Legends Of South India - V. Krishnaswamy Aiyer

"Let us work with brains enlarged and hearts expanded, with character ever more valuable than intellect and with trained capacity greater than knowledge."
- V. Krishnaswamy Aiyer

SINA and Ranade Library celebrated the centenary year in June 2005, The centenary year of Madras Sanskrit College was kicked off this year. Indian Bank will turn hundred, next year. All these institutions had a common beginning - its Founder,

Shri V. Krishnaswamy Aiyer. A young "vakil" rose to prominence, when he fought for the public in the Arbuthnot Bank Case.

You can find a brief summary of the life of a person, who did not even live 50 years, yet who managed to achieve great heights and ended as the Member of the Executive Council of Madras - a top ranking post offered to him by the admiring British- where he made a significant contribution to the Tenancy Legistlation.

He organised the Madras session of the Indian National Congress in 1908 which helped in bridging the gap between the moderates and extremists after the divide that happened in the 1907 Conference.

Here is a piece from The Hindu - A pioneer to remember.

Ps:- His great grand daughter, Mrs. Prabha Sridevan is a Madras High Court judge.

A lesson for Rahul Gandhi from Dag Hammarskjold

If your father was the Prime Minister of the nation, you might want to become the next Prime Minister. We have seen that desire, in a particular family for generations together. Who would not trade Allahabad for ruling India for four generations or more.? Hehehehe.


His father was a Prime Minister too, but Dag Hammarskjold went on to become the Second UN Secretary-General between 1953 and 1961 arguably the most difficult times in the world political arena. He was unanimously elected by the UN Security council and he held that office till, a plane crash brought about his death.

Dag Hammarskjold had a strong foundation of English, French and German languages from Uppsala University where he gratuated with a degree in Humanities in 1925. He specialized in linguistics, literature and history.

He held offices at various capacities within Sweden and as a foreign delegate on his way up the ladder before becoming the UNSG.

Excerpts from Shri V. Sundaram's article.

Dag Hammarskjold left behind the manuscript of a book in Swedish language to be published after his death. It was published under the title 'Markings' in 1964. He himself described the manuscript -as a sort of White Book concerning my negotiations with myself and with God.' As we read it, the outer image of Dag Hammarskjold as The Secretary General persists and heightens the sense of loneliness he conveys, the severity with which he marked his own spiritual conduct and measured the integrity of his soul. It also poetically brings out his conception of life as a summon, and his premonition of death.

Here are a few beautiful quotations from his 'Markings':

The longest journey is the journey inwards. Of him who has chosen his destiny, Who has started upon his quest for the source of his being.

For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes.

The only kind of dignity which is genuine is that which is not diminished by the indifference of others.

Life only demands from you the strength you possess. Only one feat is possible - not to have run away.

The entries in the Markings in themselves are spiritual truths given in an artistic form. That Book contains many references to death, perhaps none more explicit or significant than this portion from the opening entries, written when he was a young man:

Tomorrow we shall meet,

Death and I

And he shall thrust his sword

Into one who is wide awake.

He travelled to 21 countries in Africa between 18 December 1959 and 31 January 1960 - a trip he described later as "a strictly professional trip for study, for information", in which he said he had gained a "kind of cross-section of every sort of politically responsible opinion in the Africa of today".


He was posthumously awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961. Watch this short documentary.

Purusha Sooktham

(Uttaranarayanam truncated due to audioblog's 5 minute restriction).

Purusha Sooktham is a gem found in the Rig Veda. This explains the cosmic creation of the UNIVERSE. Please excuse my voice and mistake in accents (if any).
The meaning can be found here.

Here is a beautiful video presentation of "The Hymn of Creation". However, this one is not derived from Purusha sooktham.

(Faster version with mistakes at the very end due to lack of breathe control)

Insecurity

I have an obsession. I try to be humourous during conversations. Not every now and then, but at all times.In the lack of opportunity to be so, I make a fool of myself. I try to make up a joke involving myself. I male up a story to make others laugh. I may have never done that or someone might have narrated it to me. But I always re-tell it in the first person to amuse others. I have never cared for what impression that it would leave of me, on them.

I begin to realize that it is a wrong approach. I explore deep inside. I travel far inside and find the cause. INSECURITY.

But can I ever change?

This I write when I am high on alcohol.

Kannaampoochi @ Alice Boys @ Hide and Seek

Who can forget the counting till 100 before every other player finds a safe hideout for himself? This was one of the most commonly played games during my "growing up" years.

In my neighbourhood, we had so many kids that it was almost impossible for the catcher (seeker) to find everyone before someone claims "All safe" at his base. Therefore we had a rule, if the same person is the catcher for three consecutive games, then he gets the option of relieving himself from the duty. This, he can franchise by licking the wall (his base) three times (roughly 3 inches each lick). Cruel? Yeah but if you think of it, you will find that it was a worthy bargain and almost everyone availed it.

I was a pain for most catchers because I was not easily traceable. Sometimes, I had this habit of going home and forgetting about the game totally. The poor catcher would wait hours in search of me.

Tonight, my customer called me at around 10:00 pm and said that he has "a code promotion that needs to be completed before tomorrow". I believed him and am still waiting (2:00 AM CST now) for his call. Do I have to lick the wall to get out of this situation? Show me the wall.

Atleast I got this post in!!!

Naga's Chidambara Rahasiyam.

This wonderful serial has reached its climax. All this while, I was thining that it was GOD (Editor Kumaraguru) who was behind all the killings. Now it looks unlikely, the fact that he has accepted that he was involved but was not the main planner.

My wife suspects Bombay Gnanam who is playing Aakash's paati although there is no clue that would lead to her, thus far. Except that she does not want Aakash to get into Olai Chuvadi's and stuff.

Is it YG. Mahendran (or his wife)? But then why would he put his own daughter through all the torture.

Is it Somu's friend, the photographer?

Is it Thulasi?

It can't be Somu.
Please let me know if you suspect anyone else.
Who is Kaduvul??

List of Dead - how they died

Palani - Lorry Accident


Sankaran - Poison
Ponnambalam - Poison (Oxytoxin)
Natesa Sharma - Poison
Manoharan - Poison
Ismail - Poison
Perumal Reddy - Poison
Priest -Poison
Nandan - Poison
Isakki - Poison
Seethapathy - Poison
Little Somu - Poison

11 out of 12 were killed of poison. Was the first murder unmotivated.

Are there multiple killers, just to add to the mystery.

Iyer the Great

Cross posted from Annachivazhi.

The time is 2:00 AM, I am on the verge of a deep sleep when the phone rings ...

Me : Hello
Iyer: Hello Rajesh? Hey naan dhandaa Balaji.
Me: Mmm. solludaa (with thooka kalakkam)
Iyer: Ennada sogamaa irukka.
Me: Dei, rathiri rendu mani daa.
Iyer: Enna daa poi sollara. Inga 1:30 madhiyanam. Velila vezhil adikudhu.
Yenda poi sollara.
Me: Illa daa Balaji. America la rathiri rendu mani daa.
Iyer: Pesa ishtam illeynaa, phonea vechudu.
Adhukaaga ippadi appattamaa poi pulugaadha.
Me: Nejamadaa.
Iyer: Slams the phone hard.

The next day Iyer calls back and says "I verified from my friends and they said that in America it is night when it is morning in India. How is it possible?"

Me: Dei, Earth rotate agum bodhu..."
Iyer: Ennadhu Earth rotate agudha. Yennada gunda thooki podara.
Sun and Moon dhaaney, Boomiya suthi varum?
Me: Illada.
Iyer: Ennadaa enakku edhuvum theriyaadhunnu kadha vidarayaa.
Me: Dei, Sun is stationary daa.
Iyer: Slams the phone.

Iyer is yet to call me back after that incident. If any of you happen to see him or talk to him, just let him know that I was not telling a lie. Also buy him some third standard Geography book. I shall reimburse.

Operation - Blog Cleanup

A week before Bogi should be a good time to recycle the old stuff and re-organize.
So I decided to (re)move all the cricket posts. You can find them in Spectator Box

Legends of South India -VS Srinivasa Sastri

"An artist in words" was Lady Lytton's compliment to Sastri. A H Smith, Master of Balliol, Oxford, observed that he did not realize the beauty of the English language till he heard Sastri. Prof. Max Gluckman (a British social anthropologist of South African origin) remarked that, the best English he had ever heard spoken was by an Indian, Srinivasa Sastri. Lord Erskine, Governor of Madras Presidency, while delivering his address at the annual convocation of the Annamalai University in 1938 turned towards Sastri and said, "Sir, it is with some trepidation that I begin my speech in English, my mother tongue, because of the inescapable feeling that neither in English pronunciation nor in the mellifluousness of your intonation can I match the excellence of your attainment in both the spheres. I am humble enough to acknowledge my limitations in both, before this august gathering."

- Courtesy Sanmar Group Newsletter

Need I say more about this greatest Indian speaker of the English language. Born into a poor brahmin family in Valangaiman, a small village near Kumbakonam, VS Srinivasa Sastri fought his way up to the elites of India through his strong words of wisdom both on paper and in public meetings.

He began his career as a school teacher. He taught both English and Sanskrit in school. He was a scholar of both the languages and his faultless pronunciation of English won him great fame. He was instrumental in starting the Madras Teachers' Guild. His love for teaching saw him reach great heights in academia. He served as the Vice Chancellor of Annamalai University.

Sastri's political career began when he was admitted into the Servents of India Society which had been started by Gopalakrishna Gokhale. Sastri was a disciple of the Ghokale school of thought which adopted the moderate approach to gain Independence from the Imperials. Sastri had to move to Pune to serve in the Society but he never regretted his decision. He succeeded Gokhale to the President's post of the society which he held and cherished till his death.

As a trusted lieutenant of Justice V Krishnaswamy Iyer (who happens to be my ancestor), Sastry was responsible for organising the 1908 session of the Indian National Congress in Madras.

Sastri had to his credit, a string of achievements as a delegate to the Imperial Conference in London. He was persuaded to serve as the First Agent-General (ambasssador) to South Africa.He used his eloquence to present India's case for self-government in the European Councils. His speeches brought notice in the world to India's different approach to demand self-governance.

South Africa was Sastri’s greatest challenge. In 1919, Gen. J C Smuts, the Prime Minister of South Africa, declined to accord Sastri equality of status with Sir Benjamin Robertson, when the British Viceroy of India planned to send them both as a delegation to help Indians in South Africa. The same Gen. Smuts admitted in 1928, that Sastri, the First Agent of the Government of India in South Africa, was the most honoured man in South Africa.
Here is the testimony for his work in SA.

Sastri's skills as an orator was so powerful that the Britishers conferred on him the title "silver-tongued". Silver-tongued because silence is golden, I assume. My father has told me about his speech when the Britishers tried to intimidate him by asking him to talk about "Nothing". He started off "The power of the British is nothing in front of the power of the Indians....". I have never been able to validate that piece anywhere. But I trust it must have been a true story.

In the words of K R Srinivasa Iyengar

We see history unfolding itself in the sequence of his letters, we find them flavoured with philosophy. We find in them the material for other men’s biographies, and we recognise in them the charm, candour and clarity of the writing, the man himself, the whole man.

Excerpts from the In Defence of the Art of Speaking to honour Rt. Hon'Ble VS Srinivasa Sastri.

Our ancients laid great stress on correct pronunciation and perfect accent. Chanting of the Vedas is a perfect example where intensive training has been able to impart a mastery over the voice and correct pronunciation and accent.

Hanumān is a great character by Vālmīki in his renowned Rāmāyana. Although depicted as a monkey he is characterised as Vākya Kovida (an expert in speech making). In the whole fiction of devotional writing we will not perhaps find a character comparable to Hanumān. In the Rāmāyana story he first appears in Kis.kinda Kānda approaching Rama and
Lakshmana enquiring as to who they were and why they had come to Kis.kinda. On this occasion poet Vālmīki puts words in the mouth of Rama characterizing good speech which are worth remembering


Avistaram asandigdham avilambitam adrutam

Urastham kanthagam vākyam vartate madhyame sware

Samskarakrama sampannām, adrutām, avilambitām

Uc.cārayati kalyanīm vac.am hrīdaya hārinīm


“Not lengthy, not difficult to understand, neither rapid or halting and words uttered clearly in a sweet modulated voice

He has spoken grammatically as a cultivated man with perfect accent and captivating the heart of his listeners.”

What more qualifications do we need in a good speaker?
These are the ideals of good speech set before us by acknowledged practitioners and no effort should be spared in cultivating the art of good speech and effective communication.

Read THE HINDU article on him by Mr V. Sundaram. I feel his pain too.

Finally, this link is a good summary of his life.

Diet and Exercise

My cholesterol is high. The doctor wants me to follow a strict diet and adcised me to play some sport.

Diet - I am not sure I can control my tongue. But I sure have started playing some tennis. :-)