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!

Kalaimagal, the literary Tamil monthly turns 90

In a new initiative to cater to the thousands of its members spread across Tamil Nadu who are more comfortable listening to the lectures in Tamil, Madras Management Association has also started having meetings with Tamil speakers . The  third  speaker in the series was  Kizhambur Sanakrasubramanian, the fourth editor of the 90 years old Tamil literary magazine Kalaimagal .  A unique magazine which  has appeared, month after month, without fail in the last nine decades. Even during the lockdown period, it appeared in digital form to delight its loyal  readers. In the context of many other Tamil magazines disappearing because of market pressures including Covid , it is  a remarkable achievement indeed.

The idea of  starting a Tamil literary magazine was conceived  at a meeting of a few Tamil scholars at the home of  P.N.Appuswamy in Chitrakulam in Mylapore.  U V Swaminathan  ( U Ve Sa ) popularly known as Tamizh Thatha,  who was in the meeting, not only offered to edit the magazine but  also gave the name `Kalaimagal` for the magazine. R. Narayanaswamy Iyer of Madras Law Journal  fame who was in the group offered to  print and publish the magazine. A legacy  his son and grandson have carried forward  for over eight decades.  Five years ago  the publishing rights were bought over by P T T Rajan, the current publisher of the magazine.

Located in the office of Madras law Journal on 83, Munda Kanniamman Street the first issue  of the magazine came out in January,1932.The annual subscription was fixed at Rs 4 within the country and Rs 5 for readers abroad. It had literature, fine arts, science, children’s stories and pages exclusively meant for women. From 1500 copies in the beginning,  it grew to over one lakh copies during mid sixties and seventies.

 

The  magazine`s  first editor U.V.Swaminathan, was a  Tamil scholar who spent his life time in collecting rare palm leaf writings of  Tamil Classics known as  sanga Ilakkiam ( Sangam Literature) and got them published at his own expense. But for his initiative the Tamil world would never have got to know about classics such as Silappadikaram, Manimekalai etc. He contributed one article for every issue and the value and esteem of the magazine grew in abundance. He was the editor of Kalaimagal from 1932 to 1938

 

He was followed by K.V.Jagannathan (Ki Va Ja) another Tamil scholar/writer who was the editor for a record 50 years from 1938 to 1988. He  began his career in Kalaimagal as deputy editor while continuing to serve the Tamil savant in his research and writing work.  Ki Va Ja became famous not only for the excellent commentaries he wrote about many Tamil classics but also for his wit and humour as a popular writer/orator. He was also responsible for compiling popular old  proverbs and  folk songs  in Tamil.

 

 The foundation for the high literary standards that the magazine has been maintaining were laid by these two editors. S.V.Ramani, who followed him was the editor for seven years. Ramani maintained the standards set by his predecessors and ran the magazine with its inherent strength.

 

Kizhambur Sankarasubramanian, grand-nephew of the doyen of Tamil journalism, A.N. Sivaraman, took over as the editor from Ramani is the fourth  editor.  He  has been editing  Kalaimagal for the last 26 years.

 

 “ I have been trying  to continue the tradition established by my predecessors by publishing a top quality literary magazine with right values- no  film news, no politics , no juicy stories or no cover pictures featuring attractive women. There is no place for sensuous or sensational stories in Kalaimagal..  We have managed to survive without any of the above  serving our  40,000 loyal  readers .I hope to continue with this policy of honesty and integrity  for another ten years until we celebrate the century mark”

 

During the course of his talk Kizhambur shared some interesting information  pertaining to Kalaimagal.

Rajaji, the first governor general of our country was a regular subscriber of the magazine. The magazine still has a copy of the first receipt issued to him preserved for posterity.

When the well known writer Kalki Krishnamurthy and Sadasivam wanted to start a magazine called `Kalki` they approached the Kalaimagal management to help them with the printing of their magazine The first issue of Kalki was brought out with the expertise provided by the printing team of Kalaimagal

There was close connection between Kalaimagal and   Bharathi the poet. Though the magazine was started after Bharathi`s demise, a complete collection of his rare  works compiled by Periaswamy Thooran was serialized in Kalaimagal for the first time. The magazine also managed to publish  the first and original poem written by Bharathi addressed to the Maharaja of Ettayapuram using the block making facility of the time. He had signed the poem with his name `Ilasai Subramaniam`- Ilasai referring to Ettayapuram. It appeared as a part of an article written specially for Kalaimagal by Viswanathan a cousin of Bharathi which was published in one of the issues in 1978.

Though almost all well known Tamil writers have been  featured in the magazine, Kalaimagal is proud of the fact that well known Tamil writers of yester years like Akilan, Anutthama, Kamala Sadagopan and Laxmi Rajaratnam had their first stories published in Kalaimagal. Popular writers of today like Indira Sounder Rajan and Devi Bala and many others also had started their writing career with Kalaimagal. Short stories in Kalaimagal had its own stamp of grade and status. One had to write in Kalaimagal to prove not only his or her writing skill but also qualitatively satisfy the readers. It almost

became mandatory for writing in other magazines. “Have you written short stories in Kalaimagal?”

was the question the writers had to face from the readers and the editors then. The Kalaimagal office was the forerunner in publishing novels and collections of short stories in book form.

 

Kizhambur also fondly recalled his close association with Abdul Kalam,  the people`s President of India and his several interactions with him regarding Tamil literature. Many of Kalam`s essays and poems in Tamil appeared regularly In Kalaimagal. Kalam  even  wrote  his first short story for a special Diwali issue of the magazine, which was well received. On Kizhambur`s request Kalam  visited Channai to address 500 students selected from 10 corporation schools where he spent more than the scheduled time to answer all the interesting questions posed by the inquisitive students.

Though the magazine never published political news /views , a column tilted `Delhi Thabhal` written  by the well known  political analyst of his time,  K.Srinivasan used to regularly appear in Kalaimagal when Ki Va Ja was the editor of the magazine. Srinivasan, in one of his columns had recorded an interesting anecdote involving the veteran congressman  Kamaraj.

Once at a meeting of congressmen presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru he requested Kamaraj who was the President of the party  to address the audience consisting mostly of Hindi speaking people. Kamaraj, who could talk neither in English nor Hindi was at a loss for words. He decided  to speak in Tamil. After speaking for 3 minutes when he sat down there was a thunderous applause from the audience. Surprised at the response Srinivasan who was  reporting the meeting asked the gentleman sitting  next to him why he was clapping when he didn`t understand  Tamil. The neighbour responded, ` Kamaraj is a great  leader. He must have spoken only good things. It is the man who matters and not what he spoke`

Kizhambur`s  reverence for the first two editors is  palpable. ` There is a chair used by Ki Va Ja when he was the editor. I always felt I didn`t deserve  to sit in the same chair that Ki Va Ja occupied. Every morning before I start my day in the office I make floral offerings to the photograph of Ki Va Ja,  placed on the chair,  located  in a prominent corner of the office. I have followed this routine right from the day I joined Kalaimagal as its editor.`

Another interesting  information  is that motivated by the outstanding contributions of the two legendary editors to Tamil literature,  Kizhambur, a popular orator in Tamil,  wanted to do something which will leave his mark in the world of Tamil Literature. He decided  to give a talk  for seven hours continuously, giving his commentary on  the three parts of Tirukkural consisting 1330 short  couplets composed by the Tamil sage Tiruvalluvar, on virtue, wealth and love. The first event took place in Chennai in front of several Tamil scholars. The second talk was given at  National  College , Trichy aimed at College students and the third one  at the school in Tirunelveli where Kizhambur  studied. This effort of Kizhambur is now  featured in the  Guinness book of Records. Kalaimagal   followed this up with the publication of a book containing selected commentaries by various scholars on Tirukkural compiled by him.The first copy of the book titled ` Tirukkural Kalanjiam` was received by the then governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri B. Purohit at a special event organized  at the Raj Bhavan in 2018.

`Kannan` the second  magazine published by the group was devoted to children. It was also the launch pad for many aspiring young  writers in Tamil  like Charukesi. It  was launched in 1940 and discontinued in 1967  for commercial reasons.

 

The Kalaimagal management also published `Manjari` the only monthly digest in Tamil modeled on the lines of Readers Digest both in terms of size and contents. This magazine launched in 1947 also had continuous run for 75 years before the publishing rights were given to another party last year.

The annual Diwali Specials of Kalaimagal are also very popular to date among its readers

P T T Rajan the current publisher of Kalaimagal  is a young man who is keen to leave footprints of the magazine on the sands of time so that the younger generation will have an idea of the evolution of the modern day Tamil literature. He along with Kizhambur have initiated  an  ambitious project to digitize all the issues of Kalaimagal for posterity. I wish them all success in their effort!

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)

Dr. J.Bhaskaran-A two in one doctor

A  medical doctor who became a famous writer in Tamil winning the Sahithya Academy Award in 1984 was S.Thiripurasundari popularly known as Lakshmi. She passed away in 1987. Though there are a couple of others who have been writers in Tamil while pursuing their medical profession  I know of the following doctors who are active on the Tamil literary scene in recent years. Dr.Joice Thilakam  a retired medical officer of Corporation of Chennai and  Dr.J.Bhaskaran (JB) a practicing medical doctor .While Dr.Joice has been contributing articles and stories to several Tamil journals for over 25 years, JB  started writing only in his late fifties. JB`s story is not only of a doctor turned writer but also of a doctor with double specialization as a dermatologist and Neurologist

Though I got acquainted with  JB through  The Tamizh Puthaga Nanbargal with which I was associated I got to know him closely when I translated a collection  of his short stories from Tamil to English. JB at 68 continues to practice as a medical doctor for half a day  splitting his time between Public Health Centre in Mambalam and his own clinic in K.K.Nagar. This is the story about a medical doctor becoming a prolific writer in Tamil.

Let us begin with JB`s medical background. He was born In Chidambaram in 1953 as the second of seven siblings to Jayaraman and  Savithri.  His father was a stenographer with Gemini Film Circuit, the film distribution wing of the iconic Gemini films. He had his early education in a Chidambaram Middle school and later  joined the Ramakrishna Mission Boys High school in T.Nagar, where the medium of instruction was Tamil. He had a tough time adjusting to English medium of instruction when he joined Loyola college to do his PUC. While he was considering taking up natural sciences for his graduation, it was one of his uncles, who persuaded him to apply for admission in a medical college. He had no idea of taking up medical profession nor was he confident of finding the money for doing the course as his father`s meager income was not enough to support a big family. Luckily for him in the public examination of the Tamil Nadu State for Secondary School Leaving Certificate he had scored over 87% on the basis of which he got  the prestigious “National Merit Scholarship” for his entire medical studies. That was the beginning of his tryst with the medical profession.  Between 1972-1977 he  studied  at the Madras Medical College. On completion of his training he was awarded the MBBS degree by the Madras University. However he was not successful in getting admission to do his MD for five years  in a row because he belonged to the forward community. While he was practicing in a private nursing home he decided  to do a two year  full time Postgraduate Diploma course in Dermatology at Madras Medical College which included special training in Leprosy and sexually transmitted diseases.  The year was 1979.

“I got married to Kala when I was 27  when I was still studying for my diploma in dermatology. Though I was not yet an earning member, the fact that my wife was  employed as an officer in a well known private bank helped run the family. My would be father in law was confident that though I was unemployed at the time of the marriage I would be a successful  doctor in the future. After completing the diploma course I got an opportunity to work in the iconic Adyar Cancer Institute which was considered then as the Saranalaya for all those who could not get admission to do a PG (MD)course in medicine.I spent the next 3 years working closely with Dr.Shantha. While I learnt a lot at the institute where every patient was a challenge, the atmosphere generally was depressing  because of the number of deaths I witnessed. So I decided to quit and  joined the T.S.Srinivasan Department of Clinical Neurology and Research at Madras a part of the Public Health Center, a 150 bed community hospital located  in Mamabalam as Resident Physician. This is where I got exposed to Neurology”.

At the PHC he got the opportunity to work closely with Dr.Krishnamurthy Srinivas, a well known Neurologist of the time who was associated with PHC right from its inception. He took a liking for JB and taught him practical lessons in neurology and in 1992  appointed JB as Junior Consultant in Neurology in the Department of Neurology, Public Health Center. The same year, helped by Dr.Srinivas  he also attended a  Postgraduate student training for the Diploma in Clinical Neurology at the internationally renowned Institute of Neurology and National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in  London: a  specialist course widely recognized in the United Kingdom and overseas. Thus started his unique dual specialization as a Dermatologist cum Neurologist. While Dr.Krishnamurthy Srinivas was his mentor in Neurology he credits late  Dr.A.S.Thamabiah, the legendary skin specialist of his time and Dr.Patric Yesudian as his gurus in dermatology.

While practicing at public health Centre and his private Clinic in K.K.Nagar, JB also offered his services as a visiting consultant to many other institutions in the city. He was also busy contributing articles                              on his profession to many industry journals. His book in Tamil on skin diseases called Saruma Noigal  in 2008 published by Nalam a unit of the New Horizon media was his first book.

“It was a thrilling feeling holding the first copy of my first printed book”says JB. The success of the book made  him write another book on epilepsy titled  Valippu Noigal that got him the award as the Best author/book in medical sciences for the year 2010 from the Government of Tamil Nadu.

“Receiving the award from the then Chief Minister Selvi Jayalalitha was  a proud moment for me” he adds. This was followed by another book on headaches in Tamil  which got him the `NRK Award` for the best book essays by the Uratha Sinthanai forum in 2015.

While the writing bug had already caught him, it was his foray with the Face Book which opened the doors for his journey as creative writer. It was in 2010 that he posted his first humorous piece on the popular south Indian delicacy, the ubiquitous ``bajji` that got him immediate response from his FB friends appreciating his style of writing and for the extensive research he had done on the subject. Many other articles on similar popular topics found him gaining more friends/readers  on the FB.

“It is the immediate response I started getting  for anything I  posted  on my  FB page that inspired me to write not only articles but also short stories based on my experiences both as a medical doctor and as a common man. My first short story appeared  in Naveena Vritchum, a monthly  published by the popular writer `Azhagiasinger`.  It was my friend Balasandilyan another popular writer/poet in Tamil who introduced me to Mrs Girija Raghavan the dynamic editor of the Ladies Special magazine. She not only published some of my short stories but also encouraged me to write on a variety of topics. Kizhambur the editor of the iconic Tami monthly Kalaimagal  also encouraged me  by  publishing  many  of my  articles and stories in his magazine”.

JB now  found himself deluged with requests from other magazines too. He became  a prolific writer of essays on a variety of topics including food, short stories, commentaries on  literary works, book reviews and travelogues. Whatever subject he wrote about  were based on intensive research.  Besides his own keen observation of people and deep understanding of the topics he covered were evident in his writings. He is also blessed with a  phenomenal memory. His writings are  in simple Tamil with a touch of humour.

When  I asked him how he is able to write with authority on so many  diverse topics, he said,” I read a lot.  I am capable of reading three or four books simultaneously. Every room in my home has some book or the other I am reading at a time. Most of my reading and writing happen only in the nights. I am a late bird. My short stories are based on the experiences of thousands of patients I have met over the years and also my own experiences”

While  he was busy as a writer it was Azhagiasinger of Naveena Vritchum again  who  initiated him into the world  of speakers on Tamil literature  by  inviting  him to participate in a panel discussion  on  the award winning  writer late Jayakanthan. There were three  other eminent writers on the panel. It was a  defining moment for JB. He had come so well prepared that he made an impact on the audience. Soon Kizhambur and others started inviting him as a speaker at literary meetings  organized by them. JB as a speaker had arrived.

 In the  meanwhile persuaded by friends he decided to publish his first book consisting of a collection of his essays. Titled `Appavin Diary` , with a Foreword by the popular writer of his time late Ashoka Mithran the book was launched at a function attended by hundreds of friends.

“ This was in 2016. My father was alive at that time and attended the function. He was delighted beyond words when he was recognized and  his role in his children`s lives was appreciated”

Since then he has brought out eight more  books. `Thedal- a collection of short stories; `Adhu Oru Kanakkalam and Kuvikam Kadaisi pakkam- a collection of his essays, `Kinatrukkul Kaveri` his second collection of short stories. In 2021 his book containing his Book reviews was published besides the English version of his first collection of short stories Thedal titled `The search and other short stories ` translated by me. In January,2022 two  books one  based on a collection of his articles serialized in Ladies Special magazine and the other one  based on his postings on his FB page, were published.

While he had  turned a prolific writer by reducing the time he spent on his medical practice he has won scores of prizes and awards for his articles and stories published in various magazines that keep him motivated  to write more.

“I consider  the First prize I  got for my  story in the Ki Va Ja memorial short story contest conducted by Kalaimagal and the first prize I  got for my  story in the short story competition by  Ilakkia Peedam as special” he said

What next? JB told me that he has already got  an outline for  a novel he is working on. Hopefully it will come out  before the end of 2022.

Even the small screen has  been exploiting JB`s talents over the years. He is regularly invited by popular TV channels to talk about his expertise as a specialist in Dermotology and Neurology. In recent times some chennels are even inviting him to participate in literary discussions.

JB has come a full circle from being a well known medical doctor to now a rising star in the world of Tamil literature. He is truly an inspiration for many other talented professionals  to explore their passion for writing or any other creative pursuits  while being successful in their respective  professions -age being no barrier for pursuing one`s passions!

This article has appeared in madras Musings Issue dt Feb 15-28 ,2022

 

One photo, so many memories!

Very often old photos help you go down memory lane. Going through my archives I found one which brought back memories of my five year stint with Clarion McCann Advertising  where I started my life as a management trainee in 1964 at the age of 22. The photo taken in front of the Princes Room at Taj after a meeting with a  visiting dignitary of Mc Cann Erickson, features four of my old   bosses under whom I learnt the advertising business. There is Homi Kharas ( Standing  2^nd from left) the soft spoken Parsi gentleman,  who was also a well known photographer of his time. He was my first boss. Next to him is Osborne ( Ozzie) D`Souza, copy writer turned Account Executive who in a way was responsible for my getting promoted to the post of Account Executive early in life. Ramesh Khanna,( fifth from the left) briefly the Branch Manager of Clarion Bombay who  pushed me from being a backroom boy to the frontline and of course the redoubtable Tara Sinha,( standing third from right) a dynamic and tough  Sardarini who was initially disappointed with me for my lack of social grace but later accepted me for my merits  and gave me the  first letter of promotion. When she became the CEO  of Advertising Consultants India Ltd ( ACIL) she hired me as the Group Manager ( Planning) in ACIL) and within a year made me the Deputy Chief . Due to a major difference between her and Clarion management when she left ACIL to join the agency`s important client Coca Cola, I was forced by circumstances to step into her more than life size shoes as an acting CEO of ACIL. I was only 31.The next two years were the most eventful and turbulent years of my life about which I have written at length in my autobiography titled `Courage My Companion`. 

An important boss who is missing in the photo  is the legendary Subroto Sengupta who had already left for Calcutta after handing over charge of the Bombay branch to Tara Sinha.The photo also features Noshir Irani ( extreme right) the handsome young man who later migrated to Australia with his family and behind him his boss Ananda Mukerji. Standing  behind Tara Sinha  is Allen Fernandes a bright copy writer who later became the Creative Director of ACIL and joined ITDC in a senior position before migrating to Australia. There is Suren Chawla seated second from right who was to make a big name as a media planner in Ogilvy Mather. 

Oh! I forgot to mention Dinaz Boga( standing fourth from the left) the petite Parsi Girl who was my first date in life. She agreed to be my girl friend at a party for one evening on the condition that I pick her up from home and drop her back. When I went to pick her up I was introduced to her mother who immediately approved the innocent looking Madrasi boy(!) who had come  to escort her daughter to a party. Your`s truly , with plenty of wavy hair and  suited -booted is seated in the extreme left!  On photo and so many memories!

The new improved look of my home!

Getting a house renovated and repainted while staying in the house is a nightmarish experience. I have gone through the experience several times while building my dream home which was designed by Shiela Sriprakash ,  architect wife of my good friend Tabler/Rotarian Sri Prakash. In  1982 I was probably one of her earliest customer. Today she is an  internationally well known architect. It was just a two bedroom, 1100 sq ft independent home with the main bedroom one foot below the level of the rest of the house making it more spacious to look at. It was the first architect designed home in my family circles admired by every one.

My family moved into the house in December 1982. Over the next 10 years I kept adding an extra floor with additional rooms, brick by brick,  to make it a five bedroom home with six toilets with a 2400 sq ft area. Yes, I built one extra toilet outside the home for service providers who used to frequent my home. The worst nightmare was when I was converting the sit out abetting the main drawing room with  French doors into a multipurpose room which could be used as a study, a family room, small party room ( with a mini bar attached ) and if necessary could be used a stand by bedroom. Fortunately I had my father alive at that time to keep a hawk`s eye on the workers moving in and out of the house and generally supervising the activity. But we had to live with the inconvenienced caused by the activity for over a month.

 When I was being pushed by my children to do something about the run down condition of the home after nearly 40 years, I was hesitant. Because at 80 ,without  my life partner to help, I was not willing to take on the onerous task. But the recent heavy rains in Chennai in November when my main drawing room and the portion outside the guest toilet got flooded twice  creating a health hazard made me think seriously about the need. Besides, the main drawing room built at a lower level was also making me accident prone every time I had  to step down and step up to visit my study. With god`s grace I have survived many falls in the recent past with minimum collateral damage. The main job, therefore , was to raise the depressed floor to the same level as the rest of the house ( see accompanying pics). I also took the opportunity to clear a lot of junk accumulated over the years and paint the entire interior portion of the house.

 My daughter Sowmya offering  to stay with me to supervise the repair and repainting work helped me to decide on going ahead with the project. My elder daughter Kavitha helped with her creative inputs and my son Balaji with his useful comments from time to time. With the help of an  experienced contractor the job was completed in 15 days. The final nail was hammered on last Sunday evening.

Oof! I can now heave a huge sigh of relief. Though it was the workers who were working hard in the sweltering heat, when the job was completed I felt as if I had finished running a marathon. The appreciation for the new improved look of the house that I am getting from  near and dear ones is an ample reward for the efforts put in.  Thank God it is all over!

Singam IPS – A collection of untold stories

( a Synopsis of the book  containing memories of Singam I P S compiled by his sons- a delightful read)

His name was Singaravelu but was known as Singam, because he was a conscientious and bold police officer who believed in the power of innovative reforms. A lion both inside and outside his den`. This description appearing on the back cover of a book of memoirs of Mr Singaravelu IPS, a popular police officer of his time, sums up the essence of the man. The book has been compiled by his sons Shivaram and Suresh almost three decades after their father passed away based on a number of articles and notes that their father had left behind. The book portrays policing issues of the decades prior to and post independence and in some cases the novel methods adopted in those days.

Born on 17^th March, 1915 Singam graduated from Madras University and joined the erstwhile Madras State as Sub Divisional Police officer on 23^rd December,1937.

During the war he served as Petrol Rationing officer, at Madras, Air Raid Prevention Officer in Coimbatore and as Deputy Civil Defense Officer  at the Madras Port Trust. On the day of independence he joined as ADC to Rajaji who was then the Governor of West Bengal. At intervals he held special assignments in Delhi- as ADC to the Governor General at Rashtrapathi Bhavan, Joint Deputy Director in the Intelligence Bureau, Joint Director (Security) Railway Board, and as the First Inspector General of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

As Madras Police Commissioner in 1965 he had to deal with the Anti Hindi agitation. At the fag end of his service, following the Marxist`s agitation, he was posted as IG Kerala, a job which he accepted with reluctance because Kerala was known to be a `graveyard for many a reputation`. But it is in Kerala that he introduced many innovative reforms which made him a very popular police officer among both the public and the government.  Among the nearly 72 different reforms he introduced to revitalize the police in  Kerala during his two year stint as IG, the opening of the First All Women police Station at Calicut, first of its kind in the world, by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the First Police Hospital in Trivandrum by V V Giri the then President of India stand out.  These  got Singam a lot of laurels  from both the Government and the police establishment.

After  37 years  of police service and another stint for six years as Member, Union Public Service Commission he retired from service at the age of 65. After retirement he became busy as the Founder editor of the Police Digest which tried to build an enduring bridge between the Police and the public. A gifted writer both in English and Tamil his pen was as mighty as his baton. Both as a person and as a writer he was known for his sense of humour.

A widely travelled man, his hobbies included golf. He was also a regular contributor of articles to leading newspapers and magazines  of the time. He passed away on 10^th September, 1994.

 Let  me share with you some interesting anecdotes from the book.

 

Immediately after graduation,  while he was working in the office of Sri Krishna Iyer,  formerly secretary to the Legislative Assembly and a friend of the family that Singam was persuaded to apply for the job of Deputy Superintendent of Police. Based on tips given to him he had gone for the interview well prepared.

`After the other members of the interview committee had their turn, the Chairman took up the thread and asked, “Why do you want to join the police?”

“Sir, I can give you no better reason than what is inscribed on the King`s police medal”

“ What is inscribed there?”

`To Guard My People”

Though he had not seen the medal Singam had  read a news item in the Hindu which had reported a speech by Sir John Anderson the then Governor of West Bengal in which  he had exhorted the officers and men to follow the motto `To Guard My People` as inscribed in the medal. The answer impressed the interviewing committee. His final interview was with Rajaji who was then the Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Singam was later to recall that both the interviews were examples of model interviews, especially the one with Rajaji, who had conducted it with great decorum, deep understanding and in a deliberate un-hurried manner, sparing an uninterrupted thirty five minutes. His telephones had not rung even once to disturb him and no officer or peon walked in to distract him.

After spending the first year as a Probationer in `Andhra Desa` Singam was posted as ARP ( Air Raid Prevention Officer) Coimbatore between 1938 and 1941.  One day,  when the Governor who was on a visit with his wife , was inspecting the parade along with the Collector of the District in his capacity as the ARP Controller of Coimbatore District, complimented Singam on the impressive strength and enthusiasm of the participants. When he enquired about the strength of the parade he did not have the statement ready nor could he plead ignorance and spoil all the kudos earned for the organization. So Instinctively he told him 1123. Singam later reassured himself that there are occasions when untruth could avoid an embarrassing situation and it is no crime to resort to it. However since that incident he always ensured that he had all the statements ready as it was an essential requisite according to Drill manual.

In the next posting at Mangalore Singam had an interesting encounter with Rajaji who had by then  resigned from Congress. He was visiting Nileshwar, 40 miles away where he was to address a meeting. Singam was asked to supervise the arrangements. Rajaji had already begun his speech when Singam tip toeing occupied a folding wooden chair. Rajaji had the gift of being informal even on a formal occasion. To the surprise of the audience he abruptly stopped his speech and pointing his finger at Singam  remarked,` Young man, I am afraid, you are too heavy for that flimsy chair.” The entire audience burst into friendly laughter. This remark of Rajaji had a sly reference to Singam`s official interview with him immediately after recruitment when he was weighing only 120 lbs. as against the 200 lbs. at that moment. Later in the evening at the rest house Rajaji posed a simple question to him. “Young man! Where is it that you think that our country is heading a few years hence?” As a lay man Singam responded that it would probably have to face the growing menace of the Muslim League. Rajaji differed and said, “ Do not worry about the Muslim League; but remember our country will have to face communism of an extreme type” Events have proved his prophecy. Gandhiji would repeatedly say that Rajaji always saw six months ahead of him. In this case he was seeing ten years ahead.

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In his next posting at Salem, in January,1947, there was trouble in the Police lines between Caste Hindus and Harijan constables in drawing water from a well. The SP who  asked Singam to conduct an enquiry had mildly hinted as a devout Hindu he would not like the well to be thrown  open to the non Hindus and that Singam`s  imminent promotion depended on what he recommended. As it was a human problem he sent a report to say that since it was a government well, there should be no discrimination and suggested that the well be thrown open to all the constables without discrimination. Though no orders were passed by the SP based on his report ,  Singam soon found out that his immediate junior had been promoted and he had lost his promotion. While this demoralized him greatly, Indian independence in August,1947, came to his rescue resulting in mass promotion and the restoration of his seniority. While he was getting ready to take over as the SP of North Arcot,  the ruling SP told him that he was not going to North Arcot but to Calcutta to take over as ADC to Rajaji, the first Indian Governor of West Bengal.

It is obvious that Singam had the greatest admiration for Rajaji as can be inferred from the following passage from the book;

`I little imagined that I was destined to join a One Man University…. The subjects prescribed in this one man university were numerous. The main topics were the conquest of anger, probity in administration and financial integrity. Among the subsidiaries were the art of concentration and the evil of courting popularity…….His life was a perfect example of simple living full of decorum and high thinking leading to accomplishments, earning the country`s approbations. He placed truth on the highest pedestal. He was always for the right unmindful of consequences`

Rajaji also had great regards for Singam as can be seen from the following incidents;

Just prior to independence when Lord Mountbatten had to go to London to attend the Queens`s wedding for a duration of three week, Rajaji acted as the Governor General for those weeks and as his ADC Singam also accompanied him to Delhi. The swearing in of the Governor General was fixed for 12 midnight. When Mountbatten`s  Military Secretary showed the programme to Rajaji it was indicated that the British ADC would announce the arrival of the Governor General to the VVIPs assembled in the Hall. Rajaji scored this out in a red pencil and told the military secretary that `The honour of announcing the first Governor General who is an Indian should go to Singaravelu`. Singam had to rehearse over a few times practicing to announce `Shri Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari`. The function over , sipping coffee, Rajaji tickled Singam`s  pride by telling the family members and the staff, “ You know, the honour of announcing the first Indian Governor General to the world went to Singaravelu”

`Rajaji was generally averse to travel in special planes because he felt that passenger planes are regularly serviced and considered them safer. After Mahatma Gandhi`s assassination when Rajaji had to rush to Delhi a seat was reserved for Rajaji on the regular morning flight with great difficulty. However his family insisted that they should also go with him. Rajaji told me,  “Singaravelu, you are coming not because I want you but because the family feels that I will be more secure in your company”

While at Calcutta Raj Bhavan, Singam happened to see off the British ambassador and his consul in the lift. Out of courtesy as he was about to close the self operating lift, the Consul inside closed it a moment quicker as a result of which Singam`s index finger was chipped off. While he was being attended to  by the Military Secretary who was also a surgeon, hearing of the incident, Rajaji walked in and asked if he was alright.

Singam told him, “with the bit of the finger lost I am feeling lighter”

“Oh! You can also be humorous in a moment of pain` said Rajaji. Later whenever he had to introduce Singam to his colleagues or friends he would remark “ Singaravelu had even shed blood for me”.

When Rajaji was acting  Governor General, Mrs Sarojini Naidu happened to visit Rashtrapathi Bhavan. He showed her the throne room and other rooms including the spacious bed room. As he entered the bedroom Rajaji observed, “Look what a huge bed for such a small man?”. Not to be outwitted, she sweetly replied “ Rajaji, I have no objection to give you company.”

There are many such interesting anecdotes relating to Rajaji in the book.

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The first challenge that Singam faced as soon as he took over as the Police Commissioner in Chennai was the transport strike by the transport drivers. His deft handling of the situation with minimum force received appreciation from the then chief minister.

Introduction of Mobile Courts to deal with petty offences on the spot received appreciation from Mr.Parker, Los Angels Police chief who was on a visit to Madras. He called it an innovation and even posed for a photograph in front of the Mobile Court vehicle.

The next big challenge Singam faced was the Anti Hindi agitation by the school and college students. On 27^th January,1965, as a mark of protest against imposition of Hindi all the schools and colleges in the city staged hartal and marched towards the Secretariat as though to capture it. They were stopped at the war memorial, 200 yards away. It was by now 4 pm. Playing on the psychology of the students, word was sent to the students that if they wished to return home, police vans would be available. Students could not believe it. Since there was an underlying fear that the students might damage the police van or even set fire to police vehicles, a police constable was sent with the van. About 50 boys got into the van and they were dropped at the Triplicane bus stand. Since  the van returned safely more vans were deployed  to clear the students. As the vans were moving the students started chanting, `Down, Down Hindi, Up, Up Police!` A very tense situation on that day was thus tactfully handled.

Gradually trouble spread to the districts . A whispering campaign started to say that certain top officials had been arrested. All the urchins from the slum areas moved into main roads, stopped passing vehicles and stoned them….Over 3000 urchins were rounded up and kept in the compound of the Police Commissioner`s office… Lest the police should be accused of adopting third degree methods, after giving them  a talk they were assembled in `twos` facing each other. They were given a cane each and one boy was asked to give 12 cuts to the other and there after the other boy was to return those 12 strikes. Then they were sent home with their parents who had come to collect them. A British woman who had come to collect her cook`s son remarked, “Well, the police are not beating them. So they cannot be accused of adopting third degree methods.” She also agreed that those urchins deserved that treatment.

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During Singam`s tenure in the Intelligence Bureau in Bangalore his problem was to locate a house. The then IG of Police was a consummate gentleman. He found him a house on the prestigious Infantry road in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Police ( Traffic). After he had inspected the house and approved it, one of the ministers of the Mysore State cast an eye on it. But later Singam gathered that the IG of Police sowed the seeds of superstition in the minister`s mind saying that it was a haunted house and that policeman alone could live in it. The minister`s family gave up the idea of occupying the house and Singam got it.

A good friend of Singam, Sundaramurthy owned a rich library. From experience he had found that loaned books had a way of never returning. One day he told Singam that he had invented a method  against friends borrowing his books`

” Even you, Singam,” he observed, “will refuse to accept, if I lend you one”. When Singam checked the books he found that all of them had been rubber stamped `This book is stolen from the house of Mr.Sundaramurthy!`

 

Though he was reluctant to take over the job of I G of Police, Kerala at the fag end of his police career, it is in that job that he held for two years that Singam made a huge impact on the people. His innovative ideas were appreciated by both the government and the public.

His  first act after taking office was to appoint a Deputy Superintend of police as the Public relations Officer. It helped bring the police and the press closer.

Four weeks later there was a land grab agitation by the Marxists led by A.K.Gopalan. After making all the arrangements Singam went in his civilian dress and mingled with the crowd to watch `Operation Land Grab`. The police had a tough time to keep the surging crowd under check. Often they had to push the front line and appeal to them to go backwards. On one occasion Singam who was in the crowd also had to step back. The Press obviously had noticed it. Next day all Malayam dailies carried the headline,` I.G.obeys a constable`

The Marxists were extremely anti-police. It was difficult for police officers in uniform to travel alone unless they did so in numbers or escorted. Singam found an opportunity to improve declining relations. One day the Marxist leader A.K.Gopalan rang up Singam to complain about some matters of importance. It was a loud and angry voice at the other end followed by incessant coughing. When Singam enquired the leader about his health he replied, `You know I have heart problems and if I have to go to your office, I have to climb stairs.” Seizing the opportunity when Singam offered to visit the leader in his home, he couldn`t believe it. That evening when he visited the leader`s home he was received warmly. The leader also registered his complaint with Singam. The prompt action that Singam took in the matter made the Malayalam papers report with the headline` I.G.calls on ailing Gopalan and takes prompt action on his complaint`. This had a marvelous effect on the Marxist workers and sympathizers who started feeling that the police after all is not that bad. It was a deliberate effort in therapeutic functions.

Inspired by the success story of  Maryland police who sent Xmas greetings to the citizens in their area and found the response from the public very encouraging, Singam decided to implement a similar idea in Cochin. With the help of a business man he put up banners with the message `Kerala Policemen wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year` in all important junctions of  Cochin. On January January,1^st among the first to see them was the Chief Minister of Kerala whose reaction was quick and favourable. This idea was repeated during Onam and later on Id Day conveying Id greetings.

During his stay Onam festival coincided with the Independence day. Having learnt that the all the Superintendents of police had been mainly preoccupied with departmental enquiries to the neglect of their other important day to day functions, Singam decided on the eve of Onam that year to declare amnesty to all those cases except those involving corruption and moral turpitude. Over 2700 enquiries ranging from buttons not polished to overstaying leave were closed to the relief of large number of personnel many of whom had been under suspension for periods varying from six months to one year. Not only the News papers but political leaders also called it `I.G.`s ONAM GIFT`

As already mentioned the starting of the All Women Police station, two months before he relinquished office was Singam`s single biggest contribution to the Policing in the country. Considered to be first of its kind not only in India but perhaps in the world, the police station was inaugurated by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Cochin. All Women Police Stations had counselors attached which encouraged women to visit such stations with their problems. Another reform , greatly applauded by the public was the manning of  the traffic points by attractively attired police women. These police women were trained in batches in the local hospital not only in First Aid but also to attend to emergency delivery cases.

Post retirement from the police force Singam spent six years as the member of Union Public Service commission where also he left his indelible mark.

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The book is published by Creative Workshop based in Chennai as a hard cover edition which is available only for family and friends. However, the paper back edition of the book for the public is expected to be available soon.

(Published in the Madras Musings issues  in March,2022 in two parts.)