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In 1966-67, I was posted in Eletrical Party to work for oil and gas explration in Cauvery basin, I was sent in advance party to Madras with the main task to receive the camping equipment sent from DehraDun and to be dispatched to Karaikal ( Pndicherry) . Mr Gujral, one of the party member already in Madras made an arrangement ( on my request) for a temporay one room residence in Kodambakkam - a locality where most of the low class cinema industry workers lived.
I reached there with my wife and a three months old son -MALANKI ( name given by my my Russian colleagues working in the party- meaning CHHOTU) in the afternoon, tired from a long journey by GT express from Delhi to Madras ( fastest train for Madras in those days); I had just bare minimum things as we take to field camps. By any standard , the room was very shabby , dark with no ventilation except a small window. Any way, it was night, made arrangement to sleep on the floor. Next morning, we found a large number of bed bugs, I wonder as from where they came and slowly disappeared. Neighbourhood was all with low class people including the landlord who was also living in the same premises. To our surprise, in the morning, we found no toilet , when asked about it, the landlady told that we all go to the nearby fields to easdown, and hence we may also go; terrible , we were not prepared for that , then she shold told that we can use the bathing place ( not a proper bathroom ) and wash it with the water. There was no water , or water tap over there. However, she gave us a bucket for the water , and water is to be fetched from the well inside the premises. We used the bathing place as toilet and bath room and slowly slowly arragement was made for lady helper to get us water from the well and drinking water from somewhere from the tap. We learnt as how to live in that small place with no or bare minimum facilities among the low class people. It was very weired kind of experience. Fortunately , railway station for local trains was very near- just at walkable distance; other facilities getting some vegetables, milk etc. were also near by; a good restaurant with a good and inexpensive food was very near to this plave; we never coocked the meals at home, only outside. People over there were very cooperative and supportive, even without knowing the local language- Tamil, we manged our affairs. We lived there for about four weeks but a kind of different and weired kind of experience living with the family and a child of few months old. When I think about it, I just wonder as Mr. Gujral thought of this place for us, how he found it for us and how we could live in that place. No regrets, we got very strange kind of experience and enjoyed our living there as every evening used to be wonderful for us at Marina or Saffire ... etc. We used to walk a lot as others in Madras used to do so; Kodambakkam was a small township within a big metropliton city of Madras- as simple as Madras (now Chennai) itself.
Read more: https://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Kodambakkam_overbridge.JPG/250px-Kodambakkam_overbridge.JPG&imgrefurl=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodambakkam&h=188&w=250&tbnid=3OSKpJJ5Ex7WJM:&q=kodambakkam+chennai&tbnh=160&tbnw=212&usg=AFrqEzf0NsKH4RWS1jRi0Kxt_QZYVKZPyQ&vet=12ahUKEwjknc6ljpDdAhWD8oMKHUwrDJwQ_B0wCnoECAoQCQ..i&docid=oNGu03a8Td80YM&itg=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjknc6ljpDdAhWD8oMKHUwrDJwQ_B0wCnoECAoQCQ
I reached there with my wife and a three months old son -MALANKI ( name given by my my Russian colleagues working in the party- meaning CHHOTU) in the afternoon, tired from a long journey by GT express from Delhi to Madras ( fastest train for Madras in those days); I had just bare minimum things as we take to field camps. By any standard , the room was very shabby , dark with no ventilation except a small window. Any way, it was night, made arrangement to sleep on the floor. Next morning, we found a large number of bed bugs, I wonder as from where they came and slowly disappeared. Neighbourhood was all with low class people including the landlord who was also living in the same premises. To our surprise, in the morning, we found no toilet , when asked about it, the landlady told that we all go to the nearby fields to easdown, and hence we may also go; terrible , we were not prepared for that , then she shold told that we can use the bathing place ( not a proper bathroom ) and wash it with the water. There was no water , or water tap over there. However, she gave us a bucket for the water , and water is to be fetched from the well inside the premises. We used the bathing place as toilet and bath room and slowly slowly arragement was made for lady helper to get us water from the well and drinking water from somewhere from the tap. We learnt as how to live in that small place with no or bare minimum facilities among the low class people. It was very weired kind of experience. Fortunately , railway station for local trains was very near- just at walkable distance; other facilities getting some vegetables, milk etc. were also near by; a good restaurant with a good and inexpensive food was very near to this plave; we never coocked the meals at home, only outside. People over there were very cooperative and supportive, even without knowing the local language- Tamil, we manged our affairs. We lived there for about four weeks but a kind of different and weired kind of experience living with the family and a child of few months old. When I think about it, I just wonder as Mr. Gujral thought of this place for us, how he found it for us and how we could live in that place. No regrets, we got very strange kind of experience and enjoyed our living there as every evening used to be wonderful for us at Marina or Saffire ... etc. We used to walk a lot as others in Madras used to do so; Kodambakkam was a small township within a big metropliton city of Madras- as simple as Madras (now Chennai) itself.
Read more: https://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Kodambakkam_overbridge.JPG/250px-Kodambakkam_overbridge.JPG&imgrefurl=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodambakkam&h=188&w=250&tbnid=3OSKpJJ5Ex7WJM:&q=kodambakkam+chennai&tbnh=160&tbnw=212&usg=AFrqEzf0NsKH4RWS1jRi0Kxt_QZYVKZPyQ&vet=12ahUKEwjknc6ljpDdAhWD8oMKHUwrDJwQ_B0wCnoECAoQCQ..i&docid=oNGu03a8Td80YM&itg=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjknc6ljpDdAhWD8oMKHUwrDJwQ_B0wCnoECAoQCQ
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