When I joined the Mahatma Gandhi (MG) College for the intermediate course in 1949, its new campus at Kesavadasapuram had not become full-fledged. While the arts section was on the new campus, we, science students, continued to study on its old campus, which was on the premises of Vadasseri Amma Veedu at Perunthanni. We moved to the new campus in my second year.
I used to walk from my home at Gowreesapattom to the college. Or else, my friend Krishnan Nair used to give me a lift on his cycle. It was my dream to join the NCC, but I couldn’t join since I wasn’t tall enough then. However, the best thing was that I could move around with a group of people who were interested in theatre. When our college was completely shifted to Kesavadasapuram, my father bought me a new cycle, thanks to the intervention of my grandmother, Kalyani Amma.
Talking about the students, they were quite an unruly bunch. They used to boo, whatever be the occasion, be it while entering the class or when the attendance was being taken. In fact, our Hindi teacher, after taking the attendance would say, Jo jaana chahte hain, jaa sakte hain (those who want to leave can leave) and many of them would just walk out of the class. The girls and a few of us would remain in the class.
In those days, some cultural activity or the other would be staged during the assembly and the students never spared any performer. But one person they all admired was Krishnan Nair, father of singer K.S. Chithra, who mesmerised the students with his singing.
I was never part of the notorious gang, but had a great time on the campus. I would sneak out to watch the matinee show at Sree Padmanabha when our college was at Perunthanni. There were films such as Nalla Thanka, which I have watched more than once.
Of the few teachers I remember, there was a Malayalam teacher who was a dedicated yoga practitioner as well. Whenever he found a student dozing in his class, he would immediately get on to the table, and would show yoga postures to overcome fatigue. In fact, a few students would pretend to sleep in the class, so that they would enjoy his yoga!
I was not very good in studies. In fact, for the first time in my life, I flunked the maths paper and I could clear it only after writing the supplementary examination the next year. My father wanted to make me an engineer, so, though, I never liked maths, I had to study it. In fact, even after I failed, he was adamant that I should become an engineer and wanted me to graduate in mathematics. But while I was preparing for the supplementary exam, I could devote a lot of time to theatre.
Once I went to University College to meet a friend. There I saw a class where girls outnumbered boys, quite an unusual sight. It was the Hindi class. There I met Bhaskaran Nair sir, the then head of the department, who suggested that I should study Hindi. I never had any liking for the subject, but applied (because I wanted to escape from mathematics) without telling my father. When he knew about it, he didn’t get angry, because in those days learning Hindi was considered a big thing.
I didn’t get on to the stage while in college, but I used to act in plays that were staged outside the campus in the company of reputed theatre persons.
Once I completed my graduation, I went to Benares Hindu University to do my post graduation in Hindi. After coming back, I first worked in National Hindu College, Nagercoil, and later at Scott Christian College. It was during that time that I applied to the National School of Drama (NSD). I got selected.
At no point of my student life did I think that I would be doing films. But NSD opened a new world to me. When I look back, I am happy that I took Hindi. Maybe that was the reason why I could do main roles in many productions of NSD.
(This is the concluding part of the column to commemorate the platinum jubilee of the University of Kerala. We had eminent teachers and people from different walks of life talking about their student days in various colleges under the University.)
