Know Your Past Generation
T.S.Sankara Ayyar. (TSS)
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Sri.T.S.Sankara Ayyar was co-brother to Pannai Neelakanta Iyer and brother-in-law to A.R.Rajangam Iyer. Along with Sivarama Iyer he was instrumental in getting the rail track through RVS and to have a staion.
His Ancestors/siblings:
His grandfather Rama Sastrigal was a sanskrit scholar and was attached to Travancore king`s court. He and his wife Valli never had children. So Valli herself selected a II wife for her husband with the understanding that Valli should be permitted to bring the children as her own. Thus the family blossomed through the II wife Kalyani .
His father Chellam Iyer took to business having rice mill and was dealing with Textiles from Karachi, Kashmir and Burma and Malaya. Acres of lands on both sides of the present Tirunelveli Junction belonged to him. Destiny struck with the ship carrying the textiles sinking and the crops too failing. He declared insolvency and then lived with his eldest son Ramayya.
His mother Muthulakshmi was a housewife, below average in intelligence but very generous in mind. Very good cook too.
TSS was the youngest son and third of the four siblings. Eldest was Ramayya, followed by Venkatachalam, Sankara(TSS )and sister Valli.
Got married to Seethalakshmi when he was Twelve.
His education: He was always first in class in school at Tirunelveli, securing scholarship for his education in school. He was very good in Carnatic music and was famous for his whistle katcheries (resembling flute).For odd requirements of money for books and trips, this helped him – ofcourse without the knowledge of his brother. His brother Ramayya took to a job in Madras ( now Chennai) and TSS joined Madras Christian College for his Inermediate and completed B.E. from Guindy Engg.college, Madras. All along he was I in the class except in final BE where he was II. With a job as supervisor in S.I.R., his brother compelled him to sit for FCS. Wherein others required 3 years, he mastered and passed out in 3 months thus becoming boss to his own boss!!! He became an IA&AS. He could not sit for ICS as he did not have monitory assistance to go to UK to write the exam.
Important Positions held by him were:
- Deputation to Rangoon as an IA&AS officer
- Chief auditor to MSM Rlys.,
- Director of military accounts-and Naval Accounts
- Director of Finance, Rly.Board.-
- Chaiman of Rly. Depreciation Fund
- Chief Investigator of Port Trust Improvement and
- Financial Commissioner, Rlys which is equivalent to present Railway Minister.(member of Viceroy`s cabinet)
- Important title: C I E ( Comerade of Indian Empire)
Close VIP friends:
- Sir C V Raman
- Sir. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan
- Motilal Nehru
Music and TSS:
Right from childhood music dominated him. He had his home next to temple to hear traditional, pure carnatic music, both vocal and nadhaswaram. He used to be missed for couple of days from home to be with the music parties if they go in a procession. He was so thorough with Raga alapana at a tender age. As informed earlier he became adept to whistling to resemble flute. All before he was 15.
This lead him to support Carnatic music in Delhi when he was in higher positions. South Indian Carnatic School and sabha, started by him still flourish.
Important guests connected with music in Delhi House were:
- Ariyakudi Ramanuja Ayyangar
- Lalithangi (MLV`s mother)
- M L Vasanthakumari
- D K Pattammal
- G N Balasubramanian
- Rajamanikam Pillai
- Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer
- K S Narayanaswamy
- Flute Mali
- Dwaram Venkataswami Naidu
- Madurai Mani Iyer and dancers
- Rukmani Arundale
- Baby Kamala
VIP Visitors:
M/s
- Kasturba Gandhi
- Lakshmi Gandhi (daughter of Rajaji and Daughter-in-law of Mahatma Gandhi)
- Birla
- Satyamurthy
- Rajaji
- Subbaroyans
- Lady C V Raman
- V V Giri
- C P Ramaswamy Iyer
- Dr.Sahib Singh
Present day ministrial Houses he stayed in Delhi:
- Hanuman Road
- Akbar Road
- King George Avenue (Rajaji marg?)
- Albuquerque Road (Tees Jan. Marg?)
-By R R Sankarasubramanian
Seethalakshmi Sankara Ayyar.(SS)
‘There is always a woman behind a successful man’, is very apt to SS
Seethalakshmi was sister to A.R.Rajangam Iyer(father to ARS) and Pannai Rajam (Rajappatti)
Ancestors / Siblings:
Her father Ramasubba Iyer was a rich landlord in Ambasamudram in Tirunelveli district. He also at a later stage lost his fields and houses due to failing monsoons.
Her mother Meenakshi was a housewife, much above average in intelligence and very good administrator. Very good cook too.
SS was the fourth daughter and fifth of the nine siblings. Eldest was Subbier, followed by Parvathi(Paavu), Ponnamma, Rajam (Pannai), Seethalakshmi (SS), A.R. Rajangam, A.R. Gopalan, Sankaranarayanan and Thangam. As SS was the fourth in row of sisters, she was neglected as a baby. Ramasubbier`s sisters Lakshmi and Seetha changed the trend and the child was named Seethalakshmi combining the names of her athais.
Got married to Sankara when she was six.
Her education……and then: She went to school only till II standard; but what she learnt from home was amazing. When TSS was posted in Rangoon and TSS used to teach English and other subjects to their son Chellam, she also learnt them side by side.. SS thus started her education and nothing was Impossible to her. When TSS was posted to Allahabad from Rangoon, their house was next to Motilal Nehru`s. Rameshwari Nehru, Jawarlal`s aunt made SS come out of her shell and there is no stopping from there on. She was fluent in Hindi also.
TSS got posted to Rangoon, Lahore, Simla, Calacutta. Poona and ultimately to Delhi. If TSS has changed over to crop from tuft and discarded ear-rings in college, SS switched over to 6 yards saree whenver needed. Unnecessary rituals were changed. She boldly accepted for the single day wedding to her ward as suggested by TSS. Also for a widow re-marriage.
She self-taught tailoring, by opening the stitches of readymade items and beat others in competitions. She learnt Knitting from Mrs C S Iyer but invented her own patterns and her own terminology in Tamil and published books. The proceeds went for charity.
She managed the weekend visitors 50+ in Delhi with full courtesy and hospitality managing Kitchen all by herself.
She was a famous social worker in Delhi with Sarojini Naidu, Muthulakshmi Reddy, Mrs Subbarayan and Aruna Asaf Ali.
She had no inhibitions to dine with Viceroy nor to play badminton and other games with 9 yards saree; still winning the matches.
Later just before her husband`s retirement she started writing lyrics. She published Thyagaraja Charitham.
She was one of the founders of Tiruchi Seva Sangam – an institute started for destitute women and orphans. The sangam flourished and has weaving ,printing sections and also developed into a high school. She gave the palatial Tiruchy house at 40% of market rate to School for the blind.
She in her 70s learnt the rules of cricket and enjoyed the matches in TV. Even before media found that Glyserine was used by Lever of England(?), she pointed it to us. Such was her observation.
TSS & SS OFF_SPRINGS:
- First child,a baby girl, passed away prematurely
- Son Subramaniam(Chellam) was the second and is no more. He was FA & CAO of N.Rly and also FCI.
- Next was Lakshmi their daughter.Known as Mrs.Lakshmi Rajangam, passed away at 99. She is the wife of late Sri.Rajangam
- Kanthimathi(Thangam) another daughter followed. She passed away in 2003 at 92.
- Son Ramasubban (Raman) was next and died of TB in 1942 at a very young age.
- Son Viswanathan (Vichu) followed and is no more.CEE in C.Rly
- Daughter Meenakshi was next. Lives with her daughter Meera in Pune. She is 93.
- Daughter Rukmani (Rukku) was the last and died in 1990. Her daughter is the famous bharatanatyam dancer Padmasri. Smt.Chitra Visweswaran
Grandsons named after TSS:
- Shankar s/o Chellam ( eldest son )
- Vijay Shankar s/o Thangam ( II daughter)
- Jayashankar s/o Ramasubban ( II son )
- Sankarasubramanian s/o Lakshmi (eldest daughter)
Thinking Vichu/Bhagi would get a son, they were to name the child as Umashankar. But it happened to be a girl and was named Uma; but still when she got married to P.Shankar IAS, she has become Uma Shankar!!!
Grand-daughters named after SS:
- Seetha d/o Lakshmi & daughter-in-law to H S Mani Iyer
- Sita d/o Vichu and w/o Mr P Murari IAS
-By R R Sankarasubramanian
Smt Lakshmi Rajangam (Published in Adyar Times)
Lakshmi – 99
Lakshmi Rajangam was 99 when she died on 15.2.2009. She was tiny, soft spoken and patience personified. She adapted herself to any situation. But she was sturdy, brave and firm in her thoughts. For her father Late T.S.Sankra Aiyar, Financial Commissioner, Rly Board, she was “the wise woman of the house”.
For a woman, who married at twelve and dropped out of school then, after passing out of class VII, Lakshmi managed her finances pretty well. She was widowed at the age of 37 with a not-so-handsome kitty to fall back on.
Still she honoured her late husband’s wish that his parents should enjoy the produce of the farm land during their life time, and bequeath the house they lived in to his elder brother. She was a great support to members of her, her parents and her husband’s families and is therefore held in great veneration by friends and relatives. With all this she could brought up the two sons to become Engineers.
Music was in her blood and of course always on her lips!! Her gurus were Omkarnath Takhur in Lahore and later Kallidaikuruchi Ramalinga Bhagawathar and Sabhesa Iyer. Lakshmi not only sang well. She gave frequent recitals in the All India Radio, Tiruchirapalli. As a composer, she gave an entire programme of “self-composed songs” on one occasion. She served on the panel of judges during the Radio Week Competitions for Carnatic Music. She was also a member of Audition Committee of All India Radio Trichy and was judge for many music contests of A.I.R.. She has composed near about 100 songs. AVM has brought out an audio Cassette of Compositions of Lakshmi Rajangam sung by Sudha Raghunathan.
Lakshmi`s Navarathri Kolus were innovative and included moral stories like Aesop`s and were invariably crowd pullers. She had a flair for writing and wrote and directed one-act plays staged to in local functions. Her skill in sewing, embroidery and fancy cooking and great interest in flower gardening, set her apart from other ladies of her generation. She served in the Committee of Tiruchi Seva Sangam, held sewing classes and organized variety entertainment for fund collection. She can also play violin well.
Mrs.Lakshmi Rajangam is survived by daughters Saroja Krishnamurthy , Seetha Subramanian, sons R.R.Sankarasubramanian ( Ramani), R.R.Balakrishnan ( Bala), son-in-law M.S.Krishnamurthy, and daughters-in-law Jaya Sankar and Lakshmi Balakrishnan
R.R.Sankarasubramanian stays in Block 13,Kottur Gardens and Mr R R Balakrishnan stays in The Atrium, Tiruvanmiyur
- Now in 1/21 Sannadhi Street, RVS
Sri Rajangam
Lakshmi-Sri Rajangam
Lakshmi`s husband was late Sri. Rajangam.He was the second son to Mada Theru Manaankutty Iyer.
He was intelligent, handsome and fair in complexion but hot tempered. He was born among three elder sisters, an elder brother and two younger sisters. He was the only highly educated person of the family having completed B.E. in Mech.Engg. from College of Engg., Guindy, Madras.. With the cooperation and support of Lakshmi, he educated almost all his nephews upto school final and in one case up to Intermediate.
Likewise he bore almost all his nieces` wedding expenses. Rajangam was Deputy Chief Mechanical Engineer in South Indian Railway (S.I.R.) and died early due to cancer.
Sri Rajangam, an engineer by profession was an ardent lover of English literary classics. He could reel off long passages from memory, from novels by Walter Scot or Oliver Goldsmith. His day began with listening to B.B.C News on the radio. His daily recreation remained tennis and billiards for some years till his father-in-law settled down in Tiruchirapalli and roped him into playing Contract Bridge. In spite of having a wife, exceptionally talented in Carnatic Music, he had no ear of music. However, daughter Saroja’s process in music drew him to the Music.
Rajangam was the 1st Indian to occupy the chair and quarters of Works Manager, Golden Rock Railway Workshop. In fact, even his successor in 1946 was a Britisher. Quick handling of loco repairs to facilitate fast movement of goods during the world War II and firm & efficient running of his department during the major S.I.R. strike were 2 hallmarks in his short-lived career. In spite of giant strides in technology, it was amazing to hear from an officer much, much junior, that his manuals on operation and crisis management, are referred to to-date.
He was endlessly bitten by the invention bug. The taps, used in Railways, was his invention. Not only did he, with his friend S.L.Narayanan, design the water tap, commercially known as “Jayson” taps, he was always thinking up household conveniences, with simple materials. Bed rooms were in effect (desert) cooled, and bath rooms had running hot water from an instant geyser. User friendly commodes, replaced dry latrines. Cycle rickshaws and later motorised cycle rickshaws were used to drop and pick Saroja and Seetha from school. All these in 1940s. He got his nephew Venkittu (Later Seetha’s husband) to sketch the design for a pressure cooker even when he was writhing in pain as a cancer patient. This never saw the light of day.
When electricity came to his village Ravanasamudram, he first electrified the Meenakshi – Sudaresanar temple and only then provided the facility for the house he expanded for his parents in that village.
His circle of friends was small but so close knit, that till today, even the next generation keeps in touch.
