MADURA COATS COLONY VK PURAM AGAIN - 563

       MADURA COATS COLONY - VK PURAM

                        HEAVEN ON EARTH 

                                ( Repeat ) 

I have had the good fortune of having lived in a gated community all my life . First as a youngster under the care of my Parents at various Railway Settlements and later as a grown up in the Mill Colony down South where I was employed . 

My early remembrances are  of having lived in the Railway Colony at various locations by virtue of my father having been a Senior Officer in the South Eastern Railways  at Kharagpur , Garden Reach - Kolkata , Chakradharpur , Adra , Cuttack , Nagpur , Waltair or Vishakapatnam and Bhilai . They bring back fond and  nostalgic memories of the many  Diwali , Durga Pooja and other Festivals that were celebrated there . . Being a small and almost closed community , every family was on very intimate terms with each other . It was as if they were all members of an extended Family . 

I did my Textile Technology at SASMIRA  in Mumbai which had a very large Chunk of Gujarati  speaking student community . 

Being in so many States during the formative years and at places which had a Local Language of their own and each very distinct from the other , I grew up to be quite comfortable with Hindi , Telugu , Gujarati , Marathi,  Bengali and English atleast at  the spoken level .

 The downside of this was that my TAMIL took a beating and I  could never bring myself to master the same . To this day this is a facet which I must admit is a shame . I am  however trying to get better the better of it each passing day . Rest assured ,  I might even surprise you by penning a Blog in Tamil someday very soon .

Having thus far lived at places which was distinctly different from the one at VK Puram where I chose to get employed , the transition to The  Madura Coats Colony at VK Puram was not something which was easy . The temptation to call it quits and board the next train back to Mumbai was always a lingering thought .

I got over it slowly and today i can proudly and without any hesitation say that it was by far  the  BEST , WRONG decision that  i had ever taken in my life .

I do not want to dwell much upon the quality of life at the workplace . The  fact that I spent nearly 30 years of my more than contended working life here is a statement in itself . My colleagues in the Textile Field will surely agree with this statement of mine . Textiles is a field with very high attrition rates . In fact till the IT Sector got into the limelight , Textiles was the field with the highest Attrition Rates  . The joke doing the rounds in the  PAREL , LOWER PAREL , JACOB CIRCLE or  ELPHINSTON ROAD areas of Mumbai or Bombay which  had a large number of reputed Textile Mills at a stone throw distance from each other was that opportunities were just waiting to be grabbed . 

Being a Labour intensive occupation  , As a Textile Professional your Success depended not only on what you Did or Did Not do but also on what the Large  Labour Force under you did . If there was an issue with your Boss or the large Labour Force one could always  throw in the PAPERS midway through one shift and join in the next shift in a totally New Mill around the corner 

MADURA COATS COLONY  : 

Nestled as it is on the Foothills of the Western Ghats or Pothigai Malai , this Picturesque Colony of 100 +  Houses is a drawback to the British Era . This colony is almost 140 + years old now .

The tiled houses with neat tree lined  pathways connected , not only the colony residents but also the large stock of Rhesus and Black Faced Langoor Monkeys who were the original inhabitants of this habitat .

This is not to forget the very many species of Reptiles who made it a point to be the unwelcome guests in the houses of the Colony Residents from time to time . The Security Staff had a job on their hands to keep both the Monkeys and Snakes away and at a safe distance. Bears were also spotted from time to time near the Centenary Park . Spotting of the Wild Boar was a common feature as were the Monitor Lizards . 

The Colony Club and the Tambarabarani Club were places where everyone let out their strain after their hard day at work . The Tennis and Badminton Court , The Swimming Pool , Billiards and Card Table were always a great draw both for the Schoolgoing Youngsters , the Lady Folks  and their work stressed husbands .

The colony club celebrations of Diwali , Pongal , Christmas , Onam and the New Year Celebrations still remain etched in perfect memory . Drama troupe of Crazy Mohan and their ilk was a common feature .

The Dance , Drama , Christmas Carol Rounds , where yours truely was once the Santa Claus , Onam Market , Diwali Fireworks by the residents of the Colony were a regular feature . In fact hardly a Month passed without a  GETTOGETHER at the Colony Club or T Club under some heading .

The Screening  of the Latest Movie at the colony club every alternate weekend was an event in itself , Alfred and Palani were the Masters at keeping the Movie Projector which was well past its Shelf Life by a few decades in good shape and health .

Apart from the movie , the CHOLE BHATUREY was  the master attraction especially for the kids during the extended  interval break .

The VIKAASA SCHOOL was by all accounts one of the best Schools in and around the place . It was one of the primary reasons for the decision of many a Staff Member to stay put at the place inspite of the better or far more  lucrative offers elsewhere . Today , my Daughter and Son are well placed in life largely due to their Education at Vikaasa .

The hoot of the siren at 5 , 6.30 , 7 , 11 and 11.30 AM and 2 , 3 , 7 , 7.30 and 10 PM will never be forgotten . Being  shift going persons our body clock was very much  attuned to these hoots .

This colony was the first one to be provided with the Cooking Gas Connection and the TV Dish Antenna connection  in each and every house of the colony even as others in the Town  were just beginning to hear of the same and the Magic of Television .

The Monthly Trip to Tirunelveli from the Colony and back on a Saturday by a bus of the then KTC found favour with all for Purchases , Movie and  Eating Out Opportunities . It gave the colony residents and especially the Ladies an excuse  to seek an Evening Out with their Family  .

The afternoon hoot of the Ambulance Van to transport both the firm and the not so firm  residents of the colony to the Mill Dispensary just a short distance away was always a boon . Dr Arthur  and Dr Ravikumari  were easily accessible in case of any Emergency . Dr Arthur was on attendance on many occasions at my house to attend on my Father for his age related issues . 

Lastly , the security was so good that in my whole 30 years of stay in the colony there was not a single case of any theft or pilferage save for the occasional outreach by the Monkeys and Langoors .

Tell me , how many places can proclaim to have all such extended and beautiful facilities at the same place . 

Thanks to everyone , those lucky enough to be a part of the group and cherishing the good times that we have all had in the Colony . 

PS : I WRITE THIS SOME 20  YEARS AFTER I HAVE LEFT THE COLONY , PLEASE IGNORE  THE OVERSIGHT IF ANY .