A singing poet-- Isaikavi Ramanan

A person capable of applying his attention in many directions is referred to as Astavadhanii.  The title would certainly fit T.A. Venkateswaran, popularly known as Isaikkavi Ramanan. who has enriched the world of performing arts with his talents as a thinker, writer, poet, actor, speaker, singer, photographer and performer

I first met Ramanan at a Madras Book Club meeting where he was in conversation with a professor from Pondicherry on his book on Mahakavi Bharathi`s life in Pondy. Ramanan was very articulate and impressed me with not only his knowledge of Bharathi but also his impeccable English. I came to know that he is a bilingual writer and speaker. He is as comfortable giving a talk in English or writing in English as he is in Tamil.  From a successful corporate honcho to a popular performer on the stage, Ramanan has come a long way in 20 years. He turned 70 on 30^th March this year. I decided to explore his reinvention story for the readers of  Madras Musings.

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Ramanan`s late father, Sri T.V.Anantaramaseshan was a scholar in English and Sanskrit. An M.A. (Hons) with a gold medal from the Presidency College, Madras.  he taught Economics at Loyola College (1954 – 63) before he joined The Hindu as Assistant Editor, where he worked for 23 years. Later he was associated   with the evening paper News today. An expert in temple/sculptural architecture, he was instrumental in conducting 25 Kumbhabhishekam. He composed 27 Suprabhatams on deities from Kanyakumari to Jageshwar. No wonder Ramanan has his penchant for  spiritualism in his blood. Ramanan  also has imbibed the zest for life and enthusiasm from his 95 years old mother Savithri, who now lives with him.

Sandwiched  between three elder sisters and one younger sister who were all super singers, Ramanan obviously had singing  in his blood. However, only his youngest sister pursued a career in singing.

While in  Ramakrishna Mission Boys High School, Bazululla Road, in Chennai where he completed his SSLC, he  used to participate in literary competitions. The first time he ever received a prize was when he was in his third or fourth class for singing Bharathi’s Vellai Thamarai. He  fondly remembers receiving two volumes of Eesop’s fables (in Tamil) from Sri Parali Su Nellaiappar, Bharathi’s close associate. 

Recalling his student days Ramanan says, “For a poor student to whom even simple arithmetic was a horrible nightmare, studying Commerce in A M Jain College, Meenambakkam, was nothing less than a disaster. Most of my class hours were spent under the trees, penning poems or winning prizes in debates, oratorical competitions, essay writing, mono acting, recitation and so on. I was the Secretary of the Commerce Association once and Fine Arts Association later during which time, I could invite Kannadasan to our college” His tryst with Kannadasan and his songs probably started from that time.

Ramanan says that he never had any academic dreams, though he was always a dreamer. While poetry enticed him on one side, he was a natural mind watcher too. There is a vision that has stayed with him since he was 10 or so – that of an angler with a brown hat, reclining on a tree, facing a jungle brook, watching the flow of water silently.

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He joined The Hindu on October 1, 1977 as a Sales Representative in Chennai. When he became a Sales Officer he had  to travel a lot, often going on tour for three weeks a month. Apart from his travels, whenever he was in HQ, he was the official typist for the Circulation Department, packed/loaded newspaper parcels, worked for several nights in the packing and dispatch section and  distributed the newspaper in the early hours. Life was tough. The brighter side was that he saw a lot of movies, visited several temples and picked up working knowledge of  Kannada and Telugu.

In 1989, he was promoted as Regional Manager, Visakhapatnam where he  launched the Vizag edition. As a Regional Manager, he won several awards for achieving sales targets and also for his impressive presentations at the company`s annual conferences. Managers chosen for other regions used to be sent to Vizag for training.

Ramanan says, “I was instrumental in introducing an important software system for the Advertising department. I also played a big part in opening up The Hindu for regional and local advertisements like regional front page solus, ear panels, local supplements etc.”

However Poetry never left him. It provided the psychological relief and also the fillip to his enthusiasm for work.

 What makes him invoke goddess parashakthi and his guru in most of his talks? What was the trigger that made him quit his job and get fully involved in creative pursuits?

Ramanan says,“I was in my ninth class when Sri Ma Vi Raghavan, our Tamil teacher recited a poem of Bharathi. Something hit me. Though I did not understand even the basic meaning, I was overwhelmed. It was in 1971 October that I started writing poems and a few years later, I started composing songs. Sometime between 1974 and 1976, on a sunny afternoon, I had a strange experience which happened in a flash. I had a vision of Bharathi and Ma Kaali and I felt as though something invaded my consciousness. Parasakthi and Bharathi entered me together I should say. She is a palpable, living reality to me”

His quest for Truth, took him to several Gurus until he found the right one in Satguru Sri K Sivananda Murty of Bheemunipatnam near Vizag. who took him on several yathras. Ramanan has so far visited the Himalayas 36 times.

“If I can say that my life is over and my living continues, I owe it all to my Guru. He cured my psychological injuries through his love, taught me the real history of this great nation, made me understand the depth of our Dharma and granted several deep spiritual experiences.”

"As the inner call was getting louder and as I realized that my slogging in a career was not worth all that martyrdom, I quit my job on 30^th March 2005 with nothing else in my hand.”

Ramanan was 51 years old when he launched his new life as a performer. In the last 19 years his fan base has widened to not only within India but has also spread  across the world. Because as a public speaker Ramanan provokes, stimulates and entertains -- whether he speaks on literature, music, cinema, theatre, spirituality or culture. Ramanan’s voice rings out with bell-like clarity, every syllable distinct.

“I am more a talker than a speaker,” says Ramanan. “My talks are different, the audience do not feel any distance between them and me.”  The talks are different also because he frequently bursts into songs -- or into flowery lyric or infectious rhyme, His style is conversational, his tone is positive, he has a light witty touch. The audience is kept in  good humour and glued to its seats.

Over the years he has addressed members of literary or cultural associations, music sabhas, students of MBA or engineering, schoolchildren, parents, corporates. The topics are diverse too:  Thirukkural, Bharatiar, Kannadasan’s film songs, spiritual discourses. And self-improvement topics such as  communication skills, positive attitude, personal management and conflict management. 

He has been on lecture tours to the US, Canada, Singapore,  Malaysia, Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Sri Lanka. He has spoken at temples, university auditoriums, radio stations, the basements of a few houses.

Though he is very popular for his singing, Ramanan says that he has no formal training in music.  He says, “I have imbibed a feel for music from my mother and also sisters. Tunes happen to me though I cannot set my own poems to tunes.  I am spontaneous! Yes, my music is inseparable from my poetry and it is clearly the gift of my Parasakthi. Again, I am not a scholar; not at all a well-read person; I have an intuitive feel for  things, thanks to the blessings of my Guruji. He provides that edge”

Ramanan is also a  prolific  writer. So far he has published  40 books in Tamil,  Five in English. `The Intimate Unknown`, a book in English he wrote about his  Guruji is close to his heart.

In Tamil, his  two books on Kannadasan, one each on Bharathi and Kamban and one titled ‘Pala Mugangal Sila Ninaivugal’ are his favourites. Another book which is popular is his biography on Director K.Balachandar titled `Sigaram`for which he interacted closely with K Balachander for six to eight months. ‘

“Since I refused to accept money from him for the biography, Balachandar  invited me  to act in a serial directed by him . During the shootings he always insisted that I should be given a chair beside him. Till the end, he addressed me as Ramanan Sir,  despite ,my protests.” says Ramanan.

His other publications include 12 books of his poems, 19 books of his essays. He has also translated three books from English to Tamil and one from Tamil to English.

Ramanan has also been an actor on stage as well as on the small screen. He has participated in over 1400 television  programmes, The only movie in which he played a good role did not see the light of day. He has  acted in four serials. The first one was directed by late Sri K Balachandar.

As regards theatre, he acted in a small role in an English play ‘Free Outgoing’ by Creasakthi Dushi, directed by Mahesh Dattani. In Tamil theatre, it was SBS Raman who invited him  to write a play based on his father’s (Sri S Balachander) famous movie ‘Andha Naal’ and also play the lead role in it.

Ramanan has also written and acted as Bharathi in the play “Bharathi Yaar ` which has been staged in several cities in India and abroad.

Ramanan says, “Playing the role of the Mahakavi who died when he was hardly 39 at 70 is indeed challenging” He is also acting as Bharathi in a serial on Bharathi produced by Krishnaswamy Associates, currently being aired on Doordarshan in Tamil.

One of his most popular programme in recent years sponsored by Krishna Sweets and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is `Kalangalil Avan Vasantham` , a series on songs of  Kannadasan which has already seen over 100 shows in six years.

Ramanan has received over 45 Awards and recognitions in the last  19 years since he started his new innings as a performer. The prestigious Kalaimamani Award from Tamil Nadu government for the year 2018 was bestowed on him  in 2019

Ramanan says, “I value all of them but the title “Isaikkavi” is the one I cherish most as it has become part of my name. It is special because it was not given by any organization but by my friend  Mahesh Krishnan who  presented me a memento with the inscription “Isaikkavi”, after a talk in English I gave in Los Angeles in 2006."

Anuradha  is the woman behind the successful Ramanan for the last 43 years. He calls her his guardian angel.

 ‘She also has a flair for languages and is very fluent in Tamil, English, Hindi, Telugu and to some extent in Marathi, Kannada and Malayalam too. A thoroughly no-nonsense person, I have never suffered from boredom in married life, thanks to her company”. says Ramanan.

The couple is blessed with twins, Anand and Vikram. Anand  lives in Boston with his wife Priya and children Shivsundar and Aadhya. Vikram lives in Madurai with his wife Deepthi and son Kumara Seshan. Both my sons and daughters in law sing well. So does Kumara Seshan and Aadhya who have  started learning music.

A blessed family indeed!  

“A happy, noisy family!” says Ramanan. “I am not special in any way but very fortunate in every way”.

Let us pray that Parashkthi  bestows good health on Ramanan so that he continues to delight his fans with his multiple talents, for years to come!

 

 

 

 

 

Yoga at 82

 I have always envied people who have been practicing yoga from a young age to keep themselves fit as a fiddle. Though I had attempted practicing yoga many times before, I had to give up unable to withstand the rigorous training. I found my protruding Madhya Pradesh (generous tummy), considered a sign of prosperity by many, was coming in the way of performing many difficult Asanas.  I remember, as a young boy, when I was thin as a stick, I used to perform Sirasasana inspired by the photo of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru performing this difficult Asana even in his old age. Of course, I was doing it more as a fun activity then, than as a part of any regular Yoga programme.

After coming to CBE I started attending Chair Yoga sessions arranged by the management of Nana Nani Senior Citizens Home where I am staying now.  It is meant for people like me who need a helping hand to get up if they sit or lie  on the floor or after prostrating before their favourite deities in the temples.

Why yoga at this age?

I was influenced by the experiences of some friends. I recently attended a get-together organized by a good friend in CBE, where he demonstrated his proficiency in performing yogic Asanas.  He had learned it in the last three years from a yogic trainer, five days a week at his home. He is only two weeks older than me. I was amazed at the way he was twisting and turning, performing difficult Asanas with ease. A guy who was suffering from acute depression a  few years ago is now bubbling with energy and enthusiasm. What the deadly medicines he was taking for depression could not do, yoga has done it for him.

A couple of other inmates at the Senior Citizen Home who have been attending the Chair Yoga sessions for a few months told me they were never able to sit or lie down on the floor earlier. Now they can do the same with ease. Some of them have even switched over to regular mat (floor)yoga classes for young and old conducted by the Home, free of charge.

This time I am serious as I have plenty of time and inclination. I find the Chair Yoga not difficult to perform as it is specially designed for seniors. There are about 25 seniors who are in their 70s and 80s attending the session for three days a week. Rest of the week I practice yoga looking at the video of the 45-minute programme available to all the participants.  The young trainer demonstrates each asana in such a way that anyone can follow easily.

 It is three weeks since I started attending the programme. Has it had any effect? Yes indeed! For the last 20 years when I go for my morning walks, the pain in the hip & thigh joints on both sides would make me stop for about 30 seconds before I continue with the walk. I would stop at least four or five times during my 30-minute walk.  Now I find that I can complete my walk with just one or two stops. The yoga teacher told me that this is because yoga has helped to relax my muscles.  I am excited. I am determined to continue the classes with the hope that someday I will be able to walk long distances without breaks, also be able to prostrate before my favourite deities in the temples or sit cross-legged on the floor while performing some rituals which necessitate sitting on the floor. It is better late than never. Om Sairam!

Age is only in the mind...Is It?

 Age is only in the mind; Age is only a number; You are as old as or as young as you think. I hear these words whenever I complain that I have become old and can`t handle certain activities. Like I can`t walk distances, I can`t stand in the same place for long. Climbing stairs has become stressful. Without my hearing aids, I am as good as deaf. I cannot bend and pick up any object lying on the floor. The number of discarded items lying around the waste paper baskets in my home is proof of the problem. The quantity of food I consume has come down drastically. In my younger days, I would order at least three items on the menu in restaurants. Today I found a pair of idlis that make me feel full. I can go on. But I am told that if I think I am young I can get over many of these problems.

Many people don`t like to accept that they have become old. And try to behave like youngsters and get into problems. A Septuagenarian friend who wanted to change a fused bulb in his bedroom, instead of calling his son to do the job, got onto a stool, lost his balance, and fell, resulting in a hairline fracture in his hand. Another friend tried to take a brisk walk down from the third floor of a building using the staircase instead of the lift without holding on to handrails, tripped & fell. Fortunately, he survived with minimum collateral damage. I always say, that while walking up the stairs for an old man is stressful, climbing up or down without holding on to handrails is risky. I find it difficult to climb even a few steps in a shop where there are no hand railings for support. I need the helping hand of some other shopper to climb up.

To all those who say that age is only in mind, I would like to reply that it may be true if restricted only to thoughts. Like you can be a very spirited person oozing positivity even when you are in your nineties, it is different when it comes to your body. Nobody can stop the aging process and the natural wear and tear of the body resulting in restricted movements. There may be exceptions. People who have led a disciplined life from a young age practicing yoga and other such practices may be more fit than others in their old age. But the masses have to accept the reality of old age and behave keeping in mind the restrictions it imposes on their movements.

However, there is no restriction for old people to dream & indulge in fantasies. They can imagine climbing Mount Everest, cavorting around pretty damsels, devouring all the delicious sweets they are banned from eating, or doing whatever they cannot do physically. All only in the mind. Like I do whenever I am down in spirits and need something to pep me up. Because age is only in the mind

The beginning of a new chapter

A new chapter in my life has begun. While I am excited about the prospects I am also a little nervous about how things will shape up. My mind goes

back to the time when as a 26-year-old man I took the first bold decision in my life. Within just three years in my dream job with Clarion Mc Cann advertising, based on the advice given by my well-wishers I decided to move to a one-bedroom, two toilets attached flat in Santacruz, Mumbai. The rent was Rs. 400 per month. My salary then was only Rs 1000 per month. The 250 sq.ft room in a chawl in Matunga, where my family of six was staying, sharing two toilets with 56 others every morning, was costing my father only Rs 20 per month. A very cautious man that he was, my father refused to move to the flat with the family. His argument was if for any reason I lost my job the whole family would be in the streets. However, due to unexpected circumstances, the family moved with me within a year, justifying my decision. With divine grace and elders' blessings, I moved up very fast in my career ultimately landing in Chennai, where for the next 50 years I had a glorious inning realising many of my dreams and also leaving behind my footprints on the sands of time in several professional and service organizations that I was associated with. It was a period of many achievements and new experiences which made my life meaningful. During this period many out-of-the-box solutions I found to many of the problems I faced, proved to be right. Including what I did with an explosive letter my wife wrote to me which became a turning point in her life and our relationship. I am sure that my well-considered decision to move to Nana Nani, the senior citizen home in Coimbatore would also turn out right. After all it was Shirdi Saibaba who fast-tracked the whole process. Look for my next posting to know more details.

 

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!

 

Four cities in 10 days

It all started with the invitation to address my school's ( SIWS)Alumni Association on 21st January, at the school in Wadala, Mumbai. I decided to combine it with a visit to Shirdi, Pune, and Hyderabad. I am not confident about traveling alone these days. So I was happy when my daughter Sowmya volunteered to accompany me-it was a big moral and physical support. I had decided to use the direct flight from Chennai to reach Shirdi but from Shirdi to Pune/Mumbai I opted for the road route to avoid the hassles connected with train travel.

In Shirdi, we had a great darshan of Sai Baba thanks to the ever-friendly guide Babu Rao of Vasant Kamal travels. On our way to Pune, we visited the Shani temple at Shani Shignapur. Shani Shignapur village is famous for the fact that no house is ever locked as the villagers feel secure with the protection provided by Shani Baghvan. Closer to Pune we visited the Mahaganpathi temple at Ranjangaon known as one of the Ashta Vinayaga temples located in Maharashtra. I visited all the Ashta Vinayaga temples with Prabha 15 years ago.

At Pune, we met Nadkar and his wife Muktha, friends from my Round Table days in Mumbai ( 1968-71), and of course Pradeep Lokhande of Rural Relations, one of the founders of the Rural Marketing Association of India. While Nadkars entertained us with a delicious Maharashtrian lunch at Shreyas restaurant, Pradeep and his wife took us to Vaishali restaurant, very popular as the biggest restaurant serving delectable south Indian dishes for dinner in Pune. I was happy to learn that not only had Pradeep become a grandfather since I last met him but also quietly performed the marriage of his second daughter.

In Mumbai, my host was Sundaresan and his wife Leela. Though I reconnected with Sundaresan, my schoolmate, after 53 years at a reunion 12 years ago, we have become close friends and I feel very comfortable staying with them whenever I am in Mumbai. This time it was no different.

My talk at the Alumni meet was a resounding success judging by the response I got from the teachers and students of the SIWS college in the audience. I was delighted when the Principal of the college promised to help in getting my novel `Durga Nivas` based on my experience of living in a chawl, translated into Marathi & Hindi. I hope her enthusiasm is followed by action.
The Second Grand Annual Day celebrations held the following day at the school auditorium witnessed eight alumni being conferred the Distinguished Alumni Award. ( I received my Award at the first Grand event held in 2017). The award function which was anchored by Nagesh Alai with aplomb was followed by an entertaining dance programme by a professional group and a music session in which many old students displayed their talents for singing old film songs in Hindi and Tamil. The meeting ended with a simple South Indian meal provided by a well-known caterer in Mumbai..
While in Mumbai I visited my 84 years old cousin Gopal and my old boss and dear friend- 92 years old Vijay Menon. It was Vijay when he became the Secretary general of AMIC, an NGO headquartered in Singapore, devoted to promoting mass communication in the Asia-Pacific region, inducted me as a Country Representative of AMIC in 1984. Later I was roped into the Board of AMIC Singapore and was also responsible for establishing an Indian office of WAN-IFRA, a world body devoted to the development of Newspapers. While my main profession took me to the villages of India, my role as the MD of IFRA INDIA saw me visiting many cities across the world. I am always grateful to Vijay for opening up a whole new world to me.

I also met my good friend Swamy, who was the Manager in charge of the memorable `Enga Veettu Super Star- Philips` campaign for the electronics division of Philips in Rural Tamil Nadu, which my agency conceived in 1997-98. A successful campaign that brought Sam Balsara of Madison fame to our doorstep for a collaboration. It was nice going down memory lane with Swamy. A brief visit to my brother`s daughter`s house in a posh apartment complex in Parel was the icing on the cake.

From Mumbai, we flew to Hyderabad to visit my younger brother Srinivasan who was recovering from a setback in his health, & his wife Pushpa, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award from a professional body of audiologists, yesterday.

My experience of visiting Prabha's 92 years old Chithi ( mother`s younger sister ) at a Retirement Community in PUNE deserves a separate post.

I returned to Chennai in high spirits with loads of blessings from my elders and divine grace from the Gods but accompanied by a severe cough that my family doctor diagnosed as an allergic cough- nothing to worry about!

A memorable trip to Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu

I had visited Karaikudi 35 years ago to attend the wedding of a cousin. It was not that crowded then  nor did I see that many shops. Traffic was bearable. It was a different experience when a group of walking friends decided to visit the town  recently on a  two - in- one trip; to attend the Sadhabhishekam (80^th birthday celebration) of  one of the members and also visit places of touristy  interest in and around Karaikudi.  The programme was masterminded by the wife of one of the members whose families  belong  to Karaikudi also known as capital of Chettinad, land of Chettiars. Traditionally Chettiars are well known as private bankers and money lenders  who also believed in philanthrophy . They built temples and educational institutions wherever they settled.

Eight of us decided to travel by two cars, leaving Chennai at 6 am on a Sunday morning. On the way we had breakfast  at  Murugan Idli, a new branch of the well known chain of restaurants located immediately after crossing Thindivanam on NH 4.While the restaurant offers their famous Sweet Pongal ( Chakra pongal) and Kuzhi Paniyaram to every guest , we found their  Podi  Uthappam outstanding. After a quick breakfast , we reached the Thappa Gardens, where we were booked,   by 1.pm. It is  a resort type hotel, with air conditioned cottages  surrounded by beautiful greenery, and located within the city limits.

After a simple lunch and a brief rest we were off to see Athangadi  Palace which is one amongst the many Chettinad Heritage Palaces that are still maintained well. Although the owner of the Athangudi Palace, left the palace long back. it is still used by his extended family. It is open to the public with an entry fee of Rs 50 per head.

“A house with 600 ornate windows and 64 grand rooms! With tiles imported from Italy, coloured glasses brought all the way from Belgium, intricately carved massive wooden doors and jharokhas! Massive Varandas covered in Chettinad Tiles. And beautifully coloured artwork all across” is how a visitor  describes this grand mansion in one of the literatures on the Athangadi Palace. The grandeur of the palace is to be seen to be believed. The palace follows the three porch formula – a characteristic seen in most of the Chettinad homes

When you arrive at the central courtyard of the house you see tall & heavy symmetrical pillars all around the square courtyard giving  it a very grand look. Though it is 100 years old, the house still stands strong. An important landmark worth a visit.

Our next destination was the famous Pillayarpatti Karpagavinayagar temple-( Ganesha temple) the first temple on our list of temples to be visited. Pillaiyarpatti Pillaiyar Temple is a 7th-century CE rock-cut cave shrine. When I visited this temple 35 years ago it had an open space in front without any of the Mandapams and other paraphernalia which have cropped up over the years to meet the growing number of  devotees visiting the temple. Our visit coincided with the Sayaratchai Puja (evening puja)which was in progress. Our group felt  blessed to witness the special aarthi performed as a part of the puja. After spending more than an hour in the temple we left for our next halt- the Vairavan temple devoted to Lord Siva in Vairavanpatti which is one of the nine  Nagarathar Clan Temples and belongs to a few thousand  Vairavanpatti Koil clan members.

It is a private temple which does not attract big crowds normally. But it comes alive during festive season when hordes of families attached to the temple living in other parts of the country or abroad visit the town and participate in the week long festivities.

After a quiet darshan we moved to our host`s house for dinner.

We were delighted to see a variety of delectable tiffin items including some special Chettiar items like Aadi kummayum ( sweet), Vellai paniyarum,  Milagai chutney,. Seeyum , Red rice idiyappam ,  Vengayakose and  Podi dosai.

The next morning, after a leisurely breakfast, our first visit was to the Balaji Temple in Ariyakudi, which was located very close to our hotel. It was a beautiful temple with a spacious courtyard. The main deity is called `Alamelu Manga Samedha Thiruvenagada Mudayan` and was as tall as you find Lord Balaji in Tirupathi. I had goose bumps while offering my prayers as Balaji is my favourite god. It was a very satisfying visit.

It was now time for us to visit the main item in our itinerary- visit to the famous Chettinad Maharaja`s Palace located in Kanadukathan village  also known as Kanadukathan palace. Though visitors are not allowed inside the palace, thanks to the connection that our host had with the owners of the palace we not only got permission to see the insides of the palace but were also treated like VIPs.

The palace  was built by S. Rm. M. Annamalai Chettiar in 1912. With so  many beautiful ornamental features, it is still being used by the  descendents of the original owners, M A M Ramaswamy`s son M A M R Muthiah, whenever he  visits Karaikudi. Like other palaces in Chettinad this palace also represents traditional Chettinad architecture built using materials like teak wood, marbles and granite pillars imported from abroad, mainly from East Asian countries and Europe. With a beautiful façade at the entrance, the main doors and entrances of the houses resemble the gateways of the Hindu temples.

While Ramaswamy`s family is known for the establishment of Annamalai University and other educational institutions in Chidamabaram in Tamil Nadu, Alagappa Chettiar. also known as Vallal Chettiar or the Socialist capitalist belonging to Karaikudi established  scores of educational institutions in Karaikudi itself . Many campuses of Alagappa University can be seen on either side of the beautiful & spacious college road through which we had to pass to go to Chettinad palace.

 We finished the Chettinad  Palace visit  in time to go to the host`s house for lunch- again a delectable Chettinad cuisine consisting of special items like Paruppu masiyal, Capsicum, chole and maavudu inji mandee, Pineapple rasam,. Vazhakai fry poriyal,.Cauliflower, peas , carrot uppu poriyal & Mango vella pachadi. Though the majority of  us were vegetarians, the host had ensured that the couple of  non vegetarians in the group could taste the special Chettinad chicken gravy. The lunch was topped with the desert `Kuruvai arisi (rice) payasam .

Before reaching the lunch venue the two couples in the group went shopping for Chettinad Kandangi sarees. Karaikudi is also known for  Athangudi tiles which are basically cement tiles like mosaic used for building the palatial houses in the town. Another interesting piece of news was that Indian overseas bank was founded in 1937 in Karaikudi by M Ct M Chidamabaram Chettiar.

Next & last item on the agenda was our participation in the 80^th birthday ( Sadabhishekam) celebrations of a popular walking friend Veerappan Chettiar. Sadabhishekam is a religious event conducted to mark the witnessing of  thousand moons by a man during his long life. Interestingly the celebrations and the associated rituals were held in a small village called Ilayathangudi from where Veerappan`s family hailed. It is an hour`s drive from Karaikudi . The rituals were held in a special mantap,located close to the Shiva temple  with which Veeappan`s family is connected.The function was attended by not only close relatives but also by many friends who had driven down from Chennai to Karaikudi. It was a grand affair strictly following the Chettinad practices. The family of Veerappan made us feel like a part of the family. Needless to say that we not only enjoyed watching the proceedings but the tasty but simple Chettinad lunch served on the occasion.

Since we had already checked out of our hotel, after partaking the lunch our group left for Chennai around 1pm on the third day. It was a memorable trip indeed the memories of which will be cherished for a long time.

My first holiday after the pandemic.

After several years I went on an extended holiday. To be precise it was a ten-day holiday in Coimbatore coinciding with the `Palkachi`  ( Milk Boiling) ceremony that my daughter Sowmya had scheduled for 9^th June at her new home in Air Force Naval Housing Enclave in Ganapathy.  Her family is shifting from Bangalore to CBE  in August. I went ten days earlier because I wanted to meet my old friends and a few close relatives in CBE. It was my first holiday after the pandemic.

Coimbatore is the city where I learnt the true meaning of friendship when I was active in Round Table. I also met a few friends living in popular Senior Citizens Homes to get first-hand information about life in such Homes. With pleasant weather for ten months in a year, Coimbatore has become THE place for  Senior Citizen Homes mainly for the upper-middle and upper-class citizenry. Since I am not confident about traveling alone these days, my walking friend and a fellow Rotarian, Balu (Balasundaram), who has business interests in Tiruppur and a home in Coimbatore volunteered to accompany me to CBE and back by air. I am glad that I accepted Balu`s invitation to stay at his beautiful home in CBE. It was a five-star comfort that  I experienced. The variety of tasty food (especially the egg dosa) that I consumed has made me put on 3 kgs. in ten days. I was overwhelmed by the wonderful hospitality of Balu and his wife Kala during my stay with them.

 I also stayed at the Vedantha Satsang, a new senior citizen Home in Kovaipudhur as a guest of my schoolmate Raju, who has a villa in the complex. The facility is new and did not have many people staying there. The two-day stay at this facility gave me a practical idea about what it feels like to live in such a facility. I also visited a few other Homes to talk to my friends and a few other inmates.  (Await another article from me on the subject based on my talk with inmates of these Homes).

While in CBE I did not miss visiting the big  Shirdi Sai Baba temple on the two Thursdays I was there. During the stay, I also managed to find the time to read two books and finished proofreading my interview-based articles in Madras Musings to be featured in a book ( my 12^th in 13 years)that  I am planning to publish to coincide with my 80^th birthday in August. On the whole, it was a memorable holiday, totally relaxing.

After enjoying the salubrious weather in CBE I returned to Chennai to face the unbearable heat that has been scorching the city for several days. It feels like  landing  in hell after staying in a heaven for 10 days. It is quite possible that I may shift to CBE to a Home when I decide not to be a burden on my children in my old age! The weather in Coimbatore is certainly a factor that is likely to influence my choice!

My tryst with Shirdi Sai Baba

My wife Prabha and I had visited Shirdi Sai Baba`s temple in 2002 as a part of our visit to many temples in India. At that time I was not an ardent devotee of Sai Baba. My favourite deities have been Balaji and Ganesha over the years. Baba has entered my life only in the last four years. My interest in Baba was kindled by a series of articles on Baba`s miracles  I had read in Ananda Vikatan, a popular Tamil weekly,  a few years ago. Suddenly I started seeing Baba`s images  every where and his name being talked about by many people. One day when I was having a conversation with my family  in my drawing room on Baba, my grandson who was two years old then  pointed out at the small marble statue of Baba sitting on the corner display table along with other figures. I felt  that Baba was giving me a message and promptly shifted the idol to my Pooja  Room. I decided to visit Shirdi with a friend and had  made all travel arrangements. We were to leave for Shirdi on 24^th March,2020. But the announcement of Lockdown starting from 26^th March made us cancel our trip. I was disappointed.

 I decided to visit the popular Sai Baba temple in Mylapore on a Thursday before the Lockdown came into effect. It was around 5.30pm. There was a long queue and the temple was heavily crowded   I was not confident  of standing in the queue for long. While trying to get a darshan of  the deity from the outside gate, a thought stuck me. I went to the Security  and asked him if there is any special paid darshan of Baba. He promptly directed me to a  table in a corner where a volunteer was giving  senior citizens tokens to get a quick darshan of Baba. I rushed and found that I was receiving the last token for the day after which the counter was closed. I was allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum through a side entrance and have a glorious darshan within five minutes. I could even touch the feet of Baba with my head. Obviously Baba had chosen me for his special attention. I came out delighted and fully charged with new energy. What happened next only reinforced my growing interest in Baba.

For the first three weeks of the lockdown  I was staying with my elder daughter trying to complete my novel which I had started writing. I learnt that my daughter was already a great devotee of Baba. I found the English version of the  original biography of Baba in her  Puja Room. I decided to read a couple of chapters every day and completed reading the book during my stay. I was by now totally hooked to Baba. So subsequently whenever the  lockdown was relaxed I started visiting Baba temple in Tiruvanmiyur which is close to my home in Sastri Nagar, every Thursday.

I learnt from a reliable source that Sivasankari,  the well known Tamil writer was an ardent devotee of Baba. Thanks to my involvement with Tamizh Puthaga Nanbargal, a Tamil book readers` forum,  I got to know her well. I  decided to visit her during one of the relaxation periods. It was she who told me that Baba decides to enter people`s lives as and when he wants to bestow his grace on them. She herself had become a devotee of Baba only 15 years earlier when she was in  her mid sixties. Baba had entered my life in my mid seventies. Sivasankari was kind enough to present me with two books on Baba which she had translated from English to Tamil. One of them was the  abridged version of Baba`s biography. I took to reading this biography once a month as a part of my parayanam ( ritual reading) . I feel indescribable peace settle on me every time I finish reading it.

 I must share an unforgettable experience I had recently. It happened a few weeks  ago. After visiting  the Shirdi Sai Baba temple in Tiruvanmiyur, my son who was driving my  car  and I were cruising along on a side  road connecting to L.B.Road. Suddenly we realized that  a Car  from the opposite direction was  coming  towards our car. To avoid  a head on collision my son started veering the car to the left. Before we could blink- `Bang`- the opposite  car hit the  rear door behind the driver, got deflected  and stopped after  hitting  two men on their two wheelers running in front of him. In a dazed condition when I  came out of the car I realized that my son and I  had narrowly escaped a major head on collision which could have been, if not  fatal, would have necessitated hospitalization with serious injuries. Fortunately  both of us escaped without even a scratch. However our car was badly damaged.  I  thanked  Sai Baba, whose darshan we had just a few minutes earlier,  for saving us from  a catastrophe.  The very thought of the accident, even after several weeks, sends shivers down my spine!

My vow to visit Baba`s temple in Shiridi became a reality  on 29^th March,2022, exactly two years after the original plan which got thwarted  because of the pandemic. I had a wonderful VIP darshan of Baba on 29^th evening and 30^th morning. Needless to say it was an  enriching experience.

Om Sai Ram!

( An edited version of this article has appeared in the latest issue ( June,2022)  of Dignity Dialogue)

A memorable trip to Shirdi

A vow fulfilled. The much looked forward  trip to Shirdi to visit Saibaba`s temple happened  this week. As I had mentioned in another article, though  Perumal (Lord Balaji ) and Vinayaka have been my `Ishta Deivams` ( favourite gods) Baba decided to enter my life 4 years ago. Since then I have become an ardent devotee of Baba, visiting his temple located in the neighbor hood, every Thursday. I also  do `Parayanam` of his abridged biography , translated into Tamil by the well known writer Sivasankari. It was she who  told me that Baba decides to enter people`s lives and bless them, whenever he choses. It seems Baba entered her life fifteen years ago when she was in her mid sixtees.Since then she has become an ardent devotee of Baba.

 I had visited Shirdi in 2002 with my wife Prabha, as a part of our visit to several popular temples across India. I was not a devotee of Babha then. Shirdi was not as crowded as it is now. The temple authorities have obviously learnt a lot from the Tirupathi Balaji Temple to handle the burgeoning devotees who visit the temple every day. A lot of systems and procedures  for getting the Darshan are similar to the ones you experience in Tirupathy. My walking friend Rajamannar accompanied me to give me the moral and physical support. My school mate Sundaresan and his wife drove down from Mumbai to join us at Shirdi. We had  a wonderful VIP  Darshan of Baba on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning arranged  by the travel agent. It ended with a visit to Sai Teerth complex , the Theme park where you can witness four programmes including a film on Baba.

A word about the travel agent  Vasant Kamal who handled the package tour from Chennai to Shirdi and back. The package consisted of  air fare from Chennai to Shirdi and back; one night stay in a three star hotel in Shirdi including three meals consisting of  breakfast, lunch and dinner; Pick up from airport and drop back; cost of two VIP Darshan tickets; use of hotel vehicle for trips within Shirdi, and the services of a guide who is with you from the time he picks you up and drops you back at the airport. Sundaresan used their package for the visit minus the airfare. We were very satisfied with the  very professional way they handled the trip,

Vasantkamal has an office in Chennai and Pune. Mrs Madhavi , the manager of the Pune office handles  all the arrangements. You can contact her directly on her mob no. 95278 44555. or email vkamal21@gmail.com

Jai Sai Ram!

I was detained by German Police

Some forgettable experiences from my  first trip to Europe!

 My first trip to Europe happened kind courtesy Tabler Jagdish Chandran, ( CMD of Premier Mills ,Coimbatore) who  was the second Indian after Deepak Banker to become the President of World Council of Young Men`s service clubs (WoCo), the international body to which Round Table India was affiliated. As it was Bob’s AGM at Stockholm in 1980 and RTI was pitching India as the venue for the 1983 AGM,  Bob persuaded a group of Indian Tablers to accompany him. While other Tablers could afford the trip on their own, Bob decided to partially sponsor me and Tr. Muralidharan of Coimbatore. I was to be one of the rapporteurs at the AGM, taking minutes of the proceedings. I used the opportunity to plan my first trip to Europe and USA in the summer of 1980.

 My first halt in Europe was at Amsterdam, the beautiful city of dykes and canals, a place famous for its wine and cheese boat parties. The red light district where prostitutes sit in rooms with glass windows illuminated by red lights is a ‘must see’ for visitors. I was a guest of Tabler  Rajesh Duggal of Delhi who was posted in Amsterdam at that point of time and stayed in an apartment complex at Zan Fort, a sea resort suburb overlooking the sea. It was summer and the sun was known to set only around 10 or 11 pm and rise around 4.00 am. It was a new experience for me! In the evening the beach was packed with young couples having fun, many of them spending the night in sleeping bags that they carried with them. I realized that most of them were the ‘back packing’ hippies who generally wandered arounthe world hitch-hiking and wasting their rich parents’ money on fun, liquor and sex!

 After spending five days at Amsterdam, I bought myself a two-week Euro Rail pass and travelled in comfort during nights while visiting places during the day. My first halt was at Lausanne in Switzerland, the French speaking town located on the border of France. Here I was to join my group consisting of Tr. R. Anand, the tall and lanky bachelor who was then working with the India Today group and Tr. K.K. Sood and his charming wife Kitty — both from my table. We were also joined by Bijone Ghosh, an Apexian from Ambattur, Madras.

 As I had a tough time trying to locate the address of Anand’s cousin with whom we were supposed to stay for three days, I checked my things into the station locker and went around the station asking people in English for directions to the house. None of them even bothered to respond to me and literally brushed me aside saying “No English”. I then took a taxi whose driver was equally unfriendly and after roaming around for 30 minutes, with the taxi meter shooting up I managed to locate a sales girl at a shop who could speak English. Much to my dismay and minus 40 dollars I found that the building I was looking for was just a stone’s throw away from the station.

 Anand’s cousin was a friendly girl who took us around the city and also joined us on our trip to Geneva and Interlaken, a town on top of the Alps. It was to be my first experience with snow and all of us behaved like kids throwing snow balls at each other. The train journey from Basel to Interlaken was a breathtaking experience and this is where I tasted my first Martini. All of us gulped it down like sherbet and got quite high and ended up with headaches on our return journey.

 On our way to Stockholm from Lausanne, we stopped at Venice and Vienna. The train journey from Vienna to Stockholm was unforgettable because of an incident that occurred during the journey! Throughout the journey I was pulling up Anand for being careless about his passport and

tickets. I was carrying my passport in my trouser pocket and the tickets in my T shirt pocket When the train stopped at a wayside station I decided to get down to buy something to eat. After the purchase, though there was plenty of time, I ran back to board the train for Stockholm which left the station after five minutes!

 In Europe, when you travel by train, every one or two hours you pass through a different country and at every border town, a ticket checker will inspect your ticket and passport. As the train was in motion, an Austrian TC came to our coach asking for our tickets when I discovered to my horror that the ticket that I was carrying in my T-Shirt pocket was missing. After intensive searching, I realized that it must have fallen on the platform of the station where I had got down earlier.

 I tried to convince the TC that I was a genuine passenger and showed him the receipt I got at the Amsterdam station while buying the Euro Rail Pass. The TC was adamant and said that rules are rules. He insisted that without a valid ticket, I could not travel in the train and wanted me to get off at the next station. My efforts to bribe him also did not work out. My friends also decided to get off though they all had their tickets and I could see Anand laughing at me for my carelessness.

 At the next station, we approached the station master and explained our plight. He promptly called the station master of the previous station to find out if any ticket had been found on the platform and surprisingly, he had! He confirmed that another passenger had found the ticket and had handed it over to him. He was willing to send it through the TC travelling by the next train, which was expected just after an hour. I could not believe my luck! I wondered if such a thing could ever happen in our country! I did get my ticket back and when the next train arrived, we continued our journey to Stockholm.

 My return train journey from Copenhagen to Amsterdam was a horrible experience! After a tiring day of sightseeing, I went to sleep as soon as I got into the comfortable reclining bed that the train offers. Around 2.00 am, I found myself being woken up by somebody who asked to see my passport. After inspecting the same, he growled at me in German which I could not understand. One of the ladies in the compartment who could speak both English and German told me that there was something wrong with my passport and that unless I got down with my baggage, the train would not proceed. My pleas did not have any impact on that tough looking police official, who literally dragged me out of the train. When I was out, I realized I was in some wayside station in Germany, on the border of another country. It was very cold with poor lighting and with not a soul in the station. The police official gestured me to follow him but would not help me with my baggage. The only sound there was from his shoes, as he was walking. I was frightened beyond words! I thought I was going to be punished for some crime which I might have committed unintentionally. I imagined myself inside a German prison with no one in the world knowing where I was! Faces of my wife and kids passed through my mind and I invoked the name of every God I could think of. The police officer made me walk up a flight of stairs and led me to a small police outpost. Fortunately for me there was an inspector who could speak English. He went through my passport carefully and said, “You seem to be the Director of a company but you did not know that you were passing through Germany without a valid visa?”

 I tried to explain to him that my destination was Amsterdam and that I had no plans to get down at any station in Germany. He clarified that the new Visa law with India had come into force from midnight of 26th July 1980 and at 2.30 am in the morning, I was the first traveler to be detained for not having a valid visa to pass through Germany. Unlike the police officer who forced me out of the train, the inspector was friendly and said he would try and help me. He had to wake up the Asst. Commissioner of Police to find out what can be done. As per the instructions he received, he gave me a temporary visa valid for 24 hours, on his official letterhead and that was when I heaved a sigh of relief.

 But that was not all. The train I was offloaded from was a direct train from Copenhagen to Amsterdam, reaching that city at 7.30 am, giving me sufficient time to reach Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam by road, to catch my noon KLM flight to New York. With the help of the local stationmaster, the inspector rerouted my ticket, under which I had to change trains in three different places before I reached Amsterdam at 11.00 am. What a nightmare I went through changing trains! I was lugging my huge suitcase and even the portable baggage trolley was useless as I had to carry the baggage up and down the flight of stairs since the stations and the platforms were at two different levels. At Hamburg station, though I was given clear instructions, I was misled by a fellow Indian and found myself in the wrong platform when the train was streaming into the station. How I ran up the steps with the heavy baggages in hand and reached the compartment just in time is another story by itself! As soon as I dumped my bags inside and got into the train, the doors closed behind me and the train started. I literally fell on top of my suitcase and was panting for the next ten minutes. I could clearly hear my heartbeat and was sure I wasgoing to die of a heart attack that day.

 Though the train reached Amsterdam at 11.00 am, I was able to reach the airport only by 12.00 noon, the exact time of the departure of the flight. When I saw no passengers at the counter from a distance, I was sure I had missed the flight. When I reached the counter and handed over my tickets and passport, the assistant looked at me and asked me sarcastically, “Mr. Rajan, have you come for today’s flight or tomorrow’s?”. Then she smiled and said, “You are lucky. The flight is delayed and will be leaving only at 2.00 pm”. What a relief I felt. I thanked the assistant, thanked all my Gods and proceeded to the departure lounge to catch my flight to New York.

 In the next post I will share both my shocking and pleasant experiences in USA!