From Ms. Subhashini (Brother's Daughter)

Dear all,
 I am deeply saddened by the passing away of Kannan Periappa. When I heard from appa that he was admitted for breathing problems, I never thought it would become life threatening. To me, Kannan Periappa in his spotless white clothing and Vasanthi Paeriamma with a bright smile and Kondai with flowers is an image that personifies Srirangam vacations. As Vandana mentioned, I fondly recall the Sai bhajans that he made us all sing in Srirangam.

What I admired most about him is that he took everything in his stride. He even shrugged off the pain and discomforts from ulcer and was not once afraid of death. He was also a vey enthusiastic person. Once when I was suggesting that we should all go to Lalapet sometime, he immediately expressed enthusiasm and said he would definitely like to join. He did not even hesitate because of health issues etc.

My son Akshath had a great attachment to Kanna Thatha even as a child. At Dhyaksha's engagement Akshath started crying when Kanna Thatha was getting ready to leave. So Periappa delayed his departure and waited to make Akshath feel better. To this day Akshath remembers him fondly.

His death has left us with a great void. My only consolation is that he lived long enough to be a part of important celebrations such as Prasanna's wedding and Soundar anna's 60th birthday. I cannot imagine passing via Indra Nagar with Kannan Periappa not being there anymore. My heart goes out to Periamma especially for whom this is a irreparable loss. May Lord Ranganatha be with everyone in Periappa's family and guide them thorugh this tough period.
Subhashini

From Mr. Ponnukrishnan (a former CLRI colleague)

Having known Mr. R. Venkatesan since 1959, it is with a profound sense of personal grief that I learnt of his sad demise on 20th April, 2011.  Mr. Venkatesan was a dear friend and a valued colleague.  His passing away is a great personal loss for me.

Eleven years ahead of me in age, I have always been considering him as my guru and one of the finest human beings I have come across in my life.  A rare human being with impeccable integrity, great compassion and great humility.  He never offended anyone or compromised with the principles he believed in.  He was a fair-minded person and a perfect gentleman.  A man of mettle and morals.  A brilliant man, he made a deep impression on me and would be one of those.  I would always remember with respect.

His distinguished tenure in CLRI is marked by outstanding devotion to duty, excellence, dedication, diligence, loyalty, sincerity and integrity of a very high order.  He has certainly been an example for others to emulate.

He was a lover of books and a regular reader of newspapers.  His extensive reading made him extremely knowledgeable and well-informed.

It was a treat to listen to his interesting speeches studded with wit and wisdom.  He was an enchanting conversationalist.  He was able to speak fluently in English without struggling for words and used to entertain his friends through elegant humor.

Every letter he wrote was a masterly document bearing the finesse of drafting dexterity.  His style of writing was brilliantly lucid and easy flowing.  He had an amazing vocabulary in English.  His standard of English has catapulted him to fame.  He always used to say that the English language is a treasure that has been handed to us and it is our duty to preserve it.

Always impeccably and well-dressed, his slim, trim, and youthful looks belied his age.  His face was a picture of contentment.  He was good-looking, witty and intelligent.  He had an uncanny knack of getting things done and with his suave personality and urbane manners he was getting along fine with his colleagues and was respected by the people of his circle.

His career was one of continuous rise.  He never knew defeat.  He retired from CLRI gracefully and peacefully.

Till almost the very last he was in full possession of all his faculties.  The end was quiet and peaceful.

My wife joins me in extending our heartfelt condolences to the members of his bereaved family in this hour of profound grief.  We pray to the Almighty to give eternal peace to the departed soul and strength and fortitude to his ennobling family to bear this irreparable loss.

P. Ponnukrishnan

Controller of Administration (Rtd.)

S.E.R.C.,  Chennai

From Mr. R. Veeraraghavan (Santhanam) - Brother

A Titan fades away

The news of my eldest brother’s sad demise on 20^th April 2011 at 11:50 AM, left all of us gob snaked. His not being with us is a blow most terrible to bear. A Titan has passed away, answering the clarion call of the omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent.

I venture to say a few words about him only because I happened to have joined the band of octogenarians for which I reached the magic age of 80.

The most amazing aspect is that he lived a married life with distinction for over 63 years. What trials and tribulations he had gone through in his early years of marriage, before he landed in a permanent job, perhaps Manni only knew them all. He weathered all the storm through sheer honesty, hardwork, self-confidence and self-improvement, which are worthy of emulation.

Though he was born in very affluent circumstances, in later years, when he grew, he had to shoulder heavy responsibilities as eldest son of the family. He bore the brunt along with my parents through thick and thin as their conscience-keeper. Later in life, he was blessed with much better days, but he didn’t change his lifestyle. He continued to be simple and self-dependent. Following the example of the unparellelled intellectual, Rajaji, he used to wash his own clothes till the end.

He was always, well-dressed impressively mostly in spotless white.

He was a great devotee of the great Sathya Sai Baba. He used to participate in the Bhajans in ‘Sundaram’ for many years. He was a repository of innumerable anecdotes on the miracles performed by the great Baba on his devout disciples, which he used to reel to his friends and family members in private conversations and informal gatherings.

He had high respect for his friends and he used to appreciate particular aspects of their specialities.

He always felt very bad when they departed. He had qualities of leadership and he would stand out in any functions or meetings. He was associated with RSS for many years and was a Mukhya Sikshak of Srirangam Shakha.

He participated in family functions with great zest and enthusiasm and spread light and mirth.

He had abiding faith in Hindu Dharma and his devotion to Lord Ranganathar of Srirangam was boundless. He was somewhat disappointed that he could not settle down in Srirangam in his last years.

He was a voracious reader of religious and other worthy materials – one may call him a bibliophile. He would participate in spiritual gatherings and meetings that would contribute to enrichment of knowledge.

He had cultivated high proficiency in English in which he received excellent groundings from his teachers like S/Shri K.N.Rengaswamy, S.K. Mathrubhutham, Kasturiranga Iyengar, Professors G.Varadachary, A.Rama Iyer and V.Saranathan. His writings were treats. It was a pleasure to read them punctuated with interesting anecdotes written in his own adorable, steady and inimitable handwriting in bold letters. I used to think that it reflected his character and thinking. How many students in the present day schools could answer satisfactorily the following question is a matter for conjecture. In 1940s, when high standard of English was followed in schools, a quotation from the then British Wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill was given in SSLC question paper asking for a brief expansion in a paragraph. The passage was: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”. That was the standard then when my brother studied in school.

He had a great sense of humour which was reflected in his family and friends meets.

He loved his family members and did many things for them overtly and covertly, but always within the bounds of law and rules and regulations.

He was very hospitable and welcomed all with open arms.

Having dwelt on his general qualities of head and heart, I seek your indulgence to say a few things about how personally I benefitted immensely due to his involvement and guidance. His contributions in my applying for CSIR job from A.G’s office, in my getting relief before joining NAL, Bangalore, in joining CSIR Madras complex after selection, which was instrumental in my return to Chennai after an absence of about 11 years and in arranging for my meeting the Nobel-Laureate Dr. S. Chandrashekhar of USA….. On many other occasions, he had tendered useful tips and advice, which I shall always cherish.

He has cast his mortal coil and joined Lord Vishnu in Vaikuntam. We can no longer see him with our naked eyes, for which we now need spiritual perception. All of us who respect him must join hands and tread his path unitedly. That will be the best homage we can pay to his hallowed memory.

Let me conclude this note with a quotation from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar:

His life was gentle,

and the elements

so mix’d in him that

Nature might stand up

and say to all the world

‘THIS WAS A MAN’

From Ms. Amba Sanjeevi (a former CLRI colleague)

Mr. R. Venkatesan     2011- written by  R. Sanjeevi and  S. Amba

Though both of us would have been extremely happy to write about Mr. Venkatesan, our mentor, guide, well wisher and friend, the circumstances in which we have to do so is painful and grieves us a great deal.

We not only looked up to Mr. Venkatesan, we also looked to him for help and guidance especially when things looked bleak for us at our place of work. He not only guided us but also gave us the mental strength to face various trials and tribulations.

A man of sterling character and strong sense of values, he was ever ready to help those who were in trouble. Not only did we approach him for help for us but we never ever hesitated to approach him on behalf of others and needless to say, in every instance, he came forward to help them whenever he felt that right was on their side. He never hesitated in expressing his views and did so with impunity even to the highest official without any thought about how it would affect his career or him personally.

Though he presented a stern exterior and would sort of appear intimidating, we soon found out that it was only an exterior pose and that beneath he was a very caring person who felt for others and wanted to help them in whatever way he could. We are sure that during the course of his career, he would also have faced innumerable problems but not once did we see him grousing or expressing his dissatisfaction with life. The only dissatisfaction we ever heard him express was when work was not done satisfactorily.  

We enjoyed talking to him during the lunch break periods as he was a fount of knowledge and well read and would discuss world issues and other issues of political and social interest. His choice of words and turn of phrase used to fascinate us so much.

When I (Sanjeevi) first joined CLRI, I did not know anyone and within a few days was invited for the farewell party for the Administrative Officer.  After the party, there was quite a bit of discussion among my colleagues and Mr. Venkatesan’s name cropped up frequently. I was intrigued as the farewell was to the A.O. and the person who was talked about so much was Mr. Venkatesan!  The reason was that Mr. Venkatesan was one of the first to speak at the party and he courageously mentioned that the A.O. was being transferred without promotion to the next grade though he was a honest officer as he did not get a favourable CR. This at a time when Mr. Venkatesan was the P.A. to the Director.  This incident made a great impact and I developed great respect for Mr.Venkatesan.  Much later, when I had to face problems regarding a fellowship, he called for the files and after studying it and looking at precedents interceded on my behalf with the  Director and it was decided in my favour. 

I (Amba) first met him on the very day I joined CLRI and was in awe of his personality from that time onwards. As in the above case, when I had problems regarding a fellowship, Mr Venkatesan helped me out and personally spoke to his family in Delhi to guide me in the matter.  We worked together to conduct the annual Oratorical Contest and it was a most interesting and happy time for me.

The picture of Sri Ramar Pattabhishekam which he presented us for our grihapravesam still hangs in our house and we think of him whenever we look at it.

We have said much about his official persona, but we also knew him as a caring and strong family member, a fond grandfather. Though he never expressed openly his pride in his wife and children, it used to come out during his conversations and we were well aware of how much he respected and thought highly of his sons and especially his wife. He had great respect for his wife and admired her for her commitment to his family and staunchly believed in her capacity to run a joint family. We knew that she was the pillar for him to lean on and that she made it possible for him to concentrate his energies on his work and later on on his various interests.  He wanted to be independent and not trouble anyone for anything.

Above all, he had the greatest reverence for Sri Sathya Sai Baba and the timing looked as if he wished to be always with his Guru though it meant leaving his near and dear in tears.

                                               

From Mr. T.N. Manikateswaran (Advocate Friend)

From Mr. Bakthavathsal (Vatsal thatha)

A tribute to my dear friend Chi Kannan

Words fail as I rise to say a few words about my dear friend Sri R.Venkatesan alias Kannan who passed away on 20.04.2011 suddenly after a brief illness.

My memory goes back to the year 1936 when I arrived with my family members to Srirangam as a refugee fleeing from the impending Japanese invasion of Burma. It was a memorable day in that year when I had the good fortune to join the High School, Srirangam in third form. My colleagues in class were all new and Chi Kannan was the first who bonded with me immediately. Our lives got intertwined with each other and we became inseparables till our graduation and his untimely death now.

Chi Kannan got married earlier than me and I was fortunate to attend his marriage. I got married in 1956 and in 1957 due to a misunderstanding, my wife left me for her father’s place in NGPT. For the next 10 years, we were separated and I moved north on various official assignments. Throughout this period my contact with Kannan was kept intact and in 1967, through his untiring efforts, my wife rejoined me. I shall be failing in my duty, if I do not acknowledge his sincere efforts to make me toe the life of a Grihastha from the ascetic life I was leading for 10 years.

Once we completed our official life, our meeting became more frequent and licensing our family affairs became a routine. I was fortunate to witness the marriages in his family and his Sathabhishekam also. He and his family also never failed to attend functions in my family. Our mutual bonds grew stronger day by day.

His sudden demise now has therefore shattered me to the core and I stand alone without my dear friend, philosopher and guide. Though he has been missed physically, I feel he is still guiding me.

May Lord Ranganatha give all his family members the courage and fortitude to follow his footsteps forever.

From Mr & Ms Jagadisan

From Ms. Deepa (Sister's Daughter)

Dear Soundar Anna,

Thanks a lot for sharing the blog with us. It provides everybody a venue for everyone to go to, to bring bring fond memories of Kannan mama. I did not get a chance to talk to you personally when I called to condole his passing away (I spoke to Gena Anna), but I remember him fondly, especially in the impeccable white kurta, that so many have made reference to.

We hope Vasanthi mami finds strength during these trying times.

Deepa, Vasu, Pranav and Prithvi

From a former CLRI Colleague at his retirement

From Ms. Prasanna,Granddaughter (Speech delivered at Sathabishekam on 12th September, 2007)

I share my thoughts with you today as an immense admirer of the greatness of my thatha and patti; Kanna thatha, and Vasanthi patti.

A frugal individual, but never miserly.  Known for extra-ordinary self-denial, his generosity is well-known. The needy has always had his attention: it be a close friend, a mere acquaintance, a colleague, his siblings, you name it. Even to-day he tirelessly carries on with his work: washing and pressing his clothes himself, a regular regimen of chanting slokams, evening walks, and so on .. the secret to his youthful countenance.

Udhyamena hee karyani sidhyanthi na manorathaihee.

(It is not enough if you aspire; you should also put in effort in the right direction.)

His colleagues in office have always widely acknowledged him as a stickler to rules but that has never stopped him from finding ways to bail out those in trouble. He has, more than once, sacrificed his own promotion in favor of a larger principle. Scrupulously honest, sincere to his work, and incorruptible, he has magnanimously refrained from vindictive behavior towards his less honest colleagues.

He is what a friend can be: not just a companion; a friend-in-need, highly service-minded, helpful.  My only other thatha that I can equate to Kanna thatha himself is our most affectionate Vathsal thatha who is much more than just another member of our family: he has been a child-hood friend of my thatha, has been with my thatha thro’ the thick and thin of his life and travails.

“Detached attachment” is what my thatha has always advocated as the right approach to living.  This is what he has demonstrated in practice: he has no favorites: his siblings, sons, daughters-in-law who are to him as good as his own daughters, grand-daughters, they are all his detached favorites, just the same.  No more, no less.

Shouldering the entire responsibility of a large family early on, as the first of eleven children, he never for a moment grumbled or grudged his thankless position; nor did he ever look for acknowledgment or recognition. 

He has shown us by his own actions and living, what spartan and practical life is all about.  He may not have given us millions in material wealth but what he has given us is a million times as valuable: he has shown us the path of integrity, honesty, sincerity, and true values of life. 

My Patti, the inimitable Vasanthi Patti, is no less a       paradigm.

A paragon of virtues, an example of patience incarnate; if my thatha is what he is today as the enviable and senior-most leader of the Rengaswamy Iyengar family, it is in no small measure thanks to Vasanthi Patti. In reality, she has been the true backbone, bearing a lion’s share of the burdens of thatha’s family.

Sixty continuous years of hard work and toil in service of thatha’s family, his next generation, and then the next, is no mean achievement: to-day, at almost 77, and almost crippled physically, she staunchly holds on to her optimism and zest for life.  She continues to put in 15-hour work-days, seven days a week, 365 days a year: no letup, no holidays, no rest, rain or shine or thunder. She has had much more than her share of illnesses, ailments, major at that, but none of them has deterred her from serving her family relentlessly.  One never stops wondering why the Almighty should have imposed such hardships on such a great soul: but then, the Almighty’s ways are strange, aren’t they?

She is an exquisite finance manager, a wonderful administrator, highly pliable, flexible, understanding, a great hostess, a cook-par-excellence.

My thatha-patti are a role model like the Divya dhampathi .. Lords Ranganatha and Ranganayaki.

Their blessings will take us a long way towards meaningful life.

May the Almighty give my thatha, the grand old man of our family, and patti, many more years of happy life.

From Ms. Vandana Vasudevan (Brother's Daughter)

Very sorry to hear about Kannan Periappa s passing. He used to be very attached to my father and now both are not there! I remember his spotless white kurta and veshti and his dignified presence. In 1984 when Srirangam Thatha passed away, Kanna perappa taught all grandchildren some lovely Sai Bhajans  in the Srirangam verandah. Every evening he use dto hold a session.  which we still remember. He used to sing them beautifully! He and periamma and Vijayanand made a trip to Mumbai in the 1980s and we all went to Mahabaleshwar together-it was a great trip. I remember visiting them very often in Chennai, at least before my father fell ill, after which I used to not visit Madras often.

I think you should take consolation in the fact that he lived long and lived to see a lot of grandchildren and even seen Prasanna 's wedding. It s very hard to fight the loss of a loved one. You are much older and Kannappa was much older so I am sure you will be able to handle it more maturely.  I ve had a very difficult time since Dad 's passing. Everytime I think I ve got over the grief, it comes back in some way- some memory, some thought and then I break down.  I keep pushing the thoughts away to lead my day to day life.

May God give Vasanti Periamma the strength to withstand this loss.

Affly
Vandana

From a former CLRI colleague

OCTOGENARIAN PASSES AWAY

Mr R. Venkatesan, widely acclaimed as STHITHA PRAGNYA and a friend-philosopher-guide to colleagues and mere acquaintances alike, he was a person of impeccable integrity. A shining example of austere living, he always stood up to principles, unmindful of consequences.

He leaves behind a large family and scores of friends and well-wishers who will forever mourn this irreparable loss.

From Ms. Chitra Sudarshan (Sister's Daughter)

Dear Soundar, Gena, Charu and Viji
I just heard from my parents the sad news.  Please accept my heartfelt condolences.  I managed to see Kannan in January - but never imagined that it would be the last time.  I feel extremely saddened by his passing away - and feel a great personal loss.  For as long back as I can remember, Kannan was a part of our lives, and memories are flooding in as I write: images of Kannan in Srirangam, Kannan in CLRI, Kannan during his visit to Delhi, Kannan who did so much at my wedding, Kannan in Indira Nagar......I shall always cherish them for as long as I live.  When I was in school, I would invariably go to Kannan when I need help writing up speeches for Debating contests, and in 1970, he helped me write the speech with which I won the All India competition in Delhi.  I was quite convinced that had he been born at a different time, he would have indeed become a gifted writer or a leader of men.  The time at which that generation entered the workforce was not one of great opportunities and India was but a fledgling nation.  However, he was loved by so many of his friends and family for the principled life he lived and for having helped so many people in so many ways. Even in 1998 he helped secure several interviews for me with N Ravi, the Editor of Hindu.  He will always be fondly remembered by one and all.
Please convey my condolences to Vasanthi.
Regards
Chitra

From Mr. Ramjee (Cousin)

It is indeed very sad that Sri.Kannan,should pass away,though at a ripe old age.

He was the pillar of strength for the entire family after the demise of his father,Mr.V.Rangaswamy Iyengar.In fact, myself and vatsala always considered him as the senior of our family and felt pleasure in visiting him;he was always impartial,never minxed his words and forthright in his opinions,irrespective of whoever it is, an unique and great soul.

Convey our deepest condolenses to Vasanthi and other member of his family.

Regards,

Vatsala and ramjee

From Mr. R. Narayanan & Ms. Laxmy (Brother & Sister-in-law)

we are very deeply aggrieved for the sad and sudden demise of kannappa. , and it has created a very big vacuum in our midst.

In fact we saw kannappa on 8th before coming to new york and we were v. confident that there was no immediate danger to his life. 

But fate is beyond our understanding. 

He was always a source of strength and advice to all of us and we are now left with no such support for the rest of our life. 

Weare also sorry that at this moment of grief we could not be with you all. my only request is that u sd take care of ur mother and console her for this inevitable loss.. we pray to Lord Ranganatha for his soul to rest in peace. We shall talk to u afterwards

Rajadhyaksha and anupama are also feeling very sad about this news and they join us to express their grief.

with regards

R. narayanan and laxmy

From Ms. Anupama Rajadhyaksha (Brother's Daughter-in-law)

I feel extremely sad about Perippa's demise. More sorry that we are physically not present there in this trying moment.

Perippa wa sthe first person i met from the family.

He had come to see me at my place and i was wearing capris and sleevesless and he completely caught me unaware.

I remember amma telling me to go and change and he was like no way i want her to be her natural self.

I was flat out then itself. 

His uncrumbled white kurta, with veshti and thriunaamam- sitting completely erect at my marriage ceremony was quite a sight.

Although i have met him 6-7 times only, I have heard so much about him and almost everyday dhyaksha would mention him on some account.

Its a tragic loss for us. I can feel the vaccuum here. A very sad day.

He might parted physically but has left us priceless values and principles to follow.

I hope we follow all that and make his soul happy.

anupama

From Mr. Jagadisan Natarajan (A Youth Hostel Friend)

SIR,

YOU HAVE LEFT BEHIND A VOID WHICH CAN NEVER BE FILLED.

YOUR MAJESTIC PERSONALITY AND THE ARRESTING SMILE NEVER REVEALED THE PAIN YOU WERE CARRYING

PRIOR TOTHE DAYS OF YOUR BYPASS SURGERY.

WHENEVER YOU WERE THERE YOU COULD INJECT TONNES OF COURAGE AND EASILY MAKE US FORGET OUR WORRIES.

NEVER ONCE YOU TOLD A HARSH WORD ABOUT ANYONE TO MY KNOWLEDGE.

WHENEVER YOU CHIDED ME ON A SUBJECT SAY LIKE CARNATIC MUSIC,YOU WERE THE ULTIMATE WINNER

ALL THE TIME WITH YOUR GENTLE REMARKS AND VALUABLE ADVICE.

WHENEVER WE HAD A PROBLEM,WE HAD A FEELING ALL THE TIME TO FALL BACK UPON YOU AND TAKE A LEAF OUT OF YOUR LIFE WHICH YOU FACED WITH SUCH A COURAGE AND NEVER ONCE COMPLAINED AGAINST ANYTHING

OR ANYONE.WHERE DID YOU GET THE COURAGE SIR?

YOU SHOULD HAVE EASILY LIVED ANOTHER 20 YEARS BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE NEEDED YOU.

YOU HAVE NOW MADE US ORPHANS,BECAUSE IT IS DIFFICULT THESE DAYS TO FIND A PERSON

WITH YOUR CHARECTER,SELFLESS SACRIFICE,DEVOTION TO DUTY AND A STRENGTH OF CONVICTION IN

WHATEVER YOU THOUGHT WAS CORRECT SINCE YOU WERE ALWAYS CORRECT.

SIR,IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO FORGET YOU.YOU WOULD REMAIN IN OUR THOUGHTS FOREVER.IN THIS HOUR OF DARKNESS MAY WE PRAY THE ALMIGHTY THAT HE WOULD ENSURE THAT YOUR SOUL REST IN PEACE FOR ALL GOOD THINGS YOU HAVE DONE HERE.

GOOD BYE VENKATESAN SIR!

J NATARAJAN