Namma school ,kaate,Gelayaru matu Girinagara

The growing up years or Namma A-Dinagalu is a wonderful memory which can never be forgotten. I landed up in Girinagara in 1984 and on the first day in my new house we had a gang coming into my house .Girinagara was pretty small area where each of us would know if a new house came up . They all came and chatted with me and became friends and the best part was they saw my comic collections and in the next 10 minutes it all had disappeared into their hands . All of us loved novels , comics and cricket and i think that's what bonded all of us. Venki, Kiran, Vasuki,Balu
( Bhola), Puchi, Rajiva, Sanjeeva, Kulla, Vinii,Raju, Shashi,Jagi, Prakasha,Madan...
What a list and what a group . Some of us are still the best friends and meet regularly . It's long journey .

Some were in Webster's, Some in BHS, Some in Kumaran's and after our school we used to all meet at our favourite adda the compound wall of Venki's house . Addu namma 2nd house.We used to form our team and then head towards any open area to play cricket .Since the group was big we could form 2 teams . Once we played we used to come back and chat for soemtime before we came back home .The chit chat would go for longer hour's in the summer holidays.

The 3B , 3E bus journey from Seetha circle to Nagasandra circle for my school Kumaran's was eventfull. We had group there too " The Bus friends" and lots of them making merry in the full packed bus.If we dont get a seat we used to just dump the bags at the seated passengers as though it was their job to hold our bags. Some were crazy on the bus numbers .They used to remember well then our algorithm problems.My Friend Deepu used to remember the driver, conductor name and bus no. of 36E exactly .Our bus journey was eventful because of the girls in the bus too . So of them got down at ramakrishna ashram, some at Nation high school stop and rest at nagasandra . Dashu and Vasuki used to board the bus in nirmala stores and they were the most notorious in the bus . the walk back from the bust stop to the house was another amazing thing where we used to have a race as to who would walk faster in the adjacent roads.
The summer holidays were always fun as vinay used to land up as early as like 7am in front of venki's house for a cricket match or just to chit-chat .He used to get frowned on by kiran ,venki's brother seeing him so early .All our parents used to crib saying we would never improve in life and succeed but nothing bothered us .We played all day along came back only to have some juice or water .We can never forgets all our mothers who although cribbed used to serve us with juice, water or snacks . How many window panes has been shattered .How many infights .How many scoldings.I cna never forget the famous sanjeeeva and Mr.Jayaram fight when the cricket ball fell in his house and how madan went inside the house to mediate . The constant fight among senior and junior gangs . The pulling of puchi's shorts whenever he faught and cried and left us to go home .The way vasuki would be said " rascal" when we used to fight among ourselves .With all these our day would end back on the payment in front of venki's house recollecting these things and laughing over it . I had never seen sushila aunty crib on us . Hats of to her patience and they way she treated us all . One was not well always we fought and some times the fight has stayed for years before a patch up.

Girinagar saw the start of a Leather Cricket team and a volley ball team that time around .There was association or sangha formed by our friends which conducted quiz, ganesha festival, athletics for the elders and us . Our venue would be the roads and the sachidanada ashram auditorium.I remember my father winning 2 shields in 100 and 200m race and he was elated . I started as a ball boy in the cricket team and occassionally got myself to get paddedup to bat .The everyday nets before going to school or the long nets on sunday made my desire to play cricket more concrete.As the concrete jungle expanded in Girinagar the friends split for some years.I had joined a Residential school and was coming only in holidays and then college in bangalore and we started back to meet . Times had changed , we had grown .Kiran was going to join army .Raju was on the brink of finishing engineering .Shashi was doing ICWA. Balu was doing evening college and also working in Bandbox.Apart from this We ( me, venki, balu, puchi, vasuki and the new entrant sridhar)had all started to do what young boys indulge in for fun. The evening meeting continued from school to college to our working days till date . Only cricket stopped for some . We met for years on Sundays for a dosa breakfast at mangala or a idli/ upma breakfast at BSK 2nd stage SLV till Balu flew to chennai or dubai.

As i look back the school remains the same with new buildings , the kaate has made way for new pathway, Girinagara has grown rapidly and colourfully but what makes me smile is We Gelayaru are still the same, we meet up till date now with families and kids . We still meet up for drinks. We still meet near venki's place and chit chat when we get time . We still fight and dont talk for days. The mangala dosa stil awaits us on sunday's , the upma vada in SLV still makes us to meet ,We still watch cricket with rapt attention.The love and affection among us has only strengthened over years .Each one of us have gone thru so many personal turbulations but one thing which still bonds us is our friendship which comes out of trust and love . May god be kind to all of us in all times to come and may this friendship carry on for generations to come .
Three cheers to the Girinagara Gelayaru !!!!!!!

Snehada Kadalali payaniga nannamma!!!!!