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My father, Chakkanat Kuttykrishna Kaimal had been a teacher and retired as Head Master of SRVSMGLP School, Kumbalam.He is no more but He is the leading Light in my heart.The most important inspiring thought he inplanted in my heart is about the three Gods one should always remember, to be successful in life ----Father, Mother and Guru, the Teacher.
My early days - as they come to my memmory - begin in my father`s school where I used to accompany him!
Most of his students liked me and they used to ask me, playfully, to take class as my father used to.I did so readily and those were the happiest days of my early childhood. In fact I developed a taste for teaching since then.

Now I will tell about my education.I was an average student with moderately good grasping power.On those days there was no much competition in securing marks and study went on just like that.I scored reasonably well upto secondary school leaving level and in the SSLC Exam.,I secured second rank in my school,even without scoring a first class! The situation was so in most of the schools in the State. Only one or two schools produced 100% success results which included a few second class pass as well.(Only three categories..First class, Second class and failed class..were there on those days.) One thing worth mentioning about  me is that I used to take special interest in extra carricular activities and I won a number of prizes in shool level competitions especially in arts and literature.Once I represented my educational district in Carnatic Music (and that was the first time anybody from my school had earned that honour for the school) at state level competition.That was the 4th Kerala state school youth festival held at Samaran`s College School at Calicut, in 1960 and the guy who beat me in the State contest is  a well known cene music composer and musician of Kerala,today.Let me mention the name-He is Perumbavoor G Raveendranath.

In those days there were only three Politechnics in Kerala.I wanted to go for an Engineering Diploma course only as I could hope only for that much, I got admission for Diploma course  ( Electrical Engineering ) and passed out when I was below 19.Though there were great opportunities for Engineering Diploma holders outside Kerala ,especially in Bombay, Sinse I had nobody to help and guide me to get a suitable job, I struggled a lot and at one stage even my poor father who had big hopes in me, showed signs of desperation. God helped me and him in time. Oh! ....That reminds ....There is a  very intersting incidance to tell you now! One of those unforgettable moments in my life!....

I said I had nobody to guide me and my poor father hoped that after getting a Diploma in Engineering, it would not be difficult at all to secure a job and that was so, in those days, provided you know about the openings in front of you..For example,Telecom Department,outside Kerala then, just grabbed Diploma holders and appointed them without any test or interwiew! Alas! I had nobody to guide me, my search for job did not bear fruit and  I was getting disappointed and that was when IT happened! While I was travelling back home after a visit to Cochin in a boat,a  copassenger, an old man of about 80, sitting by my side, just asked me to show him my hand and after reading it, he predicted that I would join goverment service at the age of 19! I did not reveal that I was running 19 and that matter was just over there. Though Palmistry did not influence me much,my heart told me that this old man`s prediction won`t go wrong.Even after attending a number of tests and interviews and even when my poor father showed signs of desperation, I somehow believed that this prediction will not go wrong ! I still can`t explaint the logic in what followed. My date of birth was 2nd October 1944 and I joined Railway service in Calcutta on 1st October 1964, just a day prior to my 20th birthday !  I had no chance of meeting that old man anymore but my heart beats twice for him when I think about him even now! That was one occasion that taught me `if you believe and behold something by your heart`, it wo`nt go wrong. I shall tell more in that connection,elsewhere.

I joined railway service as a trainee draughtsman.I was not fit to be a draughtsman and to be frank, I did not like that job. yet I accepted the situation and I believed for sure that I will not end up as a draughtsman.After a few years,My savier appered as Mr. P. Venkatasubramanyam, my beloved boss and Dy chief Engineer in Railways,then. He took me as his Technical Assistent and after a series of  `explosions` and even High Court intervention, I got my cadre changed from that of Draughsman to Technical Assistant .That is a big story  which constituted another chapter in my life. I hope to tell about it later.

I now started liking my profession.One should like his job

Meanwhile I got an offer from Indian Railway Construction Company ( IRCON ) as a Technical Officer , in New Delhi.This helped me to taste Delhi life for sometime.This was only for a short while. Certain problems connected with my family life caused termination of this assignment and I returned to Bombay.

I am ,
Yours truely,

Gopalakrishnan,Sankaramangalam
Kumbalam
Kochi-682 506
India

email : gopaljisk@yahoo.com

Website:http://www.sankaramangalam.itgo.com/

For reading about a few interesting moments I came across during the early days of my life out of my home,do visit Some Moments page.This would be useful to those who just happened to be out of  home for the first time and feel a stranger in another New World where they have to establish themselves.