REMINISCENCE OF CITY LIFE
Dictionary meaning of ‘Reminiscence’ denotes “(in plural) collection, in literary form, of incidents and experiences remembered”. The column ‘Reminiscence of City Life’ can not be authored by a single person, in its nature of pluralism, many have to contribute their remembrance of past life, both significant and not-so-significant at Berhampur. The process will construct an anthology of collective memory about a small town during first seven decades of independent India.
I spent my early
childhood not at Bhimarao Peta, but at Christian Hospital Road, in front of Kama’s
Inn. The place was not so crowded as it is today, rather lonely. There was a
row of five small tiled houses rented out. The whole area where Kama’s Inn and
the other buildings stands today was empty. My parents hired the cornor house
in the row for about 12 years. I believe they were paying a rent of Rs 20 when
moved to Bhimarao Peta, where they purchased a house for Rs 12,000 in 1963.
When we were living
at Christian Hospital Road, Tata Benz building (now Utkal Automobiles) was
constructed reclaiming a barran land. The building design was unique in the
town. For the first time the emblem of ‘Benz’ was illuminated in blue neon. I
had no idea of electricity by that time. Moreover we had no electric connection
in the rented house. But I was familiar with electricity light being
illuminated in the wooden street light polls along the road sides. I thought
that the source that supplies electricity must be supplying a little blue
electricity after a huge quantity of general yellow electricity for use at
places like Tata-Benz sign board.
During early
childhood my eldest brother Ganesh Nana dubbed a few Hindi films into Odia and
involved in film production and distribution business for a while. Thus, there
was a lot of discussion among the elders in the family on emerging
technologies. I heard that television will be coming and one can see cinema
like moving picture exhibition at homes. I could not comprehend. I thought that
the technology may make it possible to project pictures in the white walls of
each home just like cinema halls, a little above the doors and windows.
I too have very find memories of Bhimaraopeta. We used to go for tution of Narasingarao sir. Bijaya, Vimala of Sahu family too used to study. He is a very angry man, who used to punish students if they fail to answer. I never received any bashings by him
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