We shifted from Chembur in very unfortunate circumstances. There was a loss in the family. Earlier, we lived next door to one another, our family in flat # 17 while my father's brother, Shantaram, whom we called Chindaddy, their father Shyamala Ranga Bhashyam and Sai Naidu were in # 18. Bina was born in July 1968 and Ashwin in August 1969. Bina journeyed ahead in 1971 and that turned the tide for both families.
My mother, Sharada, had developed severe health complications. She was diagnosed with hernia after the two cesareans, that is me and my sister. She could not lift either of us and we ended up never being in her arms all through our infant days while she stood.
I do have a photo of myself in the arms of Kodamma, my paternal grandmother, and one in the arms of my mother. But those were studio photographs and I suspect that it was composed only for that occasion.
My mother was also obese because of her hernia and as a result she suffered severely from diabetes. She could not climb up to the 2nd story apartment and was desperately hunting for a ground floor apartment.
Her school colleague, Mrs Subbulakshmi, also a school teacher at the Andhra Education Society High School informed her of the 320 square feet apartment in the ground floor of Usha building that was barely 100 metres from the school.
We used to travel by local train from Chembur suburban railway station to Wadala on the harbour branch line. Sometimes we traveled by bus from Chembur to Kings Circle and that was tiring and extremely exhausting for my mother.
We could either catch the 8 Ltd bus from Chembur station to Kings Circle and walk to the school or take 371 to Sion and change over to 315 / 314 and come to SIWS School and walk over to the AES School.
Bharat Bhushan bharatbhushan@yahoo.com
6 September 2022
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