My YMCA Days

As I flip through the pages of my memory,I  am reminded of Dr.Seuss words,

"Sometimes you will never know the Value of a moment, until it becomes a memory."

Yes it was my association with the YMCA that made me stronger,bolder and able to face the world in all my trials and tribulations.

I entered the portals of the YMCA as a young member of the Toast Master's club during my Pre-degree days.I wanted to develop my oratory skills.It was  meant only for college going students.Here we mingled with students from the most reputed colleges in the city both government and private. We met every Friday in the evening after college and a topic would be selected the previous week and we were supposed to speak on that topic.It varied from political to social or even just a proverb. During those evening sessions as my hair was ankle length and plaited,some of the junior boys like Girish and gang inorder to annoy me would come and sit right behind me and tie my hair to the bottom of the chair head,so when I got up I would be pulled back to my seat and they would enjoy the fun roaring with laughter.So often I saw to it that I put my hair in front,but if ever I forgot they would wait to repeat it.

The Student work department was in charge of the Students' wing of the YMCA.The secretary Mr P A George, who was unmarried  was able to dedicate his services for us students and  would mingle well with the students and we looked upto him as an elder brother. He was a voracious reader of Western novels and so we would exchange books. Western novels mixed with real life details with larger than life drama used to intrigue us. Authors like John Steinbeck and Louis L'Amour were our favourites.

The Students' wing of the YMCA conducted various programmes for the students like the Model Legislative Assembly, the Model LokSabha and the Model UN.They even conducted Quiz competitions ,Seminars and Debates in which students from various colleges came and participated.

As I was new in this field for the first programme,I took part in the year 1970  only as a member of the Legislative Assembly.I worked as a co -worker in the Department of Student Work.

 The United Nations General Assembly in 1947, declared 24 th October  the anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations.Hence the Model UN would always be conducted on that particular day. So on 24th October 1970,I took part for the first time in the Model UN representing Rumania.In those days there was no internet,so we would write to the particular Consulate in India and get their stand on the given topic.It required a lot of preparation as the topic was given months in advance for us to prepare.

A view of the delegates of different countries all dressed in colourful costumes

At the rostrum delivering my speech with Mr. John Thomas in the chair,as the Secretary General.

 Indian, Arab,African  and the various other countries delegates seen in the photo.

It used to be such a colourful affair and we used to get students from colleges to fill the seats of delegates as dummies as we didn't have that many members. We would dress up in the costume of that particular country.In the picture you can see the Arab delegates in their 'thawb' and  for the African nations we would choose the dark complexioned members A distant cousin of mine,Ramesh (who is no more) would supply them with their outfit,as he was from Kenya.Although it was only a few hours session,it was real fun to see the whole hall of the YWCA which was the venue, transformed into a mini United Nations General Assembly.The French delegate spoke in French and a translation was provided.

Later on in 1972,I became the secretary of the student council,YMCA and 

was able to help conduct an All India University Students' Model Lok Sabha,where students came from all over India to participate.I took the role of the Minister for Health and Family Planning.In the early 1970s Indira Gandhi,the then Prime Minister of India had implemented a forced sterelisation.The inverted Red Triangle was the symbol for family planning,health and contraception services in India.

Fully aware of this I wore a bindi on my forehead representing this symbol as I was the Minister of Family Planning.My colleagues were outrageously shocked at seeing me sport that bindi and act so cool.

The cabinet members

Prime Minister,KPNayar(centre seated), right myself,Vijaya Thomas Mani,name unknown,left Sam,name unknown.

Behind standing E.Hameed, Verghis Abraham, Renny Ninan&Mathew Koshy

The programme was a great success.

That same year the Uni-Y(University Youth YMCA) was formed.I was selected  as the founder Secretary of the Trivandrum Uni-Y and represented them at the National  Conference held at Alwaye.Delegates from the different Uni -Ys all over  India came to Alwaye.

We boarded the train from Trivandrum late in the evening as in those days there were no local trains only long distance trains and they were not so fast.We arrived quite late at night and had our dinner at one of the hotels. We were provided accomodation at the Ernakulam YMCA.We had to practically sleep on the table tennis tables in the table tennis  room, as that was the only accomodation they could offer us girls. We never complained and just adjusted because in those days you rarely complained Next morning along with the Ernakulam Uni Y members we left by train for Alwaye.

 The venue was a beautiful place by the Alwaye river. There were steps leading down to the river which was so calm and tempting.We were provided accomodation there itself in small cottages. Most of the delegates who came for the  National Model LokSabha attented this function .So we were familiar with most of them.We were four delegates from Trivandrum,Kesavan Nair,Vijaya Thomas Mani,  K S Mallika and myself. We were put up with Ancy,a student nurse from the Uni Y in Vellore in the same room in the cottage.She had brought lots of eatables likes chips etc from home, thinking she wouldn't get enough food and had conveyed the secret to both Malika and myself,who were actually her wrong choice.

Our delegates along with the Erankulam Uni Y used to get together under a tree and joke and laugh till late at night.One night we felt hungry,so we cashed on the idea of eating Ancy's chips.So we crept into the room in the dark as Ancy was fast asleep and without Ancy knowing we took it, as we knew where it was kept. The next day we told Ancy that there were rats in the room and they ate her chips She believed us because we strew some on the ground.

The delegate Sam from Ernakulam was a good dancer so he used to teach Malika ball room dancing. Since he was the only Catholic boy there he volunteered to take me to church on Sunday in Alwaye town. We went by bus and when we returned the others got ideas in their heads and tried to pair us but I was least interested.

It was here that the  National Committee of Uni-Y was formed Uni-Y  and its charter drawn up  with its rules and regulations. From the various Uni-Ys S.Bhagavan from Madras was elected as the Chairman and K.Kesavan Nair as the Secretary.It was decided to hold its National meetings every two years.The next venue for 1974 was chosen as Hyderabad and to be sponsored by all the Uni-Ys of Hyderabad.

The next day Doordarshan was broadcasting a live programme of our Uni-Y and wanted us to present some programmes.I volunteered to sing and the song I chose was,"Leaving on a jet plane",by John Denver.I was sad that I couldn't hear it as it was broadcast live.Later Kesavan when he proposed to me said that it was this song that attracted him to me. Some performed vocal skits and others sang too. We even took a boat ride down the river singing and clapping along,each one sang their  particular folk songs It was fun joining in the chorus.

After the conference we had to head back to Ernakulam. We reached in the afternoon. Our train to Trivandrum being  in the wee hours of the night.I suddenly thought of my cousin, Alex who was working at FACT and contacted him.Since it was a working day,he promised to take the four of us out to dinner.He took us to a famous Chinese restaurant on MG Road.We had dinner and then went to watch a  Hindi movie just to while away our time till the train arrived The name of the movie was ' Koshish' starring Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bachchan.It was about a couple with a hearing and speech impairment who meet with many difficulties while raising their son However after his wife's death,Harichandra single handedly raises his son.It was a very touching movie.

After the movie we headed for the station waited for the train boarded it and landed at Trivandrum in the afternoon.I was so happy to be home.

Two years later was the National Conference at Hyderabad.By now K. S Mallika had got married and left and  so also many of our seniors. Those lucky to be selected were VerghisAbraham,SusanMarcos,P Kumar,myself and ofcourse Kesavan Nair was there because he was the Secretary to the National Committee of Uni-Ys in India. P.Kumar was the topper  at the Pre degree examination but a very simple boy.We had much fun as he told us he was allergic to onions and that his ears would swell if he ate it. So he was very careful with his diet.

We boarded the train that was going to Chennai .When the train was about to leave we noticed that Kesavan Nair was nowhere to be seen. We really panicked because he would miss the train.After the train moved quite a distance,he came to sit with us as he boarded the train from a different compartment and then walked through the corridor to be with us.He had a sheepish look cos he had gone for his usual booze with one of his friends Vincent.Since he was senior to us and eventhough he was in love with me,I dared not ask him fearing his wrath. His booze was just one peg of the local stuff and he was not drunk.Later in life when he used to chide me saying that my father taught him to drink.I always reminded him that my father taught him to drink the good stuff and not spurious drinks. Since we already had our dinner we soon went to sleep.The train arrived the next evening at Chennai  When we enquired about our onward journey to Hyderabad we were told that we didn't have reservations.So we were kind of stranded with no accomodation.Luckily Susan,Verghis,Kumar and Kesavan had relatives in Madras who would accomodate them.I felt a bit upset because I had no place to go to but immediately Kesavan offered to put me up at his Uncle's place. Mr T.G Kesavan Nair his uncle was the Dy.Controller of Stores,Southern Railways.I was feeling so embarassed to seek accomodation at their place His aunt,Bhavanikutty Amma was such a good host that she took me in and both she and her husband were very friendly.She put me up in her room warning me that she would awake at 4am and that I shouldn't be disturbed as she recited the bagans.Actually I awoke and it was so soothing to the mind listening to it.His Uncle then arranged for a separate bogie for us to go to Hyderabad as we didn't get reservation.We were really lucky and thankful to him.

We reached Hyderabad after two days,exhausted with the journey.We had to find our way to the venue which was far from the city. We hired two autos and since we didn't know the language well, gave the name of the venue to the drivers All of a sudden we found ourselves into the military campus    Which had a sign "No trespasses allowed". The guards at the gate were very rude to us but later when we explained to them and asked them for the venue they understood and directed the drivers to the venue which was close by. We reached our destination fully relieved after that jolt from the blue.We were provided very good accomodation and we had to go for our meals to a common building where it was buffet system and so each one could eat to one's heart content.It didn't quite affect me because I was always and am a poor eater.

Since we reached a day earlier we decided to stroll about the place.The scenery was beautiful so we decided to take some snaps.

       Standing myself,seated Kesavan           Nair,standing next P.Kumar,seated Susan Marcos.

Standing myself,seated Kesavan Nair,seated next Verghis Abraham,seated Susan Marcos.

 The  number of delegates who participated this time were larger than that at the first conference held at Alwaye.Here all the Uni-Ys of Hyderabad and Secunderabad were jointly conducting the Conference.Many came from North India this time.There were also many who attended the conference at Alwaye and  both Kesavan Nair and myself  were familiar with them. Ancy from Vellore was also present but this time she didn't bring any chips as she was afraid of the so called rats!

The conference was only in the morning hours upto lunch time after that arrangements were  for social service activities.On the first  and second day we were able to construct toilets and make  gutters for the poor  in a particular village. On the  third  day  we were taken to visit the historical sites in Hyderabad and were provided transport.We visited the Salar Jung Museum,semi circular in shape,spread across an area of 10 acres.The third largest museum in India.Known as a one man collection of Salar Jung lll and Salar Jung l.It was declared open on 26th December 1951 by the first prime minister of India.

Next we visited the Charminar,built in 1591,both as a monument and mosque.Built with a wide variety of stones.Story has it that when a plague hit the city,the ruler Sultan prayed at a particular spot for the plague to end.And when it did end,he built the Charminar at the very place he offered prayers.The area surrounding Charminar is filled with shops selling innumerable items.We did a lot of shopping  there and were enamoured by their  huge selection of stone bangels. Charminar is synonymous to Hyderabad.

One evening we were told about a hill,I'm not sure if it is Banjara hills.That as legend has it,if you go up that hill and sit on a rock and wish, you're wish will be granted. So we climbed with so much of enthusiasm and it was on that very hill that Kesavan proposed to me and we made our wish. Legend or no legend it did come true.

We were invited by many of the local members of Hyderbad and Secunderabad for either  lunch or tea at their places.Soon our fun days came to a close. We took a group photo on the last day.

Group photo

We returned home after our four day train journey quite exhausted.

We shared our experience with the rest of the members when we met at the Toast Master's Club.

Later on, we the seniors trained and conducted the Model Lok Sabha for the college students and Mr.Ashraf being a  most senior member was of great help to us.

Strange enough when I returned from Kenya, I was invited by the YMCA to conduct a National Lok Sabha in the year 2002 and with the help of Mr Ashraf(late) and Krishna Kumar(a former member who was much junior) we were able to revive that enthusiasm in the college students. Thereafter, I have been able to help the Students' wing of the YMCA conduct several Lok Sabhas and one was conducted for the school students since we found that college students were too busy with their studies and tuitions.

Inauguration of the Student Parliament by MLA Muraleedharan

I am so indebted to the Students' wing of the YMCA because it is there that I developed my oratory skills and also through participation and organisation it made me the woman I am today. Moreover it was there that I found my first love who later became my better half. I'm glad that through my services later in life, I was able to give back to the YMCA, what I gained.