DHEEKSHITHAR THAATHAA ( 6 )

                                   DHEEKSHITHAR  THAATHAA(  6 )

                     One day  G was waiting at the Kallidaikurichi Bus stop to board the bus to Ambasamudram hardly two kilometers away.He preferred travelling by bus witḥ people of all sorts since he treated every one as his brother or sister,being a typical follower of Mahathma Gandhi. .Usual bus fare was only half a rupee ( very valuable amount in those days.) Very simple as he was ,one can always see him well clad on a white dhothi , a towel for upper garment and a jolna bag , all made of khadhi ( no shirt unless for long   train travels )   A taxi  driver approached him and offered to take him to Ambasamudram Ponvizha mandapam where G  intended to go, on payment of  one rupee (  double tḥe cost of bus fare ) G agreed .On arrival at the destination ,the driver demanded rupees five. .G replied that the agreement is only for one rupee and changing that amounted to cheating. .Their chats continued for more than half an hour.As time passed the driver changed the tone and tenor ,his words also becoming unpalatable.This attracted the attention of the passersby and pulled a great crowd numbering about fifteen..They looked at G sitting inside the car.G was familiar to them but not the otherway round They caught hold of him began to beat.But G pacified the crowd saying that he is totally against this sort of thing ( beating another person ) The crowd informed him that the person sitting inside his car was the M L A of his own constituency.The driver repented for his entire actions and prostrated before him.He remarked that it was a great honour to him to have carried the MLA in his car and  therefore does not want any money towards the fare.But G  replied that unless he accepts the money , he would not get down from the car.Driver yielded at last and accepted one rupee from G with folded hands whereupon G got down and the driver escorted G to the mandapam walking together..The morals of the story are threefold.Simplicity,non violence and selflessness which were all characteristics of Mahathma Gandhi.

                                              After the demise of our Paatti and completion of one year for the allied ceremonies G slowly shifted his residence to Cheranmaadhevi to be with his son Mahadhevan. During the election in 1957 ,he was operating from Cheranmaadhevi which also was a part of Ambasamudram  constituency.In those days the monhly salary for an MLA was rs 250/   .Normally there will be four sittings of the Assembly in a year .The policies of the government will be discussed and passed by majority voting by  the MLAs and these  will become  laws.  All the MLAs  will assemble in erstwhile Madras ( now Chennai )  during the sessions.,On such days they will be housed in the separate Hostel rooms with one room per head.G was staying in room no.  44 throughout his service as MLA' The MLAs will return to their nativeplaces and constituncies afte the session is over.The travel expences ,room rent  food etc will be taken care of by the government. .They are supposed to solve the peoblems of the people belonging to the constituency, arising then and there and they will speak about them in the assembly to bring out solutions to them.

                                        I had finished my SSLC in the year 1957 when he became MLA for the first time. After finishing P U C in V O Chidambaram College ,Tuticorin KTV requested G to meet Kamaraj the then Chief Minister of  Taminadu for ensuring a seat in the coveted Engineerung course.Both went to his house .G  evinced no interest  in the offer made by Kamaraj for ensuring a seat to me in the Engineering Course. We returned empty handed though met him actually. This is purely because of his inborn nature to be selfless and not to misuse his position for family people .Another important case of similar type which desrves mention is that of another grandson , bearing his own name Gomathisankaran who had finished B E Civil Engineering  with First Class but without employnent for one and half years.G had to attend a high level committee meeting ,of which the then minister Kakkan was the head. Some official came nearby ,and informed him him that already the grandson's case has been informed to the minister for job.This was done when G was sitting on one of the chairs and the minister was about to appear. Not feeling happy, G arose from the chair said to the official that he is not attending the meeting. When this was happening ,the minister himself appeared on the scene eventually and pacified G.( How the grandson got a job is a matter of KTV puranam)

.                                                                                        ( to be continued )