A Farewell visit to Mumbai?

The wheelchair service by the Airlines has helped me travel alone more confidently. My trip to Bombay this week reinforced this belief. My original plan was to only attend the `Navjote` function of the grandkids of Sam Balsara, the big Boss of the Madison group with whom my agency Anugrah Madison had entered into a tie-up as the rural division of the group. It was a lovely evening where I not only met Sam`s family but also a lot of old friends from the advertising fraternity. The vegetarian fare at the dinner table with many typical Parsi dishes like Dhansak, Undhiyu, etc was delicious.

Thanks to my wonderful hosts in Mumbai, Sundaresan and Leela, a couple who are hospitality personified, I could visit Shirdi Sai Baba temple by Vande Bharath Express- leaving Mumbai in the morning and returning the same night after a very good darshan of Sairam. I was traveling by train after six years and by Vande Bharath for the first time. While the train in terms of space, ambiance, and spacious toilets stands out as a train with a difference, I found the dinner served on the train was no different from what they serve in Shatabdi, which I never liked.

During my stayin Mumbai, I had the pleasure of having lunch with 92-year-old Vijay Menon and his wife Shanthi. Meeting their daughter from New York on a visit to Mumbai was a bonus. Vijay, a friend for over fifty years, had opened up a whole new world to me when he roped me as the country representative of AMIC in 1984. He had  left the post to take over as the Secretary General of AMIC, an NGO headquartered in Singapore, promoting the cause of Mass Communication in Asia Pacific Region. My long association with AMIC led to my involvement with WAN-IFRA, another NGO devoted to Newspaper development headquartered in Germany. While at Anugrah Madison I had to explore the hinterland of the country, WAN-IFRA gave me opportunities to travel abroad every year. It was a fascinating experience.

One evening with my school friends at the Matunga Gymkhana was memorable. During the first 26 years of my life, I had seen Matunga Gymkhana, opposite Podar College where I studied, almost every day. It was a popular Club for Cricket and Table Tennis with some other basic facilities. It has been redeveloped into a first-class Club with several additional facilities and a couple of restaurants with a five-star ambiance serving some unusual dishes as starters.

Spending a pleasant evening with a client turned-friend Swamy( ex-Philips) and a quiet lunch with relatives Rajagopals  also happened during the trip. I visited Matunga where I had lived for the first 26 years in Bombay. I had a sumptuous and tasty Thali Meal at the Udupi Sri Krishna Boarding, near Matunga station, an iconic restaurant. It was a nostalgic experience indeed! Any trip to Mumbai is never complete for me without a visit to Chedda Stores, ( a small grocery shop turned into a big department store) and buying my favourite Theplas, Khakras, and other Gujarathi snacks.

Though I am impressed with the several new modes of travel that the government has introduced to reduce travel time (like the Freeway from Chembur to Masjid ), I am shocked at the number of high-rise buildings that have come up in the name of redevelopment, making Mumbai a concrete jungle. I found the city claustrophobic and heavily polluted. Frankly I don`t enjoy visiting Mumbai anymore . I told my host that this probably was my farewell trip to Mumbai!

 

My first short story in Tamil in 60 years

With the publication of my short story titled `Express Rani` in the December 2023 issue of Kalaimagal,  the 92-year-old literary magazine in Tamil,  I have got rid of one more mental block.

 In my school days, I was a writer of short stories and plays in Tamil. I have also acted in plays written by me. Once I got into the demanding advertising profession I had stopped writing in Tamil though I continued to read popular Tamil Magazines.  Since I took a new avatar as a writer/author in English, post-retirement, some of my essays translated into Tamil have appeared in the Diwali issues of Kalaimagal and Ladies Special a Tamil monthly.  Impressed by my style of writing my good friend and well-wisher Kizhambur Sankara Subramanian, editor of Kalaimagal,  has been persuading me to write original articles/stories in Tamil. But my problem was that I could not write in Tamil as I had lost touch with writing in Tamil for 60 years. I found it very painful to compose even simple sentences in Tamil. Instead of writing a new story, I sent an unpublished story I had written in Tamil 60 years ago titled `Ilamai Thudippu`. Kizhambur found it interesting and published it in the Kalaimagal Diwali issue in 2022. He also insisted that I make a serious attempt to write an original story in Tamil.

 It happened during my last visit to Coimbatore when  I was staying with my daughter. I had not taken my laptop so I could not type any new essays during the golden hour in the morning, as is my habit. Not to waste time I decided to try my hand at writing a short story in Tamil. Though the thought process was smooth writing in Tamil was painful. I managed to get a draft ready with lots of scratching and rewriting. It is based on a real-life story and does not follow the usual grammar of short stories. Luckily my sister-in-law Mythili Seshadri who helps me with translations and Tamil typing found the draft legible  and  typed  it. I sent the short story titled `Express Rani` to Kizhambur and kept my fingers crossed.  He found the story interesting and promised to publish it in Kalaimagal. He kept up his promise by publishing it in the latest issue of the magazine.  I jumped with joy seeing my story, written in Tamil after 60 years in a prestigious magazine like Kalaimagal. Motivated by the encouraging feedback I am getting from my near and dear ones I have decided to explore this new avenue of writing  that has opened  to me. That is one of my New Year resolutions for 2024. But I must first learn to type in Tamil so that I don`t have to go through the painful process of writing by hand.

Thank you Kizhambur for your encouragement and support.

Life Time Achievement Award for Distinguished Journalism

I had the honour of reading the citation for the Life Time Achievement Award for Distinguished Journalism presented to  my good friend S.R.Madhu by the TAG group & Ramu Endowments on 10^th December  at the Tag Centre. It was a packed audience of over 200 which witnessed Madhu receiving the Award from the Chief Guest R.K.Raghavan  the former Director of CBI and Consul General of Cyprus.

A well deserved honour for a writer who in  a journalism career spanning more than 60 years, has made a mark in newspapers and magazines as well as specialist journals; in both mainstream mass media and development media; in print as well as audio-visuals. His writing is characterized by clarity and vigour, precision and elegance. As editor, he promotes the highest standards in content, composition and presentation, as well as in design and visual appeal.

 

With a Gold Medal in Journalism from Bombay, a certificate in photojournalism from Parson’s School, New York; and a certificate in communication from Cornell University, New York Madhu started his  life as a feature writer in 1964 with the Times of India Group. He later shifted to USIS Bombay as English Editor in 1970. Between 1974-79 he was the Deputy Editor of SPAN magazine published by the American Embassy in Delhi. As the principal staff writer of SPAN magazine, he wrote articles on Indo-US relations and covered visits of dignitaries from the USA. He got a certificate of appreciation from the White House for his wonderful coverage of President Carter’s visit.

 Shifting to Development Communication, he served for 15 years (1979-1994) as an International Information Officer with the FAO-United Nations in India and Africa. In the course of his work, he wrote and photographed UN projects in more than a dozen countries of Asia and Africa.  He founded the newsletter Bay of Bengal News, for the FAO’s Chennai-based regional programme, the Bay of Bengal Programme.  The FAO in Rome commended Bay of Bengal News as a model for all FAO projects worldwide.

Retiring from the UN in 1995, Madhu has for the past 28 years been a writer-editor consultant – mainly to UN agencies. He has been also very active with Rotary as a Programme director of Rotary Club of Madras South for the last 25 years besides being a popular anchor of the South India Heritage lectures, numbering over 350, organised by the Tag group in Chennai.

 

Madhu`s abiding interest in Cricket and Films is well known. His recent series of 22 well-researched articles on personalities in the Hindi and Tamil music world in Rotary News, a magazine of Rotary International has become so popular that a reader, a well-known journalist remarked, ` Madhu just doesn`t write but `composes` his articles with his pen`. He has also made eight presentations based on film music covering the period from the 1940s to the 1980s.

The award function was followed by an engaging video presentation by Madhu of selected  Songs from films of the yester year star Dev Anand ,  whose birth  centenary is being celebrated this year.

( Quote from Charis, Raghavan`s and madhu`s speeches)

My friendship with Madhu is six decades old. We both did our PG Diploma courses in Bharatriya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay in 1962-64. He did journalism and I did Advertising and PR. We both started our respective careers in Bombay , went to Delhi and finally landed in Chennai. It is a friendship that has stood the test of time.I was responsible for roping him into my  Rotary Club. I consider him as one of my mentors in my second innings as a writer/author post retirement.

Hearty Congratulations Madhu on a long overdue but a well deserved honour. Hope this is the beginning of many more Awards you will get in the future. I am proud   to have you as my friend.

 

 

Limping back to normal

The 48-hour ordeal is almost over. The water inside the home in my portion on the ground floor has been cleared. I have moved to my portion on the ground floor. The power came back around noon yesterday. But only two phases. Six inches of water is still surrounding our home and the passage to our home. Since water had entered my car filling the portion below the seats, both in the front and back, I am not sure if it has damaged any parts under the bonnet. Awaiting the help of the elusive representative from Cars India to help check the condition and start the car. Because of the dos and don`ts shared by Maruti & other insurance companies scared to take the risk of starting the car on my own. Mobility is therefore restricted.

Because my house is built at a lower level than the road I am used to water entering the ground floor of my home whenever there is a cyclone or very heavy rains. But flooding of the entire ground floor has taken place only six times in the last forty years. This time because of the intensity even the toilet in the bedroom overflowed. It was sickening. A few trees inside the compound had also fallen and blocked the passage.

Fortunately, I could move to my son`s portion on the first floor, where we were well-stocked with all the essentials required. However, due to the lack of power, we had to be careful with the use of water and the mobile. No bath for two days. I kept my mobile switched off and used it only to check messages from time to time. Managed it well until a friend of my son reached a Mobile Battery charger.

The positive side of the story is that I could spend two full days with my son`s family enjoying the personalized hospitality extended to me by both my daughter-in-law Tulse and son Balaji. Besides I could also spend more time with my resident grandchildren Thavam and Bakthi, which was a bonus. I was witness to the great effort that both Balaji & Tulse had to put in to keep them engaged due to lack of screen time. It is always tough to bring up small kids but today`s kids are far more demanding than the earlier generations. Need enormous patience to handle them, which both Tulse and Balaji displayed in abundance. Hats off to them.

One more year. One more rain-related ordeal is behind us. Thank God we have survived without any collateral damage. Om Sairam!

Adyar & Me

I had shared the news that my article titled `Adyarum Naanum (Adyar & Me)` in Tamil had appeared in the Kalaimagal magazine`s Diwali issue this year. For those who cannot read Tamil among my FB friends, I am reproducing below the English version of the article. The article describes my long association with Adyar, a popular residential area consisting of many colonies. I have been a resident of Sastri Nagar, one of the colonies forming a part of Adyar, for the last 49 years.

Adyar & Me

by R.V.Rajan

A few weeks ago a team from Federal Bank accompanied by executives from their advertising agency landed in my home. As a resident of Adyar for the last 49 years, they wanted to know what it meant to me and the highlights of my long association with Adyar. I was told that this was being done as a part of `I am Adyar. Adyar is Me` campaign that celebrates people and their culture in Adyar. This gave me an opportunity to go down memory lane.

It was on my first official visit to Chennai in 1967, I had to visit Sastri Nagar in Adyar, responding to a dinner invitation from the Branch Manager of my company. I remember that I had to cross a narrow one-way iron bridge over the Adyar river connecting Gandhi Nagar and the areas beyond, with the city. A traffic constable was stationed to allow vehicles from either side to go over the bridge alternately. My Branch Manager’s house was one of the dozen independent houses in the area, with plenty of open space all around. I was told that during the rainy season, the entire area would be flooded and Sastri Nagar would look like a lake dotted with houses! I never imagined that within seven years I would move to Chennai and settle down in Sastri Nagar, a beautiful little colony with lovely houses built by retired bureaucrats, upcoming businessmen, and a few professionals. By the time I moved to Sastri Nagar, the area had seen some development, with more independent houses.

 
Besant Nagar, lying between Sastri Nagar and the beautiful Elliots beach, was fast developing, with a complex of Housing Board flats serving different strata of society. For all our daily necessities we had to go to Besant Nagar or walk up to Lattice Bridge Road (LB Road). Laxmi Sagar, the Udupi Restaurant dishing out delicious South Indian snacks, was the only restaurant serving the entire area and it was located (and continues to exist) diagonally opposite Adyar Telephone Exchange. Today, Adyar, with several well-developed colonies, has a choice of multi-cuisine restaurants offering Indian, Chinese, Italian, Korean, Japanese, and Continental flavours. You can get everything- from `pin to elephant`- in Adyar today.

 
In the last two decades, greedy builders have managed to tempt the owners of the beautiful houses to go in for joint development of plots, with the result that Sastri Nagar has become a concrete jungle. This is true of many other colonies in Adyar. Many of the streets are witnessing the appearance of commercial ventures in a primarily residential area, transforming the profile of the locality. My home, which is one of the few independent homes in Sastri Nagar, was a peaceful place tucked inside a small lane facing the colony’s only Corporation playground. Today, we are surrounded by multi-storied apartments on three sides leading to a feeling of suffocation.

I will, however, not think of leaving Sastri Nagar because of its strategic location. Just a ten-minute walk from my home to the lovely Elliot’s Beach where I can watch the sun rise and breathe fresh air every morning. It is another matter that I go for a walk in my car! Though I have been walking on the beach road in Besant Nagar, popularly known as `Bessy` among the younger generation for the last 49 years, I had never bothered to befriend strangers crossing my path in the old days. It would at best be a courteous `Hi` and `Bye` to some acquaintances I bumped into! It was only after I had completely come out of my active professional life that I started cultivating new friends during my walks because I was not in a hurry to get back home.

The two groups of walking friends I am now associated with consist of people who are in their seventies or eighties. It is a mix of retired professionals from the private/public sector, bureaucrats, and even educators. Every morning the groups meet at a fixed time – exchanging the latest gossip in town or the political situation or a few jokes. Jokes at the expense of some members are not uncommon. You can judge from the boisterous laughter emanating from the groups from time to time that everyone is having fun. I make it a point to spend 60 minutes between these two groups every morning and indulge in some throaty laughter considered good for the mind and body. Laughter a day keeps the doctor or the `blues` away! A brisk walk followed by a dose of healthy laughter and a good cup of filter coffee sets the right tone for the rest of the day for me. I come back fully charged to spend an active day ahead; which also involves interacting with a whole set of new friends I have made in the literary world as a writer/author. One of them is Kizhambur Sankara Subramanian, the editor of Kalaimagal.

I first met Kizhambur when I went to hand over a short story in Tamil written by my late wife Prabha, twenty-five years ago. However, I got closer to him only after I started the Prabha Rajan Talent Foundation ( PRTF) in memory of my late wife Prabha, which has conducted a few literary contests in association with Kalaimagal. His association with Tamizh Puthaga Nanbargal of which I was one of the founders, cemented our friendship. I am grateful to him for inviting me to contribute this article for publication in this year`s Diwali issue of Kalaimagal.       

Is it Trust in God or Faith in God?

I am a god-fearing man who believes in total surrender to the Lord. Though I am no good at established rituals I do have some of my own. After finishing my morning ablutions I start playing devotional songs from Youtube. Songs like Venkateshwara Suprabhatham, Vishnu Sahasranamam etc. While these are going on in the background for about sixty minutes I get to work on my PC.

Every morning after a bath I go to the small puja room in my home, clean up the place by getting rid of the old flowers and replacing them with new flowers. I offer a couple of bananas and a small silver cup with fresh milk as Neivedyam and light up the two small silver lamps. After that, I recite a few slokas- some from memory and some I read from a booklet. The process takes me about 30 minutes. I find the whole experience blissful.

What do I call my belief in god- Trust in God or Faith in God? I referred to Google Knowledge to find out. This is what it says.

Trust- to believe that someone is good and honest and will not harm you, or that something is safe and reliable

 Faith means putting your trust in God and having confidence that he will not fail you.

They say that God constantly tests his ardent devotees more than he tests the non-believers to

 ensure that the devotee constantly remembers him. This has been very true in my life.

 The toughest test that the Lord gave me involved my son Balaji. He was just a year old and as per family traditions, we had to get his first Mundan at Tirupati on a chosen date.

 

Accompanied by my parents, when we were on our way to Tirupati, my son developed a fever

 and severe cold which got worse that night. The next morning, when I was ready to leave for

 Kalyanakatta (common hall) and the holy pond, my father, the cautious man that he always is, was furious with me. He insisted that we cancel the whole ritual or alternatively bring the barber to the lodge and give the child a bath in hot water at the Lodgings where we were staying. I stood my ground and told my father that my prayer involved getting the shaving ceremony done at the common hall followed by the child taking a holy dip in the pond. After a heated argument when my father realized that I was not going to give in, he let go but refused to join me.

 

With fear in my heart, but with total faith in the Lord, I went through the rituals as per my plan. After dipping the feverish baby in the pond three times, I came out and quickly wiped him off and dressed him up in warm clothes. When my wife placed her hand on the baby’s forehead to see if his fever had risen, she was surprised to find there was none! In spite of going through the ordeal, Balaji was smiling at us! I felt that the Lord was smiling at me and telling me, “You have passed yet another test, young man!” Not only was the fever gone, but Balaji’s cold disappeared as quickly!  What I did may be crazy but that is what implicit faith in the Lord makes you do sometimes!

 

(I have narrated a few more such experiences in Part Three titled `My tryst with God` in my autobiography titled `Courage My Companion`)

 

 

When Crocodile Craved for Chocolate & Chips

A fascinating book for kids written by my `storyteller` daughter Sowmya Srinivasan and beautifully illustrated by my younger brother Srinivasan & Pushpa`s daughter Shilpa and her nine-year-old daughter Janani. Though the book is meant for kids, I found the story interesting and the illustrations fascinating. Congratulations to the trio and hope they come up with more such joint ventures in the future. God Bless them

I am reproducing below the story of the Book's journey as communicated by Sowmya herself:

“ Way back in 2019, I wrote this story for a bunch of 1st and 2nd years, to inspire them to eat healthy. Somehow I knew the protagonist had to be a Crocodile! I then sent it across to my artist cousin Shilpa in the US, hoping she would illustrate it. Surprisingly her daughter Janani, on her own accord, quickly pencil sketched the entire story in one sitting! Janani was 9 years old at that time. Shilpa then painted each of the illustrations using watercolors and it was finally all done! Then of course with the help of Story Weaver (an online and free publishing platform from Pratham) we uploaded the images along with the text and voilà, our book was ready in 2023!
The journey has been long, but so worth it. I hope my readers like it as much as we enjoyed creating it”

Those interested in reading the book can download the book by clicking the link
https://storyweaver.org.in/stories/582091-when-crocodile-craved-chocolate-chips
For those who find it difficult to read online, a few printed copies are available with Sowmya and me. Connect with us by Whats App – Sowmya 9731570615 Rajan -9840392082

Any kind of help any time service

One of the biggest worries for any senior citizen is the fear of falling & getting injured.  However careful he or she is it can happen anytime. It happened to my walking friend, 92-year-old Sundaram, a few weeks ago. An NRI parent whose only daughter is settled in the USA, he stays with his wife in a flat in Besant Nagar.  Like most NRI parents he has to fend for himself for all his requirements.  However, during the lockdown in 2020, his daughter entered into an arrangement with an  Elder Care  Service provider to give any help the couple wanted any time of the day.

It was a Sunday. After his meal at the dining table when he went to the washbasin in the kitchen to wash his hands he slipped and fell. He couldn`t get up. His frail wife could not lift him up. As the neighbours were not available, with help from a nearby vendor he was lifted and seated in a chair. His wife remembered her daughter`s instruction to contact the service provider for any help.

A telephone call brought one of the co-founders and her partner from the service provider within twenty minutes. They  took charge of the situation, summoned an ambulance, and got Sundaram admitted to a nearby hospital. At the hospital, they discussed with the doctors and once the fracture was confirmed they admitted him and appointed a 24/7 caregiver. They  did not disturb Sundaram`s wife.  She was at home and they kept her and their daughter informed of the doctor’s view and surgery plan. Luckily for Sundaram, the next day the senior surgeon discovered only a hairline fracture, surgery was performed, and a steel plate was inserted. While friends kept in touch with his wife to give her moral support, it was the caregiver who was attached to Sundaram 24/7 until he returned home five days later when he was able to walk around with a walker.  They have continued with the same caregiver at home too and organized physio for a full recovery. Needless to say, Sundaram`s daughter from the USA was closely monitoring to ensure that her father was well taken care of despite her physical absence. As well as she would have taken care of him if she had been present.  A promise made by the service provider which they kept up.

Sundaram confirmed that in the last three years, the services provided by the service provider called Sakhi4life were exemplary. Both he and his daughter who takes care of the bills, are very happy. Registered as a company by three ladies with extensive corporate experience Sakhi4life offers support, care, and companionship for aging parents with the same kind of respect and effort that the absentee children of such parents would provide them. It could be as small as ordering a meal on Swiggy or a car on Uber or arranging a celebration with friends, and they are just one call away for every need. Sakhi Counsellors are trained to help seniors in managing their daily chores, payments, legal, medical, technical, financial, or government requirements; dealing with vendors and household staff on their behalf, and most importantly, companionship. In other words, they can provide any kind of help that the elders require at any time of the day.

 According to Sundaram`s daughter, the payment terms are reasonable. She told me that a few of her friends with NRI parents have used the service and are happy. Sakhi4life offers customized package deals based on the specific requirements of the elders needing their care. While I am aware of many `Anytime patient care`  service providers, this is the first time I came across an `Any time, any care` service provider in Sakhi4life which is modeled on similar elder care bodies like Aaji Care in Mumbai, Porosh in Kolkata and Kites in Bengaluru.

Anyone looking for such a service in Chennai can visit the website- sakhi4life.com for more details.

Jayendra Panchapakesan- A socially conscious filmmaker

Remember the famous ad film of yore with the jingle ` Chottu Neelam doi ….Ragual chottu Neelam doi` for Regaul liquid blue or `Home but not alone` TV spot for  BPL range of products or the `I love you Rasna` commercial for soft drink mixes. Those memorable brand-building ad films were made by Chennai-based JS Films founded by two schoolmates Jayendra Panchapakesan and P.C.Sriram, the award-winning Cinematographer. After producing over 600 films, winning several awards, and opening the Bombay ad film market for other ad film producers in Chennai,  Jayendra decided to join hands with another friend  Senthil Kumar by merging  JS films with Real Image, a leading provider of technology in the film, video and audio domains.

I have known Jayendra for nearly 35 years from the time he produced a TV commercial for  MRF Tractor Tyres which was a client of  Grant Kenyon Eckhardt where I was working then. His team had produced more than a dozen films for my agency Anugrah Madison over the years. A man of few words, soft-spoken & self-effacing Jayendra has a penchant for experimenting with new ideas in whatever he does. He is also a perfectionist who never compromises on the quality of the job he is doing. I remember when he was doing a commercial for Shriram Chits, he was not happy with the final output of a particular sequence in a film. He reshot the entire sequence at his own cost.

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Sixty-five years old Jayendra is a 100% Chennai boy. He comes from a well-respected, well-to-do family. He did his schooling at  Vidya Mandir where he won many art competitions at inter-school and national levels. He got his BSc degree in Chemistry from Vivekananda College. While in college he dabbled in staging plays with  Madu Balaji with scripts written by Madhu`s celebrity brother Crazy Mohan. He was the Secretary of the Fine Arts club during his final year in college. Obviously, the creative spark was in him right from his student days. No wonder the boy with a degree in Chemistry switched to advertising.  How did it happen?

Jayendra says, “ While seeing movies in theaters, I would keenly watch the ads and felt I could do a  better job than what I saw. One day my friend Chakravarthy (chax) and I walked into the Carborundum Universal office in Chennai because we thought we had an excellent slogan for Exide batteries. The manager who met us told us that, that was not the way it works and that all their advertising was handled by an advertising agency based out of Mumbai”. This motivated Jayendra to think of advertising as a career.

Armed with a PG Diploma in advertising from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Jayendra started his advertising career as a trainee at Inter Publicity in Chennai. Realising that the real action was in Bombay he packed his bags and left for Mumbai. He joined Clarion McCann advertising, where his friend Chax was already employed. As budding copywriters, he and his friend Chax started working on all the national accounts of Clarion. They soon became the talk of the town. People spoke about two young writers from Chennai who were making a difference in Clarion’s creativity.

Jayendra is a restless creative guy. He says, “I was a writer for 8 years. I switched 14 jobs. If the environment was not congenial for good creative output I left. Once I joined a national ad agency as creative group head. It was my fourth day in office. Sitting in my cabin I was reading a book as I had not yet been assigned any work. An elderly man with a grey beard walked through the room. He saw me reading a book. I looked at him and went back to reading the book. After he left, a lady rushed into my room and blurted with urgency “ he is our chairman, even if you are not busy, pretend to be busy”. I stared at her, packed my bags, and left. I sent a crisp two-word resignation letter. “Previously yours” Jayendra”

This is the point when Jayendra, bored with just writing scripts for ads, decided to make ad films because he felt he could communicate better. On his return to Chennai, he had the unique distinction of consulting with three top agencies in Chennai at the same time – HTA, Mudra, and Sistas. As already mentioned he joined hands with his schoolmate PC to start  JS Films in Chennai in 1986 which got its first film from Mudra Communications to do a film for a national brand. Soon Mudra’s chairman Mr. A.G. Krishnamurthy, impressed with the good work done, decided to give all film jobs from the Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Delhi offices of Mudra to JS Films.  For brands like Rasna, Vimal, Apollo tyres, and many more. Based on the success of the films for Mudra, Balki, the creative director from Lintas (Lowe) started giving film assignments for  Lever brands. Pretty soon the JS team was doing ads for many  Mumbai agencies. The tables had been turned. From Chennai agencies going to Mumbai for their films, Mumbai agencies started coming to Chennai for their films. There was no looking back for the JS team.

What made Jayendra merge a successful JS Films with Real Image?

Jayendra says, “When I started doing ads, Senthil who was in college at that time was doing graphics for me on a computer he had built. We were pushing technology to do impossible things at that time. When Avid Technology asked him to distribute their products in India he invited me to join him. In 1993 I  teamed up with Senthil to set up Real Image, introducing non-linear editing with Avid and digital cinema sound with DTS. I was a reluctant starter as I was more creative than a businessman. But soon we started enjoying introducing new technologies into the country like Avid,  which did to editing what word processing did to typewriting; DTS brought back audiences to movies with 6-track sound;  Digital cinema changed the economics of a movie release. Made very wide release possible bringing enormous collection right up front”.

Once Real Image (now called Qube Cinema) hired a CEO, Jayendra went back to making films. But not ad films. He made two feature films titled  180 in Tamil and Telugu and later a Telugu film titled Na Nuvve.  He made two experimental  Carnatic music films Margazhi Raagam and One.

Jayendra says,” For Margazhi Raagam I came up with the idea to shoot a concert with 13 red cameras synched with each other (for the first time in the world) and recorded the sound live and mixed it in 6-track surround sound. For the first time, people watching this in the theatres got a glimpse of how much was possible for the presentation of our concerts. Bombay Jayashri and TM Krishna partnered my friend Srikanth (Aghal films) and me in this initiative”

 For One Jayendra got TM Krishna to sing amidst nature without any accompaniments. This was not a concert but a musician exploring his music. Again Srikanth of Aghal Films produced this film as well.

 Recently Qube Cinema has set up a Virtual production stage in partnership with Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad. This will help films to be made in controlled conditions. Be it a location in the Alps or a busy stand in Koyambedu, the image is created on an LED wall, and when the camera moves the background moves in synch as if the actors are actually in the real location.  This avoids complex post-production and VFX which are time-consuming and expensive.

 Jayendra is also well-known in the industry for his deep involvement in social work. What inspired him to take social causes?

“I have always been interested in helping people. In a spur of the moment I started Bhoomika Trust in  2001 with my wife Sudha and some friends as our response to the Gujarat earthquake´”.

Over the years Bhoomika Trust has worked extensively with victims of disasters like the earthquake in Gujarat, the Tsunami in South India, the Uttarakhand floods, the Jammu & Kashmir floods, the Chennai floods of Dec 2015, Cyclone Vardah, the Odisha floods, Floods in Assam, Bihar, Kerala  and Cyclone Gaja, providing immediate relief ( ration kits, vessels), long term rehab- building houses, schools and helping people restart their livelihoods.

During the pandemic when the film industry came to a standstill, Qube had zero business for 2 years with about 1000 employees to support. At the same time film industry workers who live off daily wages faced the risk of starving with their families. With Mani Ratnam Jayendra conceived the anthology Navarasa for Netflix. Everyone in the industry came together to do the project pro bono. Rs17 crores raised through this initiative was given to the workers in the industry. Every worker was given a preloaded credit card and every month  Rs1500 was loaded in the card for 12000 workers which could be used only in grocery stores. Bhoomika handled the distribution

 

Besides providing help during disasters, Bhoomika also offers scholarships and assistance to deserving students. Has a “Let’s Learn”- Remote Learning Program for Government School Children and “I wanna Learn” a Math learning platform for students in partnership with Altius Foundation. Bhoomika also has a division called `True Gifts` which provides an alternative to gifts presented during weddings or any other occasion that the recipients may not need or use,  Instead you gift a `True gift` Certificate that says ` to celebrate your wedding we sponsored a girl child’s education or sponsored an eye surgery for a deserving villager`. The recipient is thrilled and a deserving cause is supported. 

 

 Jayendra is on the board of Altius Foundation ( running computer math lab in govt schools), Jeevan ( earlier blood bank and now a public stem cell bank much needed for treating blood cancer) Sankara Eye Foundation ( running 10 hospitals across the country) doing free eye surgeries for rural poor.

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 For Jayendra friends mean a lot. Jayendra’s very close friend and classmate Sriram, married and settled in Canada, died in a  car accident on a visit to India. It shook Jayendra and disturbed him very much. Unable to come to terms with seeing Sriram’s wife Sudha and 2-year-old son Ashwin go through this agony he decided to visit them in Canada and see how he could help. During the visit, he ended up proposing to Sudha, got married to her in February 1990, and brought them back to India. That was one of the best personal decisions Jayendra took in his life because not only are they happily married but Sudha has also  been a pillar of strength to him both in his professional and social activities. Sudha managed JS films, later moved on to head Human Resources at Qube Cinema. She is a co-founder of Bhoomika Trust. She is equally involved in all social initiatives of Jayendra.

 

 Another example relates to his dear friend Mahesh, a music director who had worked on many of his films. Mahesh died of cancer at a young age, leaving behind a Will in which he had expressed a desire to help Adyar Cancer Institute. Jayendra and his friends started Mahesh Memorial Trust in 2002 and conducted a mega fundraising event with A.R.Rehman offering his services free. With the money raised the Trust built the Paediatric Ward at the Cancer Institute which it continues to support and help running it successfully since it was started.

 I have always admired Jayendra for his constant endeavor to innovate and also for his limitless energy for serving society. God Bless him!

 

My association with Dr.MS.Swaminathan - a noble soul!

It is a belief in our society that whenever you hear the news of the demise of some known person, it will be followed by news of two more people known to you passing away within a couple of days. The latest news of Dr.M.S.Swaminathan passing away at the ripe old age of 98 is the third news of the death of a person known to me this week.

Before I explain my connection with Dr.MSS, I must briefly narrate the story behind my involvement with an NGO which provided me an opportunity to work briefly with Dr.MSS.

It was in the early 80s that I became a member of the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC, for short), an NGO headquartered in Singapore set up to promote the cause of mass communication in the Asia-Pacific region. Through a force of circumstances in 1984 I took over as the Country Representative of AMIC in India.

As the country representative, I was actively involved in promoting AMIC’s membership among the advertising and public relations fraternity, besides academics. When the Indian chapter steadily grew to be a formidable national organization, we appointed honorary Area Representatives to extend its reach to all parts of the country. To cope with this development, I persuaded AMIC headquarters to let me establish a Secretariat for AMIC India with a full-time Manager to help run its activities on a more professional footing. I had earned a good name, making India numero uno among AMIC’s national chapters. This also led to my being inducted to the board of AMIC in Singapore when (late) K. Kurien of Radius Advertising retired after completing his term of six years on the board. It was a great honour.

After my stepping down as a Board member, my recommendation to form a Trust in the name of AMIC to further boost the activities of AMIC India was accepted. AMIC India Trust was registered in Chennai, with Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, as the Chairman, and me as the Founder Secretary.

Working with Dr. Swaminathan, a busy man traveling 20 days a month was a pleasure. But he always found time to respond to any communication from us immediately. I remember visiting him once, just before the annual meeting of the Trust to brief him on the meeting’s agenda. He was hospitality and humility personified! After our meeting during which he asked relevant questions, he invited me and Suresh the manager of Amic India, to the canteen for a cup of coffee. There he waited in queue like every other staff to get our coffee and after consuming the same, dropped the empty cups at the designated place and then walked with us to the entrance to see us off. For a great man, highly revered by the world, he was such a humble person. He would chair the meetings as if he was totally involved with it the whole year and make everybody feel happy with the outcome. During this period, AMIC India also organized a successful international conference in Chennai..

A few years later, for strategic reasons, it was decided to wind up the Amic India Trust, and my association with AMIC and Dr.MSS was seized. In later years when I had an opportunity to meet him at a seminar, thinking that he may not remember me, I introduced myself before wishing him. He smiled and said, “ I know you. You don`t have to introduce yourself to me". I was happy that he had not forgotten me!

Though it was only a brief association of six years with Dr.MSS it was a memorable experience. May his soul attain Sadgati!

Another wicket down!

Another friend passed away on Monday morning after fighting a losing battle with Cancer for over two years. He was 74. Ramani was one of the founding members of a Seenager group called the Elliot Group which meets every morning at Bessy to gossip and have fun. I have been a member of this group for the last 11 years and had the privilege of becoming one of Ramani`s good friends. Every morning Ramani could be seen bursting with his trademark laughter at every joke anyone cracked. Otherwise, he was a serious person. A soft-spoken and caring gentleman he was very popular in the group. He and his wife were regular walkers at the Bessy.  As a man who was involved in the computer business all his life, he was a tech-savvy person. A go-to person for anyone with problems with their mobile. While he was an avid cricket buff, he was also good at creating caricatures of friends using Photoshop. I think I was one of his favourite subjects. He had done seven caricatures of me over the years. I am attaching one sample where he made me look like Kamalahasan in Avvai Shanmughi. Obviously, there was a creative streak in him, and creating caricatures was his hobby. While one is sorry for losing a good friend, in a way it is good that he will not have to go through the sheer agony he went through during the last two years. While offering my heartfelt condolences to his wife Girija and his two sons, I pray to God to bestow Sadgati on Ramani. Om Sairam!

My writing process-How do I get ideas for writing

 The other day I was going through the folder containing the list of my published articles since the publication of my first article in the April 2011 issue of Eves Touch. I was happy to note that more than 350 of my articles have appeared in 27 newspapers and magazines, both national and local, including a few e-magazines. Taking into account the articles that were published only on my blog and shared on my FB page the number exceeds 400.

 

Many of my readers ask me how I choose the subject of my articles, which are general and deal with daily happenings in life. I get ideas any time of the day. While walking, attending a function, reading a newspaper or magazine, talking to friends, an unforgettable incident, and sometimes even the death of a person I have known closely. Very often I also get ideas early in the morning when I am awake but roll in the bed before I get up and get started with my morning chores. Whenever an idea comes to my mind, I immediately record a catchword or a line that will trigger my memory, in the `Evernote` app on my mobile. Anytime the Evernote reminder section on my mobile has nearly 15 topics on which I can write articles. I don`t write every day. Whenever I feel like writing a new article I go through the Evernote list and choose the topic for writing.

 

Until I got invited to write my column `Rajan`s Random Reflections` in Adyar Times my articles used to exceed 1000 words. However, the 600-word restriction imposed by Adyar Times helped me master the art of writing shorter articles that a reader can read in less than 5 minutes. This word discipline has certainly helped me get more readers over the years.

 

I am a person who believes in the `Early to bed, early to rise `policy. I get up at 4. a.m. and I am at my work desk by 4.30 a.m. I find that I am at my creative best during 4.30-6.00 am considered the ‘Brahma muhurtham’ time. I go for my morning walk only after this.

 

Until I got used to keying my articles directly on my PC/laptop I was writing the articles by hand and then typing them on the PC. It was a painful process because very often I could not decipher my own handwriting. As long as I was employed and had a secretary who could decipher 90% of my handwriting I had no problem. She would give me the typed article as a Word document on which I would make my corrections. Even after I retired, the secretary was kind enough to type from the scanned copy of my handwritten articles which I would send her.

 

I must confess that since I started keying my articles directly on my PC, I have been able to make corrections as I am typing, resulting in a reasonably well-written draft. The draft then goes through several revisions before I am sure that it meets the expectations of my readers. I consult Google Knowledge whenever I have doubts. Since I have never been confident in my grammar, I would share the draft with my brother and daughter whose knowledge of English grammar is better than mine. These days I use an app called `Grammarly` to correct my draft. It is good at pointing out not only grammatical mistakes but also punctuation marks, spacing, use of caps, etc. It is really a boon for any writer in English who is not confident in his English.

 

I believe everyone has a writer in him/her. Whenever a friend tells me that he cannot write I ask `Did you not write essays in your school/college days?” It is only a question of discovering one`s hidden talents. Start with going down memory lane and record interesting anecdotes from your life. I assure you it is a fascinating experience and therapeutic. Age is no barrier to starting writing. Don`t forget I started writing only after my retirement at the age of 65. If I can do it, you can too!

A Junior School Day to remember!

The first time I attended a Junior School Day (JSD) function was when my first child Kavitha was studying in LKG in Sishya school in Chennai, in 1977.  All my three children and Kavitha`s two children studied in Sishya. As an Air Force officer`s children Sowmya`s two kids attended Kendriya Vidyalaya School, mostly in Bangalore. The last time I attended a Junior day School event at Sishya was in 2006 when Kavitha`s daughter Nila was performing on the stage. After 17 years I had the opportunity to attend a JSD at Sishya to see my resident grandson, Balaji`s son Thavam, studying in UKG, performing on the stage. What a performance it was! He danced with grace and total focus not faltering even one step. God bless him.

Junior School Day functions are events looked forward to by families with small kids. Because that would be the day when their child- a boy or a girl - would be going on the stage for the first time. The whole family including the thathas , pattis, uncles , aunts and cousins would be there at the function to cheer the child.  To see their ward positioned in one corner or the other of a group of at least 20 kids from his/her class.  While the seniors would shout with excitement “ there.. there… he is third from left on the second row”, it was not unusual for the kid to stop in the middle of his act looking for his parents in the crowd. The excitement in the audience was palpable judging by the screams, catcalls, whistling that reverberated   when ever children of a particular class entered the stage.  

Those days it was not unusual  to see the exit of families from the auditorium as soon as their ward`s performance was  over. The auditorium which would be overflowing with families of performing kids in the beginning  would be half empty by the time the kids from  the 4^th or 5^th standard in the junior school were performing.

I realize Sishya has come a long way since then. The school has grown in size and numbers. They have also learnt lessons from every show. It was evident from the way the whole event this year had been meticulously planned and executed. The entire programme was divided into two parts. The first part of 60 minutes mainly  belonged to the children  from LKG & UKG. There was restriction on the number of people who could attend the programme- In addition to the parents only two extra passes per family were issued. There was different colored passes for families of LKG & UKG students and  for students of 1^st to 5^th class. Instead of families of small classes leaving in batches, the entire audience watching the programme of small kids had to leave the auditorium to make space for families of children performing after the  show by the kiddies. There was a big shamiana put up in the open space outside the auditorium where people could sit and watch the programme on a big digital screen. Even the music chosen for the dance numbers were good and helped keep up the tempo of the show. While the crowd management was brilliant, the management of incoming cars and parking facility ensured smooth flow of hundreds of cars coming into the school.

Kudos to the  Sishya  management and all the teachers and volunteers from Sishya PTA who were responsible for the well planned and executed event. It brought back memories of my own involvement with the school as a Past President of Sishya PTA in 1991-92. Mr.Kit Thomas, the founder of Sishya used to refer to me as the only `male gender` Past President of Sishya PTA. Before and after me only ladies have been Presidents of the PTA.

As one who  had the longest association  with Sishya as a parent first and grand  parent later I wish Sishya , which celebrated its golden Jubilee this year all the best in providing quality education and ensuring all round growth of its students, which is what Kit Thomas always  believed in!

 

New educational opportunities in India

The other day I was chatting with my grandson Keshav (20). He is doing his under graduation at Shiv Nadar Institute of Eminence in Noida studying for a degree in B.Sc (Research) Biotechnology. While the name of the University intrigued me the course that he was pursuing also made me think of the new educational opportunities that await young students today. In our days and for a long time the only popular courses were a degree in Arts, Commerce or Science leading to a career as a teacher, chartered accountant, engineer, or doctor. Students who had special talents in sports or any creative field were told that it is safer to have a degree in some subject before pursuing one`s passion because a degree can guarantee you a job if the passion does not help you earn a living.

 I was therefore surprised to see some creative work that Keshav has been doing as a part of his Biotechnology course. When I probed him about this he said,  “Our Coursework involves a lot of inter-departmental content. Doing courses in the Fine Arts department demanded a new creative outlook rarely encountered in the science field. For example, photography submissions asked us to get inventive with our submissions based on the assignment. The creative freedom given is virtually infinite and very exciting for everyone. In my art assignment, I took up the challenge of replicating photo edits using physical pieces of paper instead of using the software facilities available on the computer for such an assignment.  Though a  tricky & difficult process, it was fun!”

The results of such a  creative effort that he showed me were indeed fascinating.

He told me that the college also emphasizes the importance of doing internships during the summer and making sure students get a long enough break to support that. This vacation Keshav did an internship at the Indian Institute of science, Bangalore where he explored the field of ecology, working on the effect of climate change on birds in India.   He also did a design internship working with the marketing team at Seven Sarees, a business run by one of his cousins. I was impressed with the variety of promotional photos that Keshav had taken as a part of the assignment.

When I asked Keshav what he hopes  to do in the future he gave the following reply;

“My dream has and always will be to never compromise on my passion to explore and learn as much as I can and follow that wherever it takes me. Every step I have taken in life till now has shown that there is an infinite world out there and my goal is to simply experience everything I possibly can while fully investing every part of myself to help me grow”

 Very unusual and mature response. God bless him!

His sister Uthara who did a double graduation in Bsc and BEd in biology from Azim Premji University in Bangalore is doing her post-graduation in `Evolutionary genetics, evolution and systematics ` at the prestigious LMU University in Munich, Germany.  A subject I have never heard of! Azim Premji University is another institution that encourages the all-round development of a student.

Unlike our times,  today`s children, thanks to the internet, are exposed to all kinds of opportunities available to them. Parents are well advised to allow them to pursue what they want instead of forcing them to do what they think is right for them. Very often they try to realize their unfulfilled dreams through their children.

There are good institutions like Shiv Nadar & Azim Premji universities that are helping children realize their full potential. I am sure that there are many more about whom I am not aware of. I also understand that the New Education Policy of the government is trying to rectify the anomalies of the old system and introduce systems and courses that will ensure that children get holistic education which stands them in good stead in the careers they choose. Hope the NEP is effectively implemented by State Governments!

 

 

 

 

Timely aid saves a life

In today`s world, anything can happen to anyone –age no bar. In situations of emergency, like a heart attack, or an accident if help is provided within the first 60 minutes, considered the golden hour, a life can be saved. This is what happened to a good friend and a popular walker Sridhar on the beach Road in Besant Nagar(Bessy) recently. Thanks to the immediate attention he got from Kala Balasundaram, another walker on the beach road who fortunately happened to be the founder of ALERT, an NGO which is  a first responder`s network in case of an emergency. Kala is the wife of Balasundaram , a member of my Rotary club who is also a regular walker on Bessy.

 

On 9^th August, early in the morning, Kala was running on the beach road towards Thalapakatti restaurant with a friend  Hubert, who was about 200 meters behind her doing a slow jog. Past Cozee restaurant, she saw a small group standing around a man in his late  60s who had collapsed and was totally unconscious. Another walker was holding his head. There was blood on the road as he had hurt his head. Herself a trained first responder of ALERT, Kala got into action and stopped a walker from giving water. She put him in a recovery position as he still had a pulse. Thankfully, the ambulance parked nearby reached in time and the paramedic started giving CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resusitation) after checking his pulse with an oxymeter. When he asked if anyone else could administer CPR, Kala offered to help. Meanwhile, the victim`s wife who was also walking with her friends came to see what had happened and was shocked to see that it was her husband. She panicked and called her son staying in the nearby Kalakshetra colony. 

 

Kala could see the victim beginning to gasp for breath as he was being given CPR. She asked her friend Hubert to take over CPR, while she went to hold up the victim`s chin and head to free up his airway. Fortunately, the paramedic had an AED (Defibrillator)which he got from the van and started connecting it to the chest. He also got the ambubag used for pumping oxygen to the lungs. The group managed to carefully lift the victim and place him on the stretcher and then onto the ambulance.  Inside the ambulance, the paramedic connected the oxygen to him. Within a few minutes, the ambulance was on its way to the nearest hospital with Sridhar and his family.

 

After giving the staff and family very anxious moments for nearly a week, Sridhar has fully recovered from a near-death situation and is out of the ICU and expected back home in  a few days. As the doctors in the hospital commented,  "But for the timely aid provided by the good samaritans in the beach and the paramedic it would have been difficult to save the life of Sridhar"

 

A few words about ALERT. It was started sixteen years ago by Kala with just two volunteers. It now has 2000+ registered volunteers with over 50 active volunteers. So far ALERT has trained over 2,50,000 people in First Aid, and has scaled over to 21 out of 28 states, and 4 out of 8 union territories in India.  It has a complete simulation lab, the only one of its kind outside a medical college in India, meant for the common man.  ALERT  volunteers have attended to over 1000 accident victims as the first respondents. Alert is currently active in Chennai, Bangalore, Puduchery, and Coimbatore. As per the direction given by Late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the people`s President, ALERT  concentrates on training volunteers – at least one person from every family in emergency care.

Apart from the availability of  ALERT volunteers in Kala and her friend, it was fortunate that Sridhar`s wife was nearby to identify him. Very often we come across accident victims carrying no identity cards on their person. This leads to their family, unaware of the accident,  running from pillar to post to locate their missing family member. It is for this reason I have been advocating the need for everyone (age no bar) to carry an identity card ( not just Aadhar).  This card, part from giving the name and address of the victim should also carry contact details of the victim`s near and dear ones on the reverse of the card who can be contacted in case of an emergency.

 

It is heartening to learn that ALERT is planning to have a big camp in Chennai to create awareness among the public about both these issues on the World First Aid Day in September this year. Kudos to Kala  and her team for the yeomen service they are providing to the society.