S S Rajula (Rajula), was a sealiner by British India steam Navigation company, which was built in 1926 at Glasgow, to carry passengers and goods from Madras to Singapore touching the ports of Negapattanam (Nagapattanam),Penang and Port Klang.
All the passengers were asked to queue for their turn and had to catch a ladder to climb up, taking help from the ship’s crew. Devu and her friends eagerly waited for their turn and finally boarded Rajula. The view which awaited Devu was priceless. Rajula was alluring and she carried 1800 passengers, wherein 1200 resided on the deck and 600 resided on the higher classes or cabins. It was first ever experience for Devu, and everything she saw made her excited. A higher class had been booked for Devu by her brother and hence, she and her friends got settled in their cabins.
The voyage took 15 long days and there were not much entertainments for the passengers. A man used to go around to announce the meal time by ringing a bell and everybody marched to the dining room. All the food served were a mix of western and Indian cuisine. There were not much entertainments and most of the time everyone sat idle. During some random evenings ,few games or activities were arranged by the ships crew. Since, Devu was travelling for the first time, she experienced extreme sea sickness during the initial days and most of the time she laid down in the cabin.
As the days passed by, Devu got adjusted to the new surroundings and she started relishing the novelty of sea travel. At times, Devu and her friends used to visit the deck and spend some time exploring the beauty of the sea. They could view small fishing boats moving far away. Sometimes they did chit-chats with the fellow passengers in the deck. Finally, by the end of that fortnight, on a beautiful and warm evening, Rajula reached the port of Singapore. While the sun was about to hide in the waves, an entirely new life was waiting for Devu in the shores of Singapore.
There were some maintenance activities happening at the port of Singapore and hence the ship could not anchor at the port. The only alternative for the passengers to get down were by using a Jacob’s ladder (Jacobs ladder) which consisted of vertical ropes supporting horizontal, round rungs. Passengers were required to go down this ladder to reach small individual small boats, which in turn carried 20 to 30 people at a time. Rajula, was 49 feet high (15m) and one has to climb down this much height to reach the boat below. Many fellow passengers started going down the ladder steps. Seeing this terrific view, Devu felt really frightened. However, there were no other options for her to reach down.
Devu finally managed to descend the ladder and reached the boat which rested below. Devu was then preceded by her friends. The boat carried them along with other passengers to the port. Their luggages were loaded at the port by another set of boats and everyone collected their luggages and got ready to depart. Devu's brother, Kuttan and his wife were waiting at the port to receive her. Devu felt happy to see her brother, but her eyes were searching at each and every corner of the port, to see her hero. Unfortunately, she could not find him anywhere and felt really sad.
She waved adieu to her friends and travelled to Kuttans home via a taxi, which was one of the major mode of transport in Singapore that time. Devu was very much excited to travel in a taxi for the first time in her life. Many curiousities like tricycles, Singapore streets, local Tamil shops and a lot more things awaited to surprise her in Singapore. They finally reached Kuttan’s home. Devu’s younger sister, who got married and settled in Singapore were waiting at Kuttan’s home to meet Devu. During dinner time, Kuttan informed that all the wedding preparations were done and wedding date is fixed after two weeks. Those times, girls never had any courage to talk to the elderly, and she only nodded her head for all the info conveyed by her brother. Even though, she wanted to ask about when she can meet Sankar, she kept silent.
Two days passed by, and Devu slowly got adjusted to the new environment. One evening, while she was walking in front of Kuttan’s home, someone knocked at the gate. She turned around and surprised to see Sankar. She felt shy and happy at the same time to see her man after 10 long years. Sankar was received by her family and they both were allowed to talk for sometime. They discussed about the wedding ceremony and informed that he purchased wedding Saree from local Tamil shops in Singapore. Sankar also added that he took a house for rent and they both can move to that home after wedding.
Thus, by the end of 1950, the long-awaited day of Devu and Sankar arrived. The wedding ceremony was arranged at the Singapore city council hall by her brother. It was a small function which included nearly 50 people. Kuttan, his wife, devus younger sister, her family and some friends of Kuttan represented the bride’s party. From Sankar’s side, there were few of his friends and colleagues in Singapore.
Devu wore a beautiful saree, with golden borders, and Sankar was in a traditional Kerala attire. The wedding ceremony started with Sankar tying the golden knot to Devu (called thalikettu), following which, they exchanged flower garlands. The ceremony finished off by Sankar offering the saree (Pudava) to Devu and thereafter, they seeked blessings of her brother, Kuttan. Following the ceremony, there held a grand Kerala feast (Sadya) in the lunch hall. The wedding ceremony was followed by a reception in the evening. After the reception, Sankar and Devu waved goodbye to their friends and family and departed to their new home.
Thus, they started their journey of life and lived happily ever after, cherishing each and every moment of their life.
And here ends my story as well.
Disclaimer: The characters and events depicted in my story are not “fictitious”, they are truly based on real people.
This story is based on the life of my paternal grandparents. The female protagonist in my story, Devu is my grandmother, in real life known as “Sankariyamma”and the male protagonist Sankar is my grandfather, known by the name “Sankara Pillai”. Elder brother Kuttan was my father’s uncle, in real life known as Kuttan Nair. Sankariyamma and Sankara Pillai were blessed with two children, elder son, Suresh and younger one, Ravindranath.
As their names exhibited unity, so were they in actual life. They lived together happily for a long span of 40 years until my grandfather, Sankarapillai passed away in 1990 following a massive heart attack. Sankariyamma passed away in 2008 due to old age related ailments.
Me and my sister with my grandmother (an old pic)
I have faded memories of these stories told by my grandmother (Ammooma). Hence I took help from my parents and relatives. I really feel thankful to my Dad, my Mom, my Sister and two Aunt’s ( Radha Appachi & Nirmala appachi) for sharing all your memories which helped me out to narrate this wonderful story.
All the passengers were asked to queue for their turn and had to catch a ladder to climb up, taking help from the ship’s crew. Devu and her friends eagerly waited for their turn and finally boarded Rajula. The view which awaited Devu was priceless. Rajula was alluring and she carried 1800 passengers, wherein 1200 resided on the deck and 600 resided on the higher classes or cabins. It was first ever experience for Devu, and everything she saw made her excited. A higher class had been booked for Devu by her brother and hence, she and her friends got settled in their cabins.
The voyage took 15 long days and there were not much entertainments for the passengers. A man used to go around to announce the meal time by ringing a bell and everybody marched to the dining room. All the food served were a mix of western and Indian cuisine. There were not much entertainments and most of the time everyone sat idle. During some random evenings ,few games or activities were arranged by the ships crew. Since, Devu was travelling for the first time, she experienced extreme sea sickness during the initial days and most of the time she laid down in the cabin.
As the days passed by, Devu got adjusted to the new surroundings and she started relishing the novelty of sea travel. At times, Devu and her friends used to visit the deck and spend some time exploring the beauty of the sea. They could view small fishing boats moving far away. Sometimes they did chit-chats with the fellow passengers in the deck. Finally, by the end of that fortnight, on a beautiful and warm evening, Rajula reached the port of Singapore. While the sun was about to hide in the waves, an entirely new life was waiting for Devu in the shores of Singapore.
There were some maintenance activities happening at the port of Singapore and hence the ship could not anchor at the port. The only alternative for the passengers to get down were by using a Jacob’s ladder (Jacobs ladder) which consisted of vertical ropes supporting horizontal, round rungs. Passengers were required to go down this ladder to reach small individual small boats, which in turn carried 20 to 30 people at a time. Rajula, was 49 feet high (15m) and one has to climb down this much height to reach the boat below. Many fellow passengers started going down the ladder steps. Seeing this terrific view, Devu felt really frightened. However, there were no other options for her to reach down.
Devu finally managed to descend the ladder and reached the boat which rested below. Devu was then preceded by her friends. The boat carried them along with other passengers to the port. Their luggages were loaded at the port by another set of boats and everyone collected their luggages and got ready to depart. Devu's brother, Kuttan and his wife were waiting at the port to receive her. Devu felt happy to see her brother, but her eyes were searching at each and every corner of the port, to see her hero. Unfortunately, she could not find him anywhere and felt really sad.
She waved adieu to her friends and travelled to Kuttans home via a taxi, which was one of the major mode of transport in Singapore that time. Devu was very much excited to travel in a taxi for the first time in her life. Many curiousities like tricycles, Singapore streets, local Tamil shops and a lot more things awaited to surprise her in Singapore. They finally reached Kuttan’s home. Devu’s younger sister, who got married and settled in Singapore were waiting at Kuttan’s home to meet Devu. During dinner time, Kuttan informed that all the wedding preparations were done and wedding date is fixed after two weeks. Those times, girls never had any courage to talk to the elderly, and she only nodded her head for all the info conveyed by her brother. Even though, she wanted to ask about when she can meet Sankar, she kept silent.
Two days passed by, and Devu slowly got adjusted to the new environment. One evening, while she was walking in front of Kuttan’s home, someone knocked at the gate. She turned around and surprised to see Sankar. She felt shy and happy at the same time to see her man after 10 long years. Sankar was received by her family and they both were allowed to talk for sometime. They discussed about the wedding ceremony and informed that he purchased wedding Saree from local Tamil shops in Singapore. Sankar also added that he took a house for rent and they both can move to that home after wedding.
Thus, by the end of 1950, the long-awaited day of Devu and Sankar arrived. The wedding ceremony was arranged at the Singapore city council hall by her brother. It was a small function which included nearly 50 people. Kuttan, his wife, devus younger sister, her family and some friends of Kuttan represented the bride’s party. From Sankar’s side, there were few of his friends and colleagues in Singapore.
Devu wore a beautiful saree, with golden borders, and Sankar was in a traditional Kerala attire. The wedding ceremony started with Sankar tying the golden knot to Devu (called thalikettu), following which, they exchanged flower garlands. The ceremony finished off by Sankar offering the saree (Pudava) to Devu and thereafter, they seeked blessings of her brother, Kuttan. Following the ceremony, there held a grand Kerala feast (Sadya) in the lunch hall. The wedding ceremony was followed by a reception in the evening. After the reception, Sankar and Devu waved goodbye to their friends and family and departed to their new home.
Thus, they started their journey of life and lived happily ever after, cherishing each and every moment of their life.
And here ends my story as well.
Disclaimer: The characters and events depicted in my story are not “fictitious”, they are truly based on real people.
This story is based on the life of my paternal grandparents. The female protagonist in my story, Devu is my grandmother, in real life known as “Sankariyamma”and the male protagonist Sankar is my grandfather, known by the name “Sankara Pillai”. Elder brother Kuttan was my father’s uncle, in real life known as Kuttan Nair. Sankariyamma and Sankara Pillai were blessed with two children, elder son, Suresh and younger one, Ravindranath.
As their names exhibited unity, so were they in actual life. They lived together happily for a long span of 40 years until my grandfather, Sankarapillai passed away in 1990 following a massive heart attack. Sankariyamma passed away in 2008 due to old age related ailments.
I have faded memories of these stories told by my grandmother (Ammooma). Hence I took help from my parents and relatives. I really feel thankful to my Dad, my Mom, my Sister and two Aunt’s ( Radha Appachi & Nirmala appachi) for sharing all your memories which helped me out to narrate this wonderful story.
Wow...what an inspiration...
ReplyDeleteTrue love doesn't mind time and distance and even life...