Marooned, once again!

Once again we are marooned inside our home with water surrounding our independent home in Sastri Nagar, Adyar due to the unexpected down pour yesterday. Water also has entered our main drawing room. Fortunately we had removed the  sofa sets to the study room which is at a higher level. If it continues to rain for a couple of  more  days the possibility of water flooding the entire ground floor are bright, as it happened during 2015. It is indeed a frightening prospect.

The problem this time is that any no of times we try to pump out the water from the compound, it gets flooded again. This is  because the water inside the ground keeps coming out like a spring. It is  from the holes in the pipes we had laid around the house as a part of the Rain Water Harvesting plan we had implemented. Even inside the house water is oozing out of the walls. This phenomenon is happening across Chennai because  the water table has reached the ground level with the result there is no  place for the rain water  to go down.  We are able to bend and touch the water in the open well we have behind our home.  We used to have this problem once in 4 to 5 years during the last 40 years that we have been staying in this house. This time it has happened  twice within a month. The prospects of this happening many times every year because of climate change  in the future  is depressing. It is time we do something to solve this  recurring problem. Is going  for redevelopment and convert the independent home to flats built on stilts a solution? Whatever it is I have to be mentally prepared for the disruption that it is going to cause in my well settled life  post retirement. I am sure my favorite gods will provide an amicable  solution!

Going under the scalpel of a surgeon for the first time.

The very first time an Urologist recommended a  preventive surgery for my  enlarged prostrate problem was in 2007. After delaying the decision  for 14years I decided to go under the scalpel of a surgeon  as a solution to the problem  which was bothering me beyond endurance limits for the last few months Fortunately since it was a TURP  procedure  done under local anesthesia, I was discharged the day after the surgery, with a catheter and the accompanying  plastic bag to clear the accumulated urine discharged without my knowledge. I had to endure the ordeal for five days before the catheter and the bag were removed and I could walk  free. 

When I thought the treatment was over and that I could look forward to complete recovery from my problem in a few days, the doctor threw a bombshell at me. He recommended that in order to ensure a long term solution to my problem I will have to undergo another  procedure for the next 30 days. It involved  gently inserting a 15 inches long plastic tube (Use & throw catheter)  once a day into my urethra and remove  it gently after it discharges the accumulated urine in  my bladder. An assistant   in his clinic taught me  the procedure. When I was not sure of my ability to go through the procedure on my own the doctor told me in no  uncertain terms that I will have to do it if I have to avoid an emergency situation at a future date. Though it was a simple procedure lasting not more than a minute, I was worried that  I may hurt myself while performing it .

 So for the first  few days  I requested my son to standby  in the room adjacent to the toilet  while I  was going through the procedure in case I made a mistake and he had to rush me to the clinic. Fortunately over the next few days I mastered the procedure without the need for  moral support. As I am  writing this piece I have successfully gone through the procedure for 30 days and am walking free from  all  the issues for which I underwent the surgery.

The surgeon who performed the surgery is a well known Urologist in the most popular five star hospital  in the city specialising in Robotic surgery. When  I told him that while I was very keen that he should perform the surgery, I was apprehensive about getting it done In the five star hospital  in which  he was practicing because of my family`s bad experience with the hospital. He smiled and  as a special case  agreed to perform the surgery  at the good old Seethapathy Clinic and Hospital on Royapettah High Road, Mylapore.  From the time I checked into the hospital to the time I was discharged 36 hours later, I had the most pleasant experience in the hospital.  Right from the nursing staff to the housekeeping assistants every one was caring and efficient. Though it lacked the ambience of a five star hospital  I felt at home and not intimidated. I owe a special thanks to the surgeon and the hospital management for making this possible.

Throughout my life I have tried to avoid going  under the scalpel of a surgeon  for various health issues like stone in the kidney, Glaucoma, Fissure and so on but got cured  by using alternate therapies  with the divine grace of my favourite Lord Venkatachalapathy. This is the first time  that I have undergone  a proper surgery. I hope that this is the last time I will have to see the masked face of a surgeon in an operation theatre.

My journey as a writer

Though my reputation as a writer in English is only 12 years old, my interest in writing goes back to my school days when  I was a Tamil fanatic. My school in Bombay  had Tamil as a medium of instruction  until the 8th standard. .An active student member of Bombay Tamil Sangam, I was an avid reader of all the popular Tamil weeklies and books by well-known authors of the time. I was bursting with creative energy. I started channelizing the energy into writing in Tamil. I wrote short stories and plays in Tamil. Not only did I act in plays written by me but one of my plays was even  staged by students of another college. I was also actively involved with some friends in running a manuscript magazine called `Kalai ( ART). When the school management did not encourage extracurricular activities like plays I along with a few  friends started `Manavar Kalai Arangam ( Students Cultural association) with the motto `To encourage ourselves`. Those were heady days.

 All this was behind me when I took up the demanding advertising career and the next 43 years were spent in building a reputation as a Rural Marketing  specialist.  A city boy becoming a Rural Marketing Guru!. This gave me opportunities to write  about my profession and my experiences in helping clients build their brands in rural India in English. Many business magazines carried my articles. Simultaneously  I also got involved in contributing articles and editing the magazines of the several voluntary associations in which I was active. I edited `Tenor` the quarterly magazine of the Madras West Round Table No.10 for three years winning the `Krish Chitale trophy` for the Best Club magazine award from Round Table India one year. I was the editor of `Fellowship`, a quarterly magazine of the 41 Clubs of India which is the Association of ex-Tablers, for six terms. Another  challenging job was as the editor of `Rural Marketing Journal` the quarterly magazine of the Rural Marketing Association of India( RMAI) which I initiated as the Founder president of RMAI and  brought it  out for four consecutive years as its editor. Another toughest assignment I took on was to bring out the Golden Jubilee commemoration volume of the Advertising Club, Madras, as the Chairman of the Golden Jubilee celebrations committee. My good friend Krishna, a senior member of the club  helped me in my  hunt for historical materials and together we wrote most of the articles in the volume. Though I had the advantage of my creative and production executives helping me in producing the magazines I was totally responsible for the contents in every issue.  

 I wrote a lot during my long career as an adman and as an active member of several voluntary  organisations, honing my skills as a writer all the time. So, when I  decided to write my autobiography, a childhood dream, it was not difficult. It had to be in English as I had completely lost touch with writing in Tamil for over four decades, though I continued to read popular Tamil weeklies.

 I started writing my autobiography the day after I retired as the CMD of my own advertising agency at the age of 65- without any diary, notes or records - purely depending on my memory. I found that every time I sat down to write, the events and characters would float in front of me like a film. Going down memory lane was not only fun but also therapeutic.

The success of my autobiography in English published in 2009 paved the way for my taking up writing as a serious hobby post retirement. At this juncture I must record my sincere gratitude to late Mr.S.Muthiah, a veteran journalist for his role as a mentor, constantly encouraging me to write and guiding me all the time. Many of my articles on a variety of topics were published in the Eves Touch magazine and Madras Musings which were edited by Mr.Muthiah. .A few of my articles also started appearing in all the leading English dailies published from Chennai. One of my dreams of becoming a regular columnist became a reality when Adyar Times, a popular community weekly in Chennai started featuring my column `Rajan`s Random Reflections `once a fortnight. Later my good friend  (late) Charukesi , the veteran bilingual writer encouraged me to write fiction. I wrote short stories. I even wrote a novel which was published last year. Another veteran journalist and an old classmate of mine from my college days, S.R.Madhu has also been helping me to improve my writings with his candid comments. I quote from a letter he wrote about my writings.

 “I have read scores of Rajan's articles. He's no wordsmith, he sometimes needs editing, but he appeals to a wide spectrum of readers because of  four qualities  (a) a genuine interest in people. (b) a flair for  story-telling (c) a keen and observant eye (d)a simple and straight forward approach -- no frills, no pomp, no philosophy, no lecturing, no bla-bla”

 I am very conscious that I am neither a scholar nor an intellectual. My memory is poor. I cannot quote from our scriptures, mythology or literature. I am no good at long descriptions of places and things. My vocabulary is limited. Yet  if have managed to appeal  to my  readers, I believe it is  because of my simple language , spoken straight from the heart.

 In my long stint as a writer I always  wrote the first drafts by hand. Since I could not decipher my own handwriting, it was my ever efficient secretary Srividya, who would  type the drafts as she could decipher 90% of my writing correctly. I would then start correcting and revising the typed drafts until I was satisfied with the output. Even after I retired I continued to send the scanned copies of my manuscripts  to her which she would  transcribe and send me. It was a great help. In the last couple of years I have learnt  to key in my articles/stories directly on the computer.  Saving a lot of time.

 As a person who believes in the policy of `Early to Bed, early to rise` I find that I am at my creative best during the morning hours between 4.30 am and 6.00am, considered as the Brahmamuhurtham by our elders.

 Very early in my evolution as a writer /author I had decided that I will try to cover all genres of writing.. So far my published books cover six genres: autobiography, rural marketing (an industry), essays, history of an association, short stories and a novel.

 As the seventh genre of writing, I chose  a translation job because of my comfort level with both English and Tamil. Besides I also had the lessons I learnt from  Charukesi, who had translated my autobiography into Tamil. I am grateful to Dr.J.Bhaskaran, a practicing dermatologist and rising star in the world of Tamil literature, for giving me permission to translate selected short stories from his first collection `Thedal` which has been published with the title `The Search and other stories`

 Though the initial response to my translation job is encouraging, I am not sure I would like to continue with this genre of writing. I always like to challenge myself with new projects which keep my adrenalin flowing and make my life interesting. Poetry does not interest me and I am too far removed from plays to write one. What else? Any suggestions from my readers?

My association with the creative world.

Though I was born in a village called Nerkuppai in Ramanad District in 1942, I was brought up in Bombay where I lived for the first 29 years of my life. I did both my schooling and college and started my career in advertising in Bombay. My association  with the creative world started from my school days.

  I remember when I was in the 9th standard, my school, South Indian Welfare Society`s High School moved from Matunga to its own premises in Wadala which was a 30 to 40 minute walk from my house in Matunga. A group of us from the neighbourhood  would  walk every day to the school. This enlarged my circle of friends which was earlier restricted to only friends who lived in the chawl complex where I was living.

 I became a part of a  group of bright students bursting with  creative energy! It was a multitalented group that wanted to participate in extra curricular activities like writing, singing, acting, drama etc. But the school management was against the idea. I remember the Lady Principal of the school  telling the students “Don’t waste your time on ` dramas and shamas`. Education is the only thing which will give you a good career!” So she banned all extra curricular activities in the school except the mandatory sports activities.

 My group began to feel frustrated. Some of us joined the “Bombay Tamil Sangam” as student members as it  was encouraging students with talent in writing, debating, etc. I also mooted the idea of starting a Students Cultural Association through which we could express our creative talents outside the school. Thus was born the “Manavar Kalai Arangam”(MKA) with the motto ‘To encourage ourselves’ and I became its  Founder Secretary. All those interested in creative pursuits from senior  classes became members of MKA. We started staging plays, some  scripted by me. At the age of 16, I was given the role of the father of the hero. There were other character roles with minimum dialogues that I donned during that period.

 Apart from staging plays and conducting musical programmes, we also ran a manuscript magazine called ‘Kalai’ (Art) in which some of us contributed stories and poems. I wrote  short stories and plays  in Tamil. A friend, who had excellent hand writing and who could draw illustrations for the articles, produced the magazine! The one and only copy was circulated among all those interested friends!

 While in school I also passed the Govt. Commercial Diploma in drawing which helped me hone my skills as an artist. This would help me later in my advertising career. Thanks to a  box camera gifted to me by my uncle, I was also trying my hand at amateur photography — limited though by the persistent cash crunch at home! This interest in photography would later lead me to be involved in the production of scores of A/V presentations for voluntary organizations like Round Table and Rotary to raise funds for their projects. Those days  A/V presentations were mainly  slide/tape presentations. I would write the script, shoot the slides myself and put together the presentation using professional  voices. Even today I like to be involved in some A/V presentations to keep in touch with my interest in the subject. The last  AV I produced was on my good friend Charukesi. The six minute video film giving his life story in brief was presented at a special function at Tag Centre to commemorate his first death anniversary in January, 2020..

 My involvement with the stage

 Though MKA was wound up after the  group left the school, we decided to start an amateur stage group called Fine Arts Creations. My friend Raghavan,considered Nagesh of Bombay because of his thin stature and his ability to act like Nagesh on the stage became a key figure of this group. One of our earliest plays was a one act play titled ‘Pushpalatha’ written by Director K. Balachander. At that time he had just got into directing plays. I remember visiting Madras with Raghavan in 1962  to get  KB`s  permission to stage the play in Bombay. In another play, I donned the role of Munuswamy a rowdy with one Muniamma as his  wife. For the role of Muniamma we had to get a female artist from Madras, as no Bombay girls agreed to act in our plays. My performance as a rowdy in a lungi with a menacing  mustache speaking the Madras Bashai was one of the highlights of the play and one of the best roles I donned in my life. I felt elated  that I also had a lady accomplice in the play. It also led to my being invited  to take up roles in plays staged by Matunga Dramatic Society (MDS) headed by S.R.Kasturi,who was then  the Secretary of the prestigious Shanmugananda Sabha of Bombay. MDS was the most famous amateur dramatic society in Bombay at the time which staged a couple social plays every year. However the play on Saint Thyagaraja featuring S.R.Kasturi in the main role became one of the best plays staged by the group. It was awesome to see Kasturi  sing the sage`s  Keerthanais live on the stage accompanied by live orchestra. I must confess that I picked up some knowledge of Thyagaraja Keerthanais thanks to my involvement with the play.

 I can never forget the three bit roles I played in the  play .In the opening scene depicting Vaikundam I  would appear as Naradhar.  In the middle of the play in a court  scene of the king I appeared  as a minister and in a scene in the last part of the play where dacoits  attack Thiagaraja and his entourage, I was  one of the dacoits. It was fun donning different make ups for each of the role but for the discomfort of wearing the special costumes and other items like beard and moustache etc. hired for the roles. They were not only stinking but I found it very difficult to control  the itching sensation that the false beard and moustaches  provoked. The play  was not only staged at the prestigious Shanmugananda Sabha in Bombay a couple of times but also was  taken to  other suburbs in Bombay besides cities like Nagpur & Ahmedabad. Being with the group was lot of fun.  Since I had a problem of memorizing long dialogues I was denied meaty roles by the director.  However I enjoyed whatever role I played and tried to give my best performance. Once I got into advertising and became busy 24x7 I had to give up my interest in acting on stage.

However I continued to nurture my passion for acting even after I left Bombay. Acting  was  still in my blood. Since moving to Chennai  in 1974, I have acted in a couple of  advertising  & short films. JS films, a joint venture of director Jayendra and the award winning cinematographer P.C.Sriram, was  producing a lot of memorable advertising films in the nineties. I was offered a double role of a father and a grandfather in an ad film for Shriram Chit Funds. I was thrilled when at the end of the shooting , P.C.Sriram complimented  me for being an` one take artist`. There would be heavy schedule of the  Shriram  Chit spots promoting their new series of chits in Sun TV for two weeks preceding the  Tamil New Year and  Navarathri featuring  me and another well known actress. During those weeks whenever I went out  for shopping I would be recognized and people would stop me and ask me if I was the same person who appeared in the Shriram spots.  I used to enjoy the mini celebrity status during the  periods  when the spots were being  telecast for  seven years in a row.

Recently I also played a cameo role in a short film in Tamil based on my wife`s novella `Thayumanaval`, released at the Tag Centre on the occasion of my wife Prabha`s  5^th death anniversary. It was the role of a henpecked husband without any dialogues. But I think I was noticed for my performance because my ability to use my eyes and face to depict the moods  the scenes demanded. The latest exciting project  I  am eagerly looking  forward to is  the Fun Web Series titled `Not Out` directed by my favourite director  Usha Rajeshwari,  targeting senior citizens in which I will be playing the main role.  It was  fun acting for the promo video of the film. Unfortunately because of  the restrictions imposed by the pandemic the project has been delayed.

Interestingly during the 45 years of my life as an adman running ad agencies, I never produced any campaigns  myself. But the deep understanding of the different aspects of the creative world helped me to motivate and get the best out of some of the great creative minds I worked with. It was a long but an enjoyable journey in the creative world the  memories of  which I continue to cherish even today!

( This article, translated into Tamil, is featured in this year`s ( 2021) Diwali Issue of Ladies Special magazine,  a popular Tamil monthly with the dynamic Girija Raghavan as the editor)

Entertaining guests at home - the new normal!

This year my son  decided to organize a dinner for the family members numbering 14 adults plus kids on the Diwali night at our home in Sastri Nagar. As I was getting tensed up about the arrangements for the dinner, he made it clear that he would take care of everything and asked me not to worry. Being a ‘tension party’, I was worried that even at 6.30 pm there was no sign of any activity – not even laying the table with necessary crockeries required for serving the dinner. What about the menu for the evening dinner? When I asked my son  he said he was waiting for all the guests to arrive and order the food of their choice  on swiggy/zomato/dunzo etc. I was shocked- it was going to be  a multi cuisine  `A la carte` dinner for the guests. Will it work? Will all the items arrive on time?

As the guests were arriving, while  my son was checking their  preference for food,

my daughter in law was busy serving the guests soft drinks and ready snacks. When my siblings said that they cannot take any item  with onion or garlic because it was the evening of Amavasya, he had a ready solution for them-Jain Thalis from the Agarwals. While, others had ordered for items ranging from Fried rice,  Cauliflower Manchurian, Veg .Noodles , Paneer butter masala with parathas and so on  my son in law & I got masala dosas  from A2B ( Adyar Ananda Bhavan ). All the items were delivered by the service providers within 45 minutes of placing the order on line.

While I was wondering how these items were  going to be consumed by guests, out came the disposable dinner plates and  water cups. The serving spoons and table spoons from the kitchen were also out in a jiffy and  the items were piled up on the dining table without any order and the guests were asked to have a go. The very senior citizens managed to squeeze some space on the table so that they could sit and eat and others picked up their items and moved to the drawing room. Though every guest got  the item of their choice, it did not stop them from taking  a bite or two from the items ordered by others. Every one seemed  to be enjoying the dinner as most of them got what they wanted and more!

In my long working career,  my wife and  I have organized several dinner get togethers for guests ranging from 10 to 30 people. The tension of hosting the dinner will start from the morning and will continue till every guest left home having enjoyed a home cooked meal served with a lot of love and affection. When we tried to get outside food on a couple of occasions , we were not happy. But today`s youngsters have  their own priorities. They don`t believe in wasting time and efforts on things they can get at the press of a button. Ultimately what matters is that the guests are  happy. My family members, majority of whom are senior citizens seemed to have enjoyed the dinner on the Diwali night.

I realised that it is time that I learn to live with the `New Normal` while entertaining guests at home!

A Computer semi-literate

I consider myself semi-literate when it comes to computer knowledge. While I have enough knowledge to take care of my requirements as a writer and also deal with my mails, anything beyond I am at a loss. Though the computer is the most user-friendly gadget invented, my problem is my impatience in dealing with it. When I encounter even the slightest problem while working, I panic and start desperately pressing the buttons on the keyboard resulting in the friendly computer becoming unfriendly.

When I call my tech savvy son to help me out, he would come and click some buttons and presto the computer would get back to normal. The speed with which he solves the problem would often baffle me. I would ask him to explain to me what he did, so that I don`t have to disturb him again. I would then religiously note down his instructions. But the next time I face the same problem , and try to refer to the instructions given to me, I would find that I can`t read my own handwriting. So back to my son who would reluctantly solve the problem after giving me a dressing down for  being such a moron when dealing with the computer.

“How many times I have told you not to  bang the buttons. Modern day keyboards are feather touch and the moment you use force they are bound to fail you”  is the constant refrain I hear not only from my son  and but also from my equally tech savvy son in law who has a lot more patience to teach me how to get the best out of the modern day gadgets like computers, laptops, smart phones etc. But the problem  again is my poor memory which has gone from bad to worse over the years that these days I cannot  remember even simple instructions. I always envy some senior citizens who are tech savvy even in their old  age.

In spite of my discomfort with gadgets I am blessed to own all possible gadgets. Though I have been owning a PC for a long time, I was presented with  a laptop by my children on my 75^th birthday. I am also a recipient of a smart phone and a Tablet from my daughter Kavitha. Do I use all of them ? The answer is “yes, I do”. I use my PC for directly keying-in  all my writings because of  the big keyboard and also to deal with my emails. While I use my laptop  as a standby and when I am travelling, I use it  mainly  for participating in zoom meetings. My comfort level with the laptop is greater with zoom meetings because of the mobility it offers. The Tablet is the latest gift which I use to see movies on OTT platforms or on  YouTube. I have begun to also down load books on the Kindle app on my Tablet. And of course  the `Over-smart phone` I use not only to be connected to the world through  WhatsApp but also for minute to minute  access to my emails, Facebook  and other messages.  Undoubtedly a smart phone is the ideal gadget for instant communication in spite of the embarrassment it causes with its auto correct service and the tendency to connect you to people without your knowledge.

While I continue to be semi-literate in dealing with the gadgets, I am proud that I own four of them!

Time to get back to `Old ` normal!

It was time to get back to old normal. This weekend  I attended two get togethers. The first one was the family participation dinner of Rotary Club  Madras South at the spacious open air  Pool side of Hyatt Regency on Saturday. What a joy it was to meet Southerners and their families, numbering over 100, after nearly 18 months. The second one involved my walking friends- the small group which meets for filter coffee every morni ng at Velu`s coffee shop at Bessy.  Nagappan and Bala jointly hosted  a birthday lunch at the Presidency Club where the spouses also joined. It was also a morning of fun and frolics. With `American` Jagdeesh ( he had worked in American Embassy for 35 years as the chief Librarian) starting the entertainment with a lovely song on the elephant god, followed by the 90 years old German Iyer belting our German songs and German jokes.  84 years old Mrs Vasantha, wife of Iyer mama set the ball rolling on behalf of the ladies with a pleasing Carnatic number. Inspired by this  senior most couple we had 80 years old `Kuchi` Narayan and `Vengala Kuralon ( Sound ) Veerappan cracking jokes. The real  discovery were Krishnamoorthy and Nagappan.  While Krish came across as a good social singer  Nagappan belted out a naughty  Tamil song  which his wife Chitra referred to as a family song. After the cake cutting ceremony by the birthday babies, the party ended  with a delicious lunch preceded by `fellowsip` The success of the party was when some  ladies in the group wanted to know when  the next party is scheduled.  Pray  the dreaded Covid is permanently behind us so that we can have more such get togethers!