This piece is by my uncle: Memories of studying in school and college of Sacred Heart, Thevara, Kochi

By Xavier Sebastian

The year was 1944.

At fifteen, I joined class nine at Sacred Heart School, Thevara. This was almost a hundred kilometres from my hometown, Changanacherry.

I stayed at the boarding, which was on the third floor of the school. Both the school and college are on the banks of the Vembanad Lake.

I remember the strict schedule at the boarding. Every day, at 5:30 am, without fail, the rector would ring the bell. You can imagine the difficulty of waking up so early.

The cool morning breeze from the Vembanad Lake was reason enough to sleep longer. But the bell reminded us to get up, go downstairs and complete our ablutions. And dress and go to church.

Rain or shine, it was compulsory to attend mass every day. Following mass, we had breakfast and then went up to the boarding.

By 9:30 am we had to be in class.

When I completed my class 10, I moved into Sacred Heart College, right across the road. In those days, classes 11 and 12 were part of the college and were called intermediate. One good thing was that I had the company of my elder brother Joseph.

It was towards the end of World War II. There was an acute scarcity of food. Rice was a luxury in those days. And we Malayalis back then were not used to wheat products. They served us chapattis, which we didn’t like. On certain mornings, they served us kappa too.

Rice was being imported from Thailand. Because of the war, we had to put up with a lot of inconveniences. Transportation of supplies was hindered. Food scarcity became worse. Even though rice was a necessity we learnt to avoid it. Despite the problems, we enjoyed ourselves.

After the war, there were 6000 Australian soldiers stationed at the Naval Base. For the first time, we witnessed seaplanes flying over the Ernakulam backwaters.

Once I moved into college, things were more relaxed. We had a lot more freedom. The authorities provided us with single-room accommodation. But this period was not without challenges.

Thevara was well known for mosquitoes. There was no running water in the bathrooms. Every morning, we had to queue up to draw water from the well.

I was very active in sports. I got selected as the goalkeeper for my college team. My love for football continued when I moved to University College in Thiruvananthapuram.

We were students from various families in Travancore. We interacted with individuals from different social strata. This helped a lot in moulding our personalities and absorbing other cultures.

The discipline inculcated in me by the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate priests has been the best training I have ever received.

When I look back, it was this discipline that made me what I am today.

There were three independent states then: Travancore, Cochin and Malabar. Calicut was part of Madras presidency then. Fort Kochi was under the supervision of the British government.

Willingdon Island was an engineering marvel. It is one of the rare islands in the world that can be accessed by air, water and road. It was the brilliant idea of a British engineer, Robert Bristow. It was named after Lord Wellington, then governor of Madras presidency, who commissioned the construction.

The silt was dredged to form the island which connects the mainland (Ernakulam) to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry.

The Venduruthy Bridge was another engineering challenge constructed under Bristow’s supervision.

In 1952, with a BA in Economics and Rs. 250 (a sizeable amount in those days), I left for Calcutta in search of a job. My elder brother Joseph was already there. My beloved parents saw me off at the Thiruvananthapuram railway station. Their blessings have always stood me in good stead in my life. Considering the sacrifices they have undergone for their children, I felt I could not repay them adequately.

I thank God every day for my wonderful parents.

(As told to his daughter Anne Louis)

(Xavier Sebastian had been the executive director of Lisie Hospital, the managing director of the Kerala Chemicals and Proteins Limited, and the general manager (marketing) of the Steel Authority of India Limited. Xavier is 95 years old. He lives in Bless Retirement Home at Aluva, with his wife Thankamma. His three daughters live abroad)