In January 1948 Keonjhar state merged with the state of Orissa and became a district and Orissa province was renamed as a state. This must have upset my father for he always used to say that Orissa merged with our state!
One administrator and a superintendent of police came from outside Keonjhar to look after this new district. My father got absorbed in the state health service and got a transfer to Koraput as the Civil Surgeon. After a long stint of 12 years in his beloved Keonjhar he had to shift lock stock and barrel to another place. This was traumatic for the whole family, except me. I enjoyed the freedom of staying on in Keonjhar with no responsibility for a year with my elder brother and two cousins, an aunt and multitude of servants.
During this time I noticed that girls of my age are different. They avoided us not due to any quarrel or misunderstanding, but just because we are different. One girl in sixth class who was an old friend reminded me of the lost opportunities of having a girl friend! What she meant I never understood. In high school there were only two or three girls in my class, one was my cousin and the other was a beautiful Christian girl staying near the school. On the pretext of combined study I used to her house with my cousin, but I never had the guts to go alone! Then our house was given on rent to the newly posted veterinary Asst Surgeon, whose son became my friend. When he was transferred, the new Asst Surgeon had a 13 year old daughter; she became my first girl friend. I used to meet her on sly, and till date do not know why!
My mother used to tell everyone tales of my naughtiness but I believe that no one is actually naughty they are just curious like I was. Once I drove a huge six seater weapon carrier which belonged to the Sergeant Major of Police while he and my uncle and aunt were playing bridge! This was the first time I drove a vehicle on the main road. Though nothing untoward happened, I was found out and chided.
Going back the memory lane, we had gone to see a waterfall known as Khanadhar waterfall, a thin stream like a sword falling about 750 ft from Gandamardana, in our new Austin car. It was so steep that the car could not climb the last stretch of road! But now almost seven years later when we revisited the place in the weapon carrier, the road bridges were so rotten that they used to collapse after the vehicle passes over!
How cruel and callous time is, as it handles our memories!
The son of the SP ( For our generation the first thing that we asked each other is what our fathers did and then we would start trying to become friends. Nowadays the children don't even know what their fathers do!) became my friend and we used to cycle all over the place we went to see the melas (fairs) of Adivasis and even for small picnics. It was a life what every young boy dreams of- freedom; open air and healthy environment; and the whole world at our feet.
Koraput was a wonderful place too. This was the first place that I had been to stay other than my birth place. It was a place more beautiful than any place I had seen earlier, the climate was cooler and there was a table mountain; flat at the top with no trees except on sides. I also saw a bigger town Jeypore where my eldest brother was studying. During the half yearly holidays we saw Rayagada, Nawarangpur, and best of them Jagdalpur the capital of Bastar in MP. My most exciting memory was visiting the Chitrakoot waterfall – it was much bigger than any I had seen.
Life was filled with changes and excitement and we still didn't know the meaning of the word"Boredom"!
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