Creator has a great sense of humor. Just like we like to add all different tasting ingredients in our food to match the taste bud of different moods, God I guess created different human Shakuntala and Kalishankar were last two children of Padma and Satya. Satya realized that education for these two children was a must. He never knew if he could make sure there was enough to take care of the last two children through their life, so he thought it wise to give them good education. He could not give this opportunity to his other daughter as as he found himself helpless in front of his mothers strong will who was in a hurry to marry them off. Satya now had grown a little more stronger to confront his mothers domination. Lavanya had also grown older and more feeble to argue with her son. Shakuntala and Kalishankar were fortunate enough to go to a very prestigious European school known as Stewart's school. The principal of that school was very impressed with these two bright students who had the potential to bring good name for their school, they were all rounder students, good in elocution, sports and academics.
These two did well in their school, they were the apple of the eye to all the teachers. Their grooming was good. Just because Kalishankar was a good student it did not mean he had no child mischief element in him. One evening he and his close friend played a mischievous trick on one of his fellow student and they were caught red handed. The complaint went up to the principal of the school. The principal had no choice but to take some action. Yet he did not want punish them in front of the whole school and belittle them . He wanted to punish them in privacy to protect their self esteem , so he called them home in the evening. When both of them went to his residence in the evening. They were told to come in one. At a time . First Kalishankar had to go. He was told to stretch his palm . The principal took out the cane and give three stinging whacks and was told to go. When Kalishankar came out the friend who was Waiting outside asked him"What hppened?" Kalishankar knew he's friend would meet the same fate, but he had to guard his own ego, so he put up a brave front and said, "Oh". Nothing happened, he just called me in and said well done but don't do it again. He gave me a chocolate and told me to go." This information gave a lot of confidence to him to enter bravely . Once we he went inside he was told to stretch his palm and was given three stinging whacks with his cane , it did hurt. He came out consoling his hurting palm and told Kalishankar the principal was very partial . He believed that Kalishankar was treated kindly and he was the only one caned. Kalishankar enjoyed the whole episode of fooling his friend and his prestige. Life was fun and learning , and enjoying life. He enjoyed his status as a ring leader of his friends team. He lived a life as a child should live and enjoy, pampered and well taken care of.
Unfortunately it was time for Satya to retire. Satya did not have enough resources to live the same life style his job gave him, there was enough to go to his home town , build a decent home and live comfortably. To add to their miseries Achyutam was still a burden on them. His nature was to swipe off every penny. He could lay his hand on . In no time at all they became penniless . Soon Satya became weak physically and mentally and he passed away, leaving his wife and the last two children penniless.
There was no money to send them to fancy schools . Shakuntala had a a strong will power, so she continued her studies privately and completed her graduation, but Kalishankar on the other hand was too young to understand that the glorious days were over. He had to go to a road Side school where just thatched roof on pillars, with no walls .The school, where there were no benches ,floor was where children had to sit. Caning the children was the common practice for not understanding the lessons. The school master was considered very successful who had zero tolerance for under achievers. He believed a good caning would make children understand the lesson better. The emotional aspects for Education was missing in the system.
Kalishankar had to go to one of these school. The medium of instruction was only Telugu. As far as Kalishankar was considered ,Telugu was like Greek and Latin to a novice. He could not read a word of the script leave alone reading the entire text, understanding it and go for the exams. He could master the language he had learnt earlier that was English . If he could write the exams in the language he was comfortable in life would be heaven. But his teacher did not understand a word of English. In all this he was the teacher and he had to look superior in front of this chit of a kid Kalishankar. In all this cultural shock both the student and the teacher went through with ,equally. The teacher decided to use his cane liberally to hide his inferiority complex, on the pretext that Kalishankar was not able to understand his lessons.
Going to school on the other hand was entering the hellhole consciously day after day and get caned till he turned blue black. He was caught in a weird dilemma , if he skipped school his mother would get after him and and send him to school or cane him. Padma was extra strict with him because she did not want to create one more spoilt brat like her eldest son by being liniment with Kalishankar. So she gave instructions to the school teacher to be very strict with Kalishankar and make sure he excels in his studies.
Now Kalishankar had to improvise ways and means of escaping this unfortunate situations. His life felt hopeless , night would pass in the fear of approaching morning when he had to get dressed and go to school and go through the living hell, his knees would shiver, throat would feel parched. He realized there was one thing he had to give up and that was honesty he would give anything for it. He would get up in the morning as usual get dressed and pretend to go to school and slowly escape ,spend time in a movie hall or with friends who did not have the obligation to go to school. Life seemed a dream now, no responsibility, no teacher with a cane to devour his identity, no Telugu text to go through. Now life was total freedom. There were movies where everything was perfect.
Now Kalishankar was a free soul, free of all bondage . It was a different issue that this freedom would last only till his mother found out about his whereabouts . Sure enough That dreadful day came sooner than expected. Padma was ready with her cane . Now Kalishankar had tasted freedom, nothing could convince him to go to that dreadful school. Mothers wrath or not ,life was meant to be enjoyed. Padma 'strictness and poverty had turned Kalishankar into a rebellious vagabond. Padma's over indulgence and blind love for her eldest son Achyutam had turned him into a spendthrift vagabond.
Padma was at a loss as to where she went wrong in raising her sons. Daughters were happily settled with their respective husbands, she was free of worry from them. Now both the sons were a cause of worry for her. Eldest son was not earning a rupee but was a spend thrift, ignoring the responsibility of a wife and four children. The youngest son had very little education to get him a good job to support himself and his mother.
In all this merry making living a carefree life, playing with aimless children and living a dream life of movies in the movie halls days months and years passed ,very. Soon he turned into young sixteen year old. He could not lead the same life style any more. His Loving Sister, Shakuntala who took care of him in thick and in thin, always saved him from their mothers wrath, and hurting arrows of words from the relatives, was now married.
Life changed for Kalishankar. He had no choice but to get serious and take on responsibility of life, but it was too late to start his studies again. There was no money left after his sisters marriage. His elder brother distanced himself from his mother and brother as there was nothing there anymore to sell and make money for his pleasures anymore in his mothers house except the house. He built a thatched roof mud hut in the compound for them to live in and the main house was rented out to get some income. After all the kitchen had to run, both of them had to eat and sustain themselves. He tried to apply for job in the navy. His writing in English was good he had a good grip over the language. But the times had changed, knowing the language was not enough, he needed qualifications and age to match his qualifications. He was only sixteen years old. He was offered a job in the navy but he was told he will have to clean the toilets, do the laundry and do all the menial jobs on the ship. This frightened the young immature boy and he decided to stay away from this job. There was nobody to guide him and show him directions. Relatives were there but only to ridicule him, poke fun at his helplessness. His friends were as young as innocent as him, they had not experienced the worldly was as yet. The directionless Kalishankar eats at a loss to find direction. To add to it his mother could not stop nagging him for being so irresponsible. Income was not there at all. The rent could only take care of the loans and bear minimum food for him and his mother. Surisastry at this point stepped in and offered to help in his own little capacity.
Kalishankar was sent to one of his brother in laws Surisastry place for a job. Surisastry got him a job according to his qualification, which paid him some salary, not great one but it took care of his personal needs, gave him a home to stay, enough to eat and dress. His personal need were very less but he had an obsession of movies. The make belief dream world was where he lived the life of completeness. In the movies he visualized himself as the hero, there was no shortcomings, those three hours he lived a complete life. But there was a price to be paid. Now there was no other to nag him no relatives to whomever he thought he was answerable and no one to ridicule him for his irresponsible behavior . He would come back from mines where he worked as a sampler of minerals at five o clock. He would quickly cook some food and eat, then run though the jungles sixteen miles to the city to watch a movie, and run back sixteen miles through the Tigers and wild animal infested jungles back to the camp, in time to go for work. He tried to make sure no one observed his absence from the camp. This was a perfect world for him, fear of tigers attacking him did not register in his mind. For some reason Kalishankar had no fear tigers and wild animals and did not bother them and they stayed away from Kalishankar. This harmony was continued for some time until one dreadful day Surisatry found out Kalishankar's frequent absence from the camp in the nights, and he found him sleeping at work place in the day. After all body needs to catch up with rest also.
The first time he got caught , he was embarrassed . He had no other bad habit but movies and the dream world is where he sought solace from all his shortcomings. Eventually this became his way of life. His loved ones tried their best to motivate him in improving his standard of life. Eventually they gave up and he lived the rest of his life like this and eventually he faded into oblivion .
