Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
R V Ramakrishnan
December 2010
0
DOWN MEMORY LANE
Contents
Preface ................................................................................................................. 2
Section 1: ............................................................................................................. 4
Ramanathapuram - My Village Home ................................................................. 4
Table 1: Family Tree of R R Subramania Iyer and first wife .......................................................... 9
Table 2: Family Tree of R R Subramania Iyer and second wife ................................................... 11
Legend for all tables ...................................................................................................................... 12
Section 2: Appa................................................................................................. 13
Table 3: Family Tree of R S Venkateswaran ................................................................................. 20
Section 3: Amma ................................................................................................ 22
Section 4: Uncles ............................................................................................... 29
Section 5: Brothers and Sisters........................................................................... 35
Section 6: School and College days ..................................................................... 50
Section 7: Walchands......................................................................................... 58
Section 8: Pankajam .......................................................................................... 66
Table: 4 Ganesa Iyer Family ......................................................................................................... 76
Section 9: Binnys ............................................................................................... 77
Section 10: Venkatesh........................................................................................ 86
Table 5: T S Ramaswamy Family ................................................................................................ 112
Section 11: Ganesh........................................................................................... 113
Table 6: C.V. Ramanathan Family.............................................................................................. 139
Section 12: Audco ............................................................................................ 140
Section 13: Professional ................................................................................... 149
Table 7: R V Ramakrishnan- Summary of Career........................................................................ 159
Section 14: Post Retirement ............................................................................. 160
Section 15: Master ........................................................................................... 165
Epilogue........................................................................................................... 172
1
Preface
One day I was sitting in the verandah of my father in-law, Sri. Ganesa
Iyer‟s house, and was chatting about his life‟s events. As my gaze meandered, it
landed on his diary in which he had painstakingly recorded the daily events of the
past four decades. I suggested that he should write his autobiography based on
his chronicle. Later, on joining the Sri Ramchandra Mission, I had the
opportunity of reading the precious autobiography of my Master, titled “Down
Memory Lane.” In this book, Master‟s life, ranging from his childhood and school
days to his work at the Mission is vividly recorded. This motivated me to write
my own autobiography.
I could recall the life I enjoyed with my parents, brothers and sisters and
specifically the fun of being in a joint family which in today‟s world is a rarity if
not a nonexistent fiction. Children of the next generation are missing the
company of other children in the family; their parents are separated from the
extended family and they rarely meet each other. Sometimes, the relationships are
forgotten. I felt this autobiography could reflect on the values of our joint family
system apart from also recording the various events and members of the family.
After my marriage, in 1962, I started writing my diary and ever
since I have been recording major events of the extended family. After my
retirement, when my wife and I visited Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore and
Manchester, I used to maintain separate diaries to record these travels. Prompted
by my cousin, Venkatraman‟s idea I had started collecting various details of
different members of our family. Thus my personal diary and this collated data
2
along with my personal collection of photos forms the basis of this narrative.
I have divided this autobiography into fifteen chapters, covering my
village, parents, uncles, siblings, wife, sons, official career, professional career, my
post-retirement and my Master. Each chapter is supported with family trees,
photographs and a compilation of dates and events for easy reference.
With much effort and time, I have made an attempt to record the family
events till December 2010 and hope to release my autobiography on 26th January
2011, on the occasion of my 75th birthday. I wish to acknowledge Gopal,
Pankajam and Deepa for compiling the photos and editing. I hope this
autobiography will be a good reference for all members of our family, especially
for the younger generation. I optimistically look forward that one of the family
members will continue to record further events and prepare the second edition of
this autobiography. With love and best wishes to all my family members.
31 December 2010
R .V. Ramakrishnan
3
Section 1:
Ramanathapuram - My Village Home
4
Patta, who retired as Registrar of District Court, lived a very pious life. His
routine included „nithya1 Siva pooja with abhishekams‟ and reading the
Ramayanam, the Hindu epic, every
afternoon. Patta had paddy fields
from which we got semi-polished par
boiled rice (which was red in colour)
for our daily meals. Our family deity
is “Manapully Amman‟. This temple
is located at East Yekkara (near the
Fort) at Palghat town. Those days,
the only transport to the town was
either by walk (20 to 25 minutes) or
bullock-cart (owned by the village
barber!)
Figure 1 - Patta in his daily Puja
Patta and his first wife Parvathi had four sons and two daughters. My
father, Venkateswaran, was the third son. The other children were: Ramaswamy
– first son, Narayanan – second son, Sadasivan – fourth son, Alamelu (Akka) –
first daughter, Arundathi (Kunjakka) – second daughter. While Patta, himself
had completed Matric in education; he had provided college education for his first
1
daily
5
son, Ramaswamy, who completed B.A.(Economics) at Maharaja‟s College,
Palghat and provided Matric level education for his other three sons. I
understand that my father‟s mother expired at a young age of about 36 years,
leaving behind the children in the care of his grandmother, who advised my Patta
to remarry for the sake of the children.
Patta, by his second wife Narayani, had three sons – Raman,
Venkatraman, Ramakrishnan and six daughters – Lakshmi, Rukmani, Rajam,
Radha, Janaki and Sita. Patta, as such, had a very big family to take care of. He
used to depend on his sons (from his first wife) to support him during the early
days. During his life time, he could educate his first two sons, Raman and
Venkatraman upto Matric and married off four of his daughters..
I remember to have enjoyed the village life while visiting Patta‟s house. As
my father was working in Railways, he was eligible to railway passes and our
visit to village was frequent, during our school holidays. Patta used to visit
Bombay and take my elder brother (lovingly called as Manikutty) to the village,
as he was eligible for railway pass as an „escort‟ to my brother. My visit to the
village became more frequent, during my stay at Coimbatore, when I was in
employment (1957-58). Patta expired in August 1957, at an age of seventy seven.
Many members of the family visited the village, to attend the last rites. After his
expiry, his second wife – Narayani Ammal (popularly called as Ammami), stayed
at the house along with her son, Ramakrishnan, and daughters, Janaki and Sita
and felt very lonely and requested me to visit them every week, from Coimbatore.
I was then working six days a week in a factory called, “Indian Hume Pipe Co.
6
Ltd.” On Saturdays, after completing my work at five in the evening, I used to
take a bus to Palghat (those days it used to take just one hour, with a halt for
tea/snacks) On reaching Palghat Bus Terminus, I used to take an autorickshaw
to reach the village by around 8-00 PM. I vividly remember seeing my
grandmother who used to anxiously await my arrival, seated by the entrance.
After the weeklong hotel food in Coimbatore, I thoroughly enjoyed this homely,
tasty Saturday feast which was special not just because it was cooked in copper
vessels over a slow fire kindled by firewood but more because it was specially
flavored with love and care. On Sunday mornings, Ramakrishnan (her son) and I
used to go to the bathing tank. I still remember that along with our change of
clothes and a towel we carried two small packets, one containing roasted husk
with little salt2 and the other containing „vibhuthi‟. We used to brush our teeth,
take bath, wash at the bathing tank and then visit the Siva temple. On returning
home, Ramakrishnan used to do an elaborate „Siva‟ pooja, in continuation to his
father‟s wish. After the pooja, we all gorged on our sumptuous lunch, served
with love, by Ammami, my grandmother. I then used to promptly wait for the
evening‟s special tiffin items which she very painstakingly prepared for me with
care. After enjoying the pure, healthy village air for a day, by Sunday evening,
the household poignantly bid me farewell. I would leave for Coimbatore with all,
including myself, eagerly waiting for the next Saturday evening! This weekly
2
Called as ‘mukkari’ and used to brush the teeth
7
rendezvous continued till I left Coimbatore in 1957 when I was transferred to
Arakonam branch (near Madras).
Later, along with my wife Pankajam and first son Kannan, I came down
to Ernakulam (near Cochin) in March 1964 and joined the firm, Giovanola-Binny
Ltd., as Planning Engineer. During our stay at Ernakulam, till 1970, annually,
we used to engage a car and visit Ramanathapuram, Nellichery and Manapully
Kavu. Sometimes, we also visited Guruvayoor and Sri Ramar temple at Triprayar
(near Trichur).
After our transfer to Madras in the year 1970, our visit to Palghat
was reduced. Our village house in Ramanathapuram was sold in the year 1972,
when most of the family members left to Bombay and other places. During our
subsequent visits to Palghat, we used to stay in a hotel and visit Manapully
Kavu and other temples in south. I continue to cherish my sweet memories of the
visits to the village. However, these temple and village visits, stopped, after our
joining the Sahaj Marg (which will be covered in later chapters) I now
understand that the village has prospered with a Brahmin Association, which
runs a Patasala (to teach Vedas to young Brahmin boys) as reported by my son
Ganesh, who visited the village in 2007 and 2009. We cannot forget the village.
After all, my first initial, „R‟ just like my father‟s and grandfather‟s is named
after our village. Ramanathapuram. (See Appendix 1 and 2 for RRS family tree
details.)
8
Table 1: Family Tree of R R Subramania Iyer and first wife
Names RLT DOB Star DOD
9
Table 1: Family Tree of R R Subramania Iyer and first wife (continued)
10
Table 2: Family Tree of R R Subramania Iyer and second wife
Name RLT DOB STAR DOD
11
Table 2: Family Tree of R R Subramania Iyer and second wife (continued)
12
Section 2: Appa
My father, R S Venkateswaran, was born on 16th December 1908. Since
my grandfather was in service in Kerala State, I presume he was born there. He
was educated upto Matriculation and moved out of the village for employment.
As my memory goes, he was initially employed with Central Government at
Delhi. My elder brother Mani used to go to school in Delhi in a „tonga‟ (horse-
cart). Since Delhi was very hot in summer, the Britishers, who then ruled India,
shifted the entire government administration to Simla (a hill resort near Delhi). I
vaguely remember our stay in Simla, where the Government provided
accommodation. After that period, Appa moved to Bombay (now known as
Mumbai) and joined Railways. The entire family of four brothers and two sisters
of my father along with their families stayed together in a big ground floor flat,
of the building “Railway View”, very close to Dadar station. The memories of a
joint family with a common kitchen are truly nostalgic.
Later on, the family got split and each member moved to a separate flat.
We had moved in to a flat, 8-A, Vissanji Park, Naigaum Cross Road, Dadar
(Central Railway). The building was walkable distance from the railway station.
During the early days, we were admitted to South Indian Education Society‟s
School at Matunga. Since my father was working in Railways, we got free pass
to travel by train. We used to take the local train from Dadar station to
Matunga station and from there walk up the distance to school (15 minutes).
Initially, we were staying in the ground floor and flat 8-A was occupied by
my father‟s elder brother and his family. When they moved out of Bombay, we
13
shifted to the 3rd floor (8-A flat). The flat was very convenient. We had a
verandah at the main door, leading to a big hall, a kitchen, a bed room, a
bathroom and a toilet. The kitchen was provided with cooking gas facility which
was brought through a piped connection from a central location. The size of the
kitchen was big enough that all members could sit down for our meals. We did
not have a telephone connection at home and had a radio, which was considered a
luxury. I had many local friends in the building, which had a big compound for us
to play. The local language was Marathi. Apart from other festivals, the main
celebration was Ganesh Chaturthi. In our building, this was momentously
celebrated for 11 days. The residents pooled in money and a huge Ganesh idol was
installed in a big tent with fanfare and music. Apart from pooja which was
conducted every morning and evening there were also music and drama
programmes in the evening which I used to enjoy with my friends. The 11th day
was an important event, when the idol was taken in procession to Shivaji Park
Beach for immersion into the sea.
In 1932, my father established an educational institution called, „The
Laksmi Tutorial Institute‟. This was within walkable distance from our house
and in the Western Railway side of Dadar. Initially, they held morning and
evening classes for typewriting and shorthand and helped the students to appear
in examinations held by Maharashtra Government. Later, classes were also held
for Diploma in Commerce for exams held by Indian Chamber of Commerce (IMC).
14
Figure 2: Laxmi College 1945 Sitting: 2 Appa, 4 RSN Periappa, RSS Chitappa
Standing: 3 NS Venkatakrishnan, 4 PK Raghunathan, 6 RSR Mani, 7 RS Raman
15
Figure 4: Lakshmi College 1954 – Sitting 1 RSR Mani, 3 RSS Chitappa, 4RSR Periappa, 6 Appa, 8
Brother RVS Mani, 9 SV Mani
My father used to attend the Institute both in the mornings and evenings, in
addition to attending his office in the Railways. The activities of the Institute
enlarged. They added more classes to coach candidates appearing for professional
exams of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Institute of
Cost & Works Accountants. In the year 1962, the Institute was renamed as
Lakshmi College of Commerce. My father was joined by his two brothers,
Ramaswamy (elder) and Sadasivan (younger), thus forming a partnership to run
the business. My father had to resign from Railways to give full time attention to
the Institute as the Principal. My father had to qualify himself; he completed the
exams leading to Registered Accountant (RA) and Cost Accountant. When the
Indian Institutes of Chartered Accountants and Cost Accountants, were formed,
my father automatically got membership. He also started an auditing firm by the
name R S V Iyer & Co, Chartered Accountants. My father worked from 7-30 am
to 8-30 pm, alternating between the College and the Auditing firm. At one time,
16
he even opened a city office in the Fort area to be close to his clients. Both my
uncles, RSR and RSS, were partners along with my father at Laxmi College of
Commerce and they took classes in the evenings. RSR used to teach Economics
while RSS taught Costing. Having passed Costing exam of ICWA, RSS joined
Bradbury Mills (Ruia Group) as Cost Accountant at Bombay and later took over
the position of General Manager till his retirement. He was an active Member of
the Institute of Cost & Works Accountants (ICWA) and was elected as
President for a two year period. During that period he visited France to attend
an International Conference. As an active Member, he used to visit Calcutta very
often to attend meetings of ICWA and used to be a guest of our family friend
Venkatakrishna Iyer. When my father expired, RSS inducted my brother Mani to
Laxmi College of Commerce making him a Joint Principal.
My father was very religious and followed all the Hindu functions. Daily,
he got up early in the morning and after his oil bath and morning
Sandhyavandanam, left for the Institute. He came home in the afternoon for
lunch. Resting in his reclining “easy chair”, he read some chapters of Ramayanam.
After coffee and tiffin, he went again to the Institute for the evening classes. On
Sunday mornings, it was my duty to bring flowers for his pooja. At times, when
we went to Tamil films in the afternoon, he never joined us, as he was not
interested in films! In the evenings, he used to visit his brother‟s house (uncle
RSS), at Harjivandas Estate, which was close to our place. Both of them use to
walk the distance to Matunga (where most of the South Indians stay) and spend
17
time at the house of his cousin brother, V K Murthy (of Asthika Samaj). On
return they got some vegetables for home.
Figure 5 1953
Appa and family –
Floor: Lakshmi
and Padma,
Sitting: Amma,
Appa, Ramamurthy,
Gopal, Seetha with
Gowri, S.V.Mani,
Standing: RVS Mani
and Myself
18
He was admitted to Sion Hospital and after one day, he expired due to “Coronary
Thrombosis” (heart attack) on 21st November 1955. He expired at the young age
of 47years. He left behind my mother (43 yrs), my elder brother (25 years), my
elder sister Seetha (23 years), myself (19 years), my two younger brothers,
Ramamurthy (15 years), Gopal (5 years), my to two younger sisters, Lakshmi (10
years) and Padma (8 years).. My elder brother Mani and my mother had to
suddenly shoulder the huge responsibility. At that time, Mani was working at
Calcutta and I was studying for Engineering at Sangli. My other brothers and
sisters were studying. My two paternal uncles, Ramaswamy and Sadasivan, took
charge of the situation. The last rites were conducted by my younger brother,
Ramamurthy. A message was sent to our family friend Mr Venkatakrishnan at
Calcutta, to send my brother to Bombay, without informing him about the death.
My brother took a flight and rushed to Bombay. I received a telegram, which was
in fact, delivered to me while I was attending a class in the college. My friends
helped me to pack and board the evening train and I reached Bombay the next
day morning. My uncles advised my elder brother (who was then working for
Hollerith, a British company connected with computers) to get a transfer of his
job to take over the responsibility of our family. Suddenly, we felt the vacuum in
our house. We missed our father. After Diwali holidays, I was to return to the
college hostel and my mother had packed a tin of sweets and my father saw me
off at Dadar railway station. That was the last time when I saw him. He bid me
good bye forever. He was very keen to write a book. I understand that he had left
behind a draft of an Accountancy book which never got published!
19
Table 3: Family Tree of R S Venkateswaran
Name RLT DOB Star Gothram DOM DOD
20
Name RLT DOB Star Gothram DOM DOD
21
Section 3: Amma
My mother N R Alamelu, was born on 3rd May 1912 and hails from
Naduvatheri Madam at Triprayar, a small township of Trichur District, Kerala
State. Her father was Ramakrishna Iyer. He had a huge house in front of the
backwaters. Triprayar is famous for it‟s huge Sri Rama temple which is typical of
Kerala architecture. I have been named after my maternal grandfather. It is
customary to name the first son of the family after the paternal grandfather and
the second son after the maternal grandfather. In fact, I was born in that house
and used to visit Triprayar during my school holidays. At Triprayar, I remember
to have accompanied my grandfather to the nearby market at Cherpu for buying
vegetables and more particularly, bananas and jack fruit. My grandmother is to
prepare a full tin box of banana and jack fruit (unripened) chips Our regular
temple visit included offering Vedi (a firework which was burst as an offering to
the Lord) and feeding puffed rice to the fishes in the temple tank.
We also use to enjoy the boat jetty, to cross the backwaters. Now, however,
there is a bridge across the backwaters. During our visits to South, we used to
cover Palghat and Triprayar. I understand that my paternal grandfather was
working in Guruvayoor for some time and that was the time, my father got
married. As my father was working in Railways for a long period, we used to get
2nd class pass for travel and we used to spend our school holidays, visiting temples
in South India. My mother had only one brother, elder to her and had four sisters
– one elder and three younger. After a prolonged litigation of the case filed by his
son‟s first wife for divorce compensation, the house had to be sold and due to that
22
shock, my grandfather expired and my
grandmother moved to Madras and stayed
with my mother‟s younger sister, Kamalam, till
her death in 1972.
Figure 6-1971, Patti with her daughters, Alamelu and Kamalam, along
24
that for the marriage of my two sisters, Lakshmi and Padma, all the “seeru” items
were prepared at home with the help of a cook (who used to dictate her terms). In
fact, we really enjoyed the family life at Vissanji Park. Of course, the situation
changed after the marriage of my brother and me moving out of Bombay.
My mother had one elder brother, –Ramaswamy. He was a Chartered
Accountant who stayed in Hyderabad and had six daughters, and one son. The
first two daughters used to dance on stage. She had one elder sister
Subbalakshmi, who used to stay in Madras and expired at an early age. She had
three younger sisters – Kamalam, Rajamani and Rasam. We cannot forget our
association with Kamalam Chitti and Anantharama Iyer Chitappa. They were
staying at Tilak Street, T-Nagar and Madras. They had no children and they
adopted Krishnan, who was the second son of Rajamani. Krishnan and his family
were staying at Hyderabad, while his first daughter Anuradha (Anu) was staying
with Kamalam Chitti, till her marriage. Anantharama Iyer expired in the year
1972, due to oral cancer. Later Krishnan moved to Madras with his family and
was staying with Kamalam. She had arthritis in her later part of her life and she
expired in the year 1995, at Vijaya Hospital. Krishnan demolished the bungalow
at Tilak Street and constructed a new house for himself and his children in the
same plot. After his retirement, Ramakrishna Iyer Chitappa and Rajamani Chitti
settled down at Bangalore, along with their first son Devan and his family.
Ramakrishna Iyer expired in the year 2002, and was followed by Rajamani in the
same year. Devan also expired in the year 2005 and his family is currently staying
at their house in Bangalore. Rasam chitti and Rama Iyer chittappa were staying
25
for a long period in Nellichery village in Palghat. We used to visit their house
during our visit to Palghat. Later they moved to a smaller house in Kalpathy
along with their first son Murthy, while their second son Venkatraman
(Venkittu) stayed separately with his family.. Rasam expired in the year 1998
while Rama Iyer was not keeping good health and expired in the year 2002. In
fact, my mother‟s brother and sisters expired during her life time.
My mother was staying with my brother Gopal at Ghatkopar from the year 1986.
She used to visit us at Madras very often for a change. We used to leave her at
Ghatkopar during our visits to Dubai and Singapore. We had taken a senior
citizen concession pass by Indian Airlines and as such she could travel by air
between Bombay and Madras. Combining our visits with official work, I used to
accompany Amma to Madras while Gopal used to escort her back to Bombay.
On 19th January 1989, when Amma was with us in K K Nagar, she had a
high diabetic condition and was admitted to Vijaya Hospital. Our tickets to
Bombay to attend the engagement function of Kshama had to be cancelled. I took
a night flight to join the engagement ceremony on 26th January 1989 at Bombay.
She joined us for Kshama‟s wedding with Sridhar, on 13th September 1989 at
Bombay. She had cataract surgeries at Vijaya Hospital in September 95.
Pankajam rendered special post operation care in our K K Nagar house. In June
1996, she had a fall from the bed at our house in T-Nagar due to high sugar and
had a deep cut in the nose and fracture in the right hand. During this period
when she was bed ridden, Dr Vijayaraghavan used to visit our house regularly.
26
Figure 7: Amma in Ganesh's wedding 1993
27
Venkatesh from Singapore, Venkatraman with his wife Rajee and Ashok, son of
Sundari, came from Bangalore. The last rites were conducted in a common centre,
Gnanavapi, in T-Nagar. The thirteenth day function was conducted at home.
The first year abdikam was also conducted at home in T-Nagar, from 31st July to
4th August. Gopal and Mahalakshmi from Bombay, Venkatesh from Singapore
and Ganesh from Dubai, joined us for the function, in addition to NVS
Mani/Lakshmi and Kittu/Padma.
At the most, my mother would have enjoyed a married life of 27 years, till my
father‟s death. She bore many shocks including the demise of her two sons Mani
and Ramamurthy and her daughter Seetha. We shall continue to miss her.
28
Section 4: Uncles
My father had three brothers. Ramaswamy Iyer (RSR) and Narayana Iyer
(RSN) were elder while Sadasiva Iyer (RSS) was younger.
Narayana Iyer expired at a young age of 40 yrs due to a snake bite at our
village, leaving behind two sons, Rajamani and Krishnamani, of his first wife,
one daughter Parvathi of his second wife. In fact, Rajamani was staying with us
at Vissanji Park, till his marriage, while Krishnamani was with Uncle Sadasiva
Iyer. Krishnamani and I were of similar age group and were very close to each
other. Rajamani married my athai „Akka‟s‟ daughter Rajee, which was arranged
29
by Patta during one of his visits to Bombay. Rajamani was working at Laxmi
College of Commerce for a long period and expired due to poor health in the year
2008, at an age of 76 years. Krishnamani having completed B. Com. at Podar‟s
College in Matunga worked till his retirement at Reserve Bank of India, Bombay.
He was married to Lakshmi.Ramaswamy Iyer retired as Chief Accounts Officer
of the Maharashtra Housing Board. He was responsible in developing a housing
colony for south Indians at Sreeram Nagar, Andheri. I recollect the days when I
used to spend my holidays at their flat and enjoyed special food prepared by
Andheri Periammai. After I completed my Inter Science in the year 1954, I was
to decide my future study and it was Periappa, who suggested that I should go in
for Engineering, instead of taking to Finance as suggested by others. Periappa
expired during the year 1959, when he had planned to celebrate his 59 th year.
Periamma expired in the year 2000 at Bombay at her age of 92 yrs. They had one
son, R R Subrmanaian (RRS Mani). He was married to Sundari from Ernakulam.
Mani worked at Accountant General‟s office for a long period, then for a short
time worked with Eswaran Group at Madras and finally with Khoday Group at
Bangalore. They had two sons. Their eldest son Ramesh married Brinda and
settled down at Bombay, while their second son Ashok married Lalitha and
settled at Bangalore with his parents. RRS Mani expired at Bangalore due to a
heart attack in the year 1991; Sundari Manni was with her son Ashok and later
she explored settling down at “Vanaprastha”, a senior citizens home at
Coimbatore in the year 2005.. Uncle RSR‟s eldest daughter Parvathi married
Muthukrishnan who worked for Airport Authority Ltd and was posted at
30
various locations in India. Finally when he expired at Madras, Parvathi settled
down at Nanganallur. Uncle RSR‟s second daughter Janaki was married to
Krishnan from Madras. Having lost her husband at an early age of around 40
years, Janaki stayed with her mother while working with LIC at Mumbai and
had one son Murali and two daughters Jaya and Shantha. She expired in the year
2006. Uncle RSR‟s last daughter is Savithri who was married to Sharma and
settled down in Delhi. They had two sons.
Figure 9: Seetha’s marriage 1952 - Sitting RSS Chitti, Amma, RSR Periamma, SV Mani’s mother, Seetha
Standing_ RSS Chittappa, Appa, RSR Periappa, SV Mani’s father and SV Mani
I wish to make special mention about my Chitappa (RSS), who was our
guide and mentor, after my father expired. My brother Mani used to consult him
for every family matter. As my father had left behind a big family, my uncle was
31
particular we were settled well in life. While deciding on the girl for marriage for
my elder brother Mani, he was particular that the girl should be prepared to
adjust and fit to the family as the first daughter-in-law. My Manni
Seethalakhmi was daughter of Ramaswamy Iyer, a close friend of RSS. RSS was
very much attached to my brother and used to guide in all matters. RSS was
shocked on the unexpected expiry of my brother Mani in the year 1981 and felt
his absence at the college.
Figure 10 Patta and Family 1952 – Floor: R.V. Lakshmi, S.S. Baby, R.S. Veeran, P.R. Balan, R.S. Rajam, R.V.
Ramamurthy, R.S.Ramachandran, S.S.Mani,
Chair: R.S.Raman, R.R.S Mani, S.S.Nath, Appa with Padma, Periappa RSR, Janaki, Krishnan, Patta with
Ramakrishnan, P.K. Raghunathan, Chitappa RSS with Lakshmi, V.K.Moorthy, S.V. Mani, R.H. Raman,
First row standing: Sundari, Athai – Akka, Amma, Periamma RSR, R.R. Parvathi, Ammami, Athai – Kunjakka, Chitti
RSS, Sister Seetha, Second row standing: R.N. Krishnamani, S.S.Rajee, R.N. Rajamani, R.R.Savitri and Myself
32
RSS took a leading role in settling my marriage and the marriages of my
brother Gopal and my two sisters Lakshmi and Padma. He has actively
participated in all our family functions, including Upanayanam of my two sons
at Madras. As he was the only surviving member of the family, all other members
used to consult him for all family matters. Initially, he was staying with his
family of three sons and two daughters at Harjivandas Estate, next to Broadway
Cinema in Dadar. He was very religious and used to conduct Bhagawati Sevai
and Velakku Pooja every year, at his residence. He used to visit Tirupathi once a
year with family members. We used to spend our holidays at his house which
always welcomed us. Chitappa used to stock a basket of alphonso mangoes and
tin of biscuits which we enjoyed to our hearts content.
33
expired in December 2008.
RSS and family moved to a flat in Chembur around the period in 1960 and
used to drive his car to come to the College in Dadar. He was the only member
among his brothers to celebrate 60th birthday and enjoyed a full life and was
working at the College till the last day. During his life time, all his sons and
daughters were married and settled and he had a peaceful death on 4th January
1984, at an age of 70 years. Pankajam and myself visited Bombay to offer our
condolences to Chitti and family, on the 10th day. We cherish his memory and
remain indebted to him.
My father had two sisters, eldest was Alamelu (Akkal) who was a very
active member in the family and used to come for help for all functions in the
family. She was very close to my mother, as both our families were staying close,
during the initial stages. Her husband was Swaminatha Iyer (Dr S S Nath), who
started Saraswathi Institute of Commerce at Parel, an Institute for coaching in
shorthand and typewriting. Dr S S Nath expired in 1996, while Akka expired in
2006, during her stay with her first son Mani at Borivili. They had a big family
of four sons and five daughters. Second sister Arundathi (Kunjakkal) married
Raghunatha Iyer and stayed at Dadar. They had one son Balan and one daughter
Uma.
Thus Bombay was a hub of many of our relatives whom we used to meet in all
family functions on a regular basis.
34
Section 5: Brothers and Sisters
We are four brothers. Mani is elder to me and Ramamurty and Gopal are
younger to me. After my father‟s expiry in 1955, Mani, then 25 years old, had to
shoulder the responsibility as the head of our family. My younger brothers and
sisters, then at school and myself had very high regard for our elder brother Mani.
He had his schooling both at Delhi and Bombay. After completing Inter Science
at Ruia College, he completed Law at Bombay Law College and also did his
Advocate exam. My father got him his first job with Hollerith (a UK based
computer company) and he was posted at Calcutta to do a sales job. When my
father expired, he got a transfer to their head office in Bombay and joined their
secretarial department. He also joined our family Institute, Laxmi College of
Commerce and taught Law and Administration, on a part-time basis. He used to
have a very busy schedule with lectures in the morning and evening framing his
full time office works all six-days of the week. As my father had not left behind a
“will”, he had to go through many legal formalities to represent our family
members and obtain legal clearance of the estate -amount left behind by my father
in the banks and at Laxmi College of Commerce. With his contacts he got the help
of solicitors for this. Since all the funds were locked; RSS Chittappa helped us in
providing funds as advance from the College account, to take care of basic
expenses. Mani had a difficult time for the first three years after coming to
Bombay for resettling our family. His marriage with Seethalakshmi was
celebrated on 6th July 1958 at Bombay.
35
Figure 11 Anna and Manni in 1962
37
and I visited Bombay to meet him at the hospital. In just four months, on 23rd
Nov 1981 he was hospitalized again. On being informed by RSS Chittappa, I left
for Bombay by morning flight and went straight to the hospital only to learn that
Mani had expired at 2-00 pm. He was 51 years of age and left behind his wife
and 17 year old daughter, Kshama. His body was brought to his flat at Khar
Road, when all our relatives were waiting. The last rites were conducted by me on
behalf of my Manni; Pankajam joined me after three days. After completing the
13th day function, we left Bombay. This was the greatest shock for our family
members. From the joint financial resources of my mother and her two sons, my
brother had successfully discharged the family responsibilities of educating my
brothers and sisters and getting my sisters, Lakshmi and Padma married. Now,
Manni requested me and my younger brother Gopal to handle all the papers of my
brother RVS.
Soon, Manni was anxious about Kshama‟s marriage and we were in the
lookout for a suitable boy. Kshama‟s Nischiathartam was fixed to be held on 26th
January 1989. Pankajam, mother, Padma and I, had planned to attend the same,
from Chennai. But my mother was unwell and had to be hospitalised. Finally, I
took an Air-India night flight and attended the function held at Sion. Manni
and Kshama came to Madras to buy sarees and vessels for the marriage and she
requested our presence well in advance for the marriage. Kshama‟s marriage with
Sridhar was celebrated in a grand manner in a hall in Matunga on 13th September
1989. The reception was well organized. Pankajam, Kittu, Padma and myself
38
joined from Madras, while my sons Venkatesh joined us from Calcutta and
Ganesh from Bangalore. The marriage was well attended and our uncle V K
Moorthy of Asthika Samaj gave lot of assistance.
Sridhar decided to stay with Kshama at their flat in Khar, along with my
Manni. Their daughter Shrutha was born on 30th August 1990. In fact, I could
attend her first birthday at Bombay, during one of my official visits. Manni and
39
Kshama‟s family attended Ganesh‟s wedding in July 93 at Madras. In May 94,
we both attended Sridhar‟s brother Ramani‟s wedding at Trivandrum. During
February 95, on our way to Dubai, we could visit Khar when Kshama had
invited us for dinner. Only Manni attended my 60th birthday at Madras in
January 96. Kshama along with Shrutha joined us at Kences in May 96 for
Navagraha Homan, when they could meet Priya/Ruchika and Deepa/Vaishnavi.
Figure 14: Vaishnavi with Kshama Athai, Shrutha
40
After completing her schooling with distinction, Shrutha is now studying
for Dentistry at Nair Hospital. Sridhar continues to work at Atlas Copco which
is a Swedish firm, manufacturing compressors. His work has been well
appreciated. She expired on 25th August 2010 at the young age of 45 years. On
getting the news from Gopal, Pankajam, Deepa and self took the first morning
flight to Mumbai. It
was a blow to
Manni, Sridhar and
Shrutha.
Figure 15: Shrutha and
Manni along with Nivedita
( as Krishna), Vaishnavi (as
Kalinga) along with Deepa
and Ganesh in Nivedita’s
arangetram
My first younger brother was Ramamurthy, who did his schooling at SIES
and B. Sc at Sydenham College. He also completed professional exam ACIS of
London and worked at Calico, Tata Power and South Indian Bank; however, he
expired at a young age of 30 years due to sickness. My last younger brother is
Gopal, who completed his schooling in English School, Dadar and did his B.Com
from Bombay University. As advised by my brother, Gopal completed CA exams
and became a certified Chartered Accountant and was practicing on part-time
basis, in the same name of my father‟s firm – R S V Iyer & Co. He is
professionally well qualified and is Fellow Member of the Institutes of Chartered
Accountants and Cost & Works Accountants. He worked with many
41
organizations including Star Textiles, Automobile Products of India Christen
Holen and Voltas International, Mumbai. In 2005, he quit Voltas and after a
short stint at Captiol Industries, Mumbai, he joined Global Wool Alliance as
their CFO. Thereafter he is freelancing as a Consultant. He was married to
Mahalakshmi on 12th April 1978 and they moved to their flat in Ghatkopar in
1986. Mother was staying with them while we were at Madras.
42
Figure 17: Priya and Ajit wedding 2007
43
Figure 20: Seetha and SV Mani 1952.
45
Figure 22 Lakshmi's wedding 1973: Sitting - Padma, Pankajam, Ganesh, Kshama, Lakshmi, NVS Mani,
Venka with Sandhya, Amma, Manni. Standing – EV Krishnamurthy, Myself, Gopal and Anna, RVS Mani.
Myself and Pankajam visited Nepanagar, to conduct her Seemantham function on 3rd
March 1985. My mother was already there. It was unfortunate that she delivered a
stillborn baby at Vijaya Hospital in Madras and it was yet another disappointment
for my mother. She had no issues after this event. After his retirement, they moved to
their flat at Alwarpet in Madras, during the year 1998. They moved to a flat in
Chrompet in June 2006. My third sister, Padma was born in Bombay on 6th April
1947 and completed her Matric in the English High School, close to our house in
Dadar. She stayed with my brother Mani at Sion, till her marriage. My uncle RSS
helped us in finalizing her marriage with E V Krishnamurthy, son of E K Venkatesan
(who was running a business on cuddapah slabs in Kurnoorl, Andhra Pradesh). The
marriage was conducted in a grand manner in Bombay, on 6th Feb 1969 and a big
46
marriage party of relatives had come from
Madras. While I assisted my brother, Mani in
the marriage arrangements, Pankajam and
kids however could not attend the marriage.
Initially, Padma went and stayed at
Betamacharla along with Kittu‟s parents.
Eventually, they moved to Madras and his
60th Birthday was celebrated in the year
2001. They have three children.
Figure 23 Padma & EV Krishnamurthy, 1969
Figure 24: Padma and family 1994
47
Engineer in Madras and US and is currently, a partner to a U S Software
company Itreya Technologies. Married to Srividya in 2003, he has settled in
Bangalore with his little baby girl Aditi.. Pankajam, Deepa, Vaishnavi, Nivedita
and I had been to the Grihapravesam of his bungalow in 2007. Kittu and Padma
have now moved to Bangalore to
stay with their son.
48
Figure 28: With brothers and sisters family, Sashtiabdapoorthy, 1996
49
Section 6: School and College days
I was born on 16th January 1936, in my mother‟s house, Naduvatheri
Madom, Triprayar, Trichur District of Kerala State. I vaguely remember spending
my early days in Delhi and Simla, when my father was working for Central
Government. When we moved to Bombay, I was admitted to the SIES‟s High
school (South Indian Education Society) in Matunga, very close to Kings Circle,
a suburban railway station. I note that my date of birth had been changed to 26th
June 1936, (perhaps to show age as 6 years) while admission to the school and
this date has become the official date in my life. The school did not have uniforms
for the students and as such I used to wear a half shirt and half pant to the
school and carry a tiffin set containing curd rice (with pickles) for lunch. The
school had a shed at the rear, where students can take lunch during the recess.
My friends and I used to finish lunch quickly, so that we can play in the ground
for some time, before the bell rings. I was not amongst the best in class but
completed my school without any problem. My younger brother Ramamurthy and
sister Lakshmi used to accompany me to school. When my father left Railways
and was full time at the Institute we used to go to school by tram, . The tram
service was then very efficient in Bombay and we used to take the nearby
Kohinoor tram stop (named after Kohinoor Textile Mills). After our stop was the
Dadar Tram Terminus and the tram continues upto Kings Circle Tram Terminus.
Many times, I used to walk up to the next stop so as to save money. I also used
to enjoy chatting with the conductor when he comes for ticket collection. It was
good fun. I do not remember much of my school days. I completed the 11th
50
standard, which had the Board exam and passed out of school in 1950. I used to
play with local boys in our building compound and thus picked up spoken
Marathi. As mentioned earlier the Ganesha Chaturthi was the highlight of our
building community celebrations. I can also recall an occasion, when I took part
in a fancy dress competition held at my father‟s Institute. I dressed up as a local
fisherman and I got a prize from the chief guest at the annual function in the
Institute. My father was surprised, when he learnt of my participation. We used
to enjoy our Diwali holidays with family members. My mother prepared lot of
sweets at home which we used to distribute to friends and relatives. My father
used to discourage us from buying crackers, as he believed it to be nothing less
than „burning money‟! Our house did not have modern amenities like, telephone,
fridge, dining table, AC, TV etc. We used to enjoy our lunches and dinners by
sitting down in a circle in the kitchen with all our family members. During the
mango seasons, my mother used to buy one dozen of mangoes every week and used
to allocate one mango per head and balance reserved for guests. We always had
guests at home for stay. While the company was always enjoyable, the house
remained permanently noisy and busy. Although my father used to discourage us
from seeing films, my mother used to take us to Tamil films on Sunday mornings
at Rivoli or Aurora theaters.
I joined the Ruia College of Science in Matunga, for Inter Science. I used to
walk up from home to the College. The routine changed – no more tiffin set and
school bag. I enjoyed the College with Physics and Chemistry Labs. I still
remember the experience of dissecting frogs and cockroaches! My close friend was
51
Vishwanathan, whose father was a practicing doctor in Matunga. Both of us
used to go to the nearby Irani Restaurant and enjoy samosas and tea, during
recess time. By just obtaining 57%, I completed the Inter Science Exam of
Bombay University in 1952. During holidays, I used to spend time with my
cousin Krishnamani, who used to stay at my uncle RSS‟s house. We used to go
out for movies together. We were in the habit of seeing the first show on the first
day of the release of Hindi movies which was usually on Fridays. I still
remember the day when we both stood in the queue at Broadway Cinema Theatre
at Dadar, for getting five annas tickets (sixteen annas made a rupee) to see the
first show of the famous Hindi film “Barsat” of RK Films, on the first day of
release. During my college holidays, I took up coaching in Typewriting at Laxmi
College and passed out the 40 words-per-minute Government exam. To get my
pocket money, I used to work at the College as Typewriting class Instructor, as
Cashier and Librarian, which in fact, gave me good experience.
While discussing my future plans with the family, my elder uncle
Ramaswamy (Periappa) suggested that unlike others in the family who practiced
Accounts, I should pursue Engineering. I had no chance in getting admission in
VJTI in Bombay due to my marks and hence I started looking out for other
engineering colleges in the state. I was called for a written test and interview at
the New Engineering College, Sangli, in Maharashtra State. My father was not
very happy about it and said that in case I am interested, I can go. I took a train
to Poona and then a night train from Poona by meter gauge to Vishrambagh
Railway Station which was very close to the college. I reached in the morning
52
and walked up to the college. I met many other students, who had also come for
the interview. We were asked to use the hostel rooms and report to the college
office in the morning for the test and interview. The results were announced in
the evening and to my luck, my name was there in the list for admission to civil
engineering. That was the only branch available at that time. Selected students
had to pay up full term fees to confirm their interest, within a week. Many
students paid up the fees but I could not since I did not have the money. I went
back home next day and informed my father, who took two days to decide to send
a money order for the admission. Finally I got the admission card for the
engineering college. In fact, I was the first engineer in our big family. My mother
was not happy in my leaving home and staying in a hostel for the next three
years. It was the first time in my life at the age of 18 years that I was moving out
of home. I prepared myself for hostel life, with my belongings and set off. I was
provided a room which I shared with another co-student. A small canteen
provided us breakfast and food. My first shock was when I was dished out
Maharashtrian cuisine for meals. I had no option but to get used to the food. My
father used to send me money monthly. I had to maintain an expense account and
send a monthly summary to him. I was eagerly waiting for Diwali holidays to go
home and enjoy with the family members. On return from the holidays, my mother
prepared a tin of eatables, both sweets and savories for me to enjoy in the hostel.
But I was in for a shock. On arrival, a group of friends came to my room, opened
the tin and polished the contents within hours! I was told that this was the
normal practice in the hostels. Of course, I also got a variety of such eats from
53
other friends. During the first year, I was acquainted with two South Indian
friends, Varadarajan and Ramaswamy, both from Poona. I later came to know
that both of them had failed in the first year and taking classes with my batch for
the second time and I really got worried. We used to have a very tight schedule at
the college. We reported at 7-30 am for field work, 9-30 am for classes (after
breakfast), 4-30 pm for practical classes and close by 5-30 pm. We worked six
days a week. We had a one hour lunch break, to go to the canteen and back to
college. We had a small batch of South Indian friends in the college and we used
to meet often. We got fed up with the food in the canteen and felt that we should
set up our own. Our group of 12 south Indians, decided to have a small set up for
food in the afternoon and at night from the next year. We rented a room outside
the college campus, bought vessels and furniture (with our joint collection),
engaged a south Indian cook and started our Mess from the next year. For the
next two years, I enjoyed south Indian food including chapattis. Thanks to my
two friends who were very good in table tennis, my interest in the same also grew
and I used to play in college tournaments. I also got involved in many cultural
activities of the college. During the second year, I was elected as secretary for
college educational tour. I had wonderful experience in organizing the tour with
a group of members. Planning to visit many locations in India, we arranged with
the Railways to provide an exclusive bogie and attach the same to various trains.
We had to finalize the locations, write to the concerned authorities for visits and
prepare a schedule of our travel. We were a group 60 students and a professor
accompanying us to cover many locations of interest in the civil engineering
54
construction. This tour was arranged during the yearend holidays. Starting from
Bombay we visited Allahabad, Benares, Mokameah, Calcutta, Delhi, Bhakra
Dam, Chandigarh etc. for about three weeks. We had a wonderful experience of
studying places.
During the second year of my Engineering, I had gone home during Diwali
vacations and after the holidays, my father saw me off at Dadar Railway
Station. I, then, never realized that I was never going to see him again. A
telegram was delivered to me while I was attending a lecture at the College
stating that my father had expired due to heart failure. My friends helped in
packing my luggage and immediately boarded me in a train to Poona. When I
reached home the next day morning, I was told that cremation was over the
previous day itself and my younger brother Ramamurthy had attended to the
rites. My elder brother could reach Bombay from Calcutta, later in the evening. I
met my mother who was in deep shock and sorrow. I could not imagine as to
what will happen to all of us. Except for my brother and self, all other siblings
were youngsters. After completing 13 days of rituals, I got back to College but
however, I felt the vacuum in our family. I could not concentrate on my studies.
During the final (third) year, I decided to prepare for the exams in a
systematic manner. I planned the preparations well three months in advance and
prepared a time-table. I used to wake up at 5-00 am and continue studying upto
11-00 pm. My room-mate used to study late till midnight and get up at 8-00 am.
I had collected past three years‟ question papers and used to answer them in
55
writing, as a method of revision for my study. I did all my exams well except for
the last one, a paper on engineering design, wherein I made a small mistake in my
design calculations. Although I realized and corrected before handing in my
paper; I did not get enough time to complete the drawings and this greatly
worried me as it would affect my entire results and my toil would be fruitless. I
had requested my friends in Poona to convey the results to me on phone at the
Dadar Post office, since we did not have phone at home. On the scheduled
evening, I was eagerly waiting for the results at Dadar Head Post Office. As I
did not get a call at the expected time, I broke down thinking that I have lost.
However, after an hour of waiting, my friends conveyed the good news of my
success in the exam. I rushed to the famous Dayaram Damodar sweet shop at
Dadar Junction and took a packet of „pedas‟ (milk sweets) and rushed home to
celebrate the good news with family members. However, I suddenly felt the
absence of my father to share this achievement. My degree certificate of Bachelor
of Engineering from Poona University was received by post, as I could not
attend the convocation. Thus, in 1955, I passed out of Walchand College of
Engineering as it was subsequently called after it was funded by Walchand
Group. My mother felt proud of me, while my brother Mani and uncle RSS
congratulated me on my achievement.
56
Figure 29: Engineering degree
57
Section 7: Walchands
When I completed my Engineering in the year 1957, it was difficult to get
good jobs. I approached my college friend‟s father, who was the General Manager
of Hindustan Construction Company of the Walchand Group. He referred me to
Mr. G. B. Patel, Chief Engineer of Indian Hume Pipe Co Ltd at their head office
in Bombay. After my interview, I was offered a job as an Engineer on a three-
year agreement and I was asked to report in their Coimbatore factory. I discussed
with my uncle RSS and my brother and they agreed to my joining while my
mother was not happy. In fact, she remarked that many come from South India in
search of jobs to Bombay, while I want to move to South India! My uncle gave a
letter to one of his friends in Coimbatore to help me out in settling. I reported for
work in the month of July and stayed at their house for a week, before moving to
a lodge, close to the factory. The factory was manufacturing concrete pipes of
various diameters which are used for water supply, by a patented process and my
job was to supervise the production and achieve the schedules. The first weekend
after my joining for work, I visited our village at Ramanathapuram, Palghat and
met my grandfather (Patta) and gave him a shawl and took his blessings.
59
In the year 1958 (within one year of my joining the branch) the Circle
Manager from Madras visited our factory for inspection and called me for
discussions and later suggested that I should take over as the Manager of the
factory at Arakonam. The company gave me a scooter for my local travel.
Although I was happy I was also very nervous about shouldering the full
responsibility. In fact, the outgoing Manager (an elderly man) was not happy on
this decision. As Arakonam was very close to Madras, I used to visit the house of
my mother‟s sister Kamalam at T-Nagar. I used to have my lunch and dinner at
the Arakonam Railway Station canteen. I used to visit Madras during festivals
and holidays and spend time with my uncle and aunt. I was transferred again to
our factory in Raichur, as the factory Manager in the year 1959. I stayed in a
room with two friends and used to go to the factory in cycle. Here again, like
Arakonam, Raichur was a Railway Junction and my lunch and dinner was at the
railway station restaurant. At the factory, I got experience in the manufacture of
concrete electrical poles and used to visit sites for erection. During my visit to
Bombay, I met my Chief Engineer at head office and discussed my future career. I
expressed my concern that as a civil engineer; I was not getting construction
experience at the factories.
60
technical know-how. A massive dam was to be constructed upstream to collect
rain water which was to be conveyed by massive tunnels to generate power at the
power house located inside the tunnels on the downstream end, undertaken by
Maharashtra Electricity Board. Our contract was to fabricate pipes of various
diameters at the factory in Hadapsar, Poona, transport them to site, haul them to
tunnel by winches, erect them at site, weld, paint, and test and hand them over to
the Elecrticity Board. The Koyna Project site, Pophali, was three hours bus drive
from Poona, in Ratnagiri District of Maharashtra State. During my visits to
home, I used to carry basket full of alphonso mangoes purchased from Chiplun.
Initially, my job was to supervise the construction of sheds at our site for the
staff. Later, I was involved in the erection of the pipes in the tunnels. I used to
stay in a temporary shed along with other bachelor engineers. We had a small
mess for our food. . We used to go to site by jeep to supervise the work. We had
engaged Punjabi workmen (khalsis) for the erection work. One of my close
colleagues was Mr Menon, an aged Malayalee, who had wide experience in
erection. He gave good company to us in the mess. We had erected a small factory
at the site, where we used to assemble the pipe pieces received from factory and
move them to the tunnels. Along with an engineer from Electricity Board, my job
included checking and approving the positioning of the pipes inside the tunnel.
The erection used to continue in shifts and I could be called for checking at any
time. On an occasion I was visiting the site along with MSEB Engineer at night
for checking and approval. On my return, the jeep met with an accident and I had
61
minor injuries. After completing our first stage of the contract in 1962, I was
transferred as site-in-charge to Bhira Project, close to Poona, for erection of
tunnel pipes for Tata Hydro Electric Power Company.
62
of Bata India Ltd. On return to Bombay, Pankajam joined us at Vissanji Park.
We then went on a short honeymoon to Matheran, a nearby hill station, where
we stayed in a hotel run by a Parsi.
Figure 30 In Bombay with Pankajam 1962
64
the morning Deccan Queen train (breakfast on train) and directly report to the
work. At the office, my colleague Nagarajan who was involved in submission of
tenders for new projects and handled till receipt of orders; handed over the
responsibilities to me. It was an interesting job of planning and coordination. In
the year 1963, I was asked to move to Koyna site for completing certain balance
work and my wife Pankajam accompanied me to the site; she felt lonely at the
guest house, since other colleagues had left the site. We used to have our food in
the company canteen, managed by a Kannada cook.
However, I was not happy with my career as the company did not compensate
me well. As my requests for salary revisions, were not considered, I started
looking out for alternative opportunities. During my work, I was also involved in
having discussions with a Swiss company, Giovanola Freres, who were the
technical advisers to the project. During one occasion, one of their representatives
mentioned about their joint venture with Binny Ltd of Madras to execute hydro-
electric projects in South India and enquired if I was interested in joining them. I
took this opportunity of sending my application and I was called for an interview
at their Cochin office of Giovanola-Binny Ltd. I took a flight to Cochin via Goa
where I was interviewed by Mr Walter, an Englishman who was their Managing
Director. As I had similar experience, they offered me a job as a planning
engineer, which I readily accepted. I submitted my papers at Indian Hume Pipe
Co and I was relieved after much delay.
65
Section 8: Pankajam
Figure 34: Pankajam Graduation 1961
66
representative with Higginbotham‟s book stall at Villipuram railway station.
During his free time, I believe, he used to read the newspapers and magazines.
This improved his English skills and understanding. He was handpicked up by a
Bata Shoe Company Executive at the Railway Station and thus started his career
in Bata where he remained till his retirement at their head office. The
manufacturing facility was at Batanagar, close to Calcutta. The founder of Bata
Shoe Company was a Czechoslovak and they had factories/offices in many
countries. Ganesa Iyer joined as a salesman in one of the shops in Madras and
later worked in various shops at Madras, Srirangam and Bangalore in South
India, which gave him wide experience in sales and marketing. He was promoted
with a transfer to their head office in Calcutta in the marketing department. In
view of his sincere hard work, he was promoted as Regional Sales Manager and
he was reporting to a Czech. To develop sales and open new shops in major cities,
he had to travel to almost all cities in India. The Management nominated him to
attend the Bata Advanco Conference and he visited many places in Europe. He
received the 25 years service award from Mr Bata himself at a function held at
Calcutta, in the
year 1965.
While at
Calcutta, he
used to travel
for three weeks
in a month. His
Figure 35: Receiving Bata Service Award from Mr. Bata 1965 67
wife Laxmibhai took full responsibility of family and running the household.
68
married Nirmala at Madras in January 1975. Continuing in Bombay; initially
they stayed at Ghatkopar and later moved to a company flat in Juhu, Bombay.
After retirement in 2004, they moved to Madras and stayed with his parents at
Ashok Nagar. He worked as a Consultant at L&T E-services for a period of two
years. They moved in to their new flat at Thiruvanmiyur in August 2009. They
have only one son, Asvin, who on completing his BTech from VJTI, Bombay,
further completed his MS at University of
Illinois, Chicago and currently works with
Microsoft at their headquarters in Seattle,
US.. He was married to Kirtika in the year
2005 at Bangalore and they have a baby
girl Mira. Figure 38: Asvin Kirtika and Mira, 2010
69
Pankajam‟s younger sister Susheela completed her Degree in Calcutta and worked
for sometime in a local school at Calcutta till her marriage. She got married to S
Ramasubramanian in the year 1974, at Madras and settled down at Calicut. The
family moved to Madras in the year 1996. Their first son Shivram (Shibu) after
completing his B.E. (Mech) from Calicut University worked for a medium scale
engineering industry (Capitol Industries) for a period of five years and later joined
Infosys at Bangalore and now works for Cognizant, another software company,
at Madras. After official visits to China and US, he is presently on deputation to
US. He married Santhi in 2003 and they have two daughters, Sudeshna and
Sujana. Susheela‟s second son Ganesh (Vigu) completed his B.Com and is a
qualified Chartered Accountant. He worked for Satyam Computers at Hyderabad
and is currently with GMR group at Bangalore. He married to Priya in 2004 and
is now settled in Bangalore with their daughter, Anagha.
Figure 42: Shibu, Santhi, Sudeshna, Sujana 2010
Figure 43: Vigu, Priya and Anagha 2010
70
Figure 44: Vijayan Indira, 1982
71
working in marketing at Oracle‟s headquarters in US. Vijayan‟s second son,
Jayendra, has joined SRM University for B.E. in Computer Engineering.
72
Figure 46 Pankajam's relatives 1976- Sitting Godavari Patti,
Standing - mother, father, Jayarama Sastrigal Periappa, Periamma, Rajam Athai and Mallikeshwara Iyer Athimbar
73
Many family functions were held at Sreyas. He used to regularly visit the
house of his cousin brother, Jayarama Sastrigal who stayed at West Mambalam.
Pankajam‟s paternal grandmother Godavari Ammal expired in the year 1980, at
Sreyas and this greatly distressed their family members. Due to health problems
relating to diabetics, BP and eye problems, Pankajam‟s mother, Lakshmi Bhai,
used to regularly visit doctors at Vijaya Hospital. Her father became weak in
health and also had hearing problems, which was irritating him. Since Vijayan
and family moved out of Sreyas around the year 1990, Pankajam‟s parents
managed Sreyas alone. A cook and Pankajam‟s maternal aunt Janaki (who
expired around the year1998) also lived with them. They found company and
support when Ananthan and Nirmala moved to Sreyas, in the year 2004.
74
family was that the third generation was of sons while the fourth generation was
only girls!
When Ananthan moved out of Sreyas to occupy their new flat in August
2009, the house became vacant. A decision was taken that the house at Ashok
Nagar should be sold. Hanu Reddy Realtors identified a suitable buyer for the
property. Within two months the sale agreement was signed in October with Mr
Devanathan. The final sale deed was registered on 27th November 2009 and the
net proceeds were equally divided among the four legal heirs of the property. The
legendary house, “Sreyas” at 18 Soundara Pandyan Street, Ashok Nagar, which
had seen many auspicious events including engagements of Venka: 1989, Ganesh:
1993 and Deepa‟s seemandam: 1996, thus changed hands after 35 years.
75
Table: 4 Ganesa Iyer Family
76
Section 9: Binnys
While I was with Indian Hume Pipe Co Ltd, at Bombay, I got an
interview call from Giovanola-Binny Ltd., Cochin. I took a flight from Bombay
to Cochin via Goa. Initially, I met Mr S Venkatraman, Company Secretary at the
factory and then I was asked to meet Mr R D Walter (a Britisher and old-timer
with Binny Group), who was the Managing Director of the Company. After the
interview, I was immediately offered a job as a Planning Engineer, after
negotiating the pay packet. I was very impressed with the factory at Palluruthy,
Mattancherry, Cochin. On return, I informed my uncle and my brother of the
offer. They left the decision to my choice. However, my mother was not happy
that we have to leave home.
77
factory, through barges and picked up by cranes at the factory. The fabricated
pipes were also transported by barges to the site locations. Giovanola also
provided experienced technicians to assist in the fabrication and erection of pipes
at site. They provided training for our supervisors and workmen including
welders.
We packed up and took leave of all at home. Pankajam, baby Kannan and
I took a train to Ernakulam. I reported for duty on March 1964 and I was asked
to work with Mr Santhanagopalan, contracts manager (who was originally
working at Binny Ltd., Madras) My job was to plan and control all activities in
the execution of contracts – the major one being supply, erection and
commissioning of Penstock Pipes for Sabarigiri Hydro-electric Project in Kerala.
For few days we stayed at the house of Ramachandra Iyer (father of our relative,
Sundari) till he made arrangement to fix up a house at Vaduthala, which was not
very convenient. I had to leave home by 7-00 am after breakfast with my lunch
packet, since the factory was far away and I had to reach by bus travel. I use to
return late in the evening and was working 6-day and week. Pankajam was alone
at home with the baby and had no friends around. I had only Sunday to spend
time with them and to attend to requirements at home. During our short stay at
that place, Pankajam‟s grandmother visited us from the village. She wanted to
see the baby and meet us. It was very much inconvenient for her to travel all the
way from Villipuram to Ernakulam via Madras. After about six months, we
moved to a house within Ernakulam city and closer to my factory. In 1965, we
moved to another bungalow type house, Vimala Nivas, Srikandath Road,
78
Ravipuram and our stay was comfortable. My sister Lakshmi was attending
Maharaja‟s college and completed B. A. in June 1966. I got a second hand
Lambretta scooter during the year 1968. It was then convenient to reach office
and go out on Sundays with family. We used to regularly visit Dasaprakash
Hotel in Willington Island to enjoy ice cream and enjoy films in theatres. Both
Kannan and Mohan used to enjoy the snacks at the theatre and sleep off during
the show. Four of us used to manage to travel on the scooter with Kannan sitting
at the back stepeny tyre and Mohan standing in front (sometimes he used to sleep
off because of the cool wind). On 6th February 1969, my sister Padma‟s marriage
with Krishnamurthy was celebrated at Bombay. Pankajam, Kannan and Mohan
could not join me as the kids had measles.
79
Rajaram, who was the Cost Accountant coming from Madras. I used to get lunch
from home, while Rajaram got it from Woodlands hotel. I had occasions to travel
with my MD to project sites for technical discussions and enjoyed my work. The
externally laid pipe lines had an “expansion joints” to take care of expansion and
contraction of the line during summer and winter. The expansion joints were
machined and assembled at our sister concern, Binny Engineering Works,
Madras. I had occasions to visit this unit to schedule and expedite our orders on
them. After a period of three years, we did not have enough orders from
Electricity Boards to keep the fabrication shop fully utilized. The company
decided to take the fabrication and supply of pressure vessels for process
industries including refineries and I was also involved in procurement of various
items, which called for extensive travel to Coimbatore, Bombay, Ahmedabad and
Baroda.
80
Madras, we move to the house of our uncle Anantharama Iyer at T-Nagar. In
few days time, we fixed up a flat in Mahalingapuram.
81
the working hours for general administration was from 8-00 am to 5-00 pm.
.Figure 49 : Porur Somasundara Mudali home 1971
82
Figure 50: Kannan ( Venkatesh), 1973:
83
of the Indian Institute of Materials Management (IIMM) and he made me a
Member, which helped me to associate myself with Materials profession. This
was yet another turning point in
my professional career.
Figure 53 : 1976
85
Section 10: Venkatesh
My first son, Kannan (Venkatesh) was born on 17th June 1963 at
Calcutta, when Pankajam was with her parents at 34, Raja Bansanta Roy Road.
He was very fair and chubby and he was the first grand-child in our family. .
Kannan‟s first birthday was celebrated at Ernakulam on 4th July 1964, when
Pankajam‟s parents visited us from Calcutta. We had the religious function in
the morning and I had invited my office colleagues for a small party at home in
the evening, when they enjoyed „rasagollas‟ got from Calcutta.
86
In the year 1968, Kannan joins KG class in a local school run by “Ananda
Marg”. Pankajam used to drop and pick up from the school. After our moving to
Madras in August 1970, Kannan and Mohan joined Navina School, which was
very close to our house – Madhavan Nair Colony. Pankajam used to drop and
pick them up from the School.
88
the age of 11 years, Kannan‟s “Upanayanam” was celebrated at a nearby Hall in
May 1974. The function was well attended including my mother, uncle RSS and
brother RVS with their families. Our house was full with relatives who had come
for the function. A small reception was organized the same evening, when office
friends and school friends were invited. I got a cycle for him to go to the school.
Both Kannan and Mohan used to go to a lending library for books on Ragaviah
road, close to our house. They both learnt driving scooter of mine, which became
useful at a later stage.
89
Figure 57: Pankajam’s relatives at Venka's upanayanam
In June 1978, Kannan passed X standard in 1st class (63%) from PSBB.
while Mohan passed Std VI, at Padma Seshadri School, Nungambakkam. On
5th Sept 1978, we moved to a company leased flat at Kamdar Nagar, on the first
floor, which was very spacious and
convenient. During the summer
vacations in April 1979, we planned
our first holiday to Kodaikanal Hill
Station. We had the wonderful
experience of traveling by AC I class
from Egmore to reach Kodaikanal
Figure 58: Holiday in Kodai
90
Road Station, the next day morning. We took a bus to reach the Hill Station and
went to the company maintained Guest House – “Fair View”. We enjoyed our
10-day holiday visiting various locations, including boating in the Lake. Our stay
was made comfortable by the Caretaker-cum-Cook, who cooked delicious food to
our order; Kannan and Mohan used to enjoy different varieties of Cakes made by
him. I used to help him in learning car-driving till he got the license.
In June 1980, after securing first class (72%) in Std XII, Venkatesh (name
was changed) was anxious to join Commerce stream in the best college. He secured
admission at Vaishnav College and paid the fees. Pankajam‟s father talked to his
neighbor Mr Kumaraswamy, the then Registrar of Madras University, with
whose reference, Venka got B. Com admission at Loyola College, Nungambakkam
in June 1980. We were thrilled. In February 81, Venkatesh passed CA entrance
exam and in April 1983 Venkatesh joined A. F. Fergusons – Chartered
Accountants, as articled clerk, after passing out his B. Com from Madras
University. In fact, he could get in to AFF, a prestigious organization, only
through the reference made by
my late brother RVS Mani. .
In June 84, Venkatesh passed
out Inter CA, both groups in
first attempt. We enjoyed our
holiday in Kodaikanal during
the month of June 85.
Figure 59: Holiday in 1985
91
In the month of August, Venkatesh passes Inter ACS (Company Secretary)
exam, both groups in first attempt, getting All India 4th position. The New Year
1986, brought the good news of Venkatesh passing out the Final CA (Institute of
Chartered Accountants) exam, obtaining 5th All India Rank, This was indeed, a
very great achievement and a proud moment for all of us. He worked for a short
period with Sundaram Clayton factory, Padi, Chennai.
92
settled down at Sharda Apartments, Punkunnum, Trichur, being his native place.
93
Figure 61: Venka - Priya reception
94
Figure 63: Sridhar, Jaya, Nandini and Sagar, 2010
95
In July 95, Venkatesh booked a flat at Kences Enclave at T-Nagar by paying
the initial advance. We conduct the Grihapravesam at Kences in the month of
October. On 20th December 95, Sripriya delivers a baby girl (Ruchika) at
Bangkok Hospital. Priya could not join my 60th Birthday celebrations held on
10th February 96, at Madras. We both shift to Flat-2B, II Floor, Black-8,
Kences Enclave, 1-Ramakrishna Street, (close to North Usman Road) T-Nagar,
in the month of April 96. In the month of May, Sripriya arrived at Madras with
the baby along with her mother. On 25th May, Navagraha Homan was
performed at Kences flat with Ruchika, Vaishnavi, Priya and Deepa when
Kshama and Shrutha also joined. On 6th June, Sripriya with baby left for
Bangkok from Madras. Pankajam and myself made our first visit to Bangkok in
December 1996, to join the first birthday celebrations of Ruchika. Priya‟s parents
and brother Srikanth had come to Bangkok from Bhilai, earlier to our arrival.
Figure 66: First Bangkok trip 1996
96
24th Dec to 30th Dec, we visited Pattaya Beach/ Coral island, “Eravan” temple
(dancing girls), Grand Palace, Buddha temple. Royal Lapidary (gem stone factory
and jewellery shop), temple tour including three main Buddha temples (reclining
Buddha with gold covering), „Seacon‟ stores – special laser show for X-mas,
Floating market etc.
97
On the 24th, we both visited the Rice Barge by boat cruise which was
really enjoyable. On 26th Jan, Venka gifted me a shirt on my birthday, followed
by a special lunch (rasmalai, mysorepak) at home. Venka, Priya and Ruchika saw
us off at the airport on 28th Jan, for our return to Chennai. Pankajam‟s father
greeted us at the airport.
We all left for Malaysia by tourist bus and checked in to Hotel Noble, on
10th June. Next day, we took a tourist bus for a conducted tour to country
places, tin factory, boutique factory, typical Malay village house, curio factory,
Museum, Palace etc. Next day, we went to “Genting Highlands”, an hour up the
hill, by a special taxi. We covered Theme Park, Casino and returned to city by
evening and had a north Indian dinner at Sogo Mall. Next day, we visited
99
the famous “PETRONAS Twin Towers” having 84 floors and enjoyed sightseeing
from 41st floor. After having dinner at Mr Raman‟s house, we returned to
Singapore by night. On 16th June, we spent some time with Stuthi at her flat.
Next day, we received Ganesh, Deepa and Vaishnavi at the airport and all of us
along with Stuthi came home to celebrate Venka‟s birthday. On 23rd June, our
entire family members of Self, Venka and Ganesh spent a picnic dinner at a
reservoir and visited zoo for night Safari – a wonderful experience. Next day, we
all enjoyed the East Coast Park Beach, Clark Quay and boat ride on the river. On
25th June, we took our flight back to Chennai along with Vaishnavi, while
Ganesh and Deepa left for Bangkok on a holiday. Ruchika was in tears at the
airport to see off the guests. Ramanathan and Girija along with Nivedita
received Vaishnavi at the Chennai airport.
100
Figure 71: Singapore 2002
102
Figure 75:
Keerthi in 2009
On Venka‟s birthday, we
celebrated at night by
home-made cake and
Nirmala had prepared special dishes for dinner. Priya took Nirmala to Malaysia
103
by train and spent two days, visiting tourist spots. We had to take care of
Ruchika and Kiku during Priya‟s absence from home. We both could also attend
to individual sitting with a preceptor by bus. Nirmala returned to Chennai after
three weeks stay at Singapore. We visited Hema‟s house and then Kausik‟s house
for evening tiffin. Venka and self attended Chandru‟s convocation at NUS, on
his completing Bachelor in Computer Engineering. Ruchika had her music classes
at SIFA on Sundays. We changed our programme to visit Hyderabad to attend
Master‟s 78th Birthday Celebrations and left Singapore on 23rd July.
Figure 77: Venka's family 2005
107
left for Singapore by end of the month.
108
In December, Venka comes to Chennai for a 2-day stay on return from
Mumbai on official work. During his stay, we took him to SRCM Ashram at
Manapakkam. Later, Venka and
family spent a holiday in
Hongkong.
Sripriya had completed the degree in Bachelor in Education (B. Ed) and
was employed in a school as a teacher while they were at Bangkok and got good
experience. After coming to Singapore, she joined as a teacher for class 1 in the
same school that Ruchika and Kritika attended, from the year 2007. She took
interest in studying for Montessori system of teaching and passed the exam in the
year 2009. Her teaching assignment took much of her time every week from
Monday to Saturday, with heavy load of assignments and class work. However,
her work was well appreciated at the school and she was selected for the 3-day
workshop training at Dubai. On return from Dubai, Priya gave a gift to
Pankajam – 5grm gold coin.
On 8th June, Priya and Kiku left for Trichur and returned after 10 days.
We get news that Kausik get surgery done for „slip-disc‟ at Apollo Hospitals,
Chennai. I had a severe pack pain for about a week. Venka‟s birthday on 17th
June was celebrated – he cut a cake in the evening and we had mangoes for
“desert”. Pank had prepared special lunch for the day. We presented a formal
shirt and a T-shirt to him. We also gave dresses to both Ruchika and Kiku.
Venka had gone to US on official work, for one week. On 3rd July, Venka, Priya
and Kiku had come to the airport to see us off and we took the Tiger airways.
Received by Deepa at the Chennai airport, we came home in the evening
110
after having lunch at Vijayan‟s house. In the month of September, Venka gets
posted as Head of Finance at HP.
111
Table 5: T S Ramaswamy Family
Names RLT DOB Star Gothram DOM
112
Section 11: Ganesh
My second son Mohan was born on 19 February 1967 in Calcutta.
After a short stay there, Pankajam, Kannan and Mohan took a flight from
Calcutta to Madras and I received them at the airport. We took a night train to
Ernakulam. On my transfer to Binny‟s Engineering Works, we came to Madras
in June 1970 and stayed there in my maternal uncle‟s (Anantharama Iyer) house
in T-Nagar. After two days, we moved to a flat on the first floor of Madhavan
Nair Colony, Nungambakkam. Mohan met with an accident and fell down from
the first floor. Luckily, he only got a minor injury! We rushed him to Dr.
Sunderaraman in T-Nagar.
114
On 29th January 1978, we celebrated the “Upanayanam” of Ganesh
in the same Hall at Madras, which was well attended by all our relatives. After I
joined Audco on May 1978, we moved to flat in Kamdar Nagar in September
1978. Mohan passed to VI standard. After the exams in April 1979, all four of
us had our first holiday in Kodaikanal. We travelled by AC First class which was
a thrill for Kannan and Mohan!! (Their names were changed to Venkatesh and
Ganesh later.)
As I did not have much time to spare, Pankajam took full care of the
education of Venkatesh and Ganesh, for example: she used to help them with
their studies on a daily basis. They were sent to special classes to learn Hindi at
the Hindi Prachar Sabha. Both of them passed their exams. I could spend time
with them only during the night (when I used to tell them fictional stories) and
they used to listen to them with great interest.
115
We moved to another flat in Ashok Nagar in September 1981. Ganesh used
to attend his classes in Nungambakkam by taking the bus from Ashok Nagar. In
June 1982, he passed X Standard with 78% and a 3rd rank in his school. We
gave a treat to Ganesh for his brilliant performance in his school exams, with
snacks and ice-cream at the Nala Restaurant (Opposite Music Academy).
Pankajam‟s parents also joined us.
In April 1984, Ganesh appeared for the Joint Entrance Exam for IIT
(Indian Institute of Technology). On 17th May 1984, we got the good news of
Ganesh passing 12th Standard CBSE obtaining 92% and standing 8th in All
India ranking. He was 1st rank at his school. Indeed a great achievement!! On
19th May, we had a dinner party for him in Hotel Palmgrove, and Kshama and
her mother joined us. We got the second good news
when Ganesh passed IIT – JEE, obtaining 229th
rank. It was all excitement and celebrations at home!
On 28th June 1984, Ganesh got admission to IIT –
Madras, in Mechanical stream.
In July 1990, Ganesh left for Bangkok for a 3-week training of Citibank
117
and enjoyed the holiday as well. In August 1992, Ganesh left for Guam for
training. He worked at Citibank, Madras till he was transferred to Dubai in
1993. He used to attend office on Mount Road using the scooter at home. In
April 1992, Pankajam, Ganesh and I enjoyed a holiday at Audco guest house at
Kodaikanal. Inspite of initial plans, Venkatesh and Sripriya could not join us. .
118
On 5th May 1993, Ganesh‟s engagement with Deepa was conducted at
Sreyas, Ashok Nagar. In June, Ganesh visits Dubai on official work. On 4th July
1993, the wedding “nischiathartam” was held at the prestigious AVM Rajeswari
Hall, Mylapore. Many of our relatives including Venkatesh/Priya, NVS
Mani/Lakshmi, Manni and Sridhar/Kshama join us from outstation.
On 5th July, the wedding was celebrated at the Hall. The evening reception was
well attended by my Audco colleagues and friends. It was a grand event. Ganesh
and Deepa went for
honeymoon at Audco
Guest House in
Kodaikanal. On 29th
August, Ganesh left to
Dubai along on transfer
along with Deepa.
119
We planned our first visit to Dubai (and outside India) in February 1995,
via Bombay. We spent two days at Bombay to meet our relatives and took the
evening Emirates flight. On arrival, we were given a special welcome by Ganesh
and Deepa and went to their flat at “Golden Sands”. During our three week
holiday, we visited many interesting places including, Burjuman, Choitram,
Ramada Hotel and Gold Souk where we bought gold jewellery. We also had a
long car drive to cover Burdubai, Diera, Jumeira, Amrita, Corniche, Trade Centre,
Makhtoum Bridge, Hyatt Hotel, Dubai Metropolitan, Crown Plaza, Alghurair
Centre and Wafi shopping mall. Deepa‟s relative Ranganathan took us for a 30
minute drive in his car to Sharjah and we joined them for dinner. We had a
wonderful family get-together at Safa Park with dinner. During this period,
Deepa was working as an Executive at Eagle Star Insurance Co. Ganesh cut two
cakes for his birthday, when many of his friends joined.
120
I had a very minor accident. I slipped in the bathroom and had a cut on the
forehead and was rushed to a nearby clinic by Deepa. The same evening, I
delivered a lecture on MRP-II and JIT Production to Executives of Algurg
Fosrock Co, arranged by Vishwanathan. We returned to Chennai via Bombay
after spending a wonderful holiday.
121
15th April 98, Deepa delivers a baby girl, Nivedita.
We had a long car drive covering Hamria, Mamzar Park and Jumeira
Beach. We also visited the 6-sar Chicago Beach Hotel and Lulu Supermarket,
where Ganesh presented us with an
“answering machine”. Ganesh was
designated as VP-Operations and had
holidays on Fridays. During Ramadan
festival, Ganesh had one week holiday.
He took us on a long car drive (150
KM) to Khorfarkan, Masafi, Dibba,
Fujairah, Friday market etc. We also
visited Abudhabi (a 150 km drive)
through an excellent highway.
On New Year‟s Day, after having a special lunch at home, we left for
another 150 km drive to Jebel Hafeet Zoo and Al Ain Fun city, when families of
122
Sridhar and Vichu joined us. We also visited the house of Krishnan/Akilandam
(Nirmala‟s relatives) at Sharjah. We used to enjoy chats at “Bombay
Chowpathy”. On return in January 99, Vaishnavi joined us; the flight was
delayed and got diverted to Mumbai and finally landed at Madras. Ramanathan
and Girija had come to the airport to take Vaishnavi home with them.
In March 99, Ganesh and Deepa went for a 3-week holiday to Europe
(Vaishnavi and Nivedita were at Prithvi). Nivedita‟s first birthday was
celebrated at Swamy‟s Hall in Chennai. We get the good news that Ganesh was
promoted as Vice President, Citibank at Dubai. Kausik joined Asian Institute of
Technology at Bangkok for completing MBA.
birthday 1999
During
February 2000,
Ganesh goes to
London for three
weeks. Vaishnavi
becomes ill and needs
a hernia operation.
Girija visits Dubai to help. We had anxious moments about her health. However,
soon Vaishnavi performs on stage for a dance programme as Krishna.
123
Ganesh goes in for the prestigious Mercedes
Benz Car in May 2001. During the month
of June, Ganesh, Pankajam, Vaishnavi,
Nivedita and I, visit Tirupathi by a special
van. On 29th July 2001, Vaishnavi
performs a dance programme in Chennai and
wins the Best dancer‟s award from
Nrithyopasana. Ganesh attends a one week
course of “Art of Living” in Bangalore.
Deepa‟s dance group has a dance
programme at Indian Consulate in Dubai.
Ganesh gets ten-year service certificate and
gold coin of 10gms from Citibank Figure 103: Vaishnavi as Krishna 2001
During Feb 2002, we both left for our third visit to Dubai on 8-week
holiday. We attend the dance programme of Dhananjayan and Shanta at Indian
School. We all left for Muscat a 5-hr drive to cover 450 km and stayed in a
Hotel. We enjoyed dolphin watching and after having lunch at Arun‟s house,
(Deepa‟s relative) we visited Qantab Beach, Bustan Palace Hotel, Rose Gardens
and had dinner at SS Venkat‟s house. At Dubai, Sthuthi was working for
Emirates and joins us for lunch. We also attend a music concert of Unnikrishnan
at Hotel Renaissance. We visit Dubai Festival in Global Village, Alguhrair
University, Creek Park and also an evening programme in Nivedita‟s school. On
Women‟s Day, Deepa had submitted Pankajam‟s application in a programme and
124
Pankajam won an award.
125
Figure 106: Ganesh's family, 2002
We both left in August 2004 for Manchester via Dubai (Emirates flight)
on an 8-week holiday. At Dubai, we had to rush from Gate No 4 to Gate No 38,
to take the flight to Manchester. Ganesh, Deepa and the children received us at
the airport and drove home to Didsbury by a blue Toyota Lexus car. It was twin
block three story house having; Living room, Kitchen, Dining room and one
126
bathroom on the ground-floor, two bed rooms, two bathrooms and washing room
on first-floor and two more bed rooms and one bathroom on second-floor. All the
rooms have radiators to fight the cold weather. Ganesh took us to the house of Dr
Naren, a preceptor of SRCM for individual sitting for himself and Pankajam.
We also visited Knowsley Safari Park, driving in the open area when
animals came close to the car (two monkeys sitting on the bonnet). Deepa
conducted music classes for children at home on Friday evenings and dance class
at Oldham on Saturdays. During our stay, we joined the family for Gayatri
Japam, Sama Veda Upakarma and Vinayaka Chaturthi. We could never forget
our trip to “Cadbury World” (a one hour drive from home). We visited the factory
and assorted factory shop.
We had the opportunity of visiting the 100 yr old “Quarry Bank Mill”. The
looms were being run by the shaft
which was run by the velocity of
the river water. We enjoyed an
evening dance programme of five
girls, a Kathak dance programme
at The Lowry and an English
Drama at the Opera House. We
had a two-hour drive to Cheshire
– the city of Romans. We returned
to Chennai on 4th Oct thus
completing our eventful holiday.
Figure 107: Ganesh's family in 2005
128
In July 2005, Vaishnavi performed her arangetram at
Music Academy. This was well attended and appreciated. In
August, Deepa and the girls had five dance programmes in
Thanjavur
and Chennai.
129
During January 2006, I receive greetings from Singapore and Manchester,
being my 70th birthday; I also receive a special flower bouquet and cake from
Ganesh and Deepa. On my star birthday, Ganesh arranges a party at home with
high tea for close relatives on 22nd January, during his visit to Chennai.
In September, Deepa was very useful when the rituals were conducted on
the expiry of Pankajam‟s mother and father. Ganesh was promoted as Head of
Cards for Europe, Middle East & Africa. In December, Ganesh purchases his
house at Manchester.
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piano, dance and choir practices during the
week and weekends. We joined in Babuji‟s
birthday celebrations at SRCM centre.
Figure 113: Spring 2008, Manchester
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Figure 114: Llandudno Pebble Beach
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Figure 116: Father's day celebration 2008 Figure 117: Autograph from Abdul Kalaam
Figure 118: Group photo 2010
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In July and August, Ganesh and family spent a four week holiday in USA.
They visited the houses of our relatives – Ramachandran, Venkat and Madhu.
Deepa‟s father arranged to sell off Ganesh‟s flat at Fairmont Gardens for 45 L.
In September, the financial crisis in US was reported. This also affected
Citibank, which was later bailed out by the US government. Kausik and family
spent a holiday in Manchester. Deepa‟s parents also join them for Diwali.
On May 2009, we get the good news that Vaishnavi has matured. To mark
this, Deepa‟s parents visit Kences with gold and silver jewellery along with
sweets, for Vaishnavi. The items included a coral necklace, gold ring, bangles,
diamond ring, silver flower basket, plate, glasses and a sari along with a makeup
set. We present Vaishnavi, a garnet with zircon necklace, earrings and bracelet.
Ganesh comes from Manchester to join us to visit Tiruppur and attend Master‟s
83rd Birthday on 24th July.
Figures 119 – 121: Vaishnavi’s gifts
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In the 5th Anniversary celebration of Upasana in September, Deepa and
her students performed a grand song and dance programme in Manchester.
Upasana is a non-profit UK based group formed in 1994 by Deepa and is a
cultural experiment in South Asian arts. It organizes a series of workshops and
classes to serve as a centre for excellence in Bharatanatyam. Upasana‟s activities
are funded from annual grants awarded by Government and various other charity
organisations.
In June, we also got news from Deepa that she met with a car accident.
Although she is ok, their car was written off. On the 5th of July, Ganesh came
from Bangalore after attending 20 years celebration of IIM Alumni‟s 1990 batch.
Deepa and Nivedita direct from Manchester. On 5th July, Ganesh and Deepa
celebrate their wedding anniversary. All of us are invited by Kausik for a
celebration at Park Sheraton. We present and ARY golden Taj Mahal for them.
After a very relaxing holiday at Yelagiri, on July 16th Ganesh performs
Grihapravesam for his flat at Poes Garden.
Figure 122: Grihapravesam, Poes Garden
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Figure 123: Ganesh’s family, 2010
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Table 6: C.V. Ramanathan Family
Names RLT DOB STAR GOTHRAM DOM
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Section 12: Audco
Audco India Limited was a 50:50% joint venture between
Larsen & Toubro Limited and Audco Valves Ltd of UK. They had established a
modern factory at Manapakkam on the Mount-Poonamalee Road, Madras. The
main business was design, manufacture and supply of industrial valves for
process industries. They held technical collaborations with many international
valve companies. I reported for duty on 3rd May 1978 as Assistant Manager,
Purchase with Mr M R Gangolli, Materials Manager. Initially, I had my doubts
on assimilating into the L&T culture and my acceptance into the company. I was
using my scooter to attend the office. I was eligible to have a car as per company‟s
car scheme. I joined the Bharath Driving Institute at Nungambakkam and got
my driving license by first week of July. I was also eligible for a leased
accommodation and we moved to a two-bed room first floor flat at Kamdar
Nagar near Mahalingapuram on Ganesh Chaturthi, 5th September. The famous
playback singer S P Balasubramanian (SPB) and his sister Shailaja were staying
very close to our flat. I purchased a Dyanora TV, a sofa set and Atlas cycle for
Ganesh. I selected a second hand Ambassador Car (TMX 5477) in the month of
April 79 and started taking the car to the office with the assistance of a
temporary driver.
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fasteners, packing etc for the manufacture of various sizes and types of valves. I
had to officially visit various locations like Coimbatore, Bombay, Ahmedabad,
and Bhavnagar. The office timing was 8-30 am to 5-30 pm on Mondays to
Fridays and 8-30 am to 1-00 pm on Saturdays, the factory was operating in two
shifts from 6-00am to 10-30 pm. I used to have breakfast at home and have
excellent buffet lunch at the company. I enjoyed the discipline and work culture
of the company. One day, I had a wonderful experience. While I was working
late in the evening, my Chief Executive, Mr R K Gupta, passed through my cabin
and on seeing me, came in and asked me, “Hope everything is fine at home?” I
said, “Yes.” He continued, “Why are you, then, at the office at 6-30 pm?” (He
expected everybody to leave the office by 5-30 pm) I had to explain that I was
collecting certain papers for my next day visit to Coimbatore!
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was very friendly with Venka and Ganesh. In the month of Nov 1981, my boss
Mr Gangolli was transferred to Bangalore factory, while my colleague Mr
Chakravarthy took over from him. On 22nd May 1983, we performed
“Grihapravesam” at our new HIG flat at Rajamannar Salai, K K Nagar. At
Audco, I was eligible for leased flat for our stay (a 10% of salary was deducted
for using leased accommodation) We discussed whether we should continue to
stay in leased flat or move to our flat in K K Nagar. Considering the overall
savings, we finally moved to our flat on 28th August 1983 (address: SB-2, Selfin
Apartments, Rajamannar Salai, K K Nagar, and Chennai 600078). Our
neighbour at SA-2, was Mr Ramamurthy and his wife, who moved in from
Dubai. At a later date, this flat was occupied by Mr Vasudevan and
Vijayalakshmi with their two sons. Another family who was very close to us was
that of Mr D K Moorhty staying at SD-2, along with his elderly mother, wife
Saroja and two sons – Kannan and Sundar. His mother used to visit our house
very often to spend time with my mother. They used to attend all our family
functions.
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progress. In fact, they wanted to post an engineer to Production, who had less
experience in that area, so that new ideas of Production Management can be
thought of. I expressed my inexperience in the areas of Labour Management; they
assured me that they will support me in this particular area. On 3rd December
1983, I took over as Manager, Production to handle the entire production
activities of the company, both Plug and GGC valves. I was asked to shift to the
cabin inside the works, for better interaction and control. The work was very
challenging and my experience in Production Planning helped. I quickly
introduced systems to review daily production and to submit monthly production
report to management.
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for supply of critical raw-materials and components. During our stay at K K
Nagar, I used to pool car with two of my Audco friends, Mr V V Krishnan and
Mr N Mahalingam, to attend the office.
On 4th January 1984, my uncle RSS expired at Bombay. He was in the hospital for a
week before his expiry, at his age of 70 years. Myself and Pankajam visited
Bombay to offer our condolences to my aunt and their family members, on the
10th day function. On 27th April 1984, Narayani Ammal (popularly called as
Ammami), step mother of my father, expired at Bombay, at her age of 87 years.
We had long association with her,
during our frequent visits to our
Ramanathapuram village. In October 84,
I attend the 2-week training programme
on Production Management at the
prestigious Administrative Staff College,
Hyderabad, sponsored by the company.
Figure 126: ASCI, Hyderabad 1984
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Figure 127: Audco Guest House in Kodai
Audco Board had eight members, represented by four from L&T and
four from partnering US Company by name Invensys, who took over from BTR,
UK. At the Board meeting held in January 1986 at Madras, the foreign
Directors were not happy with the financial performance of Audco and they
wanted detailed analysis of groupwise profitability on each of the products. The
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analysis revealed that GGC Group which represented 30% of the turnover was
operating in a loss and other product groups were contributing to the overall
profitability. L&T management was asked to review and take corrective actions
for GGC group. With the result, on 7th May 1986, I was re-designated as
Production Manager, GGC Valves, which turned to be a challenge for me. Over
the years, I made lot of changes which included cutting down the third shift
operations, closing down the component cell and reducing manpower, both
supervisory and workmen. I had a good team of supervisors, who supported my
activities on the shop floor. Audco celebrated silver jubilee on 21st January 1987
with special programmes and a dinner was organized at Hotel TAJ on 22nd
January, wherein silver jubilee mementos were distributed to senior staff
members. Later, workers were given a watch as mementos. Pankajam missed the
celebrations, as she was in Calcutta, during this period. Asvin‟s Upanayanam
was performed 0n 19th Feb 87 at Madras, while that of Shibu was on 4th March
87 at Calicut. On 30th March 87, Pankajam starts “Devi Bhagavatam” at home.
On 2nd October 1988, Pankajam and I left for Kasi Yatra. We completed
rituals at Allahabad, Sangamam (river), and reached Benares on 6th Oct and
stayed till 12th October completing various pujas and temple visits. Our stay was
with a sastrigal‟s family in Benares and was very comfortable. On 13th October,
Pankajam took upadesam for “japam” from the senior sastrigal. We completed
rituals at Gaya on 14th-15th and took a train to Calcutta (it was an ordeal to get
into the reserved compartment and we had difficult time in the train). We both
stayed with Venkatesh for a week and enjoyed the Durga Pooja celebrations in
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Calcutta. We then visited Rameswaram on 27th and 28th October, to complete
the pilgrimage and conducted a final pooja at home.
On 23rd May 94, Pank and self attend the wedding of Ramani (Kshama‟s
brother-in-law) at Trivandrum, when Manni anxiously informed about Kshama‟s
health. On 25th June, 1994, I retired from the services of Audco India Ltd, after
enjoying 16 years. As a gesture, Audco took me as a part-time Advisor
(Consultant) in materials management and productivity systems for one year from
1st July 94. My assignment covered all the three plants at Manapakkam,
Maramalainagar and Kancheepuram, which I used to visit on a weekly basis. I
used to collect data on inventory, analyse and submit monthly reports to
Management. I also assisted the Unit Heads of MM Nagar and Kancheepuram
in their improving overall productivity in their activities. On 30th June 96, my
special assignment at Audco came to an end and with it my wonderful
association with Audco India Ltd. (L&T Group). A grand send-off party
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was arranged by my colleagues and staff members, in which Pankajam also
participated. In my total career span, I consider my work at Audco very
satisfying wherein I much enjoyed the L&T culture. I continue to cherish my
special memories in Audco.
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Section 13: Professional
I wanted to plan my retirement days well such that I keep
myself busy both physically and mentally. I realized that my “strengths” were in
two areas, Consultancy and Training. Along with a book shelf and computer
with a printer, I set up an office in one of the rooms at Kences flat. I attended a
2-week training programme in computers, to familiarize myself with the use of
computers for professional work in Word, Excel and Power Point. I also took the
services of a Chartered Accountant – Mr Venkateswaran, to help me in filing my
income-tax papers.
149
attending a training organized by IIMM at Bombay and Bangalore, I became
one of the Certified Trainers of ITC, Geneva, for their Modular Learning System
in “International Purchasing & Supply Chain Management.
Figure 129: IIMM fellowship, 1994
Figure 130: Fellow Member 1994
Figure 131: Training in IIMM 1995
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Figure 133: Distinguished member award 1997 151
I always had a dream to write a book and the first success was to co-
author an International Book on “Introduction to Materials Management”
which was released by IIMM President at Chennai in February 2007. I have
presented many technical papers to various national and international seminars.
Many of my technical articles and book reviews have been published in
professional magazines.
Figure 134: Book 2007
Figure 136: Dubai training, 2002 Figure 137: ITC Geneva, 2002
152
Figure 138: IIMM Newsletter, 2007
153
During my career, I had undergone various professional training
programmes including Total Quality Management (TQM), Enteprise Resource
Planning (ERP), Just-in-Time (JIT) Production, Business Process Re-engineering
(BPR), Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) and ISO 9000 Quality Systems.
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Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Chennai, 2002:
Prepare a Procedure Manual of Materials Management System as
a Consultant for IIMM, along with a colleague.
Kirloskar Electric Co Ltd., Bangalore, 2006,:
A Diagnostic Study on Material Planning and Procurement
Process prescribing Procedure Manuals for - Central Planning &
Control, Material Planning & Control and Production Planning
& Control. Assisted by Mr Venkatasubramanian,
Tamilnadu Newsprint & Papers Ltd, Pugalur, 2006:
Inventory Optimization of Consumables and Machinery Spares,
as a Consultant for IIMM, along with a colleague.
In fact, I really enjoyed working on consultancy assignments where I could
fully utilize my professional experience. The work involved travel to the Works
and client‟s office, holding several meetings, preparation of stagewise reports and
presentation of the reports to top management.
Figure 139: EDP Training at Dubai,2002
155
Figure 140: EDP Coimbatore, 2005
156
I was involved in educational activities, mainly for Institutions
conducting classes for MBA. I taught Operations Management and Supply
Chain Management to leading Institutions in Chennai including Loyola Institute
for Business Administration (LIBA), IFMR, ITM, ICFAI and Apollo Institute
of Management. I also conducted regular classes for IIMM for the Diploma and
Post Graduate Diploma in Materials Management (PGDMM). I served as a
Project Guide for many students of MBA in Materials Management and
PGDMM.
Legend
GB Giovanola-Binny Ltd
MM Materials Management
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Table 7: R V Ramakrishnan- Summary of Career
NO YEAR MO FIRM LOCATION POSITION
1 1957 July IHP Coimbatore Factory Engineer
2 1958 Aug IHP Arakonam Factory Manager
3 1959 June IHP Raichur Factory Manager
4 1960 April IHP Koyna Works Erection Engineer
5 1962 Jan IHP Bhira Works Erection Manager
6 1962 July IHP H.O. - Bombay Planning & Progress Engineer
7 1964 Mar GB Cochin Planning & Progress Engineer
8 1970 July BEW Madras Planning Engineer
9 1975 Jan BEW Madras Supdt. - Materials
10 1978 May Audco Madras Asst Purchase Manager
11 1980 Nov IIMM Madras Branch Secretary
12 1981 Oct Audco Madras Purchase Manager
13 1982 Sept IIMM Madras Branch Chairman
14 1983 Sept IIMM Bombay National Council Member
15 1983 Dec Audco Madras Manager - Production
16 1986 May Audco Madras Production Manager - GGC
17 1990 June Audco Madras DGM – Gate Valves Manufacturing
18 1994 Mar Audco Madras Deputy General Manager – Manuf.
19 1994 June Audco Madras Retired from Service
20 1994 July Audco Madras Consultant - Materials
21 1994 Dec IIMM Bombay National Fellow Member
22 1996 Jan Omnicast Madras Consultant - Operations
23 1997 Nov IIMM Bombay National Distinguished Member
24 1998 Jan Capitol Madras Consultant - Operations
25 2000 Jan Madras Management & Training Consult.
26 2006 Oct IIMM Bombay National Best Faculty Award
27 2007 Feb IIMM Bombay Release of Book on MM
28 2010 Jan Madras Retired from professional activities
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Section 14: Post Retirement
Figure 142: Selfin Apts., 1995
160
On 12th April, we both shifted to Flat-2B, Block 8, and Kences Enclave
at T-Nagar and arranged for “Nava Graha Homam” in the month of May, when
Sripriya with Ruchika, Deepa with Vaishnavi, Kshama with Shrutha, joined us
for the function. At Kences, our neighbour is Mr Hashumall and his family – his
wife, his first son Ashok with his wife Madhuri, daughters Mona and Sonica; his
second son Pritam with his wife Neha, son Hitesh and daughter Urja. Kences is
having eight blocks of seven floors each to cover 125 flats. We have a well
structured Association with elected executive members including President, Vice
President, Secretary, Treasurer and eight block representatives. The daily
activities of the complex are being handled by an Office Manager.
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Figure 146-: 70th Birthday
In March 2008, I had laser surgery for cataract of right eye at Dr Agarwal
Clinic and after a gap of two weeks, underwent surgery for the left eye. In April,
Pankajam had her eye check up at Dr Agarwal Clinic for her cornea and cataract
problem and she was recommended not to undergo cataract surgery. In August, I
took delivery of new car, UVA model of Chevrolet, after selling the Maruti car.
163
The year 2009 opened with the news about the financial fraud at Satyam
Computers, Hyderabad and Mr Barack Obama elected as the 44th president of
US. In July, I met Dr Bharathshankar who advised certain exercises for the
back hip and neck pain and later added exercises using the “tower‟ equipment.
Our driver Vijayakumar has been very sincere in his services to us for the past
fifteen years. He comes by cycle from his present house at West Mambalam. He
has been assisting us in errands like, paying electricity bills, couriering, posting
letters and money orders etc.
164
Section 15: Master
Figure 147: Lalaji Maharaj Figure 148: Babuji Maharaj Figure 149: Chariji
165
„prayer‟ before going to bed at night. (For more details log on to www.srcm.org)
Ganesh had come to Chennai on a holiday from Dubai during the month of
July 2002 and incidentally brought a book of Ram Chandra Mission (given to
him by his family friend Mr Pramod at Dubai) and gave to Pankajam to read and
to obtain more details about the Mission. On contacting the Mission office in
Manapakkam, she was advised to get in touch with one of their Preceptors, Mr
Varadan at T-Nagar. This prompted Pankajam to get to know more about the
activities of the Mission. She took the initiation to the Sahaj Marg system from
preceptor Varadan, on 5th November 2002, by having three sittings and
obtaining a temporary abhyasi pass from the Mission. This was followed by
Ganesh joining the Mission in January 2003, by taking his first sitting at Dubai
Centre. Pankajam attended the Bhandara at Hyderabad to celebrate the Babuji‟s
Birthday on 30th April 2003. This was her first experience in attending such a
grand function, where nearly 3,000 abhyasis come together for the 3-day
celebration. Pankajam also attends the Mission‟s camp at Calcutta during end of
December 2003, having stayed at the Ashram. During our visit to Mumbai in
February 2004, to attend the dance „arangetram‟ of Shrutha (daughter of
Sridhar/Kshama), we both visited the Ashram at Panvel (a suburb of Mumbai)
and she joined the morning satsang. Pankajam has been suggesting me to join
Sahaj Marg but I was not getting prepared.
However, I also joined Sahaj Marg and took my initial sitting on 7th
January 2005. I had the first darshan of Master Chariji during the satsang on the
Pongal Day (14th January) at Manapakkam. In April 2005, we both
166
attended the Babuji‟s birthday celebrations in Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu) on 30th
April, after satsang, Master read out a „declaration‟ nominating Brother Ajay
Bhattar of Calcutta, as his successor. This was an important event for the
Mission. We enjoyed the spiritual atmosphere at Tiruppur for 4 days from 29th
April to 1st May. On 8th June 05, self, Pankajam and Nirmala left for Singapore
on a holiday; however, we felt sorry that we would be missing Master‟s birthday
celebrations at Hyderabad on 24th July 05. During our stay at Singapore, we felt
like joining the celebrations and were lucky to get our Air Tickets changed to
Hyderabad. We took the morning flight from Singapore and reached Hyderabad
on 23rd July and went straight to the Ashram. We enjoyed the sitting given by
Master on 24 July – being his 78th Birthday. After joining the Mission, we have
moved away from we have come far away from religion, rituals and worship in
temples.
167
that the venue will be Tiruppur. We felt happy that Ganesh could join us and we
had booked our rail tickets well in advance; we also booked the “Comfort Dorm”
(a special dormitory planned for stay of abhyasis on payment basis) – it had more
conveniences, like, sleeping got with mattresses, mosquito curtains, toilet
facilities etc. We had a comfortable stay and enjoyed the spiritual experience
during our three day stay – from 22nd to 25th July 2007
169
fifty abhyasis to visit Natrampalli Ashram, by a special bus (I could not join in
view of commitments at IIMM) In June, Master announced that in future
Sunday satsang will be held at 7-30 am in all the centers in the world and
Brunch will be provided at 9am at Manapakkam ashram. In July, Pankajam,
Susheela, Ganesh and self attended Master‟s 83rd birthday celebrations at
Tiruppur. Susheela‟s husband Mani also joined Sahaj Marg in August.
170
Figure 151: Dining hall at Crest Figure 152: Dormitory at Crest
In July 2010, Pankajam and Ganesh attended the Master‟s 84th Birthday
celebrations at Lucknow (I could not join due to health reasons). They joined
other abhyasis by flight. In August during our personal visit to Thrissur, we took
the opportunity of visiting SRCM Ashram for Sunday satsang. Of late, our
Master has not been maintaining good health and as such stopped visiting foreign
countries. Hence, he invited batches of abhyasis from US, Malaysia/Singapore
and UK, to Manapakkam and held week long seminars.
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Epilogue
I recall enjoying my school and college days in the company of my parents,
brothers and sisters. However, the sudden demise of my father at his young age,
created a vacuum in our lives. The timely help and support from my uncle was an
encouragement to us. I appreciate the sacrifice of my elder brother who took over
the responsibility of educating and conducting the marriages of my brother and
two sisters. This makes me realize the values of our joint family systems.
Having enjoyed a happy family life, I feel happy of the achievements of my two
sons Venkatesh and Ganesh, both in their education and professional career.
After retirement, I felt fortunate in keeping myself busy with my professional
activities and enjoying the yearly foreign holidays with my family and the
pleasure of the company of my four granddaughters. I feel satisfied in
contributing to the Materials Management fraternity by sharing my knowledge
and experience to professionals through my training activities. During the last
five years, I am enjoying a peaceful life in spirituality and meditation. On
conclusion, quoting the message of
our revered Babuji Maharaj, Founder
of Sri Ram Chandra Mission
“The end of religion
is the beginning of spirituality;
The end of spirituality
is the beginning of reality and
the end of reality is the real bliss”
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