This weblog has been created by Rajesh Vijayaraghavan for his beloved appa- Vijayaraghavan Parameshwara Iyer,fondly addressed by all as 'Raghavan'. Piyers refers to the lineage left by his father Mr.Parameshwara Iyer and hence the name of this blog www.piyers.blogspot.com
Saturday, December 28, 2024
Back to Bangalore and join Bank of India
Friday, December 27, 2024
My life as a salesman at Vicks
On receipt of telegram from Richardson Hindustan Ltd intimating me to call at their Bombay Office I informed my father and neighbouring Vasudeva Mama Appa arranges money for my train journey to Bombay Those days Bombay trains we have to change train at Guntakal I travelled in an unreserved compartment and reached Bombay in the evening
My brother Konthai and his brother in law had come to the Raikway station Must be Dadar They took me home at Sion along with my little luggage Brother , Manni and the little kid Sridhar were staying in Sion East at Ekta Buildings I went to the Vicks Offuce next morning by bus passing through Worli Naka and reached the office at Haines Road Teicicon House I was interviewed by the Personnel Manager R C Seth and was appointed as a Sales Representative covering Kerala, Karnataka and Madras states Before proceeding to Tour I was asked to report next day to Mr Shetty for on the spot training Meanwhile they reimbursed me all train expenses to and fro incurred by me and got me first class ticket to travel for sales job at Nagercoil Dust
I returned home at Sion and with ticket to leave next day Manni took me to shops in Sion got me a travel box , umbrella, hold all , neckties etc and next day
About salesman the job it was required to visit various medical shops having drug licence , verify stock of Vicks items held or displayed in racks , provide new advertising materials like Boards , tin sheets displaying Vicks products , discuss with them the general trend in market including sale of Vicks products , offering them new rates on products and asking them to place on various items such as Vicks Vaporub, Inhaler , Cough drops , Formula 44 cough mixture and provide them some new samples . Later giving them printed order form to be taken back duly filled by them and giving them the counterfoil of order forms Orders were later sent by me by post to the Distributors namely Muller and Phipps Ltd Chennai
In addition there was a Mass consumer contact of consumers of medicines advertising Vicks products at cheaper rate and providing a triangle shaped pencil as free for each purchase
Also Doctor detailing was to be fine at places visited I was trained how to go neatly dressed with necktie, shoes etc carrying a company’s visiting card The Doctors were explained the comparative effectiveness of the medicines , given samples and requested to prescribe the drugs or medicines Although Vicks products were videly popular among public and the Medical stores some Doctors prescribed them too The purpose was to increase sales of the medicines
in addition the company had advertised through local cinema theatres some of them like Ciugh Muxture Firmula 44 or the Ciugh drops I was asked to verify if the Cinema theatres showed our advertisement before shows daily The cost of cinema tickets was reimbursed
I had to submit my expenses reports every week claiming allowance of Rs 16 per day plus bus charges for journeys and first class train charges for travels Befire leaving Head Quarters Bombay on tour an advance of Rs 800 was given and periodically money sent to me if the tour was for a long period .
it was very interesting I visited a number of places in Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Kerala as given in tour itinerary while leaving Gead qyarters every time Sunday was a holiday
Such a touring work continued for almost one year
Meanwhile I used to see my parents etc when used to pass through Bangalore or Madras My father felt the travelling type job was not good Also the targets fixed by company had to be achieved It was therefore decided to try for better job and hence I resigned from the company just after one year
it was really a good experience for me I had opened a savings account with Bank of India Sion Br where company credited my salary of Rs 250 per month and had saved around Rs 2000 in the account
Part of cash security required for me while joining Bank of India Bangalore was from my above savings Bring one among a large family I used to give my parents small amounts from my income at Vicks
I remember some sentences we use to tell Doctors while Derailing Formula 44 cough mixture
"""
If the cough is due to cold ,fluu, bronchitis or irritation we recommend Formula 44 for immediate remedy
Again it doesn't contain any sedative but has mild share of salycilic acid and honey
For Vicks VapoRub it contains eucalyptus ,menthol and is the best VapoRub for children
That was my period of one year in Vicks
Our family migration to Bangalore
After permanently shifting to Bangalore the family got adjusted to the new surroundings as well as schools, language, acquaintances, climate etc
Having lived in Trichur from date of birth in 1947 till oct 1960 the place Bangalore was entirely different The city was 3000 ft above sea level and winter months were cold Whereas in Trichur there was no need for warm clothings , in Bangalore it was necessary to wear sweater during winter say from October till Jan next year Accordingly we children took care of ourselves wearing thick cloths or sweater when it was cold
The language spoken was Kannada which resembled much Tamil and thus it was picked up slowly through conversation with others . I got admitted to Seshadripuram High school in 8!Th class and my elder brother Sundaram got admitted in 9 Th standard Alsi elder sister Lakshmi was admitted in 10 Th standard leading to SSLC exam This school had English as its Medium of Instruction We all did not find it much difficult to understand and learn in English Medium although we had learnt in Malayalam medium at Trichur and lad learnt English as a subject
My brother Narayanan got admission in a Tamil medium JAV School , sister Sobhana joined some other school with niece Syamala
The annual examinations were in March 1961,and all of us got pass It is worth mentioning my elder sister Lakshmi got First class in SSLC with high marks in all subjects
our studies at various schools were completed in course of time
Meanwhile sister Lakshmi tried for jobs and got selected as Telegram operator in GPO Bangalore Later she got job in Reserve Bank of India and she helped the family by her salary when all youngsters were studying till 1971 when she was married
After my passing SSLC in 1963 I joined PUC at St Joseph’s College Bangalore for PUC with Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as optional subjects
Later I completed my BSc in PMC with a second class in 1967
During school days I had joined Hindi class at Guru Hindi Sijshana Mandir and completed RSgteabasha examination of Dalshina Bharath Prachar sabha My Hindi teacher was Mr Gururaja Rao and others were viswanath ; Prasanna and Premsingh My close classmates were Rukmini,Vinodha,Kalpana,ChNdrasekhar,Anuradha,Ramamani etc I had a good time attending evening class in Middle chool Guttahalli Also in Madhyana exam I got state Rank and was honoured ,
During same periods elder brother Sundaram got first class in BSC and had joined Indian Institute of Science for BE Course
Younger brother Narayanan had got admission for MBBS and was studying at Bangalore Medical College
Meanwhile eldest brother Kinthai had left job at HAL Bangalore and joined EID Party Madras and moved from Bangalore with wife and daughter Syamala
Also eldest Sister Parvathi had come home from Madras and continued living in Bangalore along with children studying
That was about education of self and siblings are Bangalore
At Bangalore we were staying in acrented house at H 28 Anneysppa Block ,Seshadripuram for many years till my elder brother Sundaram and family shifted to isn house near Banaswadi in 1986
Our neighbours whom we remember are
Dr Mallesu
Dr Nichani
Dr Rukmangadhan
Marappa
Narayanaswsmi Gowda
N s Vasudevan
LIC Hariharan
Parakkulam Paatti
My wifes's grandparents
NR Jayaraman
Rajappa
and K V Kalyannaraman etc
During college days I was in NCC attended two camps at Kanakapura and Vidhyaranya
Among other places nearby were Guttahalli Hanuman temple
Swastik theatre
Kumara Park
Central Theatre .
Temples at Malleswaram
Palace grounds
Etc Etc
Meanwhile a memory
My teachers at Bangalore
Matha pitha Guru deivam
We remember this line almost every time One of my Maths High School Teacher was Sri TG Narayana Iyengar of Seshadripuram High School . He was my Maths teacher throughout High School 1960 to 63. Standard 8 to standard 10. He stayed next to Subbanna”s house Seshadripuram I think and you may know him He used a particular text book of Aritmetic in all the classes containing Geometry and Algebra also . Other Maths teachers were Sri K Srinivasoorthy and Sri SR Srinivasan and Sri K V Srinivasan ... All were very good teachers .. There was one more DS Narasimhamurthy who did not take any class for me . Incidentally all of them were Bangalore Iyengars generally brilliant people . I used to come across Arithmetic , Algebra and Geometry text books of DC Pavate Dharward university... very good books with exhaustive notes , illustration and examples worked out .In Physics we had a text book by TR Parameswaran Ex DEO Bangalore..It was a very simple and informative book .He was related to me .. I don’t remember many authors except Physics by MA Ramachandra Rao, Integral calculus by Manickavacgagam Pillai and some English guides by Subba Rao or Prahladha Rao Who we’re in St Joseph’s .Their guides were helpful for last benchers including me. In college the Professor who taught me for four years from PUC to BSc was Sri K S Sundaresan . On some days we used to have two classes or hours of KSS .From PUC till final BSC he taught me Maths He must be in Canada now I think ..incidentally he hails from Kalpathi Palghat . Others who taught us Maths were Srinivasan,Gangadharan,Balasubramaniyam and we remember all these gurus My maternal uncles were Maths Teachers or Head Masters in Nurani High School Palghat and were well known .. Somehow I didn’t get their genetic qualities or expertise in Maths .. My elder sister Lakshmi, younger sister Shobhana, brothers Sundaramoorthy, Narayanan , niece Syamala all studied in Seshadripuram High schools under same great teachers .You knew most of them ... I had a desire to pursue masters in Mathematics after BSC but as you Know I was the middleman in a large family ...younger brother was studying Medicine and elder was in Tata Institute Senior to you .. and I had to look for job .. It was again a fate I had got application for MSc Maths from Central College Bangalore but got job earlier Ofcourse I was not a third class BSC or Supplementary with no class but missed First class by say 44 marks in total My calculations in studying was not perfect as I could have concentrated a littlemore and crossed the first class level In Physics practicals I got full marks with good handwriting etc but May be in Chemistry practicals the salts I analysed correctly but named wrongly reducing marks Whatever it is let us remember our Matha,pitha and Guru always
incidentally it happened !!!!
Happy when examinations were cancelled....
It was 1963 March when I had appeared for SSLC examination held by Mysore state Secondary Examination Board.I had papers like English, Social Studies,General Science, Mathematics,Sanskrit, Hindi and Kannada.My school and centre was Seshadripuram High School, Banglore.
After writing English,General Science comprising Physics, Chemistry,Bioligy and Mathematics I was happy the exams will be over soon within a week giving me relief from studying or pretending to be studying in front of parents.My parents were expecting I should get high marks,get a rank,study Medicine, become a Doctor or Collector.It was astonishing for
me to see the morning News Paper Deccan Herald that all the 5 exams held were cancelled since the question papers had leaked out.Ofcourse my parents asked me to recollect the books,guides,notes and prepare well for re exams.For me it was pain to study again from books I hardly opened and studied.The re exams were held ..I appeared again without any more preparation ...but couldnot get high marks.
In my efforts to get admission in a good College,I took my father to the Principal,St Joseph's college, Bangalore.My father requested the Principal to give a seat for PUC and told the Principal that I got less marks since the original examinations were cancelled and reexams held.The good Principal admitted me in the College and I came out of the College with a BSC degree in 1967.Thus cancellation of SSLC examination helped me get a seat in St Joseph's College.
I was reminded of it hearing elections to RK Nagar due on 12 th got cancelled by the Election Commission.Ofcourse the troubles for the electorate and the parties must be immense...
After BSC course got into Vicks as a Salesman
Thursday, December 26, 2024
My story of joining Vicks before I got my BSC results
Saturday, December 21, 2024
About my Appa
From an old narration Tributes to my father whose anniversary was today About Appa many of the great grandchildren may not be aware of his ancestral history . He was born as last child to the parents Parvathi and Ananthanarayanan. The native of parentage being Thondikulam Palghat . His parents were migrants at Ernakulam Kerala . He had siblings sisters Alamelu and Lakshmi and brothers Venkiteeswaran Chama periyappa , Sundaram,Easwaran and Krishnaswami . Grew up in a below poverty line family and the father being a priest of lower grade doing Siva Pooja etc at Ernakulam . He had his school education in Ernakulam . During his school days he got a scholarship in the form of gold of 5 sovereign and he adorned his mother with a chain from the proceeds . After intermediate education at Ernakulam he had his graduation at Madras leading to Bachelor of Arts with English and Economics as subjects . He used to say out of 300 or so students in the class at Pachaiayappa"s College hardly 10 of them finished graduation including him . In college days and later he wasn’t having crop cut etc but kudumi . After graduating he was a school teacher in Trichur for some time later joined in the Dept of Hindu Religious Endowments and charitable Trusts . He retired as the Devaswom Commissioner Cochin with Office at Vadakkunnathan temple Trichur . His children were 7 sons and 5 daughters . These families have extended and expanded and still growing .,A few of his children and grandchildren etc are Medical Doctors ,, Chartered Accountants, Engineers , Law graduates and others and majority of them are abroad,. After retirement he was the Secretary of Pensioners Association Kerala and later was the founder member and active member of Asthika Samaj Bangalore for a long periodßqw . He was honest,upright , religious and orthodox but not very strict . He had a pious and obedient wife our mother Annapoorni. He left behind a legacy of good action , helping humanity and being simple . It is for the successors and grandchildren to follow his example and remember him for reaching heights in all attempts . Some of us yet feel that a few of us only imitate his qualities or follow his completed life . Despite welfare of children and others he too encountered several problems faced by some of his daughters and others yet fought and reached the pinnacle of life . Let us follow such a great man
Paruvakkat house where we all lived happily
Paruvakkat house Trichur,Kerala where we lived upto 1958
Many of the elders including Appa Amma and children upto Shobhana lived happily in this house ,,,,,,,,,
A recollection of the house by Sundaramoorthy Parameswaraiyer is given below ..
::::::::.:::::::::::::::
Paruvakkattu House
——————————————————
This is the house which is on Vadakke Angadi Road in Thrissur, Kerala where many of the piyers had the golden days in life.
Many children like Narayanan, Sobhana, Susi, Vimali , Raju were born there and the Midwife Narayanikutti used to take care of delivery of all children.Our family Doctor was Venkatachalam who used to come from his house in Naickanal by a hand driven rickshaw .. There were other Doctor like Dr V N Krihna Iyer nearby .We had one Pallan Medicals near Bus stand from where Konthai Anna used to buy medicines ..
The whole house had tiled drooping roves, on wooden frames and proper ceilings on all rooms.
The built in area area of the house is around 60 ft by 200ft.say 2400 sqft including the construction on the first floor...The surrounding land area was over 12000 sq ft.
This is the house which is on Vadakke Angadi Road in Thrissur,Kerala where many of the piyer had the golden days in life. Our Eachara periyaopa and family also stayed in the side portion of house for sometime and were happy there ..Krishnaperiyappa and Mangal athai who lived in Trichur used to visit us often and their children etc remember the house ..
The whole house had tiled drooping roves, on wooden frames and proper ceilings on all rooms.
1.Entrance:Had big doors with a sitting place , with considerably big platforms on either side (with tiled roof dropping type) , wherein vegetable vendors used to sit and do the sales.It was called a padippura in Malayalam meaning small house at entrance our Raghavan had an incident accidentally closing the door with a snake in between the doors which he closed without noticing the hanging snake on top of one of the doors.
As one enters the house a few feet to the right was an open enclosure about (6ft by 6 ft) with 4 sides of 2 feet high walls and 3 granite statues of snake/ god , was known as Sarpa kavu.. There were idols in stone of some Gods, snakee etc....Probably it was retained by the Royal family of Cochin which lived in the Place directly opposite to the house as some parihara or something ,,There was no regular puja or anything done thre except it used to be kept away from entrance of unclean persons and womenduring menstruation etc
2.Garden: (A). Front(flowers): Had the following flower plants
Rose button, Rose red and other colors,Kashi Thumba, Nandiyar vatta,Gandarajan, malli(double and single pettled) and coimbature malli, the thin one.,kanni kurka, thumbapoo,Decemberpoo,Jandu malli,Nalumani poo,Cockscomb and Perakka plant.
(B). Vegetables grown on back side: Avarakai,Cholam, Chembu,Kurka (Chinese Poatato),Kuruthola payar(Karamani),Ginger,Manjal,Vendakka,Kathirikka,Mat han,
Marudhani plants plancted and cut dressed were on both sides of way leading to the thinnai of the house
Elavan,Chenai,Pachamilagai,Chuni Milagai,
There were about 5 to 6 varieties of plantains(trees) all round the house totally about 100 numbers in all. avrakka had a pendant raised with bamboo sticks etc about (10ft by 10 ft) for the creeper to grow and spread, we used to collect avarakkai fresh about an arikinchatti full ( may be about 5 kgs).
3.Front Veranda
At the entrance to the main house, there was thinnai extending either side with platform on either side for people to squat on.They were black in colour almost resembling marble but were cleaned often .
4.Hall: This was the main place where everything takes place, had a round table with an AC/DC Radio set on it, in another corner there was pooja room like all swami photos on wall, was bed room for almost all , golu used to be arranged in front of swami photos.The rooms had ceilings with wooden beams and in the hall from those beams with nails plantain bunches used to be hung and each one used to eat as and when liked from those bunches.Even Mathan/ elavan used to be hung I think. 5.Bulb Pottina Room: just as you enter from hall this room,
While playing ball in this room , the light bulb happened to break so the room was named after that .
6.Passage Room to Right: This is to right of hall, in front of it was the thittil room and to further right of it was the pathayam room.
7.Thottil Room: This room had a small thottil(Cradle) in the centre of the room.Almost all piyer kids must have grown up in this thottil.
8.Dining Hall/ Pathayam Room : This was high roofed without ceiling . In one corner there was this pathayam( granary storage container) wherein paddy used to be stored, had a capacity to store about 100 kgs may be 9.Kitchen:Had firewood aduppu, kalchaties,kories,Idli panai,etc for cooking.Aduppu muttal daily was an ordinance.
10.Kalavara: Store Room where we used to steel Jaggery/Vellam (achu),Coconut pinnakku etc and munch at leisure.
11.Kollathavaram:
This is a thinnai like long platform, some washings were done here, in front was the home grown Keera pathi.May be servant maid used to ash vessels here.
12. Main Bath Room:No taps or showers but only Anda and buckets and a (njalingina) pathram for bathing. 13.Small Bath Room attached to well: Here there is a pulley drive to collect water from the well and have bath or wash vessels or water plants.
14.Passage Room Left:
This room had the wooden ,fully covered storage space with shutters, just below the space of staircase.
15.Kattil Room : is the only room with a cot so was named thus.
16.Madi Padi (staircase): was of wood and had a storage space below with shutters.
17.Passage Room Right:
Was more like general purpose room, used to ennathelpikkalthe kids etc.( oiling children for taking bath )
18. Almirah Room( in the madi): Is a bed room but had a glass doored almirah on which once I happened to hang on its door and fall down with the whole almirah and went to Dr Krishna Iyer for dressing with help of Manni.
19 . Hall( upstairs): in the upstairs was big and tiled floor ideal for murukku chuthaling and such activities.
20 . Passage Room left & right:(up stairs):These were upstairs and were general purpose passage rooms.
21. Konthai/Manni Bed Room : was their bed room upstairs.
All rooms had Attached nadan/local toilets , just a granite platform with outlet.No Indian/ Anglo Indian / western toilets those days. One room with toilet on left side of first floor was occupied by Kuttan Anna when he was studying in Trichur and later occupied by Eachara periyappa later .Appa was the Founder secretary of Pensioners Asdociation whose office was there in sane room .,, There were four chairs , table etc of Association and regular meetings of pensioners. Main among them were KN Menon ,Kochunni Menon , Pandit and others.
There was a bamboo pole in front of house to which external antenna.was connected Or aerial was connected through first floor windows . Radios required aerial and grounding those days and we had a wonderful GE valve Radio used in house by all.
Also we had a well for water one side attached to kitchen and another from outside containing pure water .. We used to drag water from well using bucket.
22. Left veranda: we used to store vaikkol or hay here because the thozhuthu with madu (cow shed with cow) and kannukutti was attached to this.
23.Back side Veranda outside Pathayam room, viragu(FireWood) and Nelagathil (a big brass vessel with two hooks hung from the roof of veranda with the help of long S hooks) used to be kept to store water exclusively for outside Toilet usage purpose.
24 Toilets(2)outside , 500 mts away from house.
One has to go with a chombu/bucket of water from the nilagadil.
There were the following trees at the back side: podiyini , konna, veppu(neem),Puli(tamarind) and a coconut, teak,
25. Fence(veli):
It was customary to build this fence, which is on on the left hand side and back side of the house,with bamboo bushes and bamboo strips once in a year .
White washing used to be done by an old man.
�
,
There were about 5 to 6 varieties of plantains(trees) all round the house totally about 100 numbers in all. avrakka had a pendant raised with bamboo sticks etc about (10ft by 10 ft) for the creeper to grow and spread, we used to collect avarakkai fresh about an arikinchatti full ( may be about 5 kgs).
It was customary to build this fence, which is on on the left hand side and back side of the house,with bamboo bushes and bamboo strips once in a year .
White washing used to be done by an old man.
�
◦ Raghavan adds ....,,,I add some more details like the Gateway or approach to the house from all sides .,,
◦ The present building is situated in Shoranur Rd Truchur .Kerala.
◦ Four sides of house
◦ Left Road d leading to Thiruvambadi Krishna temple ...Main persons ...places on the way .. Govindan Nair shop, Illam , Kunnath mana, Janaki teacher,vadhyar, Manian, Rajan,Menon etc
◦ Mariyamman temple
◦ Ayyappan cycle shop
◦ Compounder’s house
◦ Auditor Vaithi ... Seethalakshmi Lakshmi’s classmate
◦ Coffee shop Natarajan
◦ Happy home
◦ Jagannathan Tiles factory owners
◦ Vakil
Malayalam vayanasala,
◦ Indian express office
◦ Leading to Patturakkal where Chinna Manni’s periyappa CR Balasubramanyam lived
◦ Behind Thiruvambadi temple we had Ganapathi temple .. velichappadu was famous in Bagavathi temple and breaking coconut in Ganapathi temple by throwing . Apps used to take us to Ganapathi temple and join chanting Rudram, chanakam etc
◦ Vivekodayam school Head Master VG Ramaswami Iyer and science teacher P S Krishna Iyer also lived in Neighborhoods
◦ Next right side
◦ Road leading to Naickanal and touching Swaraj Grounds and Vadakkunnathan temple and Devaswom Commissioner’s office
◦ Passing through
◦ Nalapachagam Hotel
◦ Hotel Kuttan
◦ Ponnuchami, Milkman Gounder , Muslim Family ,
◦ Driver, Dakshin Bharath Hindi prachar Sabha of Hindi teacher Karunakaran, Pottan vegetable shop ,Provision shop
◦ Opposite side Judge Vaidyanatha Iyer , Kamala Medical , Ramutti Nair Ayurvedic pharmacy,street leading to Sharam houses , Pallithamam, vadakke chira etc
◦ Opposite to house
◦ One corner was Ayurveda Hospital and another corner Land Record Office
Road leading to Palace and grounds nearby Visweswaram and Bakthapriya temples .,,
having Dhanalakshmi Bank and TR Rama Iyer cloth stores in corner ...
Back of house behind a big tamarind tree was illam of Nambudiris
Appa was a member of Trichur Public Library .., we used to get periodicals delivered at home
Vegetable vendors like umma used to come and sell vegetables..
I have tried to cover all I remember ....
Our school .... Vivekodayam schools .....we were able to reach walking within five minutes 🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸
◦Note...The house belonged to one Govindan Nair of Guruvayur of Paruvakkat house earlier rented out to us ,later converted to Auditorium by Thiruvambadi Dewaswam Trichur.
Previous post ........,,,,
PARUVAKKAT HOUSE TRICHUR WHERE WE LIVED TILL 1958..APPA WAS THE DEVASWOM COMMISSIONER COCHIN .HIS OFFICE WAS ATTACHED TO VADAKKUNNATHAN TEMPLE TRICHUR ..ALL THE MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILY STARTING FROM KONTHAI ANNA, KUTTAN, PARVATHI AND TILL SOBHANA HAVE LIVED IN THIS SPACIOUS HOUSE. SUSI AND VIMALI AND RAJU WERE BORN IN THIS HOUSE I HAVE PREPARED A ROUGH SKETCH OF IT AND ASKED SUNDARAM TO EDIT AND RECTIFY IT PRESENTLY THE PLACE IS HOUSED BY KOUSTHUBAM THIRUVAMBADI DEVASWOM ,AUDITORIUM TRICHUR
EACHARA PERIYAPPA AND HIS FAMILY ALSO STAYED IN THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE ALL OTHER PERIYAPPAS CHAMA,SUNDARAM,KRISHNA HAVE ALWAYS VISITED US AND GIVEN US A SENSE OF TOGETHERNESS. THEIR CHILDREN TOO VISITED US OFTEN AGAIN AMMA"S BROTHERS RAMASWAMY,SANKARAN AND OTHERS I DON'T REMEMBER THE NAMES HAVE VISITED US WITH THEIR FAMILIES. APPA"S SISTER ALAMELU MANGA ATHAI USED TO VISIT US OFTEN AND ALL HER CHILDREN OUR ATHANS USED TO COME MANU ATHAN ANOTHER SON OF LAKSHMI ATHAI AND HIS SISTERS ALSO CAME. OUR ,PARVATHI'S "S HUSBAND ATHIMBER AND HIS PARENTS,SIBLINGS KRISHNAMANI.DORAI.BABY,.NATRAJU WITH CHILDREN USED TO VISIT US FOR TRICHUR POORAM. AGAIN CHINNA MANNI"S PARENTS, PERIYAPPA AND HER SIBLINGS HAVE ALL VISITED US, OUR APPA"S COUSIN DR SUNDARESAN AND HIS WIFE VISALAM WITH CHILDREN SYAMALA AND KRISHNAMURTHY .OUR PERIYA MANNI'S PARENTS AND SIBLINGS WERE ALL REGULAR VISITORS TO THE HOUSE ALSO USED TO VISIT US WHO HAS NOT VISITED OR WHO HAS VISITED AND NOT LISTED BY ME ?
THIS HOUSE WAS OPPOSITE TO COCHIN RAJA PALACE GROUNDS,,,IN FRONT ONE CORNER WAS OCCUPIED BY AYURVEDA HOSPITAL AND ANOTHER BY THE LAND RECORD OFFICE. THERE WAS A BAGAVATHI TEMPLE NEARBY,
Avani Avittam days at Truchur as boys yet to become Brahmachari
Those Avani avittam days………decades ago….
==========================
Born in a Brahmin Iyer family recollect those Avani avittam days we used to spend during our childhood.
What is Avani Avittam??????
*****************************************
ஆவணி அவிட்டம் என்னும் ஆண்டுச் சடங்கு உபநயனம் செய்து கொண்ட பிராமணர் ஆடி அல்லது ஆவணி மாதங்களில் அவிட்டம் நட்சத்திரத்தினோடு கூடிய பௌர்ணமியில் கடைபிடிக்கும் வழிபாடாகும். இது ரிக்,யசுர்வேதிகள் கொண்டாடும் தினமாகும். சாம வேதிகள் பிள்ளையார் சதுர்த்தி தினத்தில் கொண்டாடுவர். இது ஓர் கூட்டுவழிபாடு ஆகும். இந்நாளில் அனைவரும் ஆற்றங்கரையிலோ குளக்கரையிலோ குளித்து இத்தகைய சடங்கினை உருவாக்கிய இருடிகளுக்கு நன்றி கூறி தர்ப்பணம் செய்வர். தந்தை இல்லாதவர்கள் தங்கள் மூதாதையருக்கு எள்ளும் அரிசியும் நீரில் கொடுத்து தர்ப்பணம் செய்வர். பின்னர் தாங்கள் அணிந்துள்ள பூணூலைப் புதுப்பிப்பதோடு தங்கள் வேதங்களைப் படிக்கவும் தொடங்குவர்.
சமசுகிருதத்தில் இது உபாகர்மா என வழங்கப்படுகிறது. இதன் பொருள் தொடக்கம் எனபதாகும். இன்றைய தினம் வேதங்களை படிக்க துவங்க நல்லநாள் எனக் கொள்ளலாம்.
Born in a large family with sisters, brothers, sister in law , brother in law and parents ,athais, periyappas, uncles, etc it used to be a happy family yearly function with the mean wearing poonal replacing the old poonal with new ones. Boys who have not had upanayanam and not having poonal go from house to house carrying a stick or thadi or vadi with a koupithanam or kovanam a piece of cotton cloth attached to the end . In each house the group of young boys wearing veshti and having vibhoothi on forehead assemble and utter as below in chorus the following lines
Avani avittam kovanam,
Ambi poranthal Shobhanam
Akka porantha Ukkarai,
Ammaan porantha Ayiram panam,
Patti porantha Bakshanam
Patta porantha Pazhukka Vadi”
Note,,,,,
Samidhadhanam one compulsory ritual meant for those having thalaior thale avani avittam which means first avani avittam after the upanayanam, marriage, ,etc when yagnam, homam, etc are made, The parents of Brahmacharis or others bring from home neyyappam and othr neivedyams to be offered to God and later distributed to all participants.
Again it is considered to be a good day to start learning Veda Aarambam means beginning and mantras uttered to recite Vedas , mantras etc in the process of learning by all.
There are four vedas..Rig, yajur, sama and Adharva.
Some important words or pronunciations of these vedas are uttered starting study of vedas on this auspicious day
The Brahmin households used to listen to the song, gift each boy with a coin anna or naya paisa or pence or quarter (USA) and provide silk or cotton kovanam to be worn by the male children ,This work the children finish by 8 AM and then take idli with chutney etc as breakfast.Children keep the coins as their savings and buy some gifts etc or go to some cinema etc
Meanwhile parents would have taken bath,at home ,,the men do the following rituals wearing pachagacham and women wearing Madisar pudavai .
Sandhyavandhanam after achamanam, sankalpam , Gayathri japom, etc ,etc
Then they utter Kamokakshi Japam
They have to say the japam 1008 times and get ready to go to the temple nearing a river or pond to perform other functions.
We belong to Yaurveda ..
Some details for this year 2020
Year sharvari
Month karkataka
Utharyanam
Nakshtram thiruvonam or uthirattadhi depending on time
These are the various activities meant for men
We children used to go to the Vishweswaram siva temple adjacent to Vadakke chirai water tank or kulam in Trichur along with Appa, annas, etc for Avani Avittam .
Those who know swimming jump from the surrounding walls of the pond or tank and take bath before starting Brahmayagnam ,We children stand nearby and see all these
Then inside the temple in the verandas the vadhyars would have arranged places for homam, pooja etc along with flowers, and leave for poojas.
Mainly poonal, pavithram and dharbai are required for the whole functions along with panchpathram, udharini, warter, rice, ellu and a towel to wsah hands along with betel leaves and paakku and plantains for offering to pooja.
The head vadhyar commences with loud chiming voice…..
Yajurved Brahmayagnam…Achamya…Achuthaya namaha, Anathya namha..Govinda, Madhava, Krishno, Madhusoodhana Thrivikrama ,Vaman, risheekesa, Padmanabha, Damodhara.
Achamanam
Procedure Notes
Sit in Kukustana with hands between legs
Twist the right palm so that the little finger, ring finger and middle finger are stretched while first finger is bent inwards forming a hollow in the middle of the palm. The thumb will remain separate from the first finger.
Put a small quantity of water from the vessel in the right hand palm (only a small quantity of water should be taken), swallow (not sip) this water uttering:
Om Achutaya Namah
Repeat 3 above uttering two times each repeating
Om Anantaya Namah
Om Govindaya Namah
Clean your mouth (lips) with water and wash hand
Recite the following mantras
Om keshavaaya namaH
thumb to touch right cheek
Om naaraayaNaaya namaH
thumb to touch left cheek
Om maadhavaaya namaH
ring finger to touch right eye
Om govindaaya namaH
ring finger to touch left eye
Om vishhNave namaH
index finger to touch right nostril
Om madhusuudanaaya namaH
index finger to touch left nostril
Om trivikramaaya namaH
little finger to touch right ear
Om vaamanaaya namaH
little finger to touch left ear
Om shriidharaaya namaH
middle finger to touch right shoulder
Om hR^ishhiikeshaaya namaH
middle finger to touch left shoulder
Om padmanaabhaaya namaH
four fingers to touch navel
Om daamodaraaya namaH
four fingers to touch head
Thereafter Maha Brahma Yagnam is sone followed by Deva rushi tharpanam
Have marks on your forehead. Vibhuthi, sandal powder.etc.
Aachamanam
achyuthaaya namaha, ananthaaya namaha; govindhaaya namaha. Drink water poured in your right palm. Then say kesava. Narayana, madhava, Govindha, Vishnu madhu sudana, thrivikrama, vaamana hrishikesa, padmanabha, damodara.touch the parts in your face.
Chuklaamparadharam vishnum sasi varnam chathur bhujam prasanna vadhanam dhyaayeeth sarva vignopa santhaye. Knock your forehead 5 times with your fingers closed.
Praanaayamam
Om bhuhu, ombhuvaha,om suvaha; om mahaha, om janaha, om thapaha; okum satyam om thathsa vithur varenyam bargo they vas ya thee mahai ;thi yoyonaha prachothayaath. ,om aapo jyothiraso amritham brahma om bhur bhuva suvarom.
Mamo paaththa samastha dhurithayak shayathwara sri parameswara preeth yartham brahma yagnam karishyeh. Brahma yagyena yakshayey.
Vidhyu thasi vidhyamay paapmaana mruthaath. Clean your hands with water.
Place your right hand palm in your right thigh facing upwards and place your left hand palm facing down wards.now chant the mantras.
Om bhuhu thath sa vithur varenyam om bhuvaha bargo devasya deemahi ogum suvaha the yo yonaha pracho tha yaath;
Om bhuhu thathsa vithur varenyam bargo devasya deemahi om buvaha dhiyoyonaha prachothayaath.
Ogum suvaha thathsa vithur varenyam, bargo theyvasya thee mahai thiyo yonaha pra cho thayaath.
Harihi om agni meelae prohitham yagyasya thevam rith vijam hothaaram rathna dhaathamam.harihi om
Harihi om ishethva uurjethva vaaya vastha upaaya vastha dhevova savitha prarpayathu shreshta tha maaya karmane. Harihi om
Harihi om agna aayaahi veethaye krunaana havya dhaathayeh nihothaa sathsi barhishi harihi om.
Harihi om sanno devi rapi ishtaye aapo bhavanthu peethayeh samyo abisrava nanthunaha. Harihi om.
Om bhur bhuvas suvaha sathyam thapaha srath thaayaam juhomi saying this pour one uthirini of water
Around your head.
Say this manthra three times with your both hands in namaskara bhaavam.
Om namo brahmane namo asthu agnaye namah pruthviyai namaha oshatheebyaha namo vache namo vachaspathaye namo vishnavey braha they karomi.
Saying vrushtirasi vruschamay papmana mruthaath wash your hands.
Deva rishi pithru tharpanam karishye.
Upaveethi
Poonal in usual position=(valam), pour water in your palms which will run away by your finger ends.
Brahma dayo yeh devaa thaan devan tharpayaami; sarvan devan tharpayami; sarva deva ganan tharpayami; sarva deva pathnis tharpayami sarva deva gana pathnis tharpayami.
Niveethi
Wear poonal as maalai.
Pour water from your smaalest finger basement area.
Krishna dhvai paaya naathaaya yeh rishyaha thaan rishigums tharpayaami; sarva rishi ganams tharpayaami; sarva rishi pathnis tharpayaami; sarva rishi gana pathnis tharpayaami; prajaapathim
kaanda rishim tharpayaami; somam kaanda rishim tharpayaami; agnim kaanda rishi m tharpayaami; visvaan devaan kaanda rishim tharpayaami;
Upaveethi Poonal Valam
Pour water along your finger tips.
Saakum hithi devathaaha upnishathas tharpayaami
Yaakgiki theyvathaahaa upanishathaha tharpayaami; vaarunee theyvathaaha upnishathaha tharpayaami
Havya vaaham tharpayaami;
Niveethi
Wear poonal as malai; pour water from the smallest finger basement area.
Visvaan devan kaanda rishikum tharpayaami;
Brahmaanam svayam buvam tharpayaami. Pour water by your Manikattu ( basement of thumb)
Pour water from the smallest finger basement area
Visvan devan kaanda rishigum tharpayaami; arunaan kaanda rishikum tharpayaami; sathasas pathim tharpayaami;
Upaveethi Poonal Valam
Pour water through your finger tips.
Rik vedam tharpayami; yajur vedam tharpayami; sama vedam tharpayami; atharvana vedam tharpayami; ithihaasa puraanam tharpayaami; kalpam tharpayaami
Praacheenaa veethi
Poonal idam- pour water from in between thumb and index finger.
Soma pithruman yamo angeerasvan agni kavya vaahanaathaya yeh pitharaha thaan pithrun tharpayaami; sarvaan pithroon tharpayaami; sarva pithru ganaan tharpayaami; sarvapithru pathnees tharpayaami; sarva
pithru gana pathnees tharpayaami uurjam vahantheehi amrutham grutham payaha keelaalam parisutham svathaastha tharpa yatha may pithrun thrupyatha; thrupyatha thrupyatha;.
Upaveethi Poonal Valam
Aa brahma sthampa par yantham jagath thrupyathu saying this pour water through your base of thumb.
Aachamanam. Kaayena vaacha manase indiriyairva budhyaath manaa vaa prakruthey svabaavaath karomi yathyath sakalam parasmy sree mon naaraayanaa yethi samarpayaami. Om thath sath.
Separator - Divider - Red
Then you do Deva Rishi Pithru tharpanam using only water..
After this you have Upakarma maha sankalpam
Vadhyar will uttering the mantras and Brahmins having poonal sitting in front repeat whatever vadhyar says carefully .
Then comes Yagnopaveeetha dharanam that is changing or wearing new poonal
If you are a bachelor you wear a set of poonal having three threads, and two sets by married men and three sets worn by married men having child.
ஆசமனம்: ஒம் அச்யுதாய நம: ஒம் அனந்தாய நம: ஒம் கோவிந்தாய நம: விக்னேச்வர த்யானம்: சுக்லாம் பரதரம் விஷ்ணும் சசி வர்ணம் சதுர்ப்புஜம் ப்ரஸன்ன வதனம் த்யாயேத் ஸர்வ விக்ன உபசாந்தயே ப்ராணாயாமம்; ஓம் பூ:, ஓம் புவ:, ஓகும் ஸூவ: ஓம் மஹ:, ஓம் ஜந:, ஓம் தப:, ஓகும் ஸத்யம், ஓம் தத்ஸ விதுர் வரேண்யம், பர்கோ தேவஸ்ய தீமஹி, தியோ யோந: ப்ரசோதயாத், ஓமாப: ஜ்யோதீரஸ:, அம்ருதம் ப்ரஹ்ம, பூர்ப்புவஸ் ஸூவரோம். ஓம் ஓம் ஓம் – என்று வலது காதைத் தொடவேண்டும். ஸங்கல்பம் மந்திரம், மமோபாத்த ஸமஸ்த துரிதக்ஷயத்வாரா ஸ்ரீ பரமேஸ்வர ப்ரீத்யர்த்தம், ச்’ரௌதஸ்மார்த்த, விஹிதஸதாசார, நித்யகர்மானுஷ்டான, யோக்யதாஸித்தயர்த்தம், ப்ரஹ்மதேஜ: அபிவ்ருத்யர்த்தம், யஜ்ஞோபவீத்தாரணம் கரிஷ்யே. என்று ஜலத்தை தொட்டு யஜ்ஞோபவீத்தாரண மஹா மந்த்ரஸ்ய, பரப்ரஹ்ம ரிஷி: என்று தலையில் தொட்டு த்ருஷ்டுப் சந்த: என்று மூக்கு நுனியில் தொட்டு பரமாத்மா தேவதா:என்று மார்பில் தொட்டு யஜ்ஞோபவீத்தாரண விநியோக: என்று பூணுல் முடிச்சு வலது உள்ளங்கையில் மேலே இருக்கும் படியும் இடது கை ஜலமிருக்கும் பஞ்ச பாத்திரத்தில் வைத்துக் கொண்டு யஜ்ஞோபவீதம், பரமம் பவித்ரம் ப்ரஜாபதே: யத்ஸஹஜம் புரஸ்தாத்,ஆயுஷ்யம் அக்ரியம் ப்ரதிமுஞ்ச சு’ப்ரம், யஜ்ஞோபவீதம் பலமஸ்துதேஜ: ஒம் என்று கூறி புதிய பூணுலைப் போட்டுக் கொள்ள வேண்டும். பிரம்மசாரிகள் 1பூணுல், திருமணம் ஆனவர்கள் 2 பூணுல் பெரியோர்கள் 3 பூணுல் எண்ணிக்கையில் அணிந்து கொள்ள வேண்டும். சில குலத்தினருக்கு மூன்று முடி பூணுல் அணிந்து கொள்ளும் பழக்கம் உள்ளது. ஆசமனம்: உபவீதம் பின்னதந்து ஜீர்ணம் கஸ்மல துஷிதம் விஸ்ருஜாமி ப்ரஹ்ம வர்ச்ச: ஜலேஸ்மின் தீர்க்காயுரஸ்துமே ஒம் என்று ஜெபித்து பழைய பூணுலைக் கழற்றி வடதிசையிலோ அல்லது ஜலத்திலோ போட வேண்டும். இதன் பிறகு மீண்டும் ஆசமனம் செய்யவும், பிரம்மச்சாரிகள் இடுப்புக்கயிறு, தண்டம்-மந்திரம் சொல்லி அணிய வேண்டும். இதையும் படிக்கலாமே: முக வசீகரம் பெற உதவும் முருகன் துதி பூணூல் அணியும் மந்திரம் (அ) பூணூல் மற்றும் மந்திரம் மேலே கொடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இது போன்ற மேலும் பல மந்திரங்கள் பலவற்றை அறிய எங்களோடு இணைந்திருங்கள். English Overview: Here we have Yagnopaveetham mantra in Tamil. This is also called as Poonal changing mantra in Tamil. This mantra needs to be chant during a Poonal function.
After changing poonal we have to do kandarshi tharpanam using water ellu, rice and water,,
With that Avani avittam is over for the day and we return home for heavy meals consisting Appam, vadai, Uppittu, rice, aviyal, pappadam etc
Gayathri Japam 1008 times next day we have to chant or utter next day
Girls under age of say ten also accompany us to the temple for Avani avittam wearing pattu or silk pavadai etc and enjoy the mantras as well as neivedyam etc . Women are at home making all arrangements like providing veshti, vibhoothi materials,.etc to husband and taking bath and wearing madisaru pudavai and chanting daaily slokas..d
When we return home after Avani avittam two women sing a song for dhrishti or. Called Aarathi song or something inviting the great person inside house with. all good future and then only allow us inside house.
The plate with aarathi water is thrown out by two women after taking out and sharing the coins
It is requested youngsters also participate and do Avani avittam every year, It is just like a retreat or our doing pooja for all wring things done by during the yar and promising with mantras to follow the path meant for a Brhamin
Bachelors are also requeted to wear poonal and it is treated as a licence for getting married and othr men also wear poonal which gives you some inherent strength and power,
Women among Brahmins donot wear poonal
There may be errors in may notes above which please correct in your comments
This year on account of restrictions prevailing
WE WORK FROM HOME OR WORK FOR HOME
SIMILARLY
AVANI AVITTAM FROM HOME AND MEALS AT HOME
OBSERVING SOCIAL DISTANCING LIKE WEARING MASK , GLOVES ETC
THIS YEAR VADHYARS CONDUCT ALL THESE THROUGH VIDEO IN GOOGLE ZOOM CLOUD MEET AND PARTICIPANTS JOIN THEM AND PERFORM THE AVANI AVITTAM SITTING AT HOME ,.THEY HAVE FACILITY TO EITHER REGISTER IN ADVANCE OR MAKE PAYMENT TO VADHYARS THOGUH G PAY ETC
Thank you
Raghavan Chennai
My pre marriage details of June 1974
It was on 24.6.1974,as reminded by my cousin Ananthapadmanabhan Thondikulam the day I met my spouse Brindhalakshmi at Madras . {as advised by my parents ) ..at her uncles::s house at Kamdaranagar, Kodambakkam, Madras and conveyed approval for marriage with her over phone...Today 24.6.2016 we visited Guruvayur temple, Vadakkunnathan temple and Parmaekkavu as also Thiruvambadi Krishna temple Trichur ....prayed God for welfare of all...
Facebook chat between me and Babu Anna.....
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tomorrow 24/06/2016 it will be 42th year of your visiting Brindha's house for audience with her and her family. This also coincides with my and savitri's 42 th marriage anniversary .... Babu at New Jersey
Probably I don't remember the date ..We went and saw this girl as suggested by my Appa and conveyed approval on return by phone...she was at her uncle's house at Kamdarnagar Kodambakkam...had come from Andippatti..without being informed of the event....Thanks .. Happy wedding anniversary...Our marriage was on 4th Sept....71 days thereafter....---
Chapter of my autography through places lived
onday, December 09, 2024
My autobiography through travels
Hope all fine
My short story
I forget names of places , people , creditors etc on account of age and thought would
recollect the past and jot down some names and places and hence this
My autobiography through places
I was born at Trichur in 1947
Presently I am in T nagar Chennai
Before writing the full autobiography, I thought of mentioning places where I lived all these
years
Trichur born in 1947 …stayed in Paruvakkat House Shoranur Rd Trichur till 1958
Ganapathy Agraharam house till 1960 from 1958
Migrated to Bangalore in October 1960.
House at H 28 Anneyappa Block
Seshadripuram
After writing BSc exam in April 1967,before results came got job as Representative in
Richardson Hindustan Ltd Bombay till June 1968
Joined Bank of India Bangalore on 6 th Aug 1968 retiring on 30th June 2007
In 1967 from Bangalore
Went to Bombay where Konthai Anna was staying at Ekta Estate house near Sion East
Manni’s parents were in Sion West Welfare view
Used to be on tour of T amilnadu, Karnataka and Kerala and return to H Quarters of office at
Haines Rd Bombay 11 BC
While in Bombay during return from tours stayed at Sion or later at Ghatkopar East Raje
wadi Kakad Estate house of Krishnaperiyappa, Raman, Veeran , Babu, Annas..Radhai and
periyamma.
Visited Sankara Maama at Chembur
and Thochama etc at Vile Parle .
Mariyammanahalli near Hospet working in Bank of India 1970 to 71
Got married on 4th Sept 1974 and wife Brindhalakshmi joined me in further journeys
T atanagar Jamshedpur from Trichur in 1977 May to 78
Majhgaon Bihar 1978 June to Nov 1981
Chaibasa from Nov 1981 to May 1982
Chennai from 1982 to 1987 Besantnagar , Karpagam avenue
Chennai
Tiruchirapalli 1987 to 1992… Thillainagar, Tiruchirapalli
Phaltan (Pune ) 1996 to 1997
Mumbai Borivali/ Andheri 1997 to 99
Quilon. 1999 to 2000
Tuticorin 1890 to 2002
Bharathiar university Coimbatore 2902 to 2004
Dharmapuri 2004 to 2005
Kurichi Ind Est Coimbatore 2005 to 2007
2007 retired from service and returned to Chennai
House at Karpagam avenue Mandevalli chennai
2010 Moved to new house at Thiruvanmiyur Chennai
2022 October new flat at T anjore Rd bought and moved in June 2023
Between 2008 and 2025 visited USA about 11 times at places like
Hazard Kentucky state
Louisville KY
Austin T exas
Salem Massachusetts
Tulsa Oklahoma
Marblehead MA
Fremont / San Jose CA
T ennessee state
and a few other places in USA like Michigan, Florida , Washington DC, Nebraska Omaha,
New York , Washington DC , Last Vegas , Santiago, Arizona,Chicago,
Hawaii
INCREASE ENGLISH VOCABULARY VISITING DOCTORS.....
and wished him happy new year.It required clarification as for Tamilians new year day was today and for Palghat People Vishu falls tomorrow.In order to cover both festivals on a single day,we had our vishukkani today itself and decided celebrating both today.
- It was during last year while we were I n USA I had tooth pain ...managed it with medicines I had carried and got one tooth extracted the day I returned to India.It was impossible to approach any Dental surgeon in USA by visiting parents like us who have no definite insurance policy to cover exorbitant medical expenses there. It is almost one year over and on account of age or other reasons pain started again. I just managed using some acetaminophen tablets,or amoxicillin /analgesic with diclofenac/brufen and regular GARGLING with salt water or anti gingivitis /anti plaque mouthwash or using clove oil at the point of cavity, and brushing teeth with sensodyne toothpaste etc .Finally I went to a Dentist nearby home . I found out Diclofenac/Brufen was non steroidal and anti inflammatory drug known by various band names .She gave some tablets and asked me get an x Ray of teeth and surroundings after checking tooth by names incisors,Molar,canines etc .Finally she found out wisdom tooth on the top ,may be deactivated,which she advised may be removed later. It was now that I realized some material connected with wisdom is still found in such an old man with no wisdom.New terms like filling,refilling,bridge,
implanting,etc heard from Dentist .My English vocabulary gets increased by visiting Physicians or Dentists or Diagnostic Labs,
Our family migration to Bangalore from Trichur
As narrated previously we were living in Ganapathy Agraharam with two elder brothers in Bangalore /Bombay respectively The elder brother Kuttan was employed in the Office of Director of Civl Supplies , Bombay as Accountant. Our sister in law we called her Chinna Manni was at her parents house at Cannanore after delivering a make child named Mohan during 1960 She was to leave for Bombay in June 1960 to join our brother in Bombay
Most unfortunately he was indisposed at Bombay and after getting admitted at Hospital near Ghatkopar did not recover from paratyphoid and the end came He passed away at Bombay on 7 Th June 1960
We got the sad message of his demise through telegram We children who had gone to school were called home and got to know the sad news This resulted in extreme grief to the family . Our Appa was getting his monthly pension . At this juncture our elder brother Konthai and Appa decided our family shifting to Bangalore and have a single establishment.
During the succeeding weeks after death of my brother Kuttan many relatives felt sad and expressed condolences in person and through letters On 24 Th June , I had climbed a mango tree in front of our house and had a fall about 20 ft As heard I was taken to Truchur Govt Hospital and regained consciousness after breaking bone in forehead I was saved by Lord Guruvayurappan through acts of Doctors at the Hospital Truchur
it was decided to get Tranfer certificates for all of us for joining school at Bangalore All required work was done by our appa and on 16th Oct 1960 we travelled to Bangalore by train We had to change train at Jolarpet to reach Bangalore
Before leaving for Bangalore appa took me to Guruvayur and Triprayar temples
We reached Bangalore on 17 Th October and entered rented house at H 28 Anneyappa Block Seshadripuram
So the whole family is at Bangalore now
Our visit to Sikh Gurudwara Our visit to Sikh Gurudwara San Jose CA https://www.facebook.com/groups/1408835899379885/permalink/3796558290607622/? ko We ate food provided there..covering our heads with cloth provided Langar (Punjabi: ਲੰਗਰ) (kitchen), is the term used in Sikhism for the community kitchen in a Gurdwara where a free meal is served to all the visitors, without distinction of religion, caste, gender, economic status or ethnicity. The free meal is always vegetarian. The story of our group's visit to the San Jose Gurudwara on the auspicious day of Kaisika Ekadasi:It was a beautiful Wednesday morning, and our group of seven seniors, all above 70, gathered at Murdock Park at 9:30 am. We were excited to visit the San Jose Gurudwara, and our original plan was to take the VTA bus. However, the Guru had other plans.As we were finalising details two days before one of our group members' son-in-law, who worked nearby, offered to give us a lift in his van. We gratefully accepted, and this unexpected gesture turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We reached the Gurudwara by 10:40 am, and as we stepped out of the van, we felt a sense of tranquility wash over us.We were greeted by a warm and welcoming Sardarji,who introduced himself as a priest. He invited us to wait for the Guru to arrive, and as we waited, he regaled us with stories about the Gurudwara, its faith, and its traditions. He explained the layout of the Gurudwara, the significance of the Sikh holy book, and the importance of respecting the Guru.As we listened intently, we felt our minds expanding, and our hearts filling with devotion. The priest's words were like a soothing balm, calming our minds and preparing us for the divine experience that awaited us.Finally, the moment arrived, and we were invited to enter the sanctum sanctorum. We covered our heads with the clothes provided by the Gurudwara and had a mesmerizing darshan of the Granth Sahib and the Guru's photos. We took photos, prostrated before the Guru, and felt our spirits soaring.The priest offered us special prasadam, and we sat in silence, meditating and reciting the Vishnu Sahasranama. Time stood still as we basked in the divine energy that permeated the Gurudwara.As we prepared to leave, we realized that our return trip pickup was only at 1:30 pm. We decided to utilize the time by exploring the Gurudwara's facilities. We walked around the tuition center, medical center, and other facilities, covering nearly a mile.As we stepped outside, we were greeted by the warm sunshine, and we decided to take a leisurely walk around the Gurudwara, much like the Girivalam around the holy hill. This "Guruvalam" was a serene and peaceful experience, and we felt our hearts filling with joy and gratitude.As the clock struck 1 pm, we decided to head to the Langar (community kitchen) to see what delicacies they had in store for us. We were treated to a sumptuous meal of chapatis, jeera rice, dal, plain rice, sweet rice, and yogurt. We sat down to eat, some of us on the floor, while others opted for tables.As we savored each bite, we felt a deep sense of contentment and gratitude. We realized that this meal was not just a physical nourishment but a spiritual one as well.As we finished our meal, our friend's son-in-law called to inform us that he would be arriving soon to pick us up. We gathered our belongings, donated our mite, and bid farewell to the Gurudwara.As we drove back to Murdock Park, we felt a sense of joy and fulfillment. We realized that this trip had been a blessing, a kataksham (divine glance) from the Guru Himself. We returned home by 2:30 pm, our hearts filled with love, gratitude, and devotion.This Kaisika Ekadasi day will be etched in our memories forever, a testament to the power of faith, devotion, and community.
Friday, December 20, 2024
Our new house at Ganapathi Agraharam Trichur and the surroundings
It was our belief that we would continue staying in Paruvakkat House for ever as we were feeling it so The house belonged to some Govindan Nair of Chavakkad near Guruvayur The house there was demolished and a kalyanamntapam Kousthubam of Thiruvambadi Devaswom built there and is a busy and popular location in Truchur
It was in 1957 or 58 we moved to a new house at Ganapathy Agraharam Our eldest brother got appointment as Assistant Accounts officer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd Bangalore and moved to Bangalore with wife and daughter We therefore found the house big to maintain and moved to Ganapathy agraharam Trichur
During the vacation twice I had occasion to go tic Bangalore and stay with brother and family We brothers Sundaram and Narayanan were shown various places in Bangalore by Manni during our visits In particular she would take us to Pakace gate bus stop and go to places by bus I could see Malleswaram, Vidhana soudha, HAL Airport, Shivajinagar, Lalbagh, Cubbon park etc and it was wonderful
The Ganapathy Agraharam house was also within walkable distance from school, temple, shops, Punkunnam Railway station etc Opposite to our house was that of L S Rajagopal son of Subbarayar He owned a pharmaceutical company existing behind their house
I had my close friends like Moorthy, Cheenu, Ramani, Babu etc We played in the Sankan parambu ground there There were about 20 Brahmin houses in the Agraharam
My childhood memories in Truchur from 1947 to 1950
I remember have been living among members of a large family at Paruvakkat House . Shoranur Riad , Trichur for over a decade .
My father T A Parameswara Iyer was officially called Commissioner, Cochin Devaswom , Trichur We used to accompany him to various temples during his tenure as Commissioner In particular we have had visits to Triprayar, Kodungallur, Vadakkunnathan.and many more .With large number of members in the family we were staying in the rented house Paruvakkat House at Truchur
My eldest brother Ananthanarayanan alias Konthai was working in Central Bank of India Trichur after completing his Physics Honours degree from Annamalai University He was married to Rajalakshmi daughter of Vaikom Krishna Iyer in 1950 and their daughter was Syamala
My next elder brother Balasubramanian after completing his BCom at Trichur was employed in Bombay We used to see him whenever he came from Bombay
our entire family attended his marriage at Cannanore with Kalyani in 1959 Their son Mohan was born in 1960
Most unfortunately our brother Kuttan passed away in Bombay in 1960 on account of para typhoid It was the most tragic event in our joint family
My eldest sister Parvathi also was married and staying with brother in law CR Parameswaran in Madras They used to visit us at Truchur occasionally
Other elder sister Bagavathi was studying in SSLC at Vivekodayam Girls High school and our next sister Lakshmi also studied in same school till 1960
Others who studied in school during my time was my elder brother Sundaram , younger brother Narayanan. Younger sister Sobhana and niece Syamala
All the family children were in Trichur till Oct 1960 when we migrated to Bangalore after tragic death of elder brother Kuttan at Bombay in June 1960
Being in Trichur till 1960 for thirteen years I have a few places and persons to remember
Manyc next neighbours and others in neighbourhood remain green in my memory
Our house situated at centre covered on four sides by various persons / offices etc
Just opposite to house was Palace Road leading to Maharaja’s guest house and famous Chakala Memorial Football match used to be an annual event at the Palace grounds . Along with other friends and classmates and siblings We used to go to the Palace grounds and play Football etc and also go for learning cycling On the way there was house of one Mr Doctor Krishna Iyer a Physician well known Again at one corner of the Road and opposite to our house was Ayurveda Hospital and another corner occupied by Land Record Office
Just to right side of house we had a hotel Nala Pachagam and a Barber shop of Neelakantan There after we had our house priest namely Pichan Vadhyar Then the Pottan vegetable shop, Dakshin Bharath Hindi pea Har Sabha , venkitchakutti, Samooha mason etc and thereafter famous Vadakkunnathan temple was nearby We had Kamala Medicals and house of Judge Vaidyanatha Iyer , Rama Iyer Mash’s house etc nearby
On the left side we had Kunnath Mana, Govindan Nair shop, provision shop, Mariyamman temple , Ayyappan’s cycle shop, etc leading to famous Thiruvavambadi Krishna temple
On the back of house was illam of kunnath mana
The house was quite spacious with a number of rooms , Koodan, kitchen, wells, staircase, first floor with three rooms , toilet etc There were a number of flowering plants in the frontage and a few at the back We had a cowshed too as we had mulch cow and the calf at home as milk of the cow was used in house There was a padippura at the entrance Again the so called latrines were at a distance in back of house The house was well electrified
In front of house was Shoranur Road a busy Road Those days some had driven rickshaws also seen now and then in front of our house
One Doctor Venkatachalam who visited us was our family Doctor although he was a Compunder.
There used to be maidservants names Kunjukutti, Karthiyayini etc
We used to get periodicals delivered weekly from Public Library
This is in brief about the surroundings I had in Trichur at Parivakkat house till 1958
In 1958,we moved to another house at Ganapathy Agraharam Punkunnam the house owned by our Manu Athan
we were there till 1960 when we left for Bangalore
From both the houses we used to walk to the school.
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
My native place Thondikulam village Palghat
Thondikulam ...my connections ..
I was born in Trichur in 1947.We hear people telling ...I hail from Palghat, Pathamadai,Vaikom,Tanjore, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai,etc.So I used to say I am from Palghat.
But the fact remains I donot have much connection or link with Thondikulam a village it gramam in Palghat.It appears there are over 100 gramams or agraharams in Palghat like Noorni,Kalpathi, Thondikulam, Tharakkad,Thathmangalam,etcThese are plsces where Brahmins migrated from Tanjore or Kumbakonam decades ago and settled..
Probably my father was not brought up in Palghat.He had his schooling in Ernakulam and College Education in Madras.Later he served in Cochin state service mostly neighbouring to Trichur.As such my link with Thondikulam through him was less.
It was during my service in Bank I came across a few persons hailing from Thondikulam..
I was married to Brindhalakshmi of Andipatti her father hailing from Pathamadai and mother from Thondikulam.Her father's mother Lakshmi also was from Thondikulam.But we did not know them being from same place Thondikulam before marriage as they too lived in Tiruchirapalli, Madurai,etc.
Thondikulam A Seshadri was my senior in Inspection and Audit.He was from Delhi or so and not much linked to Thondikulam.
Thondikulam Easwar Iyer Dhandayuthapani was my senior in Branches and Audit.Incudentally his sister was my wife's aunt who had passed away much early in life.He studied in Nurani etc but had not much similarity with me as I never studied in Palghat.
Then Thondikulam Ramachandran Anantharaman was my colleague in Bank of India in Bangalore.He too lived in Banglore from birth so not much contact with Thondikulam.His father Ramachandran is my wife's uncle's or maama's son.My wife has never seen them.He still continues in Bangalore.
My wife was telling me I donot know my kuladeivam..Etc when I thought of this situation.Of course Venkatachalapathi is our kuladeivam and Manapallikkavu our Kaavu as heard from our elders.
Ofcourse my children and grandchildren will have lesser idea about Thondikulam .and may know it as a place in India.
.
There are hardly 20 families or so in Thondikualam and all must be related to each other but migration to other places have made such a situation .Also many of them are abroad and come home rarely.There is one famous Sasthapreedhi festival yearly when many people come home
.
Nurani is the adjacent big village and many males marry from Nurani.My mother is from a large family in Nurani..Being married at age of 9 she also did not have much remembrances of the place.
Monday, December 16, 2024
My school Vivekodayam boys high school Trichur
My school
Vivekodayam Boys High School
Trichur
Those days in the year of my birth 1947 there were no official recording of date of birth by parents The parents noted down the date and time of birth along with details such as star required for creating a horoscope
Perhaps in schools at the time of submission of application whatever stated by parents and date of birth was taken into account by the school authorities In my case too same must have happened Also naming or Namakaranam was done at home and I was named Vijayaraghavan
I was told my name was not that of my elders like grandparent, uncle etc but that of deity at Triprayar Ramaswamy temple being Vijayaraghavan
Probably my father would have submitted above details of date of birth and name to school I don’t remember my first day in school however I furnish some particulars of the school
It was in Kunnathu lane at walkable distance from our house at Paruvakkat House Shoranur Road Trichur
Some details about the school students and teachers are as under
E mail sent to my school
Vivekodayam Boys High school
I was a student of Vivekodayam Boys High school from 1952 to 1960,After say 60 years I recollect he names of my classmates....
S Viswanathan
P R Vswanathan
M Muraleedharan
sidharthan
viswambaran
Ramachandran
P N Venkatachalam
S Venkatachalam
Mani Menon
Mohan
Kasthurirangan
K V Sathyanathan
K S Krishnamurthy
N Krishnamurthy
S Krishnamurthy
A Ramamurthy
Subramanian
K Sukumaran
A G Sukumaran
Mani
Ramakumar
Balan
Raman
Rajan
Hariharasubramanian
Venkareeswaran
Mathai Manjooran
Logidakshan,
Vijayakumar '
and a few others
Is any of these in this group ??
Please reply
After so many decades gone through there was no reply
My close friends were
K S Krishnamoorthy
Balan
Rajan
Mohan
A Ramamurthy
Ramkumaran
Venkatachalam
Kasthurirangan
Now I mention my teachers who taught me
Head masters
V G Ramaswami Iyer
G Parameswara Iyer
Others
PS Krishna Iyer
Subbaraman Iyer
Rama Iyer
Pisharodi
Govinda Menon
Govindan kutti Menon
Karunakaran
Peethsmbaran
Unni
Visalam
Janaki
Malathi
Subadra
Radha
Drill master Joseph
and others
We had regular class meetings every Thursday ,anniversary every year , sports, games etc
Also I was in the Scouts for four years I used to go to school for scout training every Sunday
It was a nice time
I was getting high marks in my class exams and used to remain first in rank a few years
It was really wonderful period at the school till I left for Bangalore in October 1960 when I was studying in 8 th Standard
Sunday, December 15, 2024
My siblings, Nublings and cousins in my life
From my blog
I was born as the eleventh child to my parents T A Parameswara Iyer and N S Annapoorni ammal at Truchur Kerala on 19th June 1947 star Mrugasheersham
Those days delivery of chikdren was done by a midwife Narayanikkutti at home at short notice and less cost The ceaserian etc of childbirth were expensive and less heard those days and parents not aware It was a normal delivery to my dear mother
Among say a dozen children born as a junior I give below the particulars of other siblings
Quick note on cousins / siblings +++++++++++++++++++++++ Not going into my father’s cousins or mother’s cousins But in short specify who they are .., My father ….Parameswara Iyer His brothers Venkateswaran chama periyappa Eswaran Krishnaswamy Sundareswaran Sisters Alamelu mangal Lakshmi The children of Apopa’s brothers and sisters are my first cousins Similarly my Amma Annapoorni’ Ammal Her brothers Ikkini Akkittu Rasamani Ramaswami Sankaran Her sister Angichi or some other name Amma’s brother’s children and sister’s children are my first cousin Now coming to next generation My siblings Brothers Ananthanarayanan Balasubramaniyam Seshan Venkittan Sundaram Narayanan Parvathi Bagavathi Lakshmi Sobhana Anandambal Children of my siblings Sridhar Syamala Mohan Karthik Sudha Ram Divya Nitya My children Rajesh Chitra Children of my sisters ( siblings ) Susi Vimali Priya Raju Gopu Kutta Velu Sasi Dinesh All the above are cousins of Rajesh and Chitra and within themselves I give names of next generation who are similarly cousins among themselves except being siblings Keshav Abhinav ( siblings ) Vipin Dhwani Jhanvi Kuchu Roopa Vishal Vishnu Mayank Anu Arthi Vidya Swathi Sriram Sujatha Ajay Nitya’s son All cousins within themselves Next generation Laya Vipin’s twins Are cousins I think I have not left out any and my classification also apparently correct Others may correct this data Just for information of younger generation Dhwani and Jhanvi Mother’s sister’s children Sanjay and Mathura are cousins Sridhar and Syamala children of Saraswathi, Jeyam, Appukkutti mama are cousins Mohan Children of his mother’ brother and sister are his cousins Divya , Nitya and Ram Children of your mother’s brothers/sister are your cousins Sudha and Karthik Children of your mother’s brothers and sisters are your cousins Those who can furnish names of cousins will be appreciated Correction in names requested as autocorrection of names not available Thank you Before I conclude My cousins Through paternal uncles Rasamani Eswar sagar Rajappan Rasam Veeran Neelakantan Balan Raman Babu Ananthapdmanaban Baby Nagalakshmi Rasammal Radhai Pune Raman Lakshmi Viswanathan Children of maternal uncles or periyammas Seshan Choodamani Saroja Singari Chellam Echakkutti Etc For Syamala and Sridhar Krishnan Sriram Some Mehta in Boston Mani Iyer Dubai His sister I forget name For Karthik and Sudha Her mother’s sister’s and brother’s children Donot know names For Rajesh and Chitra Cousins Varsha Sri Lakshmi Aadheesan Kishen Harish For Divya and Nitya Her mother’s brother’s: / sister’s children Names…not known Add For Divya , Nitya and Ram Vivek Ramaswami is a first cousin Also Salina daughter of Brindha Children of Pichai Children of Indira’s sisters Brother Mohan Vipin His mother’s sister’s / brother’s children Names..,not known Vaibhav was telling my Amma has a hundred cousins Addendum +++++++++ A cousin is a relative that is the child of a parent's sibling; this is more specifically referred to as a first cousin. As such your Athai’s children are your first cousins I list a few of them Sridhar and Syamala Mohan Karthik and Sudha Rajesh and Chitra Divya , Nitya and Ram All children of Parvathi Athai, Bhagavathi Athai, Lakshmi athai and Sibhana athai are your cousins Namely Susi, Vimali, Raju, Gopu Sasi, Kutta, Velu Priya Dinesh Again for these Athai’s children In common children of all your Athais are your cousins Shall update list in due course and reach the target of 100 cousins in the family
My ancestors in the history of autobiography
Before analysing my individual status being son of parents I felt necessary to look into the ancestral history of my parents All this information I have gathered from hearsay and contacts with elders, kith and kin and relatives and desire to be almost true
From my blog
We don’t know our own ancestors and other relations…and do not know where many of them are…
****************************************
I have seen my father and mother but not …their parents, uncles, and some cases siblings, children …I have not seen many or most of them….
Father had two sisters Alamelu athai and Lakshmi Athai…Alamelu or Manga atahi used to be in our house in Trichur when I was a child up to say 20 years… Her husband was Renganathan . .we have heard but never seen
Next her i.e. Managa Atahi”s children Ananathnarayanan o r Anthanu athan seen,,K rishna Athan, Ramakrishna athan, Vengichu athan, Mani athan seen while I was a child in Trichur…but not seen later ..Their children , grandchildren etc not known where they are and have not met.
Lakshmi Athai”s husband name not known, Her one son was Manu athan Easwaran who was in Matunga Bombay and athamanni Meenakshi He later came back to Ernakulam had his houses in Agraharam owned by him near Ravipuram Both athai and athamanni seen by me. Athai”s another son Ananatharaman who was in Malaya not seen his children were there Pappa and some others not known where they are and none of them seen by me Then athai had four daughters Lakshmi, Mahalakshmi , Bhagirathi ( Chennai) etc seen by me Bageerathi”s son is Manickam whose children are in USA ..Other athangal”s children not known much and seen but some of them may be in Ernakulam
Appa:s maternal uncle hear Neelakantan but not seen…their families etc not known or seen anytime except one Appesan son of uncle.Appesan was a Professor of Chemistry in Mysore and his children etc were in Bangalore later and none of them known .If amma or my mother had any uncles paternal or maternal must have had but not known or seen
My own three or four elder brothers/sisters I haven’t seen….venkattan , Seshan, another girl name knot known all elder to me who passed away early.
Next fathers brothers…Chama periyappa, Krishnaperiyappa, Eachara periyappa, Sundara periyappa …all except sundara periyappa seen as a child.. their children some are seen but grandchildren etc not known where they are and not seen.
Children of some of these periyappa”s seen…but their children etc not known and seen…Eachara Periyapp:"s son was Easwar Sagar of the Hindu who was in USA and his children etc are still there in USA Another son Rajappan is in Chennai I have seen both of them Their sister Rasam seen by me was married to rajagopal in London and only their chikldren are in UK and not known or seen by me.
Sundara Periyappa"s son Pune Raman I have seen and his children Thandavesan T Ramanathan, Chinnambi, Vemban, daughters Annapoorni, Parvathi all seen their children some are in USA not seen
Krishna periyappa"s children all seen Veeran, Balan,(USA) Babu, Raman and daughters Rasammal Naglakshmi , baby, Radhai...some of the children and grandchildren are in USA and some of them seen others not
Chama periyappa seen his wife children etc only heard but not seen
Similar is the case with mother…Mother”s parents not seen…Mother had four brothers and two sisters and many children grandchildren from them… two uncles Sankaran and Ramswami seen as a child …their children or grandchildren etc not known where they are and not seen also…Other brothers Akkittu, Ikkini, Rasamani, Choodamani etc not seen snd their children too not seen where applicable
See this system we do not see our own people and do not know where our relatives are
…
If any of the Piyer family member knows the members in the extended families please write about him or her
.
This is the available record of ancestors etc
HISTORY……BHARADWAJA GOTHRAM……
PARAMESWARA IYER'S GRANDPARENTS
REPRODUCED FROM SCRIPT
COPARCENERS KEEP SAFE...THE DETAILS....
FATHER GRANDFATHER GREAT GRANDFATHER
ANANTHANARAYANAN SUNDARESWARAN Venkateswaran
MOTHER FATHERS MOTHER GRANDMOTHERS MOTHER
PARVATHI ;
Muthu LAKSHMI ANANTH AMBAL
MOTHER"S FATHER MOTHER"S GRANDFATHER MOTHERS GREAT GRANDFATHER
SESHAN
VENKITESWARAN NARAYANAN
MOTHER"S MOTHER MOTHER"S GRANDMOTHER MOTHER"S GRANDMOTHER
MEENAKSHI Anandambal
NAGAMBAL
OUR MOTHER N.S.ANNAPOORNI
HER FATHER N.S.SESHAN
HER MOTHER ...ANANTHAM BAL…….MOTHER'S GOTRA…GARGA GOTRA…..
Our mother...N S Annapoorni Ammal
Our father...T A Parameswara Iyer