Trivandrum tales

Our member, Ms S. Bhattacharyya, lived in Trivandrum, Kerala, of the mid-sixties and has wonderful memories of the “the town of the Lord”.
From Bhawanipore, Kolkata, to Trivandrum was a major change but our member, Ms S. Bhattacharyya, who went there with her husband after they were married, could not have loved any place more. Trivandrum, which had not been renamed Thiruvananthapuram (‘the town of the Lord’) then, was a seaside city built on seven hills—its undulating terrain and many beautiful temples made it fascinating. The newlyweds settled in a lovely rented house with a tiled roof. Most houses in the neighbourhood were architecturally similar with large gardens in front. Their landlord was a paternal man with two young daughters, who quickly became Ms Bhattacharyya's friends. The girls helped her to learn the local language and they went around the city, when her husband was at work. “I would unmindfully leave my front door unlocked often. On returning, I would find our landlord sitting inside my room and keeping watch; sometimes scolding me like my father did." The house was near the sea and visits to the pristine beaches were a must. She bought a lot of fish every time she went to the beach. “We threw some fish for the crows to eat while we descaled them.” There were the fresh vegetables in every kitchen garden and papaya-laden trees too. “I waited for the green papaya to fall on the ground because it was impossible to pluck them off the trees.” The architecture, the historic monuments, the backwaters and the cultural heritage of the place are memories that come tumbling out of her mind. “It is nearly 60 years since we left Trivandrum and I want to go back for a visit,” she says wistfully. Some friends still live there and a daughter of their landlord visited her in Kolkata with her (Images Courtesy: Pixabay) From Pringle case to pen holders Give her an empty container and watch Ms Mandira De make magic. She has taken two empty Pringles containers, painted them black using poster colour. On the first she created Mandala art, dipping pencil ends in paint and making round circles, which she has surrounded with dots and circles. Mandala art helps to increase concentration. For the second container, she dried up a bunch of grapes and painted the dried up stalks yellow and the grapes red. Our member, Ms S. Bhattacharyya, lived in Trivandrum, Kerala, of the mid-sixties and has wonderful memories of the “the town of the Lord”. Our member, Ms S. Das Chaudhuri, husband.“Thiruvananthapuram may have changed into a swanky metropolis with multi-storeyed buildings but I am sure that I will locate my lovely home.”
(As narrated to Support Elders by our member)