also started tutoring part-time in other Tutorials like SN College in Chempazhanthy, Modern Tutorial College, Menon and Krishnan College in Kollam, etc. We ourselves,  I mean the friends that I mentioned above, also had initiated a Tutorial College in Neyyattinkara, but we couldnt sustain it, because one by one joined in various other professional fields. While, the present generation in their life-phase of post and pre-batchelor and masters degrees, they are having the phase of self-financing regular (unlike the tutoring colleges of my generation) professional colleges all over the state! And, yes, the IT and digital boom! When I look back, I notice that my ‘full-time’ tutoring, my state of ‘to-support the family’, instead of ‘getting-the-support from the parents’ and my community services in the coast (the third year of my Batchelor degree course in Mar Ivanios College, I was the Regional President of AICUF, etc, my acceptance of the offer to be the Managing Editor of ‘Theerasabdam’ (‘Voice of the Coast’ under the FIDES Center of Jesuit Priests, then accepting the invitation to be the Training Animator and then the Training Coordinator in the Program for Community Organization (PCO), my jumping into the series of fish workers’ movement to conserve the marine ecology, (in spite that year I qualified the IAS Preliminary Exam), etc might have constrained me in building my ‘profession’, in the same way as my other friends in my generation did. Still, I dont regret, because each one is in their own ‘time-zone’ of their life! Thus, I am in my own ‘time zone’ of accomplishments! So you too! Don’t give up!