Doctorate at a price?

One of my unfulfilled dreams in life has been that I could not acquire  a doctorate in a subject of my choice. I always wanted to be called as Dr.R.V.Rajan. Unfortunately, since I  do  not have a Masters degree,  Universities in the South refused  to even consider registering my name as a Phd student. I could have done a Master`s late in life to qualify but the very thought of sitting down to write a formal examination, sends shivers down my spine. You see, my handwriting is so awful that  I can`t decipher my own handwriting after I wrIte a piece. (I find that I am not comfortable typing my thoughts directly on the computer) .With that kind of handwriting I am sure I would never pass any written examination. Throughout my working life, I was lucky to have a super efficient secretary, who would type a draft which would have captured 90% of my manuscript  right and I could make corrections on the printed draft
.

Some well meaning friends, knowing about my  ardent desire, suggested that  I apply to one of the many unrecognised Universities in USA which offer doctorates at a price. All that you have to do is send them a collection of a few published articles on the topic of your expertise,  accompanied by a cheque for the prescribed fee. Within a couple of weeks you will be holding in your hands a beautifully designed and printed Certificate announcing to the whole world that you are now a qualified doctor in the subject of your choice. No research, no thesis, no defending the thesis- A Phd certificate on a platter; Sounded very tempting. But my conscience did not allow me to take that easy route as I was particular about acquiring my doctorate the hard way as some  of my  friends have done post retirement

But I have had the privilege of being addressed as Dr.R.V.Rajan  during a certain period in my life without actually getting a Phd. I had the opportunity to rub shoulders with academics  during my long stint as  a Country Representative and later as a member on the board of AMIC ( Asian Media Information & Communication Centre) an NGO devoted to promotion of Mass Communication in the Asia Pacific region with head quarters in Singapore. At the annual conference of AMIC held in Singapore every year, there would be a seminar on a communication related topic. While as a country representative,  I had to present an overview of the topic of the seminar, there would be another subject specialist, invariably a person holding a doctorate in the subject who was expected to present a more in depth presentation on the topic. Since most of the participants around the table were having doctorates, they would assume that I was also a Phd. Most of the mails I used to receive those days ( pre- email days) would come with envelopes showing my name as Dr.R.V.Rajan.  Later, when I started teaching Rural Marketing  in many management Institutes across the country, I would be always referred to as `Professor Rajan`  - a position which is given  only to a    teacher in any college who is  holding a doctorate. So I  am a professor without the necessary  Phd.  Did my conscience not prick receiving a recognition without  the necessary qualification. Of course not because both the recognitions were offered to me without my seeking them.

At my age I think I have no other choice but to live only with memories of my days as `Prof Dr.R.V.Rajan`

  

This article appeared in Adyar Times issue dt 14-20, Ocotber,2018 under my column `Rajan`s random reflections`

Feedback welcome on rvrajan42@gmail.com or 9840392082                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Lost & Found

Most `bespectacled` human beings like me would have gone through the experience of misplacing their specs; then frantically searching for it and very often finding it tucked above their foreheads. A couple of days ago I found my missing specs in an unusual place.

While at home, I normally don`t wear my specs. It will be lying around in some place , until I wear it when I am going out. On that day  I could not find it anywhere in spite of a desperate search. I remembered that I had placed it next to me while doing my physio lying on my bed.  I was very sure it must be somewhere in the house but I could not locate it. When my housemaid came to work, I told her to look for my specs while sweeping the floors, hoping that she will find it as she always does with the things  I miss like  utensils in the kitchen or  any other personal items like my wrist watch, pen etc. I was relaxing on my easy chair with a cup of  degree coffee and the morning newspaper, when I heard her scream, `Saar, I have found your specs`.   I rushed to find her  holding my specs  in her hand sitting next to the washing machine. She told me that the specs had popped out of the bed sheet, when she was removing the washed clothes from the machine. I was surprised to find the specs  totally intact with not even a  scratch. It had withstood all the churning and twisting in the machine . Amazing! I realized that while pulling out the bed sheet from the bed, the specs which was lying on the bed, had gotten entangled in the bed sheet and gone into the machine. I heaved a sigh of relief and thanked God for saving me a couple of thousand rupees.

On another occasion I was not so lucky. My wife and I were on a visit to Brindavan in UP, the birth place of Lord Krishna, as a part of  our pilgrimage to Divya Desams. A place teeming with monkeys, where you are warned , not to carry anything in your hand as the monkeys were trained snatchers of items carried by pilgrims on their person. Though I did not carry anything  in my hands I was totally unprepared for what happened to me that day. Only when I heard people looking at me and screaming ` Aap ka Chasma ( specs)… `, I realized that a monkey had snatched my specs straight from my nose even while it was in  motion, jumping from one location to another. An incredible act of speed and precision indeed! The next minute I saw the monkey sitting on top of a structure and waving my specs, as if to tease me.  I tried to throw some stones at it hoping that it would  throw my specs back. No such luck. In a few moments it vanished from the scene. I had lost a good pair of expensive specs for ever! Later I learnt that snatching of specs from  unwary pilgrims by monkeys  is a regular feature in Brindavan. I was sure that the monkey was an agent of some guy who was dealing with used spectacles. I managed the rest of the trip with the spare spectacle I always carry with me whenever I am on tour. 

 As they say, In life you  win some  and  lose some!

This article has appeared in the 7-13^th October,2018 issue of Adyar Times

Bookshop on the Footpath

For several decades Alwar Book Shop located on the pavement next to Mylapre Club on Luz Church road has been synonymous with old and rare books, including school and college text books. Readers from not only across Chennai but also from other parts of the country came visiting the shop looking for books. One of them was M.S.Gill, the former CEC who had purchased books worth over Rs 1000 during one of his official visits to Chennai. Avid readers, well known writers, popular stars of the tinsel world, politicians , professionals  were regular customers of Alwar Book shop. The famous names who were patrons of the shop were Arignar Anna, Alladi  krishnaswamy,  C.P.Ramaswamy Iyer and Ramnath Goenka among others. Thousands of students who could not afford to buy new text books made a beeline to Alwar`s book shop to buy the text books they needed for their studies, which are sold for half or less than half of the cover price of the books, depending on  their condition. I think, there would not be any serious reader  in Chennai,  who has not visited Alwar Book  shop some time or the other in his/her life time.

Who is this Alwar? Is He still alive?  Is the shop still functioning? My search for the answers led me to Alwar`s  second daughter Ammu`s  home in  Nacchhiyappa street in Mylapore where I found  that 94 years old Alwar is still alive but not kicking. Both his vision and hearing are impaired. I could only communicate with him through Ammu. The shop still exists in the same location where it has been for the last 60 years,  albeit smaller in size and better organised with books arranged on shelfs donated by a well wisher, compared to the haphazard heaps of books found earlier.  While at the peak of its popularity, the shop had nearly a lakh of books, today it has only about 20,000 books.

In the last six decades the shop has suffered closure many times because of its encounter with the law enforcing agencies or nature in the form of rains & storms. Every time, Alwar would be devastated but would bounce back with steely resolve to serve his loyal customers. Often with the help of sympathetic Mylaporeans and other well wishers.

Alwar`s story is one of passion, perseverance and sheer grit. Hailing from Vilupuram, he came to Madras in late forties as a teenager with dreams of making it big in the film world. Unfortunately he only got  to perform as one of the `extras` in many films  with meager income He had to do odd jobs  to earn a living.  Fate had its own plans for his future. When his uncle with whom he was staying passed away, the responsibility of running the small bookshop that the uncle was running fell on young Alwar`s shoulders. He took to the business like the proverbial duck to the water. He was educated enough to read the titles of the books to help him group them subject wise, The first shop which he started in 1952 was located outside the Suguna Vilas Sabha which was later shifted to the location opposite  the old Kamadhenu theatre where it continues to exist even today.

Alwar remembers that the first set of books he received was from the owner of Amrutanjan Pain Balm factory, located close to his shop. This was followed by donations from other well wishers. He also went around door to door to  collect discarded  text and other  books from homes across the city and  from waste paper merchants for a price.  He ran the shop single handedly for the first few years until a friend Ramanan joined him. Ramanan, a Tam-brahm used to run an old books shop in Moore Market which he lost when a fire destroyed the whole market. Ramanan, who was paid a regular salary by Alwar assisted Alwar in his business for over 30 years until he passed away in 2013 due to  cancer.

Alwar  lived on the pavement adjacent to the shop  and would not sleep the whole night guarding  his shop from petty thieves. Looking at his plight, Sadagopan,  a local Corporator &  a well wisher arranged for the marriage of Alwar, a Hindu  with Mary, a Christian. Thanks to her association with an NGO connected with the local Church, Mary  had a working knowledge of both reading and speaking English. This helped in his business. Alwar was in his mid forties and  Mary was nearly 30 years younger than him when they got married.

Inspite of the age difference Mary proved to be devout wife not only  actively helping her husband  in his business but also blessing him  with four daughters, all born in the makeshift living accommodation on the pavement. His daughter recalls,` All four sisters were brought up on the pavement. My father was so involved with running the shop , that  he never thought of having a proper home for the family. It was only in 1999 when we  daughters had reached marriageable ages  that  due to my mother`s initiative we  moved to  a modest rental accommodation in Mylapore. My father, however, continued to live in the shop at nights.  We owe a lot to our mother that all of us got  basic education and married off in due course to respectable grooms. After my father seriously fell ill due to an accident at home in 2012 and after uncle Ramanan`s passing away, my mother ran the shop with help from me and my elder sister Julie. Unfortunately my mother also  passed away in January this year (2018) suddenly  leaving the responsibility of running the shop to my sister and I which we have to do in addition to the responsibility of looking after our own families.`

Ammu is proud of the fact that her father has got recognition from several voluntary agencies for his service to the society, providing `quality second hand books` and being  a` Treasure house of  secondhand books` Among them is the `Thanthai Periyar Award` that was conferred on Alwar a few  years ago.

Alwar, though incapacitated insists on being taken to the shop at least once a week where he spends a couple of hours sitting in his favourite chair lost in thoughts and oblivious to the goings on in the shop. According to Ammu, thanks to availability of books online, the market for the old text books, which were the most profitable business, has shrunk drastically.  Though there is some demand for books of fiction, it cannot make up for the loss of revenue from the sale of old  text books

Will the  Alwar`s book shop,  made popular only by  word of mouth publicity  and which has survived so many disasters  in six decades, survive the latest attack by technology. Only time can tell!

Edited version of this article appeared in Madras Musings

Feedback welcome on rvrajan42@gmail.com or 9840392082

My ninth book is out!

Yes, my new book, ninth in nine years is out! Titled `Rajan`s Random Reflections on This & That`, it contains the first 50 of my articles on a variety of topics published in Adyar Times under my column  `Rajan`s Random Reflections`. It also features articles published in other publications like Madras Musings, Times of India, Hindu,  New Indian Express  among  others. This 220 page book, priced at Rs 275/- is published by Bookventure, (Chennai) and printed at Compuprint.  In Chennai it is available at Odessey in Adyar/Tiruvanmiyur and Words & Worth, Besant Nagar. You can also get your copies through  Amazon. If you  place your orders directly with me,  I will courier the book free anywhere in India .  The payment can be made electronically to the following account. I will dispatch the copy as soon as I receive your payment advice on rvrajan42@gmail.com

Beneficiary Name :  R.V.Rajan

 Bank Name :  Karur Vysya Bank

 Bank Address :  Whites Road, Chennai- 600014

 Beneficiary A/c No :  1219155000004455

Account Type : SB A/c

NEFT / IFSC code : KVBL0001219

- The  following books written by me are also available on Amazon or you can order your  copies from me  at: rvrajan42@gmail.com.  A combo of two or more books  can make an ideal gift for your near & dear ones.

1. Courage my Companion-  A candid autobiography - considered an uncommon autobiography of a common man ( Rs 295/-)
2. This & That….. Then & Now- Random Reflections of the author on a variety of topics covering everyday experiences of people ( Part 1) ( Rs.350/-)
3. A Difficult Choice-A collection 15 short stories ( Rs. 200/-)

I am happy to inform you that the proceeds from the sale of this book will be used for the activities of Prabha Rajan Talent Foundation.

Grandparents as baby sitters

 A news item in a leading daily regarding the role of grandparents attracted my attention. It seems a woman, from a broken marriage with two small kids filed a case in the family court accusing her old Parents in Law for not coming to her help, to look after her small kids  because of which  she had to pay for a crèche service. The family court passing its final order observed that ` Grand parents cannot be blamed if the children had to be placed in a crèche . With more women getting educated and employed, it is not an unusual scene that their children are kept in a crèche for their care. It is the prerogative of the aged grandparents  to willingly accept to  babysit their grand children considering their own age, health, strength, engagement in extra curricular activities and other plans.` The court also questioned the prevalent presumption of a majority of Indian families that grandparents are a substitute for nannies.

With growing number of NRI parents in the country, it is common knowledge that they have to provide  IAS (Internatioal Ayah Service as the Nanny  service is popularly known) to their children settled abroad , at least six months in a year. If grand children have two sets of grand parents, they take turns in providing this service. While the grandparents are very enthusiastic in the initial years when they are young and energetic, it becomes painful as they grow old and are beset with age related problems. They begin to shudder at the very thought of making such trips. Unfortunately, many self centered NRIs demand such services from their parents, irrespective of the condition their parents are in.

Recently a friend of mine was a faced with such a challenge. His son, working in USA, had decided to move to Hyderabad on a temporary transfer in his company to help speed up his Green card application. Since his wife also managed to get a similar transfer arrangement, he wanted his parents in Chennai to move to Hyderabad to not only help them to settle down in  Hyderabad but  also to look after the grand children for a year. The request ( nay the  demand) meant that my friend  had to uproot his entire family  of three members to Hyderabad, after settling all the issues in Chennai which would need attention in his absence for a year. He was also very concerned that he did not have any contacts in Hyderabad, which would help him in case of any problems he faced in looking after a household. Besides, his wife’s and his own failing health was also a major concern. However, being a typical Indian parent he  decided  to go to Hyderabad to help his son`s family, hoping that `God will take care of everything` .

With the breaking up of the joint family system and many grandparents with financial resources leading independent lives, it becomes a problem when children demand nanny services from their parents, ignoring their health conditions and priorities. If the parents willingly accept such responsibilities, it is not an issue. For any reason if they are not able to provide such services, it should not be held against them.

As the court observed in the said case, `It is the primary duty of the parents and not the grandparents to take care of their children`.

This article has appeared in Adyar Times issue dt. 2-08, Sep.’18 under my column `Rajan`s Random Reflections`

Feedback welcome on rvrajan42@gmail.com  or 9840392082

Anna Centenary Library- A Dream Project of the late Kalaignar!

Anna Centenary Library (ACL), a dream project of the former Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi, was inaugurated in September,2010. However, I had the opportunity to visit this awesome, State of the Art library only a few days ago. I must thank Arvind, a relative from USA who persuaded me to accompany him on his visit to the library and Jagadish , the former Director of Library in the U.S.Consulate, Chennai, for taking us on a conducted tour of the library.

`The built up area of this centralized air-conditioned library is 3.75 lakh sq. ft., encompassing the  ground and eight floors. At present, it hosts five lakhs books covering a wide range of subjects to serve the information needs of the public, academic and corporate community. ACL has a Braille Section, Own Books Reading Section, Children Section, Periodicals and Newspapers Section, Tamil books Section, an English Books Section and an archive of old manuscripts.. In addition, the library has  two fully equipped Conference Halls- one  that can accommodate  150 people and another that can accommodate 1100 people( under renovation). There is also an amphitheatre with a seating capacity of 800.. An AVIN Milk Bar and a cafeteria complete the facilities available.`

While Arvind went berserk shooting pictures  of palm leaf manuscripts in the archival section, I was impressed with the `Own books reading` section which was packed with students, most of them from not so privileged backgrounds, reading in the quiet & comfortable ambience provided by the library. It seems hundreds of aspirants writing Public Service examinations also patronize the library. The children`s section is equally impressive, with facilities for conducting activity based learning.

Though it went through a lean period during the AIADMK regime under JJ, it seems the library is coming back to life because of  the support being received from the people who are governing Tamil Nadu now. The management has recently started having regular literary meetings over the week-ends providing  opportunities  for budding and well known authors to interact with their readers.

Undoubtedly, Anna Centenary Library,  among his other ideas,  will remain one of the most enduring contribution of Kalaignar  Karunanidhi,  built to commemorate the 102nd Birth Anniversary of his mentor ANNA. If you have not visited this Library located on Gandhi Mandapam Road in Kotturpuram, I will urge you to do so. You will feel proud that such a wonderful library of International Standards, exists in our own neighbourhood in Chennai.

Amma Naana - Growing from a milk depot to a department store

`There is a perception that Amma Naana is an expensive shop. It is not. We sell all the Indian brands at the MRP rates mentioned on the packaging. Imported items are priced depending on the costs incurred in procuring them~, says Senthil Raj, the CEO of Amma Naana, the stand alone department store well known for stocking imported brands of a variety of products.  The store is located on the intersection of Chamiers Road and Boat Club Road facing the Crown Plaza Hotel ( the old Park Sheraton).

Amma Naana was started by Mrs Raja Mani an aunt of Senthil in the year 1971, 11 years before Senthil was born. Her husband V.R.Govindaswamy  was also a partner in the venture. It was a  milk depot  occupying only 500 sq.ft. Sale of vegetables & grocery were added later by acquiring additional shopping space. To cater to the growing demand for imported items by the elite residents of the neighbor hood, the shop also started stocking imported items, sourced from other   local  shops which were already selling these items. As the business grew, the family started `Amma Wines`, which not only sold IMFL brands but also stocked  popular foreign brands of liquor, procured from official sources.. This section was closed when the Government of Tamilnadu decided to take over the sale of Liquor under the TASMAC umbrella. Today, Amma Nana is a three storied department store occupying 8500 sq.ft of space with limited parking facility.

It was in 2004 , that Senthil was invited by his aunt to join the family business. He had just completed his B.Tech from a college in Coimbatore. Full of ideas Senthil took to the business like the proverbial `duck to water`. In due course, he married his aunt`s daughter Sakthi Devi who is also a partner in Amma Naana. This was also the time when new, national and international   brands of department stores were entering the Chennai market. Besides, the city also witnessed the influx of expats from different countries employed by several automobile companies in and around Chennai, who were demanding the popular brands of food ingredients and other products from their countries. This opened up a window of opportunity for the shop. Senthil went around the world identifying original sources for foreign brands in Singapore, U.K. and U.S.A.

`Even if we don`t have a particular item,  if a loyal customer wants it, we will try and specially import it to satisfy the customer. Whenever any new brand is introduced in the foreign countries, we will ensure its availability in Amma Naana, simultaneously. Some of the popular  imported brands available include Country Kitchen, Hershey`s, Diana of London, Ceylon Tea, Thousand Islands and Starbucks Coffee.  Popular product categories are imported Sauces, Jams, Noodles, Butter etc. This kind of personalized customer service has enabled us to build a core of loyal customers` says Senthil.  He continued, `on an average 1500 Indian customers and 100 expats visit  the  shop  every day. Home delivery service is offered to customers who place orders for Rs 1000 and above.  While 80% of the sales come from customers visiting the shop personally, Home delivery accounts for only 20%. The shop has not got into online sales because of the prohibitive cost of acquiring and implementing the software required for such  an effort.  Besides, Indian customers still prefer the `touch & feel` shopping experience when it comes to the purchase of grocery and vegetables.` So, the  growing phenomenon of online shopping for all kinds of products  does not  worry Senthil at the moment.

Amma Naana`s growth has come purely through word of mouth advertising by loyal customers. Senthil adds, `We keep in close touch with all consulates in Chennai. Every time a Consul General is transferred, we  ensure that the incoming Consul general is informed about Amma Naana .  In fact the Korean Government has recognized Amma Naana as one of the best shops for getting the Korean speciality items in Chennai.

`There are plans to open one more shop on the OMR. It will be owned and managed by the management of Amma Naana. We don`t believe in the Franchisee route but are open to investors who are interested in investing in the project` says Senthil. I am sure that the young & dynamic  CEO of Amma Naana, with his `Hands on` style of management will make the new venture also a big success.

Edited version of this article appeared in Madras Musings issue dated- 1-15^th August,2018