A grandfather's dream.
I enjoyed my summer vacation in Ranchi RajBhavan as a child[6-8 years] when my maternal grandfather presided over Bihar as its Governor.
My brothers , a troop of cousins and I splashed in the swimming pool joyously, played hide and seek in the numerous rooms and got lost in their depths several times, chased each other on sprawling lawns and cooled ourselves in the luxuriant spray of enchanting fountains.
Our meals were sumptuous, the gigantic dining table fully laden with delicious foods and the bearers were ever ready to serve us ice creams and fruit salads.My grand father was always absent in this massive partying ,that went on daily without fail, since he was busy with the affairs of the state. Whilst he was slogging we were enjoying a treat of a life time!
Having lost his father who was the Diwan[minister] of Trivandrum at a tender age,my grand father's child hood was one long struggle. He had to walk 15 kms to attend school in childhood!He was a brilliant student who completed his graduation and law purely on merit scholarship.He established a lucrative practise and soon became the top lawyer in Chittoor [AP].
His youth was marked by a series of tragedies.His younger brother died of tetanus having contracted it whilst shaving on the eve of his departure to Madras to pursue his graduate studies.His sister whose marriage he had performed with great difficulty , died within few months of the marriage, heart broken by the ill treatment meted out by her in -laws. On getting married ,his young wife died of child birth. His grief was so inconsolable that he resisted family pressures for years to get remarried. His only surviving sibling, elder brother, eked a very small livelihood through astrology.
My grand father could never stomach injustice. The unjust rule of the foreigners fuelled his patriotic fervour and joined the Congress party under the advise of his senior and gave full hearted support to the freedom movement. He didn't think twice in abandoning his profitable practise in response to the call made by the magnetic personality ---Ghandhiji.His participation in the freedom movement was full fledged. No half way measures .He constantly agitated against the British rule.
My mother often recalled how she and her immediate sister and brother ,in their early teens[ all are above 80 now] would burn English mill clothes on street corners ,shouting loudly 'Vande mataram' and melt away only when the mounted British police were actually upon them!She and her siblings took to wearing coarse khadhi clothes.
My grand fathers speeches drew huge crowds . Irked by his popularity The Britishers arrested him and locked him away to languish in prisons for several years . One such stretch was for 7 years . And was released on parole, for few days to perform the kanyadhan[marriage ] of my mother!
He had a big family. Married daughters who were constantly delivering babies, a bevy of unmarried daughters waiting to be married off,and sons too young to shoulder the burdens.There were also several other dependants,. More over batches of freedom fighters would seek shelter and food,on and off!My mother often recalled with humour that when my grand father's close friend Sri V.V Giri came visiting with his 16 children ,the house bore the festive appearance of a marriage hall,heightened by her own 12 siblings! It fell on his widowed mother, his wife and her brother to bear the responsibilities and they were beset with poverty and misery . Once the richest family in the town was reduced to penury!
All these hardships were borne with the hope of gaining freedom from the strangle hold of the Britishers.The dream came true.In every election my grand father stood he won with a thumping majority. He was elected MP , became the member of the constituent assembly, was then elected as the speaker of lok sabha and finally as the governor of Bihar.
It was when he was the Governor of Bihar that I remember the fabulous life.My elder brothers have memories of his life in Delhi and have seen several stalwarts of the freedom movement at close quarters, when they came visiting.
As his governorship came to an end he retired from active politics and returned to his small and poky ancestral house in one of the bye lanes of Tirupathi.He had not made a single pie out of the high offices he had held or through his political connections. Thence forward his household was maintained by his eldest son.
Thus his twilight years were spent at his home town Tirupathi. Each day was filled with activities that included promoting Sanskrit, helping indigent sadhu's and sants, and rehabilitating lepers and scavengers. Sri MGR the CM of Tamilnadu then, would often seek his counsel on matters relating to governance,, law and constitutional matters.MGR had the greatest regard towards my grandfather. He was the first to pay his condolence in person, when my grandfather died at the age of 87 at his home at Tirupathi.
In one of those fairy tale days at the luxurious raj bhavan ,he overheard us [cousins] bragging about our exalted status as the grand children of a famous man. He was not one bit flattered by this. He called us to his side and told us about his dream" I, M. Ananatha sayanm Ayengar must be known to the world as the grand father of any one or all of you and never the other way round".
Though several of his children , grand children and even great grandchildren are eminent scientists, judges, lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs,professors,IT engineers, none have equalled , till date the sacrifice he has made for this country of ours.His dreams are yet to come true. Perhaps the future holds the key .
My brothers , a troop of cousins and I splashed in the swimming pool joyously, played hide and seek in the numerous rooms and got lost in their depths several times, chased each other on sprawling lawns and cooled ourselves in the luxuriant spray of enchanting fountains.
Our meals were sumptuous, the gigantic dining table fully laden with delicious foods and the bearers were ever ready to serve us ice creams and fruit salads.My grand father was always absent in this massive partying ,that went on daily without fail, since he was busy with the affairs of the state. Whilst he was slogging we were enjoying a treat of a life time!
Having lost his father who was the Diwan[minister] of Trivandrum at a tender age,my grand father's child hood was one long struggle. He had to walk 15 kms to attend school in childhood!He was a brilliant student who completed his graduation and law purely on merit scholarship.He established a lucrative practise and soon became the top lawyer in Chittoor [AP].
His youth was marked by a series of tragedies.His younger brother died of tetanus having contracted it whilst shaving on the eve of his departure to Madras to pursue his graduate studies.His sister whose marriage he had performed with great difficulty , died within few months of the marriage, heart broken by the ill treatment meted out by her in -laws. On getting married ,his young wife died of child birth. His grief was so inconsolable that he resisted family pressures for years to get remarried. His only surviving sibling, elder brother, eked a very small livelihood through astrology.
My grand father could never stomach injustice. The unjust rule of the foreigners fuelled his patriotic fervour and joined the Congress party under the advise of his senior and gave full hearted support to the freedom movement. He didn't think twice in abandoning his profitable practise in response to the call made by the magnetic personality ---Ghandhiji.His participation in the freedom movement was full fledged. No half way measures .He constantly agitated against the British rule.
My mother often recalled how she and her immediate sister and brother ,in their early teens[ all are above 80 now] would burn English mill clothes on street corners ,shouting loudly 'Vande mataram' and melt away only when the mounted British police were actually upon them!She and her siblings took to wearing coarse khadhi clothes.
My grand fathers speeches drew huge crowds . Irked by his popularity The Britishers arrested him and locked him away to languish in prisons for several years . One such stretch was for 7 years . And was released on parole, for few days to perform the kanyadhan[marriage ] of my mother!
He had a big family. Married daughters who were constantly delivering babies, a bevy of unmarried daughters waiting to be married off,and sons too young to shoulder the burdens.There were also several other dependants,. More over batches of freedom fighters would seek shelter and food,on and off!My mother often recalled with humour that when my grand father's close friend Sri V.V Giri came visiting with his 16 children ,the house bore the festive appearance of a marriage hall,heightened by her own 12 siblings! It fell on his widowed mother, his wife and her brother to bear the responsibilities and they were beset with poverty and misery . Once the richest family in the town was reduced to penury!
All these hardships were borne with the hope of gaining freedom from the strangle hold of the Britishers.The dream came true.In every election my grand father stood he won with a thumping majority. He was elected MP , became the member of the constituent assembly, was then elected as the speaker of lok sabha and finally as the governor of Bihar.
It was when he was the Governor of Bihar that I remember the fabulous life.My elder brothers have memories of his life in Delhi and have seen several stalwarts of the freedom movement at close quarters, when they came visiting.
As his governorship came to an end he retired from active politics and returned to his small and poky ancestral house in one of the bye lanes of Tirupathi.He had not made a single pie out of the high offices he had held or through his political connections. Thence forward his household was maintained by his eldest son.
Thus his twilight years were spent at his home town Tirupathi. Each day was filled with activities that included promoting Sanskrit, helping indigent sadhu's and sants, and rehabilitating lepers and scavengers. Sri MGR the CM of Tamilnadu then, would often seek his counsel on matters relating to governance,, law and constitutional matters.MGR had the greatest regard towards my grandfather. He was the first to pay his condolence in person, when my grandfather died at the age of 87 at his home at Tirupathi.
In one of those fairy tale days at the luxurious raj bhavan ,he overheard us [cousins] bragging about our exalted status as the grand children of a famous man. He was not one bit flattered by this. He called us to his side and told us about his dream" I, M. Ananatha sayanm Ayengar must be known to the world as the grand father of any one or all of you and never the other way round".
Though several of his children , grand children and even great grandchildren are eminent scientists, judges, lawyers, doctors, entrepreneurs,professors,IT engineers, none have equalled , till date the sacrifice he has made for this country of ours.His dreams are yet to come true. Perhaps the future holds the key .
posted by K.C. Sujata at
2:03 AM
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