DHEEKSHITHAR THAATHAA ( 4 )

                                          DHEEKSHITHAR  THAATHAA(  4  )

                       G was staying in a rented house in Subramaniapuram  street at Kallidaikurichi with Sankarippaatti  and their four chidren .The girl children were given  in  marriage  at their proper age,The first son G.Mahadevan  went for  job in Thanjavoor district.But it was only for a short period. He  was brought back for  getting  married. He was mmarried to one Parvathammal belonging to Krishnapuram near Kadayanalloor ,Thirunelveli district...Subsequently he also plunged himself in the national politics.The little earnng  which he was having got stopped. He established his family in Cheranmadevi.. V V S Iyer had started a hostel  for the benefit of the downtrodden Harijan children to feed them and to assure them of primary education which was normally denied in those days.The then government was helping  by a very meagre sum of  eighteen rupees per student .G . M was made the complete in charge of the hostel.No separate salary and he had to take whatever remained after spending for the students.He  was so generous  that he spent from his own pocket in addition to what the government gave.He was not worried whether his family had enough for livelihood .But he saw that the  Harijan students of the hostel  were fed well and taken proper care of.

                 The second son Ganesan  did not marry , Meenakshiammal  married KTV and  thereby got a number of children of which the first five were born at Kallidaikurichi under  the care of Sankarippaatti. I was the fifth one  born on  a Sri Krishnajayanthi Day.'The remaining seven children starting from my younger sister Sankari were born at Kalakad.. .The second daughter  Subbulakshmiammal gave birth  to Ramani Parvathi and Venkataramanan at Kallidaikurichi and the remaining children at Cheranmaadevi.Since  our chithappa SivachidambaramIyer was working as a compounder in  L F D Hospitals his was a transferrable job.His earning was meagre and therefore the responsibility of his family was laid on the head of our uncle G  M..Our chithappa and chithi  begot four more children while at Cheranmaadevi.In the meantime G M and Parvathammal  had their own children who ultimately gave birth to twelve children in toto.Overall management was efficiently done by our paatti. Sankarippaatt  till her last breath..

After my elder brother Venkateswaran finished his middle school education at Kalakad, he joined The Thilakar Vidhyaalayam High School,Kallidaikurichi since there was no High School at Kalakad.He studied for three years until his school education was completed..in the meantime one unfortunate thing happened in the family!!    Our Sankarippaatti who had  developed cancer  succumbed to it in 1952 T V finished his schooling in 1953. and joined  M D T Hindu college, Thirunelveli for his Intermediate course and was a train student staying at  Cheranmaadhevi with our uncle G M .Subsequently he left for Calcutta seeking jobs ..Ramani was given in marriage to one Balachandhran, son of Reghunatha Iyer, Kalakad.. She gave birth to her first son  Raghunathan ,left him in Cheranmaadhevi and joined her husband at Malad,Bombay.who was working Bombay Secretariate. 

              The mental strength of each member of the family was so strong that always one can see only a broad smile in  their face whatever had been their financial condition which had been always grim.

                                                                                                                     (to be continued )