Memoirs-ByPakku

My MEMOIRS By Edward Pascal Fernandes (aka Pakku)



Foreword My memoirs could easily be a story of any first born of a large rural farming family of coastal Kanara belt of yester years. It was pretty common to have six, eight, ten or twelve children in the family and the struggle and sacrifices of the eldest, one or two next, perhaps to support the parents in raising the younger siblings could make many today ponder over how they managed to survive. Worse, if there were more girls! The story is of one such eldest brother to 12 siblings; 10 girls and 2 boys, all born and raised in a farming family. Encountering innumerable hardships in the early days, the progress the siblings made in life is phenomenal and makes this book worth reading. Though the major part of this memoir consists my own journey in life from childhood, at any stage the reader would find some connection with my siblings in particular and of the family in general. Happy reading.

My roots and early days East House was a landmark in Kemundel, Yellur village of South Kanara (now Udupi) district, not because of the location of the building but for the person living there in the early 20th century, i.e., from 1924 to 1966, the late Mr. Antony Fernandes, my grandfather. My grandfather was the only person who could read and write in English as well as in the local languages, i.e., Kannada, Tulu, and Konkani. People from far and near would come to him to write addresses on letters written to their dear ones. He had been working as a Mistry in the Malabar Rubber estates under British superiors before he came down to his native village to be with the family after a tragedy. Their thatched roof house got completely burnt down in 1923. I was told that my dad, who was approximately a year old child, was thrown out of the burning house. The family then decided to shift to a new place Kemundel as tenants of a landlord who would give them a certain portion of his land for cultivation and a house to live in. They shifted to this new place in 1924, and this house was known as East House. Here, besides engaging in farming, my grandfather also started teaching in a local school and became an extremely popular person in the village. With his experience and knowledge, he could impress everyone who came into his contact and was endearingly called \"Anthu Master\" until his last breath. He also regularly took part in Church activities and worked as Sacristan (helper to the parish priest in the church) for many years. His parents, father Lawrence Fernandes, popularly known around as Babanshet, mother Magdalene Machado, and all his 10 siblings lived within a 15 km radius. My grandfather was the eldest of the siblings, eight boys, and two girls. My grandparents (grandmother - Regina Fernandes) had 7 children (2 girls followed by 3 boys and then 2 girls.) My father, Raymond Fernandes was the middle child after the elder son Albert and younger son John. Grandfather, being influenced by the British and a teacher by profession, was a strict father and a responsible head of the family.

His 2 eldest daughters Celestine and Maria were married off at an early age. The next child, i.e., his elder son Albert, was sent to Bombay at a tender age of 10 years to earn to support the family. The second son Raymond, my father (whom we fondly call ‘Baab’), was introduced to the family profession of agriculture, right from the age of 9 years. He worked full time in the fields and helped the family in managing the household tasks. The youngest brother was still at school, and the two younger sisters were too young to contribute substantially at home. As time passed, the children grew, and life was initially a struggle for survival and later it was a race for progression of the family. In a tragic accident during the monsoon of 1945, the second-last daughter of the family, Theresa, fell into the family well while drawing water and drowned. The family grieved for some time but the actual loss of a helping hand inside the house in cleaning and cooking was very much felt as the elders, including my grandmother were always out in the fields. So, as a solution, my grandparents asked their eldest son, who was employed in Bombay, to get married. He promptly refused as he still did not have a permanent job and was facing financial issues. They, then convinced their second son, my father who was any way at home helping the parents, to get married at an early age. My mother, Christina Nazareth (whom we fondly call Mai) is from a village called Kalathur, about 8 km away from our place came home as the first daughter-in-law of my grandparents. Soon, she was given charge of the house. The year 1947 was an important and unforgettable year, first for our country India and next, for the Fernandes family of Yellur village in Udupi district! Yes, while India finally got freedom on August 15, 1947, a few

events before that in the same year are still fresh in the memory of the living members of the family. The eldest son, Albert, was finally ready for marriage and got married on January 14, 1947, to Rosy D'Souza from Neachal, Belman about 8 km from our place. During the same week, the Church Annual feast was also celebrated with pomp and revelry with our family being the principal sponsors as it coincided with the wedding and so many relatives converging at the house after a long time. The good news was that the other daughter-in-law (my mother) was expecting her first child and the first grandchild of the family was the icing on the cake. The whole family was in a festive mode. However, this happiness was short-lived as on a cold morning in late February 1947, my grandfather suffered a massive paralytic stroke. There was chaos and desperate attempts from everyone to revive him; he was lying motionless, his face drawn to one side and his right side was lifeless and cold. There was no doctor available close by in those days. The pundits and local vaidyas tried their best. Fresh hot blood of a grown-up male fowl and pigeon was poured from his side and herbal oil massages with hot water bath were given day after day. Later, he was taken to Fr. Muller's Hospital at Mangalore and treated there for some time. In short, the best possible treatment available at that time was given to him and many relatives and family friends even today admit that the fact he lived for the next 19 years with his right side paralyzed was a testimony of the care and concern of the family. Slowly, he started walking with help of a stick and later started doing his chores - eating, washing, shaving, bathing, and doing small errands around the house. This was a big relief to my grandmother who was always at his side. Life had to move on; the 2 sons (Albert & John) left for Bombay to resume their work and earn for the family, especially for the treatment which was very costly even at that time. Amidst all this, on April 6, 1947, the first grandchild of the Fernandes family (yours truly) was born. It was not just any Sunday, rather it was Easter Sunday, an important day of celebration as per the Catholic calendar. The atmosphere at home was slowly returning to normalcy. The sickness of grandpa was accepted as an endurance test for the family, and the birth of a child was slowly changing the mood.

My name Edward Pascal has a story behind it! While I was still in Mai's womb, my grandfather wanted to name the child Edward if it were a boy since he was a very great admirer of King Edward V of England who visited India (the Gateway of India monument in Bombay was built to commemorate the King’s visit to India). But it so happened that I was born on Easter Sunday and being an important feast there were a few guests at home. One of them was late Mr. P.D’souza, the father-in-law of my elder uncle who had come down to meet his newly married daughter. He declared that the child has to be named Pascal (meaning born on Pasc or Easter) besides whatever name already had been decided. And hence, I was christened Edward Pascal. During my growing up years at home I vividly remember there was a lot of noise, activity, and a lot of people too. My younger uncle got married to Theresa when I was 3 years old and stayed in the same house. Though sick and confined to his bed, grandfather used to be consulted for all important decisions at home. All his mental faculties were working fine even though his physical movements were restricted. He used to wake everybody up at around 5.30 am looking at the position of the North Star in the sky and lead the family prayers first thing in the morning. In the evening too he used to conduct the rosary and prayers for almost an hour after everyone finished their daily chores and had taken a bath. Soon after, Mai would serve dinner - mostly hand- pounded boiled rice and fish curry. Bronze plates were used in those days and all the family members had their plates, known to them by shape, size, thickness, and depth. All activities for the day would be over by around 8.00 pm, which would mean we were in bed by 8.30 pm latest. (It is now difficult to imagine those days without electricity/clocks/television, not even transistor radio nor any means of transport. I still remember the times that I walked with my grandmother to our cousin Deog’s place at Moodubelle and Robert’s place at Nandalike, both

about 15 km from our place.) Grandfather told us all sorts of stories besides doing minor chores around the house. He taught us Catechism at a very young age and made us lead the family prayers in the evening. By that time, my elder uncle Albert and his wife shifted to Bombay. There were also additions to the family every 2 years. By the time I left home after my SSLC in 1964, we were 7 siblings in addition to my uncle's 4 children making it a total of 11 children and 5 elders at home. My sister Angeline who was around a year old at that time was the youngest. The rest of my siblings were born after I left home. Not only that my youngest sister, Dr. Nancy (Chimmi as she is fondly called) was born 4 months after my wedding in 1975. (Hence my daughter Susanne too is nicknamed Chimmi.) The elder uncle, Albert, used to come home with his family once a year as long as his parents were alive. He worked for the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, retired as a CGO (civilian Gazzetted Officer) in 1979, and stayed at Sankli Street, Byculla, Mumbai till 1983. When this place became congested, he bought a house at Orlem, Malad soon after retirement and shifted. He has 6 children, 3 boys, and 3 girls, all born and brought up in Mumbai, married and settled. Uncle Albert passed away in July 2005 just when the water of the great Mumbai floods started receding. My aunt Rosy stays with the youngest son Anil and his wife Maria. My younger uncle John was working in Mumbai and used to come home once or twice a year. At times both of the families came home together, and their coming home was a big event especially for the children as we used to get chocolates, nankatai biscuits, new clothes, fountain pens, and little pocket money. I still remember they used to bring bundles of the new 2 rupee notes from RBI just to please all of us. Handling brand new currency notes of any denomination was unheard of in our village. Of course, that was possible because Rosy aunt’s brother Dominic was employed with RBI main office at Fort Mumbai, a stone’s throw away from Naval Dockyard where uncle Albert worked. Uncle John did not have a permanent or government job, he worked in Hotel Alibaba near Gateway of India and stayed within the hotel premises if he had to stay back late or stayed at St. Francis Xavier Club of Kenha, Pinto House, Duncan Road, Nagpada, Mumbai. On his weekly off he visited uncle Albert’s family at Sankli Street and spent the day. Later, he tried his luck in gulf something which

he had always dreamt about. His wife Theresa and his 4 children lived together along with my grandparents, my parents and their 7 children at home till 1962. Both the uncles used to send money through postal money orders in the name of their father. Their brother back home, Raymond, my Baab was taking care of the entire agricultural activity with the help of the 3 women at home. Baab’s youngest sister, Emiliana finished her SSLC in 1953, the very first batch from Board High School, Admar later known as Poornaprajna Junior College, Admar. The brothers took her to Mumbai for employment and to support the family. But she had other plans and came back home within a year and in 1955 joined the Holy Rosary Convent, a religious Franciscan congregation for women at Mangalore and became Sr. Alphonsa. She has been a constant source of inspiration, motivation and moral support to my parents and my siblings, especially when we were young, studying and going through difficult situations in life. The following article published in The Examiner, a Mumbai Catholic English weekly on the occasion of her 75th birthday on March 17, 2011, is a tribute and fitting testimony of her life.

Sr. Alphonsa – Missionary zeal at the age of 75 Sr. Alphonsa Fernandes, UFS will be marking the 75th year of her life on March 17, 2011. She has been enjoying rather good health and is filled with unusual zeal to spread the Good News of Jesus bringing solace and comfort to the lonely and the poor. For the past eleven years, she is serving in St. Joseph’s convent Hunsur, in the Diocese of Mysore in Karnataka. Here she animates SCC meetings, rectifies marriages and gives them faith formation, and shifts the neglected elderly and terminally ill patients to the old age houses and Vimal Terminal Centre, Mysore respectively, with the help of local people. Tries to get jobs to non-skilled women in different institutions, teaches adult catechism, visits families, and prays with them. Visits the sick and attends funerals and consoles the bereaved members of the families. She also goes to the Parish sub-station along with other nuns especially for conducting Stations of the Cross, to read and pray the passion narratives to a small catholic congregation over there. Sr. Alphonsa hails from Kenha, Mudarangady, St.Francis Xavier Parish of Mangalore diocese and is the youngest child of late teacher Antony Fernandes and Regina Fernandes. After her S.S.L.C. her elder brother took her to Mumbai for better prospects and yet within a year she came back and joined the Ursuline Franciscan Congregation, Mangalore in 1955. She is the first girl from the parish to become a religious and later, motivation for many to join. Sr. Jyothi and Sr. Ivy from the family too joined the congregation 15 years later in her footsteps. She is a science graduate from St. Agnes College, Mangalore. After a few years of teaching in a High School in Mangalore, she was sent to the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune to study Clinical Pathology and Blood Bank Techniques for a year, at the request of Fr. Muller’s Hospital, Mangalore. Thereafter, she served for ten years at Fr Muller’s hospital heading the department of Pathology and blood bank. Here she helped lots of poor patients with concessional bills and for better medical care. After Fr. Mullers, the Congregation appointed her as the administrator of M&RF Rural hospital, Naganahalli in Mysore Diocese. Here she served for six years, also conducting a village health outreach program for ten villages. During this time, she brought out a book ‘Little Lamp’ describing developmental works undertaken by the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters in the Diocese of Mysore. Later, she compiled the history of the Ursuline Franciscan Congregation \"BRANCH OF THE VINE - FRUIT OF THE BRANCH\" by taking full two years as requested by her Superiors. Thereafter, she was elected as the Councilor General of the Congregation in Mangalore for six years. After finishing

her term of office, she did a year of Theological Education at JDV Pune, to take up full-time pastoral and family apostolate. During young age, she had been to EAPI Manila to study a year of Pastoral Theology. She celebrated the Golden Jubilee of her final vows in 2007. Sr. Alphonsa is an educationist, a social worker, a healer, a historian, an effective administrator, a pastoral apostle, a committed religious, and above all a friend of the poor and the lonely irrespective of caste, creed, and religion! She has been a great source of inspiration to our family to give witness to our belief and faith; Support at testing times. We, her nephews and nieces feel proud of our dear aunt and thank God for all the good that He has done through her.

Continuing my story…. After Sr. Alphonsa joined the convent, our visits to Mangalore city became frequent, mostly for hospital visits and for medication. My grandfather had asthma; however, fortunately, Sr. Alphonsa was employed in the Laboratory (now renamed – Pathology Centre) at Fr. Muller’s Hospital. So, whenever our grandfather had severe bouts of asthma, she used to take him to the hospital, many times getting him admitted for a few days. She used to guide and teach our parents about children's health and hygiene. Since I was the only brother to my five sisters, I was getting all the attention and special privileges, especially from my grandmother and Sr. Alphonsa. I was more attached to my grandmother than Mai till I left home in April 1964. My grandmother was a well- known personality around our place and an influential lady. Her word was final. Schooling for us siblings was difficult. The elder five of us walked about 5 km one way to go to Mudarangadi to attend the school that was run by our parish. It was a full time day school, from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm with one hour lunch break. Most of the children used to carry tiffin boxes with boiled rice and pickles for lunch. It was a Kannada-medium school, English started from the 6th grade. However, I was one of the few lucky students of the school who knew a little bit of English even before joining the school. My grandfather started teaching me English when I was 4 years old. It was a need at that time as there was no one at home to write addresses on the letters to be sent to Mumbai, to the two sons there. So before starting to go to school, I was writing addresses in English on the Inland letters. After passing 7th grade at St. Francis Xavier Hr. Primary School at Mudarangadi, I was admitted to Admar High School in June 1960. It was the old pattern of Education at that time and in a High School one started from I Form (the sixth class) and hence I joined in the III form. But within a year, the Karnataka government introduced the new 10+2 pattern. All the same, I had spent 11 years on my matriculation. I distinctly remember that in 5th and 6th grades, we studied geography and maps of Madras Province as our district South Kanara was a part of it. When I joined Admar High School, I had to walk 6 km in the opposite direction. The earlier school was towards the East and many children from the neighboring houses used to walk together. But I had a role- model in Fr. Augustine D' Souza, my cousin (second son of dad's eldest

sister) who stayed with us and completed his matriculation at Admar High School, just 3 years before I joined. He was a sincere and hard-working person and was a great help to my dad around the house. He used to help my dad in ploughing the fields and drawing water from the wells before going to school in the morning. He used to help me with my homework too. After he finished high school, he joined a seminary to become a priest. He served at Varanasi diocese of Uttar Pradesh. I started helping my dad in the mornings and evenings. At that time, there were several agricultural tasks that only men could perform and since I was the only male member who could help around, I had no option. The paddy cultivation and harvesting times were the most hectic days for the farming families in the coastal belt. Normally, the cultivation and harvesting activities start from the onset of monsoon till July, then from October to November, and then from late January till February. The rest of the year is normally quiet, coupled with many festivals, celebrations, and family gatherings. Both my sisters (born immediately after me) were sent to Mangalore for their high school education on my aunt’s advice. Their studies were supported by the Holy Rosary Convent. They continued staying there and chose the religious way of life. On completion of their high school, they too joined the same congregation UFS (Ursuline Franciscan Sisters) to become nuns. Today Sr. Jyothi Fernandes, ex Provincial Superior - Mysore Province, and Sr. Ivy Fernandes, the first lawyer in their congregation are well known within the religious fraternity. These 2 eldest sisters along with our aunt Sr. Alphonsa are the architects who shaped the future of the younger siblings. As I mentioned earlier, we had a very difficult time at home when we were schooling, especially after the separation of our uncles until the early 1980s. Uncle Albert took his wife to Mumbai in Oct 1947 about six months after his marriage and they continued to stay in Mumbai. Uncle John also parted ways and took away his wife and children to a rented house nearby in 1962 and that stopped the regular monthly monetary assistance. However, on some occasions, they did send money orders to their elderly parents. Uncle Albert had anyway made it clear that he would stay separate and did not want to do anything with the house or the property; however, it was the separation of Uncle John and his family that hit my grandparents the hardest. They had expected these two sons to look after them and manage the leased property with agricultural land.

Though not voiced out anywhere, the Karnataka Government’s land reforms act that came in force somewhere during Indira Gandhi’s time wherein Baab became the owner of the land which he was tilling until then might have prompted this sudden change of events in the family. Many small-time farmers who were tilling and farming land-owner's farms and giving them most of the produce each year as royalty, suddenly became landowners. It was a revolutionary change in the history of the state of Karnataka after Independence. Yes, this gave the farmers relief from the clutches of the landlords but the financial support to manage the household expenses was still missing. The only way to generate liquid cash was to sell agricultural produce like vegetables, coconuts, betel leaves, and some cereals in the local market to buy other provisions for home. We did have some kindhearted relatives in Mumbai and the Gulf region who used to send some money during Christmas, New Year, and other occasions during the year or whenever they visited home. Baab normally worked in the fields and related agricultural activities during the pre-lunch session and used to go to the local market in the evenings to sell his wares and other agricultural produce. With the money he got, he would buy some fish for the evening meal and some items for the house. The evening meal was a grand family affair after the family prayers. I remember our grandfather used to lead the family prayers till April 1964 that was when I left home to look for a career and to support Baab financially. All the same, my childhood days were a lot of fun and memorable ones. There were at least 15-20 children within the close neighborhood. We always went to school and church together and played together in the evenings till we were called back. Since all were Roman Catholic Christians and spoke Konkani fluently, we gelled well. During holidays, the boys played cricket till lunch and then went fishing in the nearby culverts and streams to catch some sweet water fish. As a youngster, I was very active in church activities and participated in almost all of them. I have been a member of the sodality for boys (Altar servers), Legion of Mary, and also volunteered for housekeeping in the church premises. Even during high school, I was acknowledged throughout for my performance in academics and given some important positions in the school. I was a cadet of ACC (Auxiliary Cadet Corps) for 3 years and participated in all the camps conducted. After I finished my new X standard (matriculation) after 11 years of schooling in 1964, it was time to decide the future and unfortunately, there were not many options available at that time. My final exams were over in March 1964 and the results were expected in early June. However, Baab had no patience and was keen to send me to Mumbai to

look for employment to support him in maintaining the large family. Yes, I still remember the day when Baab sent me to Mumbai for the first time with the late Mr. John D'Souza and late Mr. Mark D'Souza of Admar in April 1964. Some family members suggested waiting until the results of my matriculation exams were announced but Baab clearly said that he could not afford any higher education for me and that I better look for employment in Mumbai. Anyway, by God’s grace, I got a First Class, a rare achievement in those days, and everyone in the family was thrilled. Quite honestly, getting a first-class in all 4 groups was a very rare achievement those days. After the declaration of results, the Head Master of the high school approached Baab to send me to the Intermediate (XI standard, going to be started for the first time from June 1964) and assured him of a scholarship but Baab refused saying that he could not afford the sundry expenses involved in college education. So, Mumbai it was! Traveling to Mumbai was a two-day affair those days. People from Mangalore and Udupi had to travel by bus to Someshwara and then take a minibus via Agumbe Hills to reach Harihar railway station on the Bangalore Pune line. From there, we had to take a meter gauge train, Mahalaxmi Express, to Pune (which originated from Bangalore). At Pune, we had to change into a broad gauge train that reached Mumbai Victoria Terminus (now CSMT) at around 7.00 pm the next day. So, it took quite a long time to reach Bombay in 1964. Much later the Mumbai - Pune Expressway was constructed along with national highways, and now we can travel this same distance in 16-18 hours by road. Also, with the Konkan Railway commissioned in 1997, traveling between Mangalore and Mumbai has become comfortable and easy. On reaching Mumbai, I was taken to St. Francis Xavier Club of Kenha, at Nagpada, Bombay, a place leased out to a group of people hailing from our village. Those days a lot of men from our village used to work as taxi drivers, waiters, workers in textile mills, and also employed in the bakeries of Mumbai. They lived as forced bachelors in these clubs thus saving some money for their families back home. It was normal for 100 to 250 single men to stay together in such clubs. I stayed in this club for about 3 months, scouting for some job opportunities and for some close relatives to come and help me. The grace period for a newcomer to stay in the club as a non-member guest was three months and hence I was forced to shift at my uncle Albert’s place at Sankli Street, Byculla. I stayed there for around 7-8 months till I joined Ordnance Factory, Ambarnath as an Apprentice in January 1965.

Those few months that I spent at my uncle’s house are the most unforgettable and most constructive days of my life. I was just 17 years old and away from home for the first time. Life was different in Mumbai than back home in Mangalore. My uncle and his family of 7 members (eldest son aged 12 years) were living in a tiny 20' x 20' one-room apartment on the third floor with only a single point 60W electric bulb. Washrooms and water taps were common for all 12 tenants of the floor. The day usually began at 5.30 am with filling buckets and vessels with water for the day. The municipal water timings were 5 am to 7 am basically 2 hours a day for that area and each tenant had 15 minutes to use the water tap. My uncle and I used to fill water from the ground floor common tap. After that, I had to go to the milk booth and get bottled milk, 2 bottles about one liter for the entire family for a day. In the meantime, uncle prepared coffee in a kettle, warmed water, applied Polson butter to the bread, and kept breakfast ready. After having breakfast, he would read the daily newspaper ‘The Free Press Journal’ for about half an hour and get ready to go to the office. He worked in the Naval Dockyard as a civilian officer. On his way to the office, I accompanied him to the marketplace as he bought provisions for the day before boarding the bus to go to the office. I walked back about a kilometer and then helped my aunt in the household chores besides helping Clifford, their eldest son, in his studies, especially in Mathematics. The fact that he scored a perfect score of 100 in mathematics in his SSC exams was the biggest tribute to my efforts (though I had problems communicating in English at that time). The advantage though I had was that back home in Mangalore, algebra, geometry, physics, chemistry, and mathematics used English alphabets. My uncle would hand over the newspaper to me in the evenings after coming back from the office and expected me to read the entire newspaper by evening the next day when he returned home. He would ask me some questions to check if I had read it completely. He would also ask me to write a few passages on the important news items of the day in my own words and check them often. Believe me this immensely helped me to improve my English communication and my handwriting. In those days many job positions as office staff were available for those who got First Class division, i.e., above 60% in SSLC. My uncle always helped me to make handwritten applications and I attended many interviews. The option of photocopying was not available and I had to get typewritten copies of my mark sheet and leaving certificate and got them attested, signed, and stamped by a gazetted officer from my uncle’s office. In the interim, I worked in an Irani Restaurant & Bakery for 3 months near Byculla bridge. I also worked with a

relative early in the morning between 4.00 and 6.00 am for distributing milk and bread. I traveled alone with the guidance and landmarks given by my uncle in BEST buses and local trains all over Mumbai and the extended suburbs for interviews. (Uncle used to visit close relatives with family along with me across Mumbai suburbs once a month on holidays or Sundays always traveling by BEST buses. During the second half of the year 1964 I had a good exposure to Mumbai roads and was confident of traveling alone.) But this did not help me land a regular staff job as I was not 18 years old and failed in medical tests as I was weighing less than 105 lbs. which was the qualifying benchmark for any Technical Apprentice job. The most heartbreaking experience was at Burmah Shell Refineries (now Bharat Petroleum) where I was among the final 30 and rejected on medical grounds. Then came the Ordnance Factory, Ambarnath (OFA) interview and medical test in Jan 1965 and I was through. It was an additional intake due to the Indo-Pak war in 1965 and a blessing in disguise for me.

Some firsts  My first Hindi film at a theatre was Dosti at the Palace, a movie theater near Byculla railway station, Mumbai.  The first big news after I reached Bombay was the death of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.  Soon afterwards, the Vashi bridge was opened in November 1964 just before the 38th International Eucharistic Congress in Mumbai.  The entire stretch of South Mumbai roads was washed by the fire brigade and illuminated at night. It was the biggest show of the Catholic world happening in Mumbai.  Pope Paul VI came to Mumbai and a beaming Cardinal Valerian Gracias welcomed him along with the governor and the chief minister of Maharashtra at the Mumbai international airport.  My first pair of black leather shoes, Bata “Walk Master” costing Rs.19.90 bought by uncle Albert for Christmas on 24th December 1964.

Oh, Ambarnath! I remember my first day at work on February 10, 1965, at Ordnance Factory Ambarnath (OFA). I left my uncle’s residence at around 6.10 am and came to Byculla railway station, bought a return ticket between Byculla and Ambarnath costing Rs.2.50. (These days the same ticket costs Rs.80.00 or a little more.) I had already found out the timetable of the trains between Ambarnath and Byculla the earlier evening and had noted them down for my easy reference. There was a train known as Engine local those days resembling a long-distance passenger train with coaches hauled by an electric engine. It left Victoria Terminus – VT (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus - CST) at 6.15 am for Karjat, halting only at Byculla, Dadar, Ghatkopar, Thane, Dombivali, and at all stations after Kalyan. This train used to come to Byculla at 6.27 am and was the most convenient one for me as it reached Ambarnath at 7.35 am. The OFA muster in-timing was 7.45 am and the distance between the railway station and the main gate of OFA, through the Swaminagar shanties was about a 7 min brisk walk. When I reached the main gate with a horde of people, all alighted from the same train, all walked inside through the gate, showing some round brass token. We were asked to join a few more standing inside the gate, near the security office. There was a deafening siren blown at 7.45 am and the gate closed at 7.48 am. People started walking to their respective departments and very soon we were only a few youngsters standing there and wondering what would happen next. “Yeah, you all boys, come here and stand in a line” roared a hoarse voice from behind us. There was a potbellied, elderly, bespectacled, very fair-looking elderly Anglo-Indian man standing at the main-gate office and directing us to a window at the Security office, immediately behind the main-gate office. Later we learned that he was Mr. Stuart, Senior Gatekeeper and a very popular figure with lots of instant humor. [We were about 25 boys.] After some formalities, a watchman led all 25 of us to the Training Centre about one km inside. It was about 8.45 am and we were asked to stand in the Training Workshop, where approximately 30 boys in Khaki uniform (half sleeves shirt and half pant), most of them in black leather shoes were working on a fitting bench. At 9.00 am an electric bell rang and all the boys working on the fitting bench

dropped their tools and ran to a corner where we could see a tea vendor. Soon, a handsome young man, formally dressed in a full sleeve Japanese Terylene shirt and matching terry wool pants with high-end Bata shoes came to us and wished us good morning. As our response was not impressive, he yelled back “Can’t you hear me? I wished you all a good morning”. Immediately there was a loud response “Good morning Sir.” He continued “My name is Mohammed Koya, I am your workshop supervisor. You are all apprentices of IV batch under Apprentices Act 1961” and gave us some briefing about our schedule of training. He was a chain smoker of Panama cigarettes (they were too good to the last puff…that’s what the advertisement said those days) and we could smell the tobacco within his 10-meter radius, defeating the fragrance of his imported perfume that he so abundantly used. He was a bachelor then and hailed from Kerala. By then, the crowd near the tea vendor thinned out and we were instructed to go for tea and snacks to the same vendor. We were longing for a break more than the tea and the potato vada that was available with him. The vendor told us to buy canteen coupons during the lunch break which we could use in place of cash as a normal practice. I bought a few coupons of 5, 10, 25, and 50 paisa denominations. (50 paisa coupon was the highest denomination coupon during those days in the canteen.) The tea time was restricted to 20 minutes and before the bell rang again we could see Mr. Koya standing in the middle of the training center puffing a Panama cigarette. All of us ran back to reach in time but 3-4 boys who could not make it were asked to stand outside the training center. He explained that he would not tolerate indiscipline, especially about punctuality. We had to reach inside the training center by 7.45 am and not just inside the factory gate! Now, this meant that we should collect our zinc token from the Yard & Labor section and deposit the same in the training center department token board by 7.45 am. It was a back- breaking experience for the initial few days. Standing at the bench while filing continuously was extremely tiring and our legs and feet used to scream for a break. But our strict instructor would not give us any till the tea bell rang at 9.00 am. Post the first break, the second session was from 9.20 am to 11.00 am. A welcome break of 15 minutes for water and washroom up to 11.15 am and then the one-hour lunch break at 12.15 pm. Most of the workforce brought their lunch from home; some brought only chapattis and used curry or bhaji from the canteen and few ate their full meal at the canteen. For the initial few days when I traveled from Byculla (uncle Albert’s place), I ate at the canteen. Veg lunch – 45 paisa and Non-veg lunch – 55 paisa. Soon I made friends with some canteen staff hailing from our native place Udupi and enjoyed out-of-turn benefits and services, of course on payment.

Traveling between Ambarnath and Byculla every day, six days a week was not a very comfortable situation from my uncle’s point of view for various reasons though I was enjoying the new experience. He was trying to identify some known family within the Ordnance Estate so that I could shift in with them. Soon, he found out that his neighbor, Mrs. Mary’s niece, Celestine, and her husband Mr. Fredrick Adams were staying inside the Ordnance Estate. Mr. Adams used to work as Head Clerk in the Administration Department of the Ordnance Factory and was a pretty sought-after person among his friends and colleagues. And so on a Sunday, Mrs. Mary, my uncle, and I visited them at their residence and finalized an unwritten agreement for me to stay with them as a paying guest @ Rs.50/- per month. Finally, on the first Sunday of March 1965, I shifted to their house inside the Estate, ‘New H-type 80/5’. It was a home away from home for me as their lifestyle was quite similar to mine especially with language, food, and religious practices. Both Mr. Adams and his wife Celestine were nice people and staunch Catholics. I started reading the book Reader’s Digest at his place and every month after he finished reading he handed it to me to read. Well, from then to now, my patronage to RD continues, been almost 46 years. The Rs.3 a copy then is Rs.100 now! Mr. Fredrick was a great fan of Kishore Kumar and did not miss any of his films. I saw the movie “Ganga ki Leharein” at Ambarnath with him – the last show (9 pm to 12 am) at Laxmi Theatre. The same year, 1965, was also remembered for the release of two very famous Hindi films, Raj Kapoor’s Sangam at Apsara Talkies, the new theatre near Grant Road station which was inaugurated with this release, and Dilip Kumar’s Leader at Maratha Mandir near Bombay Central station. A friend of mine, Srinivas Rao, and I decided to see Sangam on a Sunday 3 pm show and boarded a train from Ambarnath (without a ticket as we did not have enough money) at about 12.40 pm. We alighted at Dadar station to change from Central to Western Railway, carefully avoiding the Ticket Collector’s (TC) at the exit points and almost landed on the platform to catch the train for Grant Road. At the very entrance to the compartment, a TC in civil dress asked us to show our tickets. We were caught! My friend narrated the story to the TC and appealed

to allow us to continue but he did not agree and made us buy a return ticket to Ambarnath and go back home. Though, I did see the movie Sangam 2-3 years later at a local theatre in Ambarnath. Mr. Adams also encouraged me to learn cycling as he had a Raleigh which was one of the most respected brands of that era. On Sundays, whenever I did not visit my uncle’s place at Byculla, I went to Fatima Church for Sunday Mass along with the entire Adams family. Of course, I did visit my uncle’s place on Saturdays, immediately after the 10th of every month, and on special occasions and festivals. Most of the time I came back on Sunday evenings to Mr. Adam’s place but sometimes, directly to the factory on Monday mornings. Staying with them was fun and excitement too. Their eldest son, Norbert (then about 10 years old) was always around me, either to play or study mathematics. Gradually, I made some friends in the neighborhood too. My first salary (stipend) received on March 10, 1965, was a princely sum of Rs.83, mostly crisp new ten rupees notes. It was a great feeling to hold my own hard-earned money for the first time (if I could say, the feeling was equal to conquering Mt. Everest!) Time flew fast and after 6 months of training at the Training Centre, we were sent to the Tool Room section for shop floor training. We had theory classes of 4 hours every week and the rest were practical sessions. I still remember Mr. Joshi, an elderly man very close to retirement, our other supervisor at the Training Centre, always sitting in the Tool Store and sleeping most of the time. His job was to issue tools in the morning, get them back in the evening and systematically collect and store our Exercise Jobs. No wonder once when the orderly came with potato vada and said “Sir, potato vada” he responded “apply grease and keep on the table” without opening his eyes . In the Tool Room, I came across some nice people who shared their experiences and helped me learn. Mr. Ratikant and Mr. Joseph in Fitting, Mr. Gomes and Mr. Williams in Grinding, Mr. Gaikwad and Mr. Kamble in Turning, and Mr. Nayak in Heat Treatment were a few noblemen I shall always remember. The Foreman of the Tool Room, Mr. Hari Pada Saha, was an affectionate person and talked to us daily about the progress of our training. Very soon it was time for the ATS Intake examination. We were eagerly waiting for the results of our exams in the first week of December 1965. Either you pass the exam and join ATS or else you could continue as an Apprentice for another 2 years which would then qualify you for NCTVT. I was lucky enough to pass the Intake examination. I received a letter from ATS Ambarnath asking me to report to Hostel No: 1 before 6.00 pm on

December 31, 1965. There was a list of items that we needed to bring along for our stay at the hostel. Since that letter came to my uncle’s address, he called me to Byculla and arranged the needful. I stayed with the Adams family till Dec 31, 1965. ATS hostels were at about 10 minutes walking distance from Mr. Adams place and I reached Hostel No: 1 by 5.30 pm along with a local friend with my luggage. By 6:15 pm, there were about 80 boys, coming from all corners of India, talking different regional languages among themselves. Two elderly men emerged from inside the hostel premises reminding us of the hit pair Laurel and Hardy. The more senior-looking pot-bellied, bald man started talking: “I am S R Patwardhan, your hostel warden….” and continued for a full 10 minutes or so telling us about the rules and regulations to be followed. Then, the Housemaster, Mr. Paradkar, the other man who was polished and had a buzz cut started speaking. He gave us our Roll Numbers, allotted beds, uniforms, overalls, canvas shoes, and explained the timetable for both, A and B shifts, covering theory and practical, detailed below: In the A-shift, from Monday to Friday, we had workshop (practical) from 7 am to 1 pm and theory (class room) from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm. Saturdays had no theory, rather only practical from 7.45 am to 12.15 pm (matching MPF general shift time, being half-day). The B-shift started with Physical Training in front of hostel no: 1 at 6.30 am (anything between half an hour to one hour, depending on the mood of the House Master), 9.30 am to 11.30 am theory and 1 pm to 7 pm practical. On Saturdays, just like the A-shift, the B-shift too had only practical sessions from 12.15 pm to 4.45 pm. The A-shift group had to compulsorily participate in sports activities after coming back to the hostel from their theory classes. This was the general timetable. The dining room in the mess remained open between 6 am and 8 am for breakfast, 12 noon and 2 pm for lunch, and 7 pm and 9 pm for dinner. Tea and snacks were served at Artisan Training Workshop (ATW) for the practical (workshop) group both in the morning and evening and at ATS for theory (classroom) group in the morning only. The afternoon theory group would have their tea at the mess dining hall as they came back at 4.30 pm.

Hostel No: 1, room no: 3 was allotted to me along with 13 other boys, making a total of 14 in that room. We saw 14 steel iron cots laid out, approximately 3 feet apart, 7 on either side, with about 4 feet wide passage in the center. We could see the roll numbers written on the wall side of each cot and I occupied bed number 7 as the roll number allotted to me was 66/7. After meeting and getting introduced to all 13 in the room, I left the hostel for dinner at Mr. Adams place for the last time as their paying guest. I came back to the hostel room at about 9.30 pm. Being a newcomer to the hostel, the watchman at the hostel gate near the mess told me that the gates closed at 10 pm sharp and the keys are deposited with the warden. It means no one could get in nor go out after that time. Most of the boys of our ITS III batch were accommodated in Hostel No: 1 and a few in Hostel Nos: 4 and 5. The first 14 boys of our batch were in my room, roll number wise their names were: 1. Roopsingh Rajput (Jabalpur – MP) 2. Vijay H Bennur (Bijapur – Karnataka) 3. P Radhakrishnan Nair (Trichur – Kerala) 4. Dipak Aich (Kolkatta – WB) 5. Dhananjay N Danave (Karjat – Maharashtra) 6. Ibrahim H Latif (Pune – Maharashtra) 7. Edward Pascal Fernandes (Udupi – Karnataka) 8. SS Shirsat (Nashik – Maharashtra) 9. Chandrakant Bhosle (Pune – Maharashtra) 10. D B Alhat (Aurangabad – Maharashtra) 11. S S Joshi (Nashik – Maharashtra) 12. Pradeep Kumar Pal (Kolkatta – WB) 13. Gurdayal Singh (Gurdaspur – Punjab) 14. Bijon Behari Das (Kolkatta – WB) We spent a lot of time talking to each other on various topics like family, school, education, first-year apprenticeship training, train travel to Ambarnath till we saw a powerful flash of torchlight accompanied by the loud voice of the warden to switch off the lights and go to sleep. Suddenly everything was quiet and all slipped under the bed sheets.

The two years in ATS were the formative and memorable years of my life. Most of the activities happened with clock-work precision, both in A and B shifts. Hostels 1, 2, and 3 were old buildings and 4 & 5 were comparatively newer. All 5 hostels had the ground+1 structure and had 4 big dormitory-type rooms. The rooms on either side of the entrance had 14 beds and at the far end towards the toilet and washrooms had 12 beds each. So, about 26 boys on either wing had to compete with each other for using the toilet and bathroom facilities. There were a few late-latifs and we could see them rushing to the dining room, half inside the overalls and trying to get inside it using one hand and the toothbrush with little toothpaste in the other hand. They would use the wash-basin just outside the dining hall, grab some breakfast in their hands and run towards the gate. More often than not, they had to sprint the last 100 meters to make it inside the factory premises before the siren rang. Once inside the gate, they walked leisurely to ATW (Artisan Training Workshop). ATW was a mini-factory by itself. Though it was a part of the bigger factory, ATW was erected and commissioned about 3 years earlier and we all know the history of both ATS and MPF. During our time in ATW, the important names were D R Khadke, Foreman, P M Dighe and C Sequeira, both Assistant Foremen, F Ambu, K R Joseph, S. Srinivasan, K Mulkwad, N P Balachandran – all Chargeman, C R Pasi, Thakur, Leo Fernandes, J B Singh, Jagannathan, Padmanabhan, Oundhkar and Naqvi were our instructors (supervisors). Fitting, Turning, Milling including Shaping, Slotting and Boring, Welding, Pattern Making, and Foundry were the main departments besides Inspection, Gauge Room and Tool Store. Though we had exposure to all trades as required by the syllabus, being a Fitter I spent most of my workshop time in Fitting followed by Gauge Room and Inspection. I remember the items we manufactured (Bench Vice, 6” Vernier Caliper, hand grinder 8” and cutting plier) under the guidance of Mr. Ambu, Pasi, and Oundhkar. P M Dighe and Prabhakaran (known as black beauty as he was dark) were fond of perfumes. Sequeira smoked peacock brand cigars (cheroot-stinks a lot!) and Mulkwad chewed masala paan and smoked Charminar cigarettes. All the same, they made a very good team and did a fine job of training so many of us artisans. During the six hours a day in the workshop, tea and snacks were served from the mess, both in the morning for A-shift and in the evening for B-shift. The tea breaks were the most sought-after intervals to talk to friends or hurriedly write notes for the afternoon theory class or a quick smoke behind the bathrooms near the extreme corner of the boundary wall. Panama, Scissors, and Charminar were the favorite brands and this ATW tea break session was the only place I

have seen to date where a lit cigarette was passed to the next man after one puff each, all sitting in a row leaning their backs on the wall. As a goodwill gesture, the cigarette came back to the owner only for that last puff! Normally the juniors would not dare smoke during their initial period unless one becomes a buddy of a senior and quietly starts smoking in the senior’s company much to the envy of other juniors. My roommate, P Radhakrishnan Nair, was a bidi smoker and at the beginning very stealthily used to hide in the dark corners to smoke one. Joshi chewed tobacco and Alhat once in a while gave him company. Around the end of the first year when the ITS-I batch was ready to leave, we had a feast (bada khana) in the mess and I remember some of the boys of our batch managed to get government country liquor (Narangi), some dry snacks, cigarettes and had a party in hostel no: 1 before going to the mess for dinner. This was one of the ways to demonstrate that we had now become seniors! Though I had tasted Narangi before, I did not like the taste. All the same, I was almost a smoker of Scissors by this time. During the second year in ATW, I was shifted to the Gauge room for 6 months and Inspection for the last 6 months. In the Gauge room there were no issues; Mr. N.P.Balachandran was very understanding and took good care of us and I could complete my training jobs (exercises as we called it). But my stint at Inspection dept. was in a way memorable and different from other departments. Of course, we were the senior-most at that time, indulged in exploring the loopholes in the system and taking advantage. Mr. Srinivasan, being the only staff member in the Inspection dept. used to come in the general shift from 7.45 am to 4.45 pm, though stayed back up to 6 pm most of the days to take care of B-shift. There were 6 students in Inspection, 2 of us seniors and 4 juniors. We planned in such a way that each one of us would take turns to go at 7.45 am instead of 7 am and strictly warned the juniors to not tattle on us. Getting inside the gate at 7.45 am was easy as many students from Foundry and Pattern shop worked in the general shift and a few of us could easily sneak in without creating any suspicion. All was fine for 2 weeks. Getting up leisurely while in A-shift was considered a luxury of a few privileged. Normally Mr. Srinivasan reached the department just before 8.00 am after mustering IN at the main gate at 7.45 am, then heading to the Foreman’s office to sign the attendance register and meeting and greeting his colleagues. But on a chilly Monday morning, somewhere in November 1967, to my horror, I saw Mr. Srinivasan sitting on his chair in the department. I was caught! He asked me for how long this late- coming was on and who else was with me. I simply looked down and responded

“Sorry Sir”. He was a shrewd, sharp, and intelligent man. He knew I was repentant and apologetic. He took me to the Foreman’s (Mr.D.R.Khadke) Office and made me stand outside for about 15 minutes. Later I was called by the Foreman and he too asked me a few questions but my response was only “Sorry Sir.” I was sent back to the department. Just before the end of the shift Mr. Srinivasan called me to his table and spoke to me for about 15 minutes and handed over a warning letter signed by the Foreman. This was the only warning letter that I got in 2 years in ATS. This news reached Mr. Sequeira and he called me to his cabin the next day. He too gave me some good advice. I had developed a good rapport with him, he being a Mangalorean Catholic. His son Ronny, probably a couple of years younger than me had become a friend of mine when he came to Ambarnath for vacation. Their house was close to the Regional Engineering College (now NIT), Katipalla, Suratkal near Mangalore. Very soon, by mid-December 1967 we had to prepare ourselves for transfer to any of the Ordnance Factories for Journeyman ship. We started maintaining a balance-days-at-ATS tracker on the Mess notice board. Though the whole institution was known as ATS, there were three distinct parts: - ATW (Artisan Training Workshop), which we went through above - ATH (Artisan Training Hostel), and - ATS (Artisan Training School) ATS was the headquarters of the Institute with all the administrative and academic setup, offices, classrooms, auditorium, technical library, and other infrastructure. Principal, Mr. R.M.Desai, Deputy Manager (Training) Mr.G.F.Mascarenhas, Assistant Managers (Training) Mr.A.Sanyal and Mr.C.S.Ranpise, Foreman Mr.P.K.Sen, and the Instructors were the people one could see at the ATS. Mr. Sanyal was always there to assist and guide us in any sort of difficulty and Mr. L.R.Misra, the language teacher was more a comedian than a teacher. I still remember his introduction to our class on the first day, “I am Mr. L.R.Misra, M.A.Literature (Hindi) from Gaya University! Then there was our theory instructor, Mr. Bajaj who pronounced ‘Screw’ as Saccrew. Our Engineering Drawing instructor Mr. G.Srinivasan was a very smart and strict man and I liked his classes. Unfortunately, he passed away in a train accident near Ambarnath station in 1968. For theory classes in ATS, we had to wear a khaki full sleeves shirt (which we rolled back), khaki half-pant properly ironed, and black leather shoes. Classes

were of 2 hr. duration, at 9.30 am to 11.30 am for B-shift and in the afternoon from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm for A-shift. Each session was of 50 minutes, 2 sessions a day. Tea and snacks, mostly Britannia biscuits were served during the morning tea. The main subjects taught were Workshop Theory, Workshop Calculations, Engineering Drawing, and Social Studies/Language. We were given loads of homework, especially on Workshop Calculations and Engineering Drawing. Defaulters were punished and warned that their ACR would be affected if becomes a habit. There were class tests every month and examinations at the end of each quarter and a report was sent to the parents/guardian. Going in and coming out of ATS was not as strict as the workshop since ATS had separate gates, though there was little or no bunking from classroom sessions. Any absence from theory and workshop had to be authorized by the warden or the housemaster and submitted to the office in writing. ATH, the hostel, was the most important part of the three as we had spent most of the time here during the two years. It was almost our second home; we ate there, stayed there, played there, studied there, and shared our personal and family information with the batch mates. The mornings were normally hectic with everyone trying to get inside the toilet or the bathroom. Irrespective of the shift, all would get out of their beds between 6 to 6.30 am. Besides, Adisheshiah the man Friday at the hostel would ring the bell hung near the mess at 6 am. Adishesh as he was called, a tall, strong-built man of Andhra origin, around 45- 50 years of age then, was always available at our hostels for anything and everything. He stayed behind the mess near the water tanks and could be contacted easily. The bathrooms usually got crowded in the evenings as soon as the B-shift boys were back from the workshop and all of them wanted a bath before going for dinner. Besides many of the A-shift boys too used to eat their lunch in overalls after coming from the workshop at 1 pm, laze around after theory classes, and rush for bath only when they heard the sound of the boots of the B-shift boys running in, wanting to beat them to the bathroom. Most of the boys avoided bath in the mornings, especially during winter, but there were a few like Pradeep Kumar Pal in our room who took a bath every day early in the morning, wrapped a Kolkata brand, almost transparent when wet, towel around his waist, lit agarbattis (incense sticks) and prayed in front of a frame of his family deity (Goddess Durga or Kali, I’m not too sure). The agarbatti packet and the matchbox were kept on his study table and Radhakrishnan Nair (who had a bed directly opposite Pal) flicked the matchsticks through the day to light his bidis and threw them under Pal’s bed. Warden once fired Pal and asked him about the matchsticks under his bed but he replied that he lighted agarbattis in the morning. To which the warden asked, looking at Nair, as to how many times

he lighted the agarbattis as more than half a dozen used matchsticks were seen under his bed. Pal kept quiet. Warden quipped “I know you all are fond of Dilkush agarbattis” and walked off. Nair stopped using his matchsticks after this episode, except in emergencies. In our room most of the boys were unique personalities, each had their distinctive stories to tell and some had special talents. Sitting in our room, we could get an idea about almost all the Ordnance Factories in India as we had boys from Jabalpur, Calcutta, Pune, Madras, Nagpur, and Ambarnath in our room. Thankfully we did not have any issues with missing or stolen toothpaste, soaps, socks, undergarments, and uniforms compared to other rooms in the hostel. Nor there were serious fights. Small arguments and a bit of jostling were certainly there for pulling the cots under the fan during summers, using the study lamp without disturbing the next person, or some wanting to play when others wanted to sleep after the lights were off. Most of the students went out to Ordnance market or Ambarnath railway station for a stroll or some small purchases in the evenings before dinner. Traveling back from the station by State Transport bus without a ticket was a favorite pass time for the group from Jabalpur, apparently to protect the passengers from the dreaded Wandrapada (a notorious area in Ambarnath) pickpocket mafia, operating between WIMCO factory and Ulhasnagar (a town just before Ambarnath). There had been fights at the H-type bus stop just outside hostel no: 3, a favorite stop to deal with the pickpockets as the boys could come out running with hockey sticks jumping the fence. Most of the time, the stolen wallet/money was recovered and returned to the unaware passengers. [WIMCO (Western India Match Company) was the first company in India manufacturing safety matches, established during British rule. Ulhasnagar was a congested resettlement colony built in haste for the Sindhi refugees from Pakistan during partition.] The festival season from Ganesh Chaturthi to Holi was the most enjoyable time of the year. On most of the days, the Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandals organized cultural programs after the Aarthi and Puja. The orchestra parties and record dances were the order of the day. We used to come back to the hostel after midnight and getting inside the hostel through a pre-rehearsed entry point without making any noise or commotion was a big achievement in itself. The warden would though make some random statements that he had information

of the incident and would identify the culprits soon. Most of the times it used to be empty threats. The other festivals and celebrations like Independence Day, Janmashtami and Dahi Handi, Dassara, Durga Puja, Diwali, Christmas and Holi were all celebrated in the hostel. The Maha- Shivaratri festival at the famous Shiva temple in Ambarnath was a day of festivities and outings till late at night. We boys used to go out to the Ordnance Estate and station area to participate in most of the festivities. Going out to Ulhasnagar (camp-3 area) in small groups for movies and purchases on a holiday after getting the stipend was also a very common practice. Football, hockey, and volleyball were most famous followed by cricket and badminton. Since the majority of the students were Bengalis, football was the favorite game those days. ATS used to win all the tournaments played in and around Ambarnath (up to almost 1967 if I’m not mistaken). There were indoor games too. Carom, Chess and Table Tennis were the popular ones available in the Common Room next to the mess. There was a reading room and a library too. Radio for those who wanted music and songs. Every Wednesday the common room was full at 8.00 pm for the Binaca Geetmala from Radio Ceylon, hosted by the famous Amin Sayani. The daily 10 pm Hawa Mahal was also a very popular program heard by the hostel boys. Besides this, there were a few important appointments during the beginning of a new batch, and these were available to the senior-most and the next 2 batches. The warden and housemaster selected them. Merit was the criteria; parameters known to them alone! Mess secretary was the most coveted position followed by the mess committee members. The TLC (technical library committee), the Hostel committee, Common Room committee, Mess Checking (audit) committee, and the Sports committee were announced together. They had rotational duty at the respective area and were excused from workshop and theory classes for that day. We used to get a stipend for anything between Rs.20 ~ 30 after deduction of the mess charges (actually calculated based on the expenses for the month) on the 10th of every month. We were expected to manage our personal and pocket expenses with this meager amount. Very few lucky ones used to get money from their home but most of them managed their month within this. I started giving tuitions to 2 students of Fatima High School at their residence at Q-type apartments just outside the hostel gate for Rs.25 a month from January 1967 and continued this till March 1968. This extra money was a great relief. In early 1967 we did not get any stipend for two consecutive months as the mess

bill was higher and there was a strike. For about a week we did not attend workshop or theory classes but sat in front of the ATS gate, shouting slogans and listing our grievances. I suppose the worker’s (red) union supported us indirectly in this agitation. We being juniors did not have any role in this except participating and joining in the chorus. The strike was called off after some closed-door meetings and deliberations with the students’ representatives. A group of five senior boys of the ITS II batch, led by Mr. Pandey accepted the challenge of running the mess till the end of term and assured to pay a minimum of Rs.25 to each of the students every month. But some damage was already done and all the parents/guardians were sent registered “On India Government Service” letters intimating them that their wards were missing from ATS, not attending classes and workshop and they have informed the Ambarnath police station. This was enough to send shock waves and many relatives and messengers from parents and guardians descended at Ambarnath in search of their wards. But soon the situation was normal, and we got Rs. 31 in the first month after the strike and all the boys were happy. The new Fatima Church building was almost getting ready and some of the catholic boys volunteered their service at the site in the evenings. Later in 1968 the new Church was consecrated and blessed by His Eminence Cardinal Valerian Gracias, the Archbishop of Bombay. Mass and prayer services were held in the Fatima School hall till the church was ready. As the year 1967 was ending, we had our final examination and were getting ready to leave the hostel on our getting posted as Journeymen to various Ordnance Factories. During the two years in ATS, I had made many friends, both inside and outside. We had also printed a small booklet, with a photograph and permanent addresses of all our ITS III batch mates, and each was given a copy. The farewell and feast at the mess in the last week of December 1967 are still fresh in my memory. Though I was a bit worried about getting posted outside Ambarnath, was happy when I got posted to OFA where I did my first-year basic training. After that, I suddenly got busy looking out for a place to stay, either on sharing basis or as paying guest within the campus at affordable rates. As I said there were a lot of friends and families inside the Ordnance Estate and a few outside as well and I started talking to some of them about my bachelor accommodation from Jan 1, 1968, as I would have to vacate the hostel by then.

One Saturday afternoon while I was still in ATS, having tea with a couple of friends at the Hegde Hotel in the Ordnance (east) Market near the Co-operative Stores, the hotel proprietor Mr. Seshappa Hegde introduced me to Mr. John D’Souza. He took me to his residence, RR-type quarters in front of the hostel foreman residence and warden’s house. Since Mr. D’souza too was a Mangalorean, we very soon became good family friends. Of course, there were a few more Catholics around whom I used to visit on weekends and Sundays after coming back from the Church but the D’souza family became something special to me as they were also related from my maternal aunt’s side. Besides, their lifestyle, food habits, language, and customs too were common. At our native place too, their house at Pernal near Shirva was about 10 km away and the family was known to my parents. I started helping his 2 children studying in Fatima High School in their studies along with the other 3 students. Their eldest son, Francis, was interested in technical trades, took my guidance, and joined ITI after finishing SSC. Mr. John D’souza, a veteran of World War II, who had seen action in Japan and later joined the Indian National Army (INA) of Subhash Chandra Bose, was redeployed as CMD (civilian motor driver) at OFA after Independence. His two elder brothers were in Mumbai, one a taxi owner and the other employed in BMC’s King George Hospital at Mahalaxmi as catering staff. Finally, I decided to stay with Mr. John D’souza and his family, H 81/4 as their paying guest, incidentally just opposite to (but on the first floor) H 80/5 where I stayed with Mr. Adams and family for a year in 1965. The Journeyman training of one year at OFA in the MM section of the HCC department was a little different from the first years’ basic training. Here our job was, along with seniors and experienced mechanics, was to ensure the plant equipment and machinery of this Heavy Caliber Case department was in perfect working condition. We had Thomas Fernandes (RTS- IV), R.C.Advani (RTS-VII), and A.K.Ghosh (ITS-I) who supported and encouraged me and another batch mate D.K.Ghosh who came from Calcutta. Financially too, we were getting Fitter ‘B’ scale with DA and Allowances (except the OT) and

were happy that we had enough money for ourselves. The Foreman of the MM section, Mr. C.D.David was a much-feared personality, a man of the British era, and a strict disciplinarian. He suddenly would call our section in charge Mr. Ramanan, the Supervisor, and a couple of seniors and enquire about the progress of our training, behavior, and attitude. HCC department had hydraulic presses, special purpose lathes, polishing and buffing machines, pickling and heat treatment baths, hydraulic and battery-operated pallet trucks, and a huge overhead crane to name a few important pieces of equipment. This exposure to the maintenance of all the equipment and machinery, though only for one year, gave me the confidence that I needed to become a skilled craftsman. Except for the nature of work, there was nothing different from 1965 till 1968 at OFA. In late November 1968, we had our final examination and Trade test. Being a Fitter, the dovetail fitting test was a tough task and I completed it in time, of course to my satisfaction. Thanks to my OFA tool room and ATS fitting and gauge room training I was good at using hand tools, especially the engineers’ files. The few days till the graduation result was the most difficult and tension-filled time of my life as I had seen that about 75% of the boys of the ITS-I and II batch had been graded as A and the remaining as B in their trades. Getting a B grade meant that you are behind, anywhere between 5-10 years in career growth. Thank goodness I was graded as Fitter ‘A’ and transferred to MPF (Tool Room) with effect from January 1, 1969. MPF was considered one of the most modern plants within the Ordnance group of factories and a better place to work. I was happy to be posted there along with the other two boys of my batch from OFA. There was an expansion (MA- 15) at MPF during 1966-67 for manufacturing the sub-assemblies of Bofors AA gun and the floating bridge and later in 1970, another expansion to cater to the needs of IFG (Indian Field Gun). Nearly 40 boys of the ITS-III batch from various locations came to MPF on posting after being graded. Seven were in the Tool Room, four fitters, two millers, and one machinist. I was working on Gap gauges for the first year and it was quite interesting. It was a piece work rate system, every operation had a time standard and one had to earn his wages through the accumulated hours based on the standards. The earnings above one’s basic salary were paid as profit in the payment of wages for the month. Cases where one or two lost part of their basic salary for not even logging in equivalent hours of their basic rate were also common. Since most of the workforce was ex-ATS it was nice fun and a feeling of pride to work in MPF. Besides regular work, I was also influenced to take part in social, cultural, and sporting activities by some of my seniors who were already on some committees. One of them from the RTS- VII batch, D K S Kutty K (Deevan Kanjarampallil Sukumaran Kutty Kartha) was a

very good table tennis and carom player and I played serious carom those days. He wanted me to be the member in charge of Indoor games for the year 1970- 71 in the new body elected every two years. Since there was no competition, I was elected. Mr. I K Nayak (GM) was the president, D Rajagopal (Manager- Projects) was the VP and J K Pandey (Dy Manager) was the secretary of the sports committee of MPF. D Rajagopal was a dynamic leader and J K Pandey was a fantastic grass-root level co-coordinator with I K Nayak at the top always encouraging sports, besides playing cricket for the MPF team. MPF witnessed its golden era in sports during these years. I also joined the worker's education group to train and develop low-grade workmen so that they can appear for trade tests whenever vacancies were notified. We had also conducted a memorable workers’ educational tour under the leadership of Mr. S D Dighe of the MA-13 section, covering Bangalore, Mysore, Ooty, Bhadravati, Jog falls, and Goa in 1971. Very soon, the turmoil in East Pakistan developed into war and there was work pressure in the factory. We had to work 2 hours extra every day and Saturday full day, of course, over time. It reminded me of the blackout days and air raid sirens of 1965. Though there was always a threat, this time it was more on the eastern sector and thankfully it ended soon, with Bangladesh becoming an independent country. From Gauges, I was transferred to Jigs & Fixtures group, both repairs, and manufacture, under Mr. S D Peter, senior charge man. I had to work in 2 shifts, day and night and we always ensured that my friends were in a particular shift at any given time. Suddenly there was more money coming in and from the first salary of Jan 1969 onwards, I started sending Rs.100/- to Baab through money order (MO) every month. This practice continued, with varied MO amounts till I left Ambarnath in 1979. In March 1972, there were four vacancies of Estimators in the staff cadre to be filled up internally. I applied for the same, got selected through the written test and subsequent interview. The other 3 were all B grades, 2 Sindhi and one Bengali. This was an opportunity for B grades to catch up and very few A grades would apply. The written test, besides some workshop calculations and manufacturing process of a couple of popular items in MPF, an essay on the liberation of Bangladesh, a hot topic of the immediate recent past and I was keenly following it, hence I was confident of making the grade. The Bengali chap was no doubt an intelligent boy and the topic was homemade stuff for him. All the same, much later it was learned that both the Sindhi guys, bribed someone in the selection committee and got the test paper leaked! They both were being harassed and blackmailed for many years down the line and that was how the word got out. In June 1972 I was transferred to the R & E section as an Estimator. Besides in- house training, we were also sponsored for external training by DIWS (Defense Institute of Work Study) Mussoorie and Foreman Training Institute, Bangalore.

This was a staff function and the status changed from an IE to NIE and salary came on the 1st of the month instead of the 10th of the month. Preparing time/rate estimates and standardizing them after a certain period was the main task of Estimators. Most of the time it was table work but at times at the shop floor to study a certain operation with a timer (stopwatch), study sheet, and a pencil. Life was cool here as 9 out of the 12 staff members in R&E were ex-ATS students, including the In Charge A K Basishtha (ATS-1). Here I could devote more time to sports and other extracurricular activities and the top boss of R&E (M. Proj) being the VP, our dept had the biggest representation in the sports committee. Every year we had the MPF Annual sports meet during January. Most of the time, I was in the Souvenir committee and responsible for getting advertisements and later printing of the souvenir, in time for the final day of the sports meet. The get-together at the MPF lawns behind the main office for the volunteers, officials, and few select guests, after the closure of the ceremony at the MPF grounds, was the high point of the celebration. Though alcoholic drinks were out of bounds at the factory lawns, a few in our group would stop at nothing. Albert David, C M Rajendran, V L Gunasekaran, and Radhakrishnan would arrange for a warm up session at Gunasekaran’s (sublet) residence at Q- type quarters just in front of the MPF main gate. Most of us had bicycles and rushing to the newly opened Ambar wine mart near the station was not a problem. We would be in high spirits and cheerful mood for the rest of the colorful function. The 3rd pay commission was just announced and new pay scales came into force. The arrears were also paid but the level of job satisfaction and career prospects were not at all enthusing. Though the lifestyle and the living standard had a definite change, many of the ex-ATS students were disillusioned. Promotion in the general category would take about 15 years whereas SC/ST/OBC category would get it by 3-4 years! No issues if they could handle the responsibility of the higher position they occupied. What a pity, many of them were just dummies occupying a chair and table! Others had to do the work. We knew many ex-ATS students of ATS/RTS batches had left and gone into private/public sector companies and suddenly we could see many from MPF trying to go out as the 3rd pay commission did not meet the expectations. I was married in 1975 and my wife too was working in MPF as LDC. For some time, I thought it is better to continue in MPF (govt. service), also many elders’ advice was the same. But in 1975, during the emergency that continued till general elections in 1977, the whole scenario at MPF changed, the management had overriding special powers which could not be questioned. Many of my friends connected with the labor union were arrested and taken to undisclosed

locations. A close friend of mine and a colleague at R&E from RTS-VII batch (II lot) K Kunju Mohammed never came back! He was the secretary of the Labor Welfare Committee of the (red) union. Quite sometime later, after the emergency was lifted and a new government formed, we heard that Mohammed was in Dubai. His family was running a big departmental shop “Laila Store” at Thiruvalla, Kerala. I tried to contact him but had no success. Later, someone told me that he had become a religious scholar or Maulvi and teaching at a madrassa. Soon after there was an exodus from MPF. In 1978 I was almost selected to join TENGL of Larsen & Toubro but gave it up due to some family problems. Mr. Tulsiani and K G Subbaraman, both ex-ATS and my seniors were at TENGL and I had to excuse myself for not attending the final call to accept the offer. After a few months I started again looking at greener pastures and in July 1979, received my appointment letter from Grindwell Norton Limited. My first visit to Uran for the interview was a nightmarish experience as it was raining cats and dogs the whole day, dark clouds, and floods everywhere. Pascal, Philomena’s brother accompanied me on this trip to Uran. I lived in Ambarnath from 1965 to 1979, for almost 15 years. Apart from my official and personal contacts at the different workplaces right from the basic training center in OFA to R&E at MPF, I had developed a huge friend circle in and around the place. The first 3 years, one year basic and two years at ATS were a bit quiet, restricted and maybe I was a bit too young and immature to mix up. But after getting posted as a journeyman at OFA in 1968 life was certainly on the move with all the freedom a young man looked for. The hard-pressed days, even for a couple of Rupees during the end of the month were now forgotten. I remember the times when Mr. Seshappa Hegde of ordnance market (east) hotel owner gave me Rs.5 in my financial crisis during hostel days which I returned with thanks on my stipend payment. With that Rs.5, two of us could go to Ulhasnagar on a holiday, see a movie at Paramount or Regent theatre and come back to the hostel. Though the year 1968 was much better, it was still the last year of our training and we had some pressure of the final examination and trade test. From ATH (hostel) I shifted to D’Souza’s place as their paying guest. Things were fine at the beginning. After about 4 months I was told that their close relative and a family friend Mr. Dominic Machado was coming to OFA as Store Holder on transfer from Jabalpur. He was here at OFA earlier too and was staying with this family. Since he was a single man and on the verge of retirement, I was obliged to make room for him and shifted to J-type accommodation with Mr. Parameswara Shetty who worked in the OFA canteen. During duty hours I ate in the canteen

and at Hegde hotel otherwise. It was only after graduation and the subsequent posting to MPF as a regular employee that I felt comfortable and happy in life! In September 1968, Shetty announced that his family would be coming, and I should find a place within the next 15 days. Well, my senior at MM/OFA Thomas Fernandes agreed to take me with him in his room as his family was at his native place and he was staying with two Malayalees, both clerks in OFA. I stayed with them for about a year. Now that I was transferred to MPF w. e. from 1st January 1969 after the gradation and getting sufficient money as we were working 2 hours of OT every day and Saturday full day. Sometimes we worked on Sundays as well. Suddenly I had more money than I needed. I started sending a little more to Baab and started buying some personal assets, besides clothes. My first big buy was an HMT Kohinoor (steel grey) wristwatch, somewhere in March 1969 costing nearly Rs.300/. Since I had limited clothing, I started buying shirts and pant pieces, one set every 3 months from a shop in the Ordnance market. An employee of OFA named Kannan was doing this business under the name of a tailoring shop in the ordnance market (east) and I used to pay him in 3 installments. Of course, there was a group of friends, Gunasekaran, Rajendran, Venugopal, Vijay Chandran, S.P.Chakravarty, Radhakrishnan Menon and many more buying cloth from Kannan. Japan-made Terylene and terry cot fabric was extremely popular those days and readymade clothes did not make their presence in the market either. For stitching the pant and shirt, we all used to go to Santu Tailor at Ulhasnagar who was incredibly famous around. In the meantime, I shifted out from Thomas Fernandes as he resigned from OFA to pursue his career in the gulf and moved in with one Mohammed, an employee of OFA at J-type quarters. He too was alone, and his family was in Kerala in his hometown. Mohammed was a simple man, cooking his food and managing his needs very carefully as he had to support his family back home, three children and wife besides elderly parents. He was a C grade workman and all in my group were A grade and a few Sup-B. Also, all were young in the age group of 22-27 yrs. Mohammed did not appreciate or enjoy the visits of my friends to his place essentially because of our lifestyle and reckless behavior. He also did not like the idea of my accumulating personal effects like a leather suitcase, transistor radio, HMV gramophone with a few long-play records, and certainly my announcement of buying a bicycle within the next few months! And there came the most expected vacate orders from Mr. Mohammed after spending about 8 months with him. He said a close family relative of his coming to stay with him. Now it was time to make arrangements to find an independent place with a partner to share the expenses and for the company as well. Many could guide

and take initiative in finding a good place, at times for a small consideration. Venugopal of ITS-I and me finalized a J-type ground floor, next to the staircase which was most convenient as one need not have to cross a few doors before entering your own. This was the first time we enjoyed the freedom of our own, of course in a rented house. We had our keys so that none of us were inconvenienced; we could come and go anytime. Moreover, we were working in different shifts. Here we added some basic kitchen items like a kerosene stove, few utensils, cup saucers, and half a dozen glass tumblers. Venu bought a steel cot and a couple of folding chairs. Local milk supply came to the door at 6.30 am daily. Most of the time, we made breakfast ourselves, bread-butter-jam and tea. Or else, Hegde hotel was always there from breakfast to dinner on a monthly account. Occasionally we had mini get-togethers too and partied till late in the night. Venu was very disciplined and very conscious of his things around. A man of few words, usually fond of English music, and had a good collection of LP records of all major band groups, softly playing them on his HMV record player. He also read English novels, mostly fiction and mystery. He was my senior by one year and guided and groomed me during the time we stayed together. Especially in clothing and personal utility items, he was very selective and did not compromise. I remember carrying omelets, Britannia bread, and special masala tea in a thermos flask which we, a few close friends shared and exchanged during the break in the night shift in MPF. On every 10th of the month, the payment day, one of us from the night shift would collect money from our group, go to the Post Office and send money orders to the parents. This practice continued for many years to come. After almost three years, the owner of the house asked us to vacate the place as he wanted to use it for himself and the family. It was at this time around 1973 both Venugopal and I decided to go our separate ways and look for independent accommodation, besides, we could afford the same. It would also help us in building up a home, though not our own, with buying equipment and appliances, slowly and gradually though for a long-term plan of settling down in life. I found a place, J type, a little farther away but next to the staircase and ground floor. After whitewashing and cleaning, I shifted to this new place and started enjoying the luxury of staying alone. By this time, I had managed to get the basic requirements of the household, including the kitchen necessities and a little furniture.

This was a time that everything was going right and my visits to the D’souza family suddenly became more frequent than earlier. Before I could realize it, I was attracted towards D’souza’s elder daughter, Philomena who had just finished her SSC in 1972, completed her Typing-Higher Proficiency (60 WPM), and started working in the same Institute as an Instructor. I liked her simplicity and sincere desire to work and support the family. As mentioned in the earlier chapter, I knew the family from 1967 and I did not see anything that could jeopardize my interest. After the Sunday Mass, I used to visit them and few other families on my way back from the church. Badlapur picnics during summer with the extended D’souza family were the most unforgettable events connected with the memories of Ambarnath. His nephew Peter practically visited every weekend, always with lots of fish and fruits from the market. Another cousin Amy and her husband Francis, now residing at Vashi, always joined the family picnic. Mr. D’souza managed a Nissan truck from the Ordnance Factory fitted with benches and a couple of tarpaulins. It was easy for him as he was a supervisor in the Transport Department. Food was prepared earlier at home and a kerosene stove was carried to warm the food and make tea in the evening before return. On special occasions and celebrations, I was always an invitee. We kept meeting both at her place and outside as well. Our decision to marry was conveyed to her parents first and then to my parents in late 1974. I had spoken to my uncle and aunt at Byculla about this development as he would be my best bet to ensure everything here at Mumbai and Ambarnath goes through. Though there were no signs of any visible uneasiness in the D’souza family, my parents at first did not like my decision. I had to convince them that the D’souza’s are a simple Mangalorean family, having their roots in Pernal near Shirva and the girl would be an asset as she would continue to work after marriage and supplement the much-needed family income. And it was the cruel fact that my family needed additional financial support from wherever it could come at that time, in the mid-70s. Finally, my parents agreed and we got married on April 30, 1975, at home, a traditional Mangalorean village wedding. We spent a few days at home visiting close family relatives on either side. It was a happy coincidence that Sr. Jyothi celebrated her final profession on May 8, 1975, and we could attend the same at Mangalore. We returned to Ambarnath in the 3rd week of May 1975 and continued to stay at the J-type quarters. Around

September the same year, my uncle bought a conventional grinding stone from the Mangalore Stores, near Gloria church Byculla, an important item of any Mangalorean household to grind masala. He traveled in the luggage compartment and hired a coolie at both ends. My cousins visited us normally on Sundays or holidays. In the meantime, Philomena was constantly trying to get reasonably good employment and soon was lucky to get a central government job as LDC in MPF, Ambarnath itself. Life was reasonably good as both of us were working, traveling together in a cycle, and carrying our tiffin. Our daughter Susanne (Chimmi) was born in May 1978 and my sister Jessy who had just finished her 12th standard came to Ambarnath to be of some help at home immediately and to look for job opportunities later. By this time the 3rd Pay Commission had come into effect and the much-awaited benefits to the class 3 employees were sadly missing. A lot of dissatisfaction crept in and many ATS students started looking for private employment and I was no exception. To make matters worse, the SC/ST reservation in promotion policy did not change even after the pay commission. Initially, Philomena was not happy that I was trying outside but later accepted, more significantly because of the family financial position and the big difference in the salaries of government and private sector in those days. Just consider my salary of Rs.400/- in the government job as against an offer of Rs.1,200/- in a private company in August 1979! I could not resist that and accepted the offer, subsequently resigning from MPF, Ambarnath. Philomena continued to work in MPF till after a year of my leaving. Her father and 2 brothers were in Ordnance Factories and she was convinced that it was the best place to work and live a reasonably decent life. In the meanwhile I found out about this one person from Naval Armament Depot (NAD), Karanja, Uran who was ready for mutual transfer to MPF for a small consideration (both being similar government entities). This place, NAD, was quite close to my company Grindwell Norton Ltd and we were very happy that Philomena would be able to continue her government service and need not have to resign from her job in Ambarnath to join me in Uran. For that to happen, I traveled to R.K.Puram, New Delhi office of the Director- General – NAD to facilitate the transfer order and it was only a matter of time to receive

the mutual transfer order. But it was not to be and the man backed out. Now we had to make a decision! Though we had discussed this just before my resignation in December 1980 and accepted that we had only two options: either she resigns, or I take back my resignation. After much pursuing and looking at the immediate family financial crisis it made sense that she resigns and joins me at Uran. Philomena was in tears while submitting her resignation in July 1982 almost after two years of my leaving MTPF Ambarnath. Though we had shifted to Uran much earlier in January 1981, she continued to be on the rolls for eighteen months till she resigned and resumed office thrice in between for a few days to avoid penal action for unauthorized absence.

The Promised Land – Mora, Uran I joined Grindwell Norton Limited (GNO) at their Uran - Mora manufacturing plant on August 10, 1979. Due to the power staggering policy of MSEB, our weekly off was on Friday, and on Thursday evening I used to go home to Ambarnath leaving the plant an hour earlier since it took almost two and half hours to reach home. Usually by motor launch from Mora jetty to Ferry wharf, BEST bus to Byculla Railway station and local train to Ambarnath. In between, we had shifted from Ordnance Estate to MHB (Maharashtra Housing Board) colony, a 1-room tenement behind Fatima High school. This place was allotted to Philomena through lottery under LIG housing scheme of the Maharashtra government in late 1975. Philomena was working on Fridays at MTPF, and I normally spent the day at home. Susanne was kept at a daycare center nearby. On Saturdays I took the 4.35 am local train from Ambarnath station, alight at Byculla, and take a bus to ferry wharf to be in time for our company launch ‘ML Grindwell’ (ML – motor launch) to take us to Mora. A five-minute brisk walk from the Mora jetty to the main gate and we could mostly make it in time, 8.00 am being the muster in-time. Though it was a bit cumbersome to travel on weekends, life otherwise was much better compared to the days we both worked at MPF. At Mora, I stayed at bachelor quarters [BQ] twin sharing accommodation and was fortunate to have one Francis Correa who joined a few days earlier as my room partner. During late 1979 and early 1980, the company had recruited about 50 young engineers and specialist professionals, besides adding plant and equipment as part of the second ambitious modernization cum expansion project. The great connection between Artisan Training School (later Indian Ordnance Factories Training Institute, Ministry of Defense) Ambarnath, better known as MTPF, and Grindwell Norton Limited is better understood in the small write up below:

The great connection between ATS Ambarnath (MTPF) and Grindwell Norton Ltd. (GNO) Artisan Training School (ATS – popularly known as MTPF) Ambarnath was established in 1950 by the Ministry of Defense with Swiss collaboration to train and develop high-quality technical personnel for their Ordnance Factories and allied establishments, manufacturing ammunition and other equipment. There were hardly any IITs, Polytechnics, or NITs those days and skilled technical hands were in great demand. The Railways and Tata had their Apprentice schools though. These four years of ATS training were so thorough in every aspect of machine shop engineering with hands-on practical knowledge of machine tools and equipment that these trainees very soon became the backbone of many big engineering and automobile industries in India and abroad! Grindwell Norton was established in 1941 and being the pioneers of grinding wheel manufacturing in India, wanted to make the Mora - Uran plant fully operational at the earliest with the maximum product range and a fully equipped machine shop (Tool Room) for the replenishment of die tooling. And precisely this is where the ATS (MTPF) Ambarnath guys made it possible. In the mid-’60s, a big batch of young men joined Grindwell and set up a machine shop to cater for the die tooling of the grinding wheel manufacturing plant. Few names who made their mark were: MP Nayyar, IM Tyagi, P Saha, P Janardhanan, and some joined a few years later and contributed to the growth of GNO are MP Shantakumar, JN Bhatia, SS Karmarkar, SD Markhande, John Menon, and myself EP Fernandes. I am ever grateful to GNO for my fulfilling and rewarding career, along with my wife who was also an employee in CSD and had a lovely innings there. Besides good growth in position, I was also the proud recipient of 3 prestigious TCS awards, Long Service Award, and a couple of Quality Improvement awards. I also had the good fortune of working under the able guidance and leadership of many stalwarts and enjoyed

a good rapport with each one of them. Few most unforgettable major events of my active participation were: Modernization and segregation of Organic and Vitrified operations as Plant I and Plant II in 1981, keeping the Plant operational during the long strike by workmen in 1986, coping up and salvaging operations after the great floods in Raigad inundating our plant in 1989, Golden Jubilee celebrations in 1991 and ISO Quest in 1993. Besides, both my children grew up well in Mora campus and are well placed. Elder daughter, Susanne is an HR professional working for a subset of Cathay Pacific Airlines as Head-HR for their Mumbai office at Leela Galleria, Andheri- East and Sydney, the younger one is a Wing Commander with the Indian Air Force, posted at Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. ATS Ambarnath had stopped this training in the mid-’70s with the advent of ITIs, Polytechnics, REC/NITs and IITs in the country and changed its name to Ordnance Factories Institute of Learning.

More on Uran… In a way, the above magnetic connection between ATS Ambarnath and Grindwell Norton made me decide without any hesitation to quit MPF and join Grindwell Norton in Uran. Besides, Uran has a long and interesting history dating back to several centuries. First the thrill and excitement of working in a private company with a threefold rise in compensation and secondly coming to a new place like Uran that can be compared to the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento village in Italy. In ancient days Uran was known as Karanja island. Old-timers say that it was named after Goddess Uranvati. Historical records say it was also known as Urvaritavan, Uruvan (during Peshwa rule), and Ooran during Portuguese and British rule. The Mauryas, Chalukyas, Yadavas, Shilahars, Nagarshahs, the Portuguese, and the British have ruled over Uran. Mora village where the Grindwell Norton plant is located gets its name from the Maurya rulers, ruled from Mora to Karanja. Bori was their prison center and Mhatavali was where they kept their elephants and their mahouts. Dronagiri was the witness to a fierce battle between Kanoji Angre and the Portuguese. Incidentally, the Portuguese rule saw the development of this region. They built the famous Ransai dam for water supply. Chirner was famous for its reserve forest and an infamous jungle satyagraha later. In this satyagraha, many villagers were martyred and one could see huge memorials built in these villages in memory of them. Gharapuri island or the Elephanta caves, off the coast –is one of the biggest tourist attractions of the region. Regular boat services are available from the Gateway of India. Chalukya King Pulikeshi started the carving of the caves in the early 7th century and it is said that it took almost 100 years to complete this gigantic work which is now an archeological heritage and center for cultural activities, staged once a year. Gharapuri, Nhava-Sheva, and Mora used to be a huge trading center and lit by 1000 petromax gas lamps during nights in the olden days! Other important landmarks of Uran are Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), the biggest container handling port in Asia, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), Naval Station- Karanja, and Grindwell Norton Limited. Two other industries SKOL Breweries

(which manufactured Haywards Lager 5000 and Royal Challenge beer) and Indian Yeast had shifted their operations out of Uran some ten years back. Uran grew only after 1986 when JNPT, ONGC, and BPCL came down. In the olden days, Uran was famous for Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) distilleries which shifted to Mora through a government order in the early 19th century. However, in 1918 all the distilleries were closed down and to employ the jobless people, the owners, Sidhvas (a Parsi family) started the Bharat Tile factory within the premises. Later in 1941, during the II World War, they started the first grinding wheel factory In Uran, Mora, in India. Few other tourist spots in Uran are: 1. Vimla Talao, named after an inscription of King Bhima that was found during an excavation in the premises 2. Ransai Dam, 14 km away from Uran town and the source of water supply to Uran and surrounding villages. 3. Karavali range of mountains, resembling a marriage procession. Folklore has it that the inauspicious meeting of two bridegrooms with their brides’ karavalis (maids) led them turning into rocks on the mountain as a punishment for their misdeeds! 4. Dronagiri range of mountains – formed from the small pieces of the mountain falling between Karanja and Uran while Hanuman was flying with the entire mountain to Sri Lanka with Sanjivini 5. Peerwadi Beach, the seashore. The Mumbai skyline from Taj Intercontinental, Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) tower to Worli TV tower with a few huge ships waiting to berth in clear blue waters in between is a thrilling sight in clear weather. There is a famous dargah and a helipad for ONGC on the shore 6. The Bhiwandiwala garden was a famous picnic spot and an attraction to Uran till late 90s but lost its charm and almost in ruins now. The land sharks await to develop this into residential and commercial complexes 7. A few famous temples, a Mosque, and a Catholic church can also be seen in Uran Hence our decision to shift to Uran in December 1980 was quick after Philomena agreed to resign from MPF. Grindwell allotted me a family accommodation in their Mora campus. We hired a tempo from Johnson Fernandes of Mora who reached our Ambarnath

residence around 9.30 am. It took us almost half an hour to load everything on the vehicle and by 10.30 am we left Ambarnath for Uran. Traveling to Uran from Ambarnath was not at all comfortable in those days. Roads were very bad. It is almost a 65 km distance via Kalyan, Shil phata, Taloja and Panvel and it took us more than 3 hours. We halted at Taloja for lunch for the famous biryani at Star of India hotel. We reached Mora campus around 3.30 pm and unloaded our stuff directly into the residential premises allotted to me just a week before. It was an old ground plus one bungalow owned by an East Indian Catholic family residing in Bandra, Mumbai, close to the NAD-Uran road and the village cross was just at the entrance to the house. One Mr. Bomi Madan, a Parsi gentleman who had just retired from Grindwell occupied this place before we moved in, and hence it was well maintained. We occupied the entire ground floor with a huge hall, a bedroom, kitchen, and galleries in front and behind. Only the toilet was outside, 10 meters away from the back door. There was a lot of open space around this house with vegetation and trees. The clean air blowing from the seaside was quite refreshing and the evenings we spent there were memorable. It was semi-furnished accommodation and most of the furnishing was provided by the company. The refrigerator, LPG cylinder, and gas stove were arranged within a week. Grindwell Norton Cooperative Society ran a fair price shop and supplied all the domestic needs, delivered to the door, on a monthly bill recovered through salary. The company took good care of the employees and their families and very soon my wife was convinced that our decision to come to Mora-Uran was apt! It was just about a 100 meter walk to reach the workplace and timings were not very rigid either. I had to attend night shifts for some time in the beginning but it was not a problem since it was from 4.30 pm to 1.00 am. Soon, all our relatives and friends learned that we had shifted to Uran, a famous picnic place those days. On most of the weekends, especially during summer, relatives and friends visited us and this continued for many years. All these were overnight stays and sometimes for days up to a week! It was good fun and all those who visited enjoyed it too as they moved around the place. Going to the church on Sundays, the marketplace for vegetables, fish, mutton, and the freshly tapped local toddy was a common routine for the guests visiting. Of course, traveling to Uran, a distance of approximately 4 km from Mora was always by either a State

Transport (ST) bus or horse-driven cart – tonga and much later, by auto- rickshaws. Tongas went off the road in 1983 and the number of auto-rickshaws multiplied quickly. Company transport was also available on written requests for late-night family outings like Christmas Midnight Mass and Easter Vigil Service etc. We had to shift our residence within the campus every few years based on seniority and new entries.

My Grindwell journey… My first day reporting at Grindwell Norton Mora factory on 10th August 1979 was unforgettable. The security guard at the entrance asked me to wait at the reception till he got somebody to escort me to the Works Manager, the reporting authority. There at the reception I met this interesting person, Mr. V.N. Patil of the Security Department who was equivalent to a telephone directory. He knew practically everybody in the company. He was sitting at the main gate office and kept an eye on every movement, men and material. After a brief interaction with me, he suggested that it would be nice if I meet Mr. Gregory Joachim Fernandes, an employee, before I begin my joining formalities. Mr.Patil sent a message for him to come to the main gate. And believe me, what transpired between Gregory and me during the next ten minutes and later during the day was in itself an important chapter in our life in Mora-Uran. Another person, a great help during our early stage in Mora was Mr. George D’silva working in the shipping department and stayed inside the campus with his wife and two sons. On completion of the joining formalities, I was taken to the Medium Wheels Press department and introduced to Mr. A.G. Joshi, Department Head – Medium Wheels Press. There were 4 production lines covering the entire range of products of the company. They were (1) Small Wheels & Mounted Points (2) Medium Wheels (3) Large Wheels (4) Stones & Specialties. The important processes are molding (press), firing and finishing. Of course, the complete process chart would include mixing, molding, firing, pre-inspection, finishing, final inspection, packing, and dispatch. It was during the 1979 – 80 mega expansion and modernization of the Mora plant that the company recruited about 50 new staff members, both with experience and fresh diploma holders and graduates. The structure and layout of the plant were changed to Plant I (all organic products) and Plant II (all vitrified products). The product lines were distinctly separated as segregated business units (SBU). SBU 11-Thin Wheels and SBU 12-Thick Wheels in Plant I. SBU 21-Small Wheels & Mounted Points, SBU

22-Medium Wheels, SBU 23-Large Wheels, SBU 24-Stones & Specialties were in Plant II. A three-week induction program for the newcomers covering all the production and service departments to know the personnel and the functions of each one of them were very useful before we started our daily grind in the department of our posting. Since I was alone at Mora, BQ sharing accommodation was provided as most of the recruits were single men. I started reporting in the first shift after completing the induction and Mr. Joshi guided me through the daily routine responsibilities in the Medium Wheel Press department. Ultimately, it was achieving the target set for each month in terms of production volume and it was in rupees of sales value. The pleasant surprise was that my first payment for August 1979 was made on 21st August, on the eleventh day after joining and two days before the Parsi New Year as it was the tradition those days in Grindwell. I got Rs.780 in cash and this was the biggest amount that came in my hands as salary in my working life of 11 years and that too within 11 working days! I could not ask for anything more. Friday was the weekly off and most of the new staff members from Mumbai suburbs used to go to their homes on Thursday evening, some leaving an hour earlier than the close of shift. I always took this advantage of this concession and reached home at Ambarnath around 8.00 pm. This practice continued till we shifted to the Mora campus in December 1980. Medium Wheel press had 46 workmen working in 3 shifts. The first and second shifts were covered with supervision and certain indirect service providers like die tool setting, quality control, etc. worked in the first shift only. Very soon I realized the difference between government and private service, all the same, I enjoyed the new experience and thrill of working in Grindwell. I was confirmed in six months and given a double increment on completion of one year. Apart from the excitement of working inside the plant, there was a lot more fun and entertainment outside, at the Grindwell Norton Staff Club where one could spend the leisure hours till 10.00 pm. Mora campus was certainly a home away from home. Nearly 40 staff members including clerical, supervisors, officers, and managers stayed here. The senior- most dignitary inside the campus was Mr. TR Rao – Works Manager hailed from Kasaragod, bordering Mangalore and spoke Konkani slightly different from our dialect. Mr. AA Khan, Assistant Manager – Administration was a kind and understanding person and took good care of us during the early days inside the Mora campus. Gregory Fernandes who stayed just one km away from the Mora