Memories die hard
It was the mid-1970s, and as an average student, my elders thought it best for me to attend a school close to home. So, after a brief stint at Canara High School, I joined Class IX at Cascia High School, near Maranamikatte, Mangaluru. What a vibrant and diverse community it was! The school pulsed with energy, thanks to our student-friendly teachers and the lively atmosphere. We had ample opportunities to explore our creativity through various curricular and extracurricular activities, including sports like underarm cricket.
Those were carefree days, filled with childish pranks, volleyball, and loitering in stationary and general stores, which we considered hubs of knowledge and excellence. We also spent hours at a nearby flour mill, whose owner became a close friend, although he was much older. He needed our help with changing belts, and we were happy to oblige. He was a down-to-earth man who inspired us with his simplicity and piety.
One person who had a profound influence on us was another older gentleman, we called him anna, who was pursuing engineering at the prestigious Karnataka Regional Engineering College, Surathkal (now NITK). He was an avid reader and read everything from newspapers and novels to social and historical works. His favourites included Balzac, Dostoevsky, and Frederick Forsyth. Anna’s English language skills, both written and spoken, were exceptional. He was a movie buff, approachable, and endearing. We owed much to him, for he was an inspiration to many of us who loved movies.
While in school, we visited theatres once a week. Alternate holidays were reserved for various beach spots. We enjoyed English, Kannada, Hindi, as well as Tulu movies. We would watch them at iconic theatres like New Chitra, Central, Jyothi, Ramakanthi, Platinum, Rupavani, and Amrith—sadly, many of them are now closed. One memorable incident was when our school management organised a benefit show of Aata (Yakshagana) at the historic Nehru Maidan. We were told to sell the tickets in nearby houses, which took us to Jeppu Bappal, Mahakalipadpu, and the nearby historic Mangalore Club and surrounding areas.
On the day of the show, four of us managed to watch four movies in different theatres: Central, Rupavani, Ramakanth, and New Chitra. We caught the morning, matinee, evening, and night shows in these theatres before heading to Nehru Maidan for the Yakshagana performance, which lasted till the early hours of the morning. All these memories came flooding back when I passed by the school’s new annex building and old building a fortnight ago, in the dead of night. As I looked at the familiar structures, my memories began to roll, and I felt recharged.