Down the memory lane

11 July,1078 - I submitted my technical resignation (4th in my career) and bade good bye to my colleagues of the External Services Division of All India Radio,New Delhi and boarded the bus for Mussouri. From the next day, my career as an IAS officer began( of course to begin with they call you as IAS Probationer) and went through the mill of training for the next two years. In August 1978, the first cultural programme organised by the Probationers was staged in the academy. As one who had had worked in the media, I was asked organise the Programme. I requested my fellow trainee Ramu Damadharan ( IFS Probationer of my batch) to compere the programme There was a drama in which I had also actedalong 4 of my batch mates.

PHOTO

ToTTo be honest to myself , I did not find my training at the academy exciting barring few patches like teaching of Law,Indian Constituion, Malayalam, 5 B Exercises, shuttle games, outings such as Bharat Dharshan,Tribal Attachment,Distirct Attachment and few other things.I felt the same way during my training in Kerala state as well.

As a routine, we were taken to call on the President of India ( at whose will one is in the service) at Rashtrapathy Bhavan and the Vice President of India

PHOTO-1 with President

PHOTO-2 with Vice President
I found the Tribal Attachment in Bastar interesting and relevant. We stayed in a Govt.Rest House near a tribal belt. We interacted with the tribals during our visits to thieir hamlets and weekly shanties. We were amazed at the tribal costumes and jewellery .Our Bharat Dharshan was also interesting and educative. We were taken accross the country so as to understand and appreciate the diverse culture,language,costumes,customs and traditions. We also got to know their problems. Thease two attachments were the most fruitful to me and remain fresh in my memory. Of course, due to bad food and water during these attachements , I was down with severe bout of jaundice. It relapsed as well. After 45 days of convalesence at home, I left for MAdurai by bus and for onward journey to Kottayam,Kerala for my District Attachment.

In August 1978, I reported to Mr. John Mathai , the District collector of Kottayam,Kerala. That was my first ever visit to a place in Kerala. My attachment with him was quite useful from my career point of view. He took me along with him on tour to some of the places in the district and also made me sit along with him in his chamber during hearing of cases and petitons.

My attachement with Mr.Karunakaran, Deputy Tahsildar( Election) was the most useful of my district attachments. I helped him conduct a Parliamentary Election.
Ramanan, an Upper Division Clerk of the Collectorate taught me Malayalam patiently and enabled me to read,write and speak Malayalam to a certain extent. But unfortunately, I failed in my Malayalam Lower in the first attempt; but cleared the Higher Malayalam at one go. To get to know the working knowledge of Malayalam, I used to see Malayalam films.
For my magisterial traing I was attached with the District Judge of Kottayam Ms.Fatima Beevi . Subsequently, she was elevated to the High Court of Kerala and then to the Supreme Court of India.
I was also attached with the Judicial I Class Magistrate,where I learnt as to how to write out orders after the hearing. I was also asked to handle some petty cases. The rest of my training at the state Head quarters was not eventful and was a mere routine. I remember the day I tasted Karimeen(pamphret) at Vaikom ( famous for VAikom SAtyagraham of Thanthai Periyar and Ethapazham that I first tasted at Changancherry enroute to Trivandrum.