Last week, on Nov 14th, we decided to go for a one day trip. We mean – along with me, my parents, my sister and Lakshmi, a kind of younger sister -- our family friends’ daughter. Well the trip plan was to visit Nanjanagud, then Mysore Chamundi hills and few temples in Mysore city. From there to Srirangapattanam and Melukote. And back to Kunigal by evening.

We started from Kunigal as planned early sunday morning 5.15. On the way comes a place called ‘Huliyur durga’ – which is famous for a fort on hill top built by Kempegowda –the founder of Bangalore. And to add more to that, this is the place where I spent my first 10-11 years of my life. I was thrilled to travel via Huliyur durga after a very long time – almost after a gap of 7-8 years.

As soon as we reached the outskirts of the town, I was able to recognize familiar places. First came the ‘Mandi gudda’ – means ‘Kneecap hill’ when literally translated to English. This hill is still outside the town, approximately 2 KMs from the town center and is a small hill which is maximum 250 ft. high greets you when you enter the town from north.Our dad used to take us (both myself and my sister) to this place every morning – during holidays. We used to jog from our home to this hill, do some exercises spend nearly some 2 hrs of time and jog back to home. The road from the town center to ‘Mandi gudda’ -- had tree on bothe sides of the road and as soon as you come out of the town there were green fields on both sides. But I was disappointed to bald road sides – all trees cut down.

And then came our play ground – everyone used to call that ground as ‘Ball field’. This is the place where all of our friends used to meat in the evening and play. It was just opposite to our house. Our house was on the left side of the road and ground on the other. Whenevr there is a cricket match on TV, we used to compare our ‘Ball field’ to Lords and Eden garden. Now, I literally searched for the good old field. There was no sign of any field over there – totally covered by buildings – and it looked very small too.

We moved further, there came the bus stand – behind the stand was the old temple and few familiar shops, few houses of my good old friends. And then came my primary school where I studied for 4 years. The building – half it was newly constructed. The long rods of the low windows of the old school building reminded me of our head master – Nanjappa Sir – great majestic personality with a great voice. Sometime I can still here his voice in my mind. After the primary school, came the hospital, police station and then the high school – where my sister studied and my father taught.

Every nook and corner of the town looked new to me… except for… the two huge hills on the southern side of the town – “Kumbhi betta” and “Hemagiri betta” – as usual they were standing there and smiling at me – witnessing the changes happening over there for thousands of years.

And then we came were out of the town, me stunned to see new Huliyur durga, holding camera in my hands which I was didn’t took any snaps in that old familiar but unknown place.

It surprises you when you look back in your life. Give a second thought on that, it becomes really hard to compare present yourself to the past ‘you’. At least it’s true for me, if not for you. Past -- here in this context I am not talking about a span of 20 or 30 years – I still have to wait for long years to talk like that – I am talking about past 5-6 years. Let me share an incident rather I would say it as a great learning.

Few years ago, when I was in my first year B.E., we had shifted part of our house to Bangalore. My dad was staying alone in Kunigal. I was staying with my sister in Rajajinagar, really a good locality in Bangalore. My mom used stay with us for a week and then in Kunigal for another week. That is when we were having few troubles financially, because of family maintenance at two places and few other reasons. Every rupee was spent with prior caution.

One fine day, my mother sent me to buy an alarm time piece to the newly shifted house – that was not at all a house, but a single room with an attached bath. I went to a shop and asked for a simple alarm. The one which the shop keeper showed – cheapest one, around 50 rupees -- didn’t appeal me. So I went for a higher priced one and bought it for – believe me, for just -- Rs. 85 (its easy for me to add the word ‘just’ now , but not at that time) and was happy to get a good time-piece to such a low price.

When I reached home, there it started. My mom started scolding me for paying that much amount for the alarm. Whole evening it didn’t stop and she was telling us about the value of money. Fortunately, my sister was there to support me – somehow the incident settled down. Even now It makes me to think at least twice to spend money.

Whenever I go home, same old alarm winks at me and tells a story about value of money in its one way – Tic tic tic tic, Tic tic tic tic.

My father used to tell – “To know the value of money, earn it first” – and it’s an eternal truth that – “A penny saved is a penny earned”.

Not long ago, when I was in high school - I think was studying 8th in Kunigal - This is the place where I did my higher schooling (for 5 years - 3 years in high school and 2 years in +2). Our house is in one end of the city and my school in the other end. The distance was around 3-3.5 KM. I used to commute to the school by bicycle, had a good lot of friends who used to come to school by bicycle. We used to have lot of fun during our journey like racing among us - both fast and slow racing, make fun of each others etc. I really miss those days - gone are the days, but not memories.

When I was in 8th, (My father, he is a retired head master - got retired two and half years back - unfortunately I never got a chance to sit in his class in School, because when I stepped into my 8th, he got transferred to a Girls high school - but lucky enough to learn a lot from him other than academics.). I was the shortest of all in our class - and most innocent, cutest guy - like now. My father's friends/relatives used to ask me, "In which standard are you studying? - 4th or 5th." - When I was in 8th (Even now also people ask me the same question - ask me whether I am studying +2 or doing my bachelor's.

This incident, it happened during initial days of my 8th. I was new to the town Kunigal, at that time. After completing 5th in a different place called Huliyur Durga, I went to a boarding school near Tumkur. After 2 years, I was back home. By that time my father had got transferred from Huliyur Durga to Kunigal to a Girls high school. The school where my father was working, it was in heart of the city.

And now comes the important character of this incident. Till now I don't know his name. Everyone - my friends used to call him as "Kencha" while referring to him. So I will also call him like that only. His house was just a stones throw away from our house. I came to know about this guy's details after this incident from my friends. According to the information I got, he was a kind of troublemaker in the school and also out side. He had a record of sitting in the same class for more than a year - that too he had repeated that consistently in almost every class. When this incident occurred, he was also in his high school, but in a different school.

One day, that was a Saturday, I was coming back home from school. Saturday school timing was from 8 in the morning to 11.20. That day I was alone on my bicycle; don't remember where my friends were on that day. I had traveled almost 75% of the distance to home, then came this guy "Kencha". He was also on a bicycle. He stopped in front of such a way that I had to stop also and there was no room to move bicycle. That's when I met him for the first and last time.

Here is the conversation between us:

Kencha: "Eno nimma thathange sumne irakke aagalveno school nalli ?? (Why can't your grandfather be quite in school?)

Me: "Thanthana ? Yara thatha ?" (Grandfather ? who's grandfather ?)

K: "Enu policege complaint kodtahrantha ninna thatha nanna mele?" (What, will your grandpa complaint to police about me ?)

M: "Yara thatha na bagge mathadtha iddiya neenu - thale gile kettideya ninge?" (About who's grandpa are you talking about ? Have you gone mad?)

K: "Magane nange thale kettife anthiya?" (what, You call me mad?)

SLAP!!!

By that time he was totally pissed off, because of the total lack of communication. That was unexpected, he slapped me. Some 4-5 ongoers were looking at us. My cheek was burning like when it has just got touched by a hot iron box. I was totally blank in mind. And then, totally unexpected happened.

SLAP!!!

This time it was me who slapped him. He was totally surprised. Without uttering a word, he took bicycle which was lying on the ground and left. I was standing there for almost 5 minutes, recollecting whatever happened. That was the first time I slapped one, who was elder than me, stronger, taller than me.

Flashback:

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After I told about this incident to my father, he told me the reason behind this - Few days ago, he went to the girls' school where my dad was working along with few of his trouble making friends. While strolling around there and teasing some girls, he was caught by my father. My father, he was famous for threatening (I am not able to find the suitable word for that, it was not like threatening. It was something like warning) trouble makers in the school and his specialty was, he never beat a single student in his service of full 34 years as teacher. After getting caught Mr. Kencha, he was warned by my father and few of his colleagues. And my dad had warned him that, if he is found in the school vicinity again, they will complain to the police.

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This incident occurred almost 11 years back, but it's still green in memory. Few months back when I went to Kunigal, it happened to travel in an auto. Guess what, he was driving that auto. Whenever I see him, it makes me laugh about myself.