This letter dated 28 October, 1942 made its way from Ceylon to Thrissur. It is written by my grandfather and speaks mainly of family matters and describes his life in Ceylon. My nanaji, like many other migrant workers, stayed and worked at the plantations for 7-8 years to support his family.
Since 1987, not long after he retired as Class II Income Tax officer, thatha has been filling up one page a day with the words Sri Rama Jayam, meaning Jai Sri Ram in Tamil. Every single day, the same words repeated until they cover the entire page.
A few years later in 1985, I also got married and we both got busy with our respective lives, eventually losing touch. Its been 35 years today since we last spoke to each other.
Over the years, the briefcase and all that it contains has become a representation of my late grandfather and the man he was. Through the items inside, I have come to learn about his interests and beliefs.
“Respected Father, I want to get admitted to school over here so I need the certificates. Please get them as soon as you can. Without them, I will not get admission in a school here in Kolkata. How are you? I am fine!”
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