Thursday, December 20, 2007

His Masters Voice: From Thanjavur to Madras via Trichy

Inheritance – a dirty word. Visions of fighting siblings, helpless grandparents, high drama and an inebriated Visu along with Manorama.

May be because I grew up with too much of Doordarshan fare, but this movie and the white line drawn across a house, thereby dividing hearts is always an overwhelming association that I have with property rights and inheritance.

Thankfully, life is far simpler than cinema. And the good bit also is that we don’t have that much wealth to inherit anyway.

My family prides itself in being very close-knit. We love each other. And we don’t fight for Madras Thatha’s Post Office Savings or Paati’s Odiyanam. Truly.

At any rate we are too hypocritical and image conscious to openly fight.

The good thing about Madras Thatha and Paati is that they have been very fair. And even if Periappa would have liked the Bazlullah Road house for himself, MT made sure that all the siblings got an equal share. He even used to say much to the chagrin of Periappa, Dritharashtra was blind but I am not. And every family has a Kaikeyi somewhere doesn’t it? Yes, I am aware that they are two different mythologies.

Paati has been fair too – she gave her Iya Pathiram to amma, her Kal Chatti to G Periamma, the Vengala Panai to N Chitti and the Dosai Kal to R Chitti. It must have been some effort to match culinary skills and the type of vessel. Though, I fail to see what the joy is in inheriting old vessels that bears the initials of someone else? But it makes people happy. When someone praises amma’s rasam, she beams with pride and generously attributes that to her maamiyaar’s Iya Pathiram (notwithstanding M Manni’s constant gripe that the vessel increases the risk of cancer). Paati herself has moved to modern Teflon coated vessels.

While MT and MP have been smart enough to ensure that the “loot” got divided when they were healthy and not insane, things are not always as hunky-dory. Dissonance, greed and angst always find a window through which it creeps in.

And so we have the mildly amusing battle of the sisters-in-law. While they are all well-bred enough to not fight for paatis’s vairam, they take great pride in what they bring from the family that they were born into.

Unfortunately people are not born equal and the inherent advantage of being born rich continues to remain an advantage.

Let’s take the eldest sister-in-law aka G Periamma. G Periamma’s Appa ran a printing press of some sort. And even though it was perceived to be a professions that was somewhat bereft of intellect, it made him a lot of money. The printing press also perhaps explains, why G Periamma is the only published author in my extended family – a book on good Iyer gods no less. Anyway, G Periamma’s appa managed to build a rather large house at the Gopalakrishna Iyer Road. On selling it to Alacrity – he got two flats and some money. The flats were given to each of his sons. To their credit, G Periamma and Periappa didn’t demand an equal share for the daughter. Since then, the two brothers have felt infinitely grateful to G Periamma and make sure that they give her some gift for every occasion – Navratri, Deepavali, Karthikai, etc.

After almost every other visit to her brothers houses, G Periamma would appear with a Mysore Silk Sari bought from the KSIC Showroom at Mount Road. G Periamma has this theory that wearing a Mysore Silk Sari is a better way to age gracefully than wearing a Kancheepuram Sari. Along with making her other sisters-in-law see red/green, this also broke my Tamizh and T Nagar loving heart.

Next comes N Chitti, born into one of those Delhi bureaucrat families and therefore moneyed. In addition, she also experienced several perks from the tax-payers money. Even till date N Chitti will give cash put into envelopes of Ministry of Irrigation and Ministry of Agriculture as gifts. Thayir Vadai Thatha as we fondly called him (owing to his initials) worked in both the ministries. I think he moved from Agriculture to Irrigation when Ground Water Exploration was shifted. In the throes of a severe water shortage in Madras, we thought that TV Thatha and by association N Chitti were responsible for our waterless days. Anyway, this exploring for water meant that he built houses in two different cities. The first one was in Delhi, because children born outside Tamizhland didn’t want to settle in Madras. He also built one house in Madras, owing to Apollo Hospitals and nostalgia. TV Thatha was in the unique position of not having any sons and therefore, Big Madras House came to N Chitti.

House in West Mambalam cannot compete with Mysore Silk Saris, can it?

Lastly there is R Chitti, the youngest and richest of them all. She is the rich relative that every family has and likes to dislike. R Chitti is a very nice person and generous too. But because she came to MT’s house wearing a gold anklet (just after her wedding with chitappa), the genteel middle class sensibilities of my extended family was offended. R Chitti’s appa worked for the Chennai Port Trust and apparently made a lot of money when he was sent to Vladivostok. Then there is R Chitti’s mother, who also came from a rich family that owned large amount of cultivable land in Thoothukudi. The result –- lot of money and bags of rice, chilies and groundnuts.

Who can beat that now?

Amma’s family is best described as being lower middle class (read poor). Amma’s thatha was an accountant at a temple in Thanjavur and moonlighted as a Mridangam player (playing at kovils and kalyanams). But he was frugal and lived a simple life. And in the process, he even managed to build a small house. He was a kannakku puli (allegedly) and he hoped that Trichy Thatha had inherited some of those skills. Alas, TT was not interested. Music, arts and dreams were his passion. And when he turned eighteen, unable to bear Mridangam Thatha’s tyranny and petrified at the thought of going to Madras and studying at MCC, he ran away to Trichy. He carried Mridangam Thatha’s Sruti Peti and an old gramophone player.

Soon after this, Mridangam Thatha passed away (a bout of Typhoid) and TT inherited all his wealth. What took Mrindangam Thatha twenty five years to accumulate, TT managed to lose in 2.5 years.

He invested in several unprofitable businesses and being partly naïve, incorrigibly generous and not at all worldly meant that every single one of them – FAILED.
Some of the business ideas included:
a. a tempo business
b. a garments business – procuring bed sheets from nearby Karur and then selling them in Madras
c. a marriage broker service
None of it made money. All of it lost money, and along the way, a wife and four children were acquired.

Amma’s entry into Appa’s family helped to shatter the Tirunelveli dominance in our clan. She likes to believe that she got into the family, the appreciation of fine art and culture that requires a Thanjavur gene. She helped to establish the relevance of Vani Mahal, Bharat Kalachar, Music Academy and Arusuvai Natarajan in our lives.

But there was no loot to show off when she came from her Pallavan and Rock Fort journeys. At best she would get some guavas in December or the Malgova Mambazham during summers.

I had recently gone to visit Thatha in Trichy. After four decades, TT was moving from his Nandi Kovil house to Maama’s flat. He needed to sort and re-sort his possessions, because small homes have smaller hearts and very little place for nostalgia. As his favourite granddaughter (I am mildly delusional) I inherited a smallish carton of things. When I opened it, I saw a huge collection of gramophone records. It seems that, whatever money T Thatha was making/had made, was spent on accumulating records.

And it has the most fabulous collection ever. From TR Mahalingam to Sheik Chnnamoulana. MS Subbulakhsmi at Carnegie Hall and her 1966 United Nations concert at New York. From Muthuswami Dikshitar’s Navagraha songs to Bharathiyar Songs. From Chittibabu to TN Krishnan. Thatha was also very eclectic and there are a number of Hindustani Classical Music ones too. So we have VL Jog, Bismillah Khan, Dulal Roy, Jaya Bose and Ravi Shankar. Then there is the usual – Sound of Music and other such. My favourite of course are some of the old Tamil movie records – Thillana Mohanambal, Devadas, Nenjil Oru Aalayam, Paasamalar and Panama Pasama.

I feel important and responsible -- perhaps for the first time in my adult life. I need to preserve this legacy of Trichy Thatha – one that got its start from Mridangam recitals and counting money in a Kovil Undiyal in Thanjavur.

After all, much as I love Tirunelveli and all the astuteness that I have inherited because of it, Thanjavur needs a place in my family too. Certainly beyond that fake Tanjore Painting that adorns our living room.

49 comments:

Anonymous said...

someone make a synopsis plz...cant afford to waste time reading this long article or whatever it is called

Anonymous said...

YAY! ATP is back with a bangggg!

loved the post as always!

you should watch this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ8lquFRuUw

Unknown said...

Dear little cousin,

That is pretty accurate and most funny! :)

Please comment moderate. Please.

Kadambari said...

Heh, fun!Don't go disappearing again.

D becomes older with a two and a half month difference va?

And remember all those rich kids who complained about the chairs in Bharat Kalachar? :)

Kamini said...

Oh, lovely! All the better since it comes after such a long drought! Thoroughly enjoyable, and as another (but much older) Asal Tamizh Penn (perhaps I should just say Maami), I could relate to everything!

Anonymous said...

Welcome back Kiddo. And this post should get the "haters anonymous" to resurface! ;)
You ought to write for Ergo.

Bikerdude said...

Sabhash. Kulichcha kuttraalam type post finally! Excellent I say.

Jam said...

Hey there,

I completely know what you are talking about when you mention the various types of families that your Periammas and Chittis come from. Coming from a family where I have 3 periappas and 3 chittappas, I have a fair understanding of the current status quo in your family.

However, all my Thatha had to pass on when he passed away was his huge collection of Shakespeare books, his essays and notes on each of them (English MA, you see). Although I know they are with my Athai and Chittappa somewhere in Bangalore, wonder why I don't take charge of them myself.

Cheers........Jam

themoronmagnet said...

Lovely!!

themoronmagnet said...

Ouch. The earlier comment got posted before I completed it. That sounds pretty much like what happened in our family too. Heh!

And you really need to post a little more frequently than this.

Anonymous said...

So working for Hindu hasnt dulled your brain afterall. Your best so far, without all the frivolities that usually go with your posts.

Hyde said...

Well, I told my father (who is the son-in-law) that 'thaatha sottu peranukku... so all his gramophone records are mine'. Mostly carnatic music recordings. For good measure I added my father's collection to it.

After all, his stuff will be mine too. Why not start early?

Anonymous said...

Very interesting and really give me "MALARUM NINAIVUGAL" OF MY FAMILY AND OF RELATIVE .SUPPAMANI

Hawkeye said...

hey,

house in w.mambalam beats mysore silk sari. how dare you :-)

Unknown said...

Nicely written, YayTP. And yay for Thanjavur, though don't even think of marrying one of their boys.
And that is a fake Tanjore painting? Don't tell me!! :D

Unknown said...

And are you saying that:
1. Groundnuts,
2. Saris and
3. W Mambalam house
is the ranking?

Tsk! :)

A Motley Tunic said...

His master's voice and the little doggie looking into the gramaphone cone brought back memories. my dad has his own collection, now stored in a motorcycle carriage box, in the loft.

Anonymous said...

Nice post! I can relate to this a lot..Though I can never understand the fascination with making rasam in iya pathrams..

Anonymous said...

Most journalists come from Nellai, don't they? :)

Jinguchakka said...

:-)
In real life fighting over inheritance rarely happens. Bringing up counts eventhough people marrying in can change the fabric at times.

One mokkai Q: Does it takes one to be delusional to become a fav grand-daughter?

Anonymous said...

What is wrong with the Tamizh boys who comment on this Blog? Do something, babe.
I like the Bikerdude though. He is kind of cute.

Anonymous said...

This stuff is priceless!
I am reading all the archieves now.
Reached July :)

~ Hoo Haa Howl!!

Anonymous said...

@ Tamil Boys Hater: The Internet is only a representation of the real world, what can our do YayTP do?
Though, I don't understand your gripe. I mean, from where I see, only the better Tamizh boys have commented here.

@ YayTP: Sabaash Ponnu. Quit TH ma. You are wasted there. Seriously.

Anonymous said...

Well worth the wait. Loved it. As usual.

Anonymous said...

YayTP, you sure R Chitti is Iyer? Sounds more like she is Naayanam or even Telungu Chetti. No Iyer mami would ever wear gold below her waist. She got it as part of her kalyana nagai? Forget it.

frissko said...

Nicely done. You should probably consider writing it as an elaborate screenplay (i can so easily imagine all this being played out on a screen).

Anonymous said...

A little birdie tells us that YayTP is joining the list of Elite Chick Bloggers who are landing themselves a book deal!!

How I wish I was a woman with big brown eyes too!

Anonymous said...

Does it takes one to be delusional to become a fav grand-daughter?
Spot on, JC. Not for people like us, but certainly for women like ATP.

Anonymous said...

atp...now thats something...been out of action for close to a month now...do u actually read the comments or what...u getting a lota hitz by the by with ur fun stuff on tamizhl kalacharam...friends of friends n word gets around soon enough boooom ur like the next best thing to pongal n vaddai...liked the one on the poo pettufying gulti's (no offence meant to the tribe though...)so what do u actually do for a living other than keep rattling on ur so called thair saddham heritage ???

Lazy Blogger said...

you posts remind me of RK lakshman - you offer these gentle, ironical glimpses into our once-simple lives! do write a book please

nimbu said...

This is so beautiful and almost the same story with my family too! I too have relatives called similar to "Thair Vada thatha"! Thanks you for this post!

Idle Idli said...

Babe, please to be doing food type posts.

And also to be checking - this.

Kadambari said...

Ponnu, do you read these comments? Reply no? Once in a while is not such a bad thing. And it will be funny. :)

Anonymous said...

ATP,

Quick question for you. Who said the following:

Mathematically this might be possible. Logically this is not.

If you give correct answer, we will buy you some Kasi Alwa.

Dhivya said...

Wow! Ur blogs are awesome and so different from the rest out there! I read quite a few of them and I'm hooked... I've blogrolled you and I'll def keep coming by.

shakuni said...

excellent post, again.

Anonymous said...

Roja Kannan dance watching aa?
How about posting on the kutcheris that you went for?
This was an interesting post on the typical coverage one gets. Orrey the mystery only! :)

T

Thought Bubble said...

Culturally very different, but I relate to a lot of what you write. Because you write so well.

Unknown said...

Post.

Anonymous said...

If you have quit, let us know.

Anonymous said...

Have you got yourself a book deal? Shouldn't you tell us that much at least?

Anonymous said...

hi,

I was bloghopping and i landed in my own "TAMIL NADU". You can imagine how much hooked i got, i spent my entire day at work reading all your posts and left for home early.. calling it headachee, to complete the rest at peace.. and to avoid laughing out aloud..need to cover up my pretence of busy worker.

Keep writing.. Just awesome..

Anonymous said...

ATP & ATM,

Where are the two of you?

Else get M Manni on board? Or T Anna. Or little S.

I volunteer to write.

- Shaurya

Pri said...

look lady, we've waited patiently for months but now we've had it. we demand you write another long juicy post within the next 24 hours or we're going to have to um get madder??

sigh. we'll just wait.

Anonymous said...

Is this Blog dead?

Anonymous said...

It doesn't matter who you are. Just post.

Anonymous said...

u can run, hide but.......

cha we would still wait for ya !

ps: do we have a choice?

Anonymous said...

You don't reply to emails. You don't reply to comments. And you write such long posts!!!!!! How does that happen?

Come back soon ATP.

Rags said...

Have you seen "Almost Famous"? That's how I started my initiation into rock - one of my cousins left me a bunch of CDs when he took off for the US.