Part--III

During Nizam's period in 1945, the landlords were the village rulers. The landlord appointed a Patwari (for Revenue collection and record maintenance) and a Police Patel (for law and order). They were to report directly to him. Any other official visiting the village was to report first to him. Hence, SS reported to the village landlord.

There was no school in the village until that date. SS, with the landlord's help, started the school. The landlord provided one of his vacant cattle sheds to the school, a blackboard on a stand, a chalkpiece box purchased from the town, and a local person as a Class IV employee to assist the teacher.

The new school's opening was announced by beating drums. With the employees' assistance, SS visited every house in the village with school-going-age children and encouraged parents to send their children to the new school.

SS wore the official dress of Nizam government servants, a sherwani, pyjama, a round red hat (Rumi Topi) projecting over the head, and pump shoes.

The landlord inaugurated the school in the presence of Patwari, Patel, and the village elders. The school initially had five students, which increased to thirty by the end of the month. SS received his salary by postal money order from the government.

SS was accommodated in an old bungalow belonging to the landlord's ancestors, which was no longer used.

The landlord had a school-going son. He was not interested in sending his son to school because he did not want him to mix with other village children. Hence, he asked SS to teach his son in his bungalow. SS agreed to teach him in the mornings, before school hours.

The landlord supplied SS with rice and vegetables from his fields.

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SS admitted his elder son, Krishna Kumar (KK), to the school.

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Bhavani was a good cook. In the early days of their marriage, they cooked over a firewood hearth, and later, they transitioned to a rice husk hearth. Tea was unknown during that period.   The British introduced tea in the villages from 1945 onwards. They advertised tea and coffee on vans and distributed free packets of tea and coffee. This way, people developed a habit of drinking tea. From 1948 onwards, SSs changed to morning tea.

Bhavani gets up at 5 a.m., bathes, prays with some bhajans for about 45 minutes, and then starts cooking. Mutton dishes were typically cooked when they were locally sold.   They bred the chicken, which was cut whenever a relative visited. Eggs from the home-bred chicken were used freely. Being in a village, SS came home for lunch, and SS and Bhavani had lunch together. There were no dining tables; they sat on the floor on jute mats, eating from bronze plates in front of them.

Rice was prepared by pounding paddy by individuals with the help of neighbours or paid labourers. There were no mills. They also prepared pulses and other items on a grindstone. Homemaking was a full-time job without the aid of mechanical or electrical appliances. In addition, they were to prepare regular short— and long-term use pickles, garlic-ginger paste, and bathing powders (in place of the present soaps) using a mortar. One oil press unit was driven by oxen, which processed groundnuts, sesame, and castor oil seeds. People purchased their daily oil needs from there.

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Political Situation in the State of Hyderabad and India.

India gained Independence from the British on August 15, 1947. The British divided the country into two parts: India and Pakistan. Pakistan constituted two parts: one on the western side, adjoining Kashmir and Punjab, known as West Pakistan, and another on the eastern side, bordering West Bengal, known as East Pakistan. They also left the smaller states, ruled by independent rulers, under their control to decide whether to join  India or Pakistan. Thus, Hyderabad State was under a Muslim King. He did not choose to merge with any country. He declared Independence.

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The government of India started merging all such states with India, but the Nizam of Hyderabad was reluctant. Razakars opposed the merger of Hyderabad State with the rest of India. People feared the Razakars. The Congress and Communist Parties organised a revolution against the Nizam to achieve a merger with India.

The government of India started military action on September 13, 1948, with Indian Army tanks in Hyderabad. It ended on September 17, 1948, with the Nizam's surrender. Hyderabad State became part of India. Razakars ceased to exist.

Everything changed after September 17, 1948. The Sherwani dress was no longer part of the official dress code.

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 It was a primary school in Mangalampally, and when KK passed the fourth class, there were no middle schools nearby for his further education. Considering these aspects, SS appeared and passed the tenth class privately, qualifying for a posting in a middle school.

 SS sought a transfer to a middle school for his son's education. He got transferred to Kanakapura, which was in the same revenue area with a larger population. SSs helped poor students with books and notebooks.

After leaving Vishnupura's adoptive parents' house, SS and Bhavani consoled themselves with the change in their fate and tried to face life's challenges. They were united as a single unit and made decisions. They worked to develop their home and raise their children without relying on anyone else. They became accustomed to their new life and environment, living and managing on SS's salary while trying to help others.

After three years of working in a middle school, SS sought a transfer to a high school in Kishtapura. KK joined high school and completed his tenth grade.

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After the merger of the Hyderabad state with Independent India, the landlord encouraged SS to purchase agricultural lands at Mangalampally with his little savings. SS purchased dry and wetlands, which were cultivable under the natural village tank. SS purchased a plot to construct a house at Mangalampalli with the landlord's encouragement. 

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When they were in Kishtapura, SSs considered constructing a house at Mangalampally. The landlord helped him devise a plan with the help of a local Pundit, who was known to provide building plans, according to Vaastu. It was a two-bedroom house with a front verandah, a guest room, a large central hall, a kitchen and dining area, and a bathroom for women.

The roof was planned with teak wood trusses with rafters on either side of the sloped ceiling. The foundations were in stone, and the walls were of brick masonry in lime mortar.

The columns and beams of the front open verandah were made of teakwood, which supported the country-tiled roof, which rested on wooden rafters and planks. The flooring was ordinary Shahabad stones.

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Upon the completion of the house, the housewarming ceremony was performed. SS invited all the near and dear to the function, including Venkats and Kumars. It was a single-day function. The pooja was the revered Satyanarayana Swamy Vratham. This was followed by a lunch, which the landlord and all the village elders attended. Everyone appreciated and blessed SS and Bhavani. They felicitated Venkats and Kumars.

Kumar and Kamala saw the SSs' development. They never imagined they would build such a beautiful house and develop properties. Kumar was jealous of them. Kamala felt she had mistakenly asked the SSs to leave the house; otherwise, the SSs would have helped them financially to develop further.

 After the housewarming ceremony, SS and Bhavani enjoyed the new house for a month during the school summer holidays. Then, they returned to Kishtapura for SS's job and the children's studies.

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One can hardly imagine how changes take place in one's life. We think we are the controllers of our lives, but our destiny controls us.

 SS's life is an example. He was sent out from Vishnupura, from his adopted parents' home. The landlord at Mangalampally was God sent to help him in dire circumstances. He helped SS purchase land and construct a house. The same people who sent them out of Vishnupura felt jealous of their development today and repented for sending them out. SS would not have imagined his development had it not been for his destiny.

(Note: This is an imaginary story of a person born at the beginning of the twentieth century. This will take you to the lifestyles, facilities and political changes during that period.)

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