My earliest memories of vacation are of Sudharshan, my maternal grandmother's home in Ernakulam - my grandfather having passed away much before my birth, it was my grandmother's house and she was its queen. They are the only memories still sharp in my mind - I guess it's because they are happy memories.

I simply loved the house. It had a huge courtyard, both in the back and in the front. As you entered through the massive gate, a giant old mango tree stood on the right. It shaded most of the pathway that led to the house. On the left were some flowering plants, my favourite being the nandiarvattam that was always in bloom with its white fragrant flowers on small thick stalks.

The house was actually a two-storey bungalow with big, airy rooms. There was a small sit-out with a ledge running along the sides. I could imagine my grandfather there, a handsome, dignified-looking man, reading his newspaper, reclining in his easy-chair. The easy-chair, one of the sturdiest I have seen, is now with one of my uncles. It seems a symbol of the grandfather I didn't know - he had an M.A. in Literature in those days; he read a lot and liked collecting books (many of which I am happy and proud to have in my collection); he had travelled and lived all over the country in his official capacity as a bank officer; after retiring, he came back to his hometown and bought Sudharshan.

The front door led into a long passage from which various doors opened into rooms. The first room on the right was the sitting room, used for entertaining. It had, apart from the cane and wooden sofa set, a whole lot of wooden articles like cupboards and bookcases. On the right was my grandma's room with its own set of curios and a four-poster. Next to it was the big pooja room with its innumerable pictures and idols of gods, goddesses and saints. For some reason, the fridge was kept in this room. It was a luxury in those days, a gift to my grandma from one of my uncles who was in the army.

Then there was the second bedroom which my mother and I used when we were there. Between this and the sitting room door was the staircase that led to the first floor. The long passage turned left into another corridor at the end of which was the kitchen. This was the newer, modern version built after the introduction of gas stoves when the wood-burning stoves were abandoned. The old kitchen at the very end of the house was used as a storeroom with its quaint meat-safes and cupboards. It also had old, unused vessels, mostly heavy brass ones, and other assorted junk.

The ground floor bathrooms also had two versions - the new one was spacious with taps, closet and shower. The old bathroom had one tap for cold water and one tap that came from the large brass boiler which was heated with firewood from the outside.

The backyard had the ubiquitous tulsi (which could be seen from the entrance), jackfruit and coconut trees, and some more flowering plants, with enough space for clothes-lines. It also had a locked-up toilet in the far corner which was used by servants earlier.

The first floor plan was a little different - the sitting room was just the same, in the same place, but it had only two bedrooms, a small kitchen and a bathroom-cum-toilet. The first floor was let out and from the time I remember, we had the Madhukars as tenants - Professor Madhukar, his wife, son and daughter.

This was a mere physical description of Sudharshan. The feelings, emotions and sentiments I have for it I doubt if I can convey in words.

To be continued...