The wheelchair and me

 In the last couple of years, I don't feel confident traveling alone when I go out of the station.  The reason -the anxiety syndrome that I have developed because of tripping and falling a couple of times. Fortunately,  so far I have survived with minimum or no collateral damage.

While I don`t mind traveling long distances by cars driven by call drivers,  train journeys are definitely a `no.. no` for me because of the long distances one has to walk with baggage in hand, climb steep stairs sometimes,  and the nightmare of using the toilets in a moving & undulating train. Even for travel by air, I used to prefer a friend or a family member to accompany me as it happened a couple of times last year. Besides, I also find it difficult to stand in one place ( like in queuing ) for a long time

In December last year when I was visiting Coimbatore to follow up on a lead I got about getting an apartment in Nana Nani, I found that there was no one to accompany me on the flight to Coimbatore.  So, reluctantly I decided to use the wheelchair service offered by Indigo. Since It was the first time I was using the wheelchair I was self-conscious and imagined that every other guy was staring at me. I went through the check-in and security process, physically helped by the Indigo staff, and reached the Departure gate within 15 minutes of arriving at the airport. I decided that henceforth  I will opt for the wheelchair service whenever  I travel by air.

Every time I am checked in, the girl at the check-in counter personally brings the boarding pass, and gently enquires about the reason why I was opting for a wheelchair before handing over the same to me.  I felt cared for and secure,  traveling alone. I know most of the seniors who travel abroad use this service during their international travels.

 A few days ago when  I was traveling by Indigo from Coimbatore to Chennai,  when the girl asked me the usual question, I decided, in keeping with my policy of making at least one person happy every day,  to be generous with my praise of the wheelchair service of Indigo and how it has made me travel alone with confidence.  The girl requested me to record my comments on their feedback app and opened the app for me.  Suddenly I found myself surrounded by all the check-in counter staff, as they did not have a long line of passengers waiting to check-in. After I finished recording I found a senior staff member presenting me with a  thank you note which contained the following line: `When you bring joy to others, you receive more joy in return`. I was pleasantly surprised that this is what I tell people all the time and recorded it in detail in my article titled `Joy of Giving`. The staff insisted on taking a group photo with me (attached)

 I was delighted that I had made more than one person happy that day. My day was Made!.

 

 

A Hectic Weekend in Chennai

It was a hectic weekend in Chennai. I planned this trip mainly to participate in the function organised by my friend R.T Chari, on 1^st September at Tag Centre, to launch the Biography of Ramakrishna Raja, which I have authored. The news of my visit to Chennai resulted in my receiving invitations to participate in other events. I arrived in Chennai on the evening of 28^th August. As I reached home my son who was waiting for me took me to Sishya School to attend the Junior School Day function where my grandson Thavam was a part of the dance performance by the children of the first standard.  It was  fun to watch the two dozen kids doing their best to impress the audience.

The first meeting I attended on the 29th evening was the one hosted by Kuvikam ( a Tamil Literary group) to distribute the prizes for the winners of the Sivasankari Short Story Competition, where Sivasankari herself was the chief guest. It was a pleasure meeting some eminent Tamil writers at the meeting. This was immediately followed by a dinner of 41 Club 7 (ex-Tablers) at Madras Club, which coincided with the official visit of the President of 41 Club, India. I had to give a brief talk on the history of the club. The delicious dinner  hosted by Narsi & Mridula was preceded by `fellowsip`. An enjoyable evening!

 30^th August, witnessed a small private get-together to celebrate my 82^nd birthday attended by my family and a few close friends. My Sambandhi Naresh delighted the small crowd with his command on the harmonica. The highlight of the evening was the rendering of the song on  lord Ganesa by Thavam accompanied by his sister  Bakthi. Thavam charmed the audience with his lovely voice and his ability to sing in both high and low octaves. It was interesting to watch Bakthi trying to keep pace with her brother. God bless them.

On 31^st evening I was the chief guest at the 57^th Charter night of Madras West Round Table no 10 of which I was a member between 1974 and 1982 and Chairman during 1978-79. The event was held at the   Flying Elephant Restaurant of Park Hyatt Hotel, Guindy. The open atmosphere and dim lighting did not inspire me. Frankly, I was not in my elements giving the motivational talk, I gave that evening. However, that did not stop the dynamic and youthful members of the club from presenting me with a fantastic memento, thanking me for my contribution to the Round Table movement in India.

On the same day,  early in the evening, I had the pleasure of meeting  Shri Indira Parthasarathy, a well-known writer and a Sahithya Academy Award winner at a Senior Citizen Home in Chennai. I presented him a copy  of my biography on Ramakrishna Raja which was being released the following day. Indira Parthasarathy had given the Foreword for my book of short stories. At 95, though physically weak, his mind is still sharp. It was amazing to see him quote from our scriptures effortlessly in response to a query from a friend who accompanied me. I must thank my friend Chari for arranging this memorable meeting.

I have already reported about the book launch on 1^st September in an earlier post. What was the icing on the cake was the six-column report on the book release function in the Hindu following day.  It made my day!

All these activities coupled with the opportunity to connect with my walking friends every morning was enough to recharge my battery. Besides, the cloudy skies with occasional showers made the weather in Chennai tolerable. Hope it continues like this for the rest of my stay in Chennai. I am planning to return to Coimbatore on 10^th September.

In the last six months since I moved to Coimbatore, this is the third time I am visiting Chennai. Two months of relaxed life at Nana Nani in Coimbatore followed by two week of hectic life  in Chennai has ensured that I am having the best of both worlds. As long as I am healthy and able to travel, I intend to follow this routine,  to keep me going. 

--

My 12th book released

A biography of Ramakrishna Raja, a tall leader in the Rotary world and a Past Treasurer of the Music Academy, authored by me, was released yesterday ( 1st September) at a packed Tag Auditorium by N.Murali, Director of the Hindu and President of Music academy. The first copy was received by Mr Laxman, Chairman of the Rane group. R.T Chari of the Tag who sponsored both the book and the event, PDG Nagoji Natarajan, and Mrs Prema Srinivasan spoke on the occasion. It was my 12th book in 15 years, covering the 8th genre of writing.

I have done condensed versions of biographies of nine eminent personalities of Chennai and bio sketches of scores of Chennai–based achievers – all published in Madras Musings and released as a book titled `Bright Stars in the Chennai Sky` two years ago. However, I had not attempted a full biography of another eminent personality. I thank my friend R.T. Chari, a close friend of Raja's, who sponsored both the book and the event, and Raja’s family for allowing me to write Raja's biography.

The book is divided into five parts: Ram`s Early Years, Ram as a Quintessential Family Man, Ram - a Cherished Friend, Ram with Music Academy and other institutions, and Ram in Rotary as a Supreme Mentor.

When you finish reading the book, you will realize what a great human being Raja was. He touched the life of anyone he came in contact with. His advice was sought by many eminent people in business, and he was a mentor, nay a supreme mentor, for many PDGs in our Rotary District. He was as popular with every one of his family members as he was with others. He was a rare human being—a gentleman to the core—a complete Gentleman!

So `Ramakrishna Raja – A complete Gentleman` is the title of the book. Designed and printed by Compuprint, It is a thin book with only 100 plus pages packed with interesting anecdotes from Raja`s life which you can read in one sitting.

Once again I thank Chari and the family for giving me the opportunity to write the story of a great Rotarian and friend.