PONGAL FESTIVAL IN A GAUSHALA

 It was my first exposure to the Pongal Festival organised by Nana Nani management at Ananya`s Gaushala. What an experience it was! I was overwhelmed by the mega event to which the residents of all six Phases of Nana Nani Homes were invited.

The huge property where the Gaushala is located was transformed into a Mega Rural Fair, complete with food courts where visitors were served a choice of fruits, snacks, and beverages. They could also witness the typical games that are played in rural areas. As a rural marketing specialist, I have participated in hundreds of Mega Melas in Rural India promoting my clients` products. This Mela was different. It was like a happy family get-together of the Appas and Ammas of Nana Nani. It was meticulously planned and executed by the dynamic team of Ananya group under the inspiring leadership of Dr Uma Maheshwari. The location of the Mela in the well-run Gaushala lent authenticity to the celebrations coinciding with the Mattu Pongal theme. There was the traditional display of pots with overflowing milk to the chanting of `Pongalo Pongal` by the visitors, complete with the `Patti Pongal `featuring a favourite cow decked up for the occasion being worshipped.

The way the Cows, numbering 450 with their identification numbers, were roaming around within their enclosures was a sight to behold. I understand that this scientifically run Gaushala, looked after by the committed staff and qualified veterinarians, yields on average 1200 litres of milk, which is used in all milk and milk-based products supplied to the residents in Nana Nani.

My sister, a resident of Asiana Subham, a senior citizen Home in Chennai, during her recent visit to Phase 4, commended the high quality of milk and curds supplied at Nana Nani as compared to what she gets in her Home in Asiana.

No Mela is complete without the mandatory entertainment programme. I was proud to witness the very first item by members of Phase 4. A prayer song on the theme specially written for the occasion by the multi-talented Shylaja. It was composed by the MSV of Phase 4 Padmanabhan, and sung by the Nightingales of Phase 4 – Bhanu, Usha Padmanabhan and Radha Shanakarraman. They were accompanied by the talented dancing trio of Meera, Meena and Bhooma. While all other Phases were given only one slot to display their talents, Phase 4 had the privilege of having a second dance number led by Vidya Venkatachlam, the `mover & shaker` of Phase 4, supported by her team. Kudos to both teams for keeping the flag of Phase 4 flying high.

Although the uneven flooring surface, despite the beautiful carpets covering it, and the high toilets were a cause for anxiety for many elders like me, I was happy to hear that the event, with thousands of residents attending, passed off without any hitch or untoward incidents. It was indeed a memorable event.

Hearty congratulations to the management of the Ananya group for organising such a get-together of Nana Nanians year after year. God Bless them.

A ROLE IN A FILM AFTER SIX YEARS!

 My good friend Sambad Kumar (82), popularly known as Samji, the self-taught filmmaker, has produced and directed eight short films since he moved into Nana Nani, Phase 4, eight years ago. All the films were based on stories conceived by him and enacted by talented members staying in the community

When he offered me a small role in the film `ISAI`, I readily agreed. I don't like acting  on stage these days because of my inability to remember long dialogues, but playing character roles in front of a camera for a film is okay with me. I had acted in scores of plays in Tamil during my school and college days. I remember playing three-bit roles in the play `Saint Theagaraja` staged by Matunga Dramatic Society (MDS) , which had several shows in Bombay and other cities. I had also acted in many other plays for Manavar Kalai Arangam and the Fine Arts Society started by a group of friends. I could not continue acting once I joined the high-pressure advertising profession. Though I had stopped acting on the stage, that did not stop me from accepting roles in short films or advertising shorts produced by friends. I enjoy working in films because of the possibility of retakes until you get the act right.

I was excited because I was going to act in a film after 6 years. The last one was a three-minute promo film titled ` Not Out` for a web series, centred around funny stories based on the lives of senior citizens, in which I was to play the central character. It was to be produced by Rajeshwari Anand, a very talented writer-director, who, along with her cinematographer husband Anand, had produced scores of advertising and telefilms for my agency, Anugrah Madison Advertising. The idea was dropped because of the pandemic and the uncertainty that followed.

The short film ISAI is based on the life of a talented Carnatic singer and his inability to get chances to sing in Sabhas until a good Samaritan, in the form of a popular Vidwan, helps him get one in a Sabha. The Sabha President, earlier, had refused to give the poor artist a chance without getting a donation from him. I played the role of the aggressive and arrogant Sabha President. It was a small role, but it offered me an opportunity to display my talent as a character actor. The success of the film and the appreciation I have received for living the role ( not just acting)  has made my day.

Babu Krishnaswamy A film maker with passion for history

 The news of Babu Krishnaswamy`s demise on this Sunday came as a surprise to me. I knew he was ailing for some time, but did not expect the news so soon after receiving a telephone call from him just a few weeks ago. He said it was just a courtesy call, wanting to know how I was doing and that he would be happy to meet me during my next trip to Chennai. During the earlier two trips to Chennai, I could not meet him as he was not in a condition to see me. His wife Mohana also came on the line and said that they would be happy to see me during my next trip, scheduled any time during January 2026. I feel bad that I will not be meeting my good friend of 55 years anymore.

 I was introduced to Babu by another good friend, Desikan, who was then with Reader`s Digest. It was the early seventies when Babu was still associated with Jaishree Pictures, in which his two elder brothers were partners, producing ad films, documentaries and radio spots. I had moved to Delhi in 1971 to join ACIL, the sister company of Clarion McCann. A few radio spots produced by them for our Delhi clients brought me closer to Babu.

 Babu and his wife Mohana, accompanied by Desi and Nirmala, had attended my wedding on 26^th January,1972 in Chennai. Knowing my devotion to Venkatachalapathy, they had organised a car to take Prabha and me to Tirupati for a darshan the next morning. In the evening, Babu hosted a dinner at his house on MG Road, which his whole family, including all his brothers and his famous dancer sister Padma Subramaniam, attended. It was indeed a touching gesture by Babu, which brought us very close, a friendship that grew over the years.

 While I was still in Delhi, ACIL commissioned Babu to produce a film for our client CARE, an NGO headquartered in the US, which works in the areas of health and nutrition. We had recommended two alternative approaches — one ‘positive’ to be tested in the villages of Uttar Pradesh and another ‘negative’ to be tested in the villages of Andhra Pradesh. A benchmark study and a post-study conducted by CARE revealed that the negative approach, which used fear produced by Babu, worked better than the positive approach. That experience was also the beginning of my long association with Rural marketing

 That was also the time when Babu decided to part company with his brothers to pursue his dream of producing a documentary on the 5000 years of subcontinental history, under his own banner- Kishnaswamy Associates. While he was still fleshing out the idea and seeking funding for the mega project, including from the government, he and Mohana visited my home in Delhi and stayed with me for two days. I got to know more about his mega dream for which he had staked every resource at his command. After many ups and downs, including a mild heart attack caused by the extreme stress he was undergoing, his magnum opus, `Indus Valley to Indira Gandhi`, became a reality. The enormous success of the film made him undertake many other projects dealing with various aspects of Indian civilisation, and television serials on interesting subjects.

 I moved to Chennai in 1974 and built a house, close to his palatial home on the first main  road in Sastri Nagar. Like me, he also had two daughters and a son with similar age profiles, all of them studying in Sishya. The families became close thanks to the use of our family`s cars in rotation to take the children to school. Babu`s son Bharath was a classmate of my elder daughter Kavita.

 The years rolled on with both of us pursuing our businesses, meeting only during family get-togethers or special occasions. Later, my involvement with Consumer Association India started by our friend Desikan, in which Babu was also a part, provided  opportunities for us to meet more often.

 In all the years that I have known Babu, he has been a dear, caring friend. I found him to be a scholar and passionate about whatever he undertook. An excellent conversationalist, he was very articulate both as a speaker and writer. I had the privilege of extracting  the  abridged version of his  autobiography  published  in  the Madras Musings issue dated June 2018,

 His wife Mohana had been a pillar of strength to him in all his endeavours. Babu was always proud of his wife and her immense contributions to his achievements as a filmmaker. Blessed with talented children brought up with the right values, Babu lived a full life, winning many accolades and awards for his role as a filmmaker.

 I will always remember Babu for his encouragement and the moral support he extended to me, along with Desikan, when I was going through a turbulent period in my professional life, before I moved to Chennai.

 While offering my heartfelt condolences to the family, I pray to god that his soul attains Satgati!