Writing letters

 Writing letter is an art.  But treasuring those letters written by your dear ones is priceless,  should have a heart.  It may turn into a trove as the antiquity value goes up over a period of time.  I was very fond of writing letters, not that I had that literary acumen to attract the receiver, but my expression always was a genuine one.  So the person who received my letter used to definitely respond with a reply. 

Two persons who used to entice me in my youth have now become untraceable,  and the third one have left for his heavenly abode.  These two person with whom I had a personal connect are my best  friends in construction days. They have helped me in my dire days, influenced to build my character and knowledge base.  The third person is none other than my spiritual Guru and my family well wisher Rev Fr P E Antony.  All the three persons used to communicate with me whenever they are away from my resident city.  

A beautiful co incidence in all three are that I treasure all the letters written to me  by these three in a beautiful folder.  Let me explain about those esteemed persons one by one.

K R Viswambaran is a welder by profession and we met at the construction site of Mangalore Fertilizer in 1974. For some time we shared a rented house in Panambur, a suburb near Mangalore.  After Mangalore I was shifted to Bongaigaon, Assam.  He wanted  introduction in another company who required trainned welders and  my assistance helped and he was selected. I cannot forget the help given by this friend when I received marching order from the company where I was employed.  When I was asked to go, he came to me with his first pay packet.  I came back to Madras and he went to places abroad; but was in touch with letters written occasionally.

The second person M Ramakrishnan, an Electrical Engineer, was site in charge for many construction sites. A very good human being, voracious reader, good communicator and a good letter writer.   He passed on to me many books he had read asking me to read and preserve with me.  My association with him started in the year 1975 when he joined as site engineer for construction site of Cochin Refineries, Ambalamedu.  Our first meeting was in Hotel Luciya where he was temporarily staying. When I was asked to meet him, he was waiting for me in the restaurant.  He ordered two plates each of chicken roast,  mutton fry and chapati.  When I disuaded him, from ordering this much he said that he has ordered for him alone.  However, he was a voratius eater and entertained his friends also with rich food.

After the Cochin site he left for other site and our communication continued in letters. Beautiful letters with legible hand written on lovely pads  from 1976 to 1982.  In between visits to his Madras house, his mother's hospitality with delicious Chettinad culinary   still cherish in my memory.   I have attended his marriage  with Lalitha held in  Karaikkal in the year 1980,  and later their hospitality in their house in Virugambakkam. But he failed to attend my marriage in 1982 for some reason and he drifted from memory.   My best efforts to track him through known contacts in the old company has not still materialized.

After my marriage I entered into a different world and friends have become less important in my life.

My efforts thereafter was to build a strong family and the first fruit showered in the very next year. My wife managed the family in a balanced way though two aging members my father and uncle and a nagging sister who made demands even after her marriage.  However, guidance given by Rev Fr P E Antony was a whiff of fresh air in our tumultuous life.  His spiritual guidance in all our family functions continued till June 2021.  He left us to his heavenly abode due to the pandemic.  But the imprints he made in our life are divine.  He officiated the marriages our three children and the baptism of my granddaughter. I cherish very much the letters written by him whenever he was away from us due to transfer to other destinations.

In the nutshell two of my friends who made impressions in my life are still at large, and one has left us forever to his heavenly abode.

And my quest continues...