Paṅktipāvana Venkatakrishnaiah - Part 1
[[Paṅktipāvana Venkatakrishnaiah - Part 1 Source: prekshaa]]
While referring to Sri M. Venkatakrishnaiah we should first respectfully acknowledge the small number of his disciples who were serving him with utmost dedication. That highly devoted bunch extended much needed assistance promptly in the matters of his food, his health, and his public programs. In my opinion, it would not be possible for Sri M. Venkatakrishnaiah to have led such an able and long-lasting life without that devoted resourcefulness of the disciples. From where they came and what their whereabouts are now is unknown. They recognized the greatness and served. Salutations to them.
First meeting
I met Venkatakrishnaiah for the first time in 1902. I had heard his name before that and had been aware of his fame. In 1902, I was a student of the fourth forum in the high school division of Maharaja College of Mysore. That was the time when India was under the viceroy Lord Curzon. An association based in Mysore, Literary Union, had arranged a series of lectures from an English scholar Moulton (or maybe Cuthbert, I do not remember) in the memory of Barrow. That was in Rangacharlu memorial hall. I had gone to the lecture on the last day. The auditorium was jam packed. I somehow managed to get in and stood near a window. I did not have the required proficiency in the English language or general knowledge necessary to understand that lecture. I went with the fancies of tender age. I simply followed some of my friends to the event. I liked his style, flow and the forceful delivery. He elaborated on the benefits that are being provided and to be provided in the future by the British government to India. After the completion of the discourse, someone got ready to deliver the vote of thanks. Someone stood up and called out “Mr. Venkatakrishnaiah please”. Few more voices joined. Here is the gist of Venkatakrishnaiah’s speech. “These lecture series came out well. Good language, good oratory. Our folks should learn from it. The speaker elaborated on the benefits to India from the British government. We agree to this in a broader sense. But, it is natural for Indians to aspire to grow, to govern themselves based on their strength; it would have been better if the speaker had touched upon the thoughts of the British government in this regard”.
It was a speech of four to five minutes. From all corners of the hall, claps rained on Sri Venkatakrishnaiah. The same hangover lasted a month; people talked about it. The students who had listened would discuss it in awe, “What a retort! he gave it back properly”.
Printing Office
One of my relatives Sri Lakshminarayanappa was a Munsif at Nanjangud. He had a deep friendship with Sri Venkatakrishnaiah. Sri Padmanabhayya, son of Sri Lakshminarayanappa was my classmate. We stayed in the same room. As a routine, we used to visit Sri Lakshminarayanappa once a week. Then Sri Venkatakrishnaiah was staying in a magnificent Villa named ‘Padmalaya’. Behind the house was the printing office. There, the English paper ‘Mysore Herald’ and the Kannada paper ‘Vṛttānta-cintāmaṇi’ was printed. That was where I learnt about the untidiness of a typical newspaper office, paper and ink scattered all over the place. My mind was full of respect and fear towards Sri Venkatakrishnaiah. I did not take liberty with him or try to be close to him as I also feared him. I only observed him from a distance.
Personality
Sri Venkatakrishnaiah’s frame was pleasing to the eye. Tall, proportionately built. Dull white when it comes to complexion. Pleasant and serious face. Neither too long nor too round. Still appeared somewhat round in some places. Shining eyes. In my opinion, he would have been counted as handsome in his youth.
Though he was well known as an orator, he wasn’t talkative. He spoke less. He spoke whatever was required. He was more interested in listening to others than speaking himself.
He never used harsh language during friendly discussions. He would not raise his voice. His tone would be mild but a serious one. He used adjectives such as ‘puṇyātma’, ‘devaru’, ‘maharāya’, ‘mahānubhāva’, quite often. He used these adjectives to refer to one and all. He never used objectionable language.
Very rarely he used to get angry. In such instances, the anger was especially reflected only in facial expressions and never in words. Screaming and scolding was not his way.
He would not disappoint anyone. When he visited Bangalore, he had to cope with many hosts offering breakfast. He would not miss breakfast at Sri Lakshminarayanappa’s place. Then he would go to Sri Shyamarao. He could not say no to coffee there. He would complete the ritual of drinking coffee there. Then visit H. V. Nanjundayya. They would invite him for lunch. Excuses such as “Sri Lakshminarayanappa would be waiting”, would have no effect, “Taste the food a little here”, would be the reply. Then he would visit Sri Lakshminarayanappa and administer enema before lunch. He managed the desires of his friends this way. He used to advise enema treatment to others as well. Even I got that advice.
I do not know his opinion on the matters of religious rituals. I can for sure say that he had unshakable devotion towards god. It did not appear to me that he followed any rituals. He did not flaunt vibhūti nor adhered to a daily routine involving japa, pūjā, and śāstrakarma. It appeared that he had a conviction that rituals are for oneself and need not be advertised in public.
Sir M. Visvesvarayya did not advertise his orientation towards religious practices, like Sri Gokhale. But they were not atheists, they did not make fun of people who followed rituals.
Sri Venkatakrishnaiah on the cover page of the ‘Vṛttānta-cintāmaṇi’ would publish the following every week as if it was an expression of his inner voice.
श्लोकार्धेन प्रवक्ष्यामि यदुक्तं ग्रन्थकोटिभिः ।
परोपकारः पुण्याय पापाय परपीडनम् ॥
I will declare the import of millions of texts in half a verse.
Helping others is for merit and causing trouble to others is for sin.
Affection
By 1909 my education had ended. I was unemployed and was wandering about in Bangalore. That year the Congress party had split into two in a meeting at Surat, people who advocated extremists and people who were moderates. At that time the whole nation was concerned. I took up an adventure. I wrote an article in English ‘samyukta and united India’, and sent it to Sri Venkatakrishnaiah. Not only did he write back to me in appreciation but he also published it in the ‘Mysore Herald’. It was also reprinted in the form of a pamphlet. That was one of my naive writings. I mentioned it here to show Sri Venkatakrishnaiah’s affection and nothing else.
परगुणपरमाणून् पर्वतीकृत्य…
Magnifying tiniest virtues of others to mountainous proportions…
This was his nature.
This is the first part of the translation of the fifth essay in D V Gundappa’s magnum-opus Jnapakachitrashaale (Volume 6) – Halavu Sarvajanikaru. Edited by Raghavendra G S.
Paṅktipāvana Venkatakrishnaiah - Part 2
[[Paṅktipāvana Venkatakrishnaiah - Part 2 Source: prekshaa]]
In 1902 my sister got widowed. Then she was about 10 years old. This matter somehow reached Sri Venkatakrishnaiah and he wrote to me and conveyed his condolences.
“Please bring that child to my place. I will take care of her at my house; I will arrange for her education. She should not be discouraged. She should be in a lively environment. You get her here in person”. But my parents were traditionalists. They adhered to old customs. Sri Venkatakrishnaiah’s suggestion was not accepted, but this shows the magnanimity of Sri Venkatakrishnaiah.
Recognizing the need of people
In 1908, ‘Mysore Newspaper Regulation Act’ came into being. As a mark of protest, except for two to three newspapers, others downed the shutters. The government was not under loss by this decision. That was Sri V. P. Madhavarao’s time. Some outsiders, with the help and encouragement of higher officials ventured into operations in Bangalore. ‘Mysore Mail’ was one of the English papers. It was run by Mr. Sankunni Menon a big shot from Kerala. One early evening by four, Venkatakrishnaiah came to my house and said: “Let us go and see him”. I said, “He is on the opposite side; how will he be of use to us?”. For this Venkatakrishnaiah told, “Let him take his route, we will pursue ours. Since we conduct ourselves respectfully, there is no issue. People in public service should not stretch enmity. His help may be needed in some other matter.”
That day while we were traveling to the ‘Mysore Mail’ office in a horse-cart; I asked, “There is a necessity of an organization which will invest in the work of the nation. There should be tens of people working in that organization.”. Venkatakrishnaiah told, “You are right. Before this effort let us get rid of the current problem. Later we will think about an organization.”
For Venkatakrishnaiah writing for the press was like bread and butter. If he did not write at least one or two articles he could not consume food, nor could he sleep. After he stopped his daily paper, he ventured into weekly editions of ‘Mysore Patriot’, ‘Sādhvi’ and also the daily ‘Sampadabhyudaya’. To write about the history of these papers there are people more competent than me. I remember a story of the times of ‘Vṛttānta-cintāmaṇi’.
Ateen Raja
Sri Venkatakrishnaiah would relax in solitude in a hall in front of Padmalaya around nine in the night once his daily activities were completed. No one used to visit him then. He used to meditate and reflect on his thoughts peacefully alone. One such night some visitor knocked on the front door. Venkatakrishnaiah raised his voice “Who is that?”
“It is me, Ateen Raja.”
Venkatakrishnaiah went and opened the door and saw the then Police Superintendent. His name was probably K. Srinivasa Rao. He spoke in Tamil mixed Kannada. This was the accent of the Kannada people from Coimbatore-Kumbakonam. “Sir, I read Woes of widower from your paper”. “It was very well written; what to do Sir? People call me Ateen Raja. God has made me like that.”
Both the speaker and listener were laughing. He was a man of taste. He was rich, bold, and was holding a prestigious position in government. He was not corrupt; He did not expect money from others. But a man of taste.
Strain in relation
Kumarabhavana was the house in front of Padmalaya. It was the residence of Diwan K Seshadri Iyer. Foreign nationals used to visit Seshadri Iyer often. When Seshadri Iyer used to converse with the guests, they would ask, “What are the places one should visit in this city?”. Seshadri Iyer would say “You should visit. The person in front of my house. He has read all works of philosopher Herbert Spencer. He is the authority for Spencer’s work. He is honest and rational.”– in appreciation of Venkatakrishnaiah.
In 1898, post the demise of the Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar; the question of how to govern and who should rule the state arose. There was a rumor in public that Seshadri Iyer aspired to be the regent administrator and he was discussing that possibility with the government of India. This should not happen, [Maharani Kempa Nanjammani] Vani Vilasa Sannidhana should be appointed to govern and Dewan should be serving her, was another opinion which was floating around. The second opinion was from Sri Venkatakrishnaiah. This way the relationship between Seshadri Iyer and Venkatakrishnaiah started going sour.
Venkatakrishnaiah was a favorite student of Dewan Rangacharlu. Venkatakrishnaiah had thoroughly read all the British philosophical and political literature which Dewan Rangacharlu had mastered. Rangacharlu’s honesty, character, political vision. farsightedness had an overwhelming influence on Venkatakrishnaiah. Venkatakrishnaiah was a member of the fourth or fifth session of Mysore Praja Pratinidhi Sabha (People’s representative council) which was established by Rangacharlu. That membership was retained with devotion throughout his lifetime. Seshadri Iyer did not have great regards for the council. He opined that it hindered the working of the government, which otherwise could be carried out swiftly and comfortably. Result-oriented state officials considered that if the state is the chariot, the council was like an axle-beam of the chariot prodding it forward. Like this, it became inevitable for Venkatakrishnaiah and Seshadri Iyer to oppose each other.
Seshadri Iyer’s shortcomings in governance were mentioned without inhibition by Venkatakrishnaiah in his news articles. This became unbearable to Seshadri Iyer.
In Praja Pratinidhi Sabha
Once some of the members of Praja Pratinidhi Sabha, headed by Venkatakrishnaiah raised a petition to the government. Sabha meets once in twelve months. This frequency is not enough for public-oriented inquiries and further high-level investigations. The government should nominate a standing committee and provide the powers to it for reviewing the works of governance from the viewpoint of the Sabha in between sessions. This was the petition’s crux. The government did not honor this. Among the people who put forward the proposal were European planter Crawford and others. Reminder letters were sent for this petition to the government. The government ignored those as well. Then petitioners called for the members’ meeting and nominated a standing committee. Letters were written that this committee should be recognized and honored. No response came from the government. Then this matter was raised by the members in the subsequent Praja Pratinidhi Sabha session. The chairperson Seshadri Iyer got angry and heated discussions ensued. Venkatakrishnaiah enquired:
V: “What about the committee.”
S: “That Committee is burnt.”
V: “Many members of it do not burn their bodies.”
S: “Then it is buried.”
V: “Its ghost will be raised.”
Thus, went the uproar.
This is the second part of the translation of the fifth essay in D V Gundappa’s magnum-opus Jnapakachitrashaale (Volume 6) – Halavu Sarvajanikaru. Edited by Raghavendra G S.
Paṅktipāvana Venkatakrishnaiah - Part 3
[[Paṅktipāvana Venkatakrishnaiah - Part 3 Source: prekshaa]]
Magnanimity of Seshadri Iyer
But Seshadri Iyer was a great person. He wouldn’t bring the political animosity to the personal relations. He had accepted the greatness of Venkatakrishnaiah wholeheartedly. Two or three of Seshadri Iyer’s children were dedicated students of Venkatakrishnaiah. While Krishna Iyer was the deputy commissioner, the recommendations of Venkatakrishnaiah were honored.
Venkatakrishnaiah was upbeat in providing letters of recommendation. He never said no to the one who asked. Many undeserving people also benefited this way.
Thoughtless recommendation
A complaint was raised on a misdeed of a high-level officer of a certain department. After an investigation, the official had to undergo forced retirement. That officer pleaded with Venkatakrishnaiah. This resulted in articles which proposed that the widely spoken wrong and unjust deeds of that officer were not true, that the officer was truthful, god-fearing, and clean-handed. It went on like this for a long time. This did not bear good results to the officer anyway. Then Venkatakrishnaiah sent a letter to the Dewan Visvesvaraya praising that officer. The Dewan responded and asked Venkatakrishnaiah to meet him face to face. I was also present in that meeting. After exchanging pleasantries, Visvesvaraya handed over a pile of papers to Venkatakrishnaiah. Venkatakrishnaiah read all of them in detail and placed the pile of papers on the table.
“See, he did not even mention all this to me. He is involved in a lot of things.”
Visvesvaraya said, “See, you created such a nuisance by publishing articles commending him in the paper and writing a letter to me. I have provided you a committee report. I have not seen more honest and distinguished people than the members of that committee. You will also consider this!”
Venkatakrishnaiah “how can I say no. They are all clean-handed and honest.”
Visvesvaraya “It is recommended that your friend needs to be prosecuted. I have blocked that prosecution procedure for your sake. Will proceed with the prosecution to get the truth out from court if further noise about that person is created”.
Venkatakrishnaiah mildly cursed that person and came out with a smile. Like Professor Venkatanarayanappa; Venkatakrishnaiah would first believe; once he got acquainted with the truth he would say “what a clever rascal!”.
Writings
Venkatakrishnaiah was a good scholar. He never publicized his intellect. He had thoroughly studied Sanskrit literature. His English was powerful and profound. His Kannada’s simplicity, elegance, and splendor were a model to be followed. From his Kannada writings, Lakshminarayanappa used to often quote from these two works; one ‘dhanārjaneya krama’ (How to earn money) and the other is ‘cora-grahaṇa-tantra’ (technique of catching theft). Lakshminarayanappa used to say this on the face of Venkatakrishnaiah. Venkatakrishnaiah would laugh heartily listening to this.
“People who know the formula for earning money will not come to newspaper business” was the first taunt of Lakshminarayanappa. “Closure of Padmalaya was an example for anyone wanting to earn in your way”. “Regarding theft and catching it, the money order you got based on donation; you signed the coupon, have you ever counted the money?” His way of catching theft was complimenting their way of earning money. Everyone knew about thieves among his press staff. When money orders came; whoever stayed closer would take the money as though it was their money. People who brought things to his office, home, the school were also cheating with the money given. Everyone knew about this except Venkatakrishnaiah. He never stopped addressing those thieves as “Oh! the great one”, “Oh! the noblest’'.
Way of making money
Lakshminarayanappa practiced a safety measure. Whenever Venkatakrishnaiah would stay at Lakshminarayanappa’s place during his visit to Bangalore. When he would go back Lakshminarayanappa would come to the station, mark how much money is left in a sheet of paper, tie the sheet and money in a knot of the cloth’s edge (dhotra). Then he would stuff the knot in Venkatakrishnaiah’s fist and say “careful! Careful!”. Despite such precautions, full money would never reach Mysore. At Bidadi station if the bamboo stick seller advertises.
“How much is this oh! noble fellow.”
“Only three rupees Sir, it is fantastic.”
Three rupees were spent.
Then Banana at Ramanagara station. Four bananas would cost eight annas. Many a time a whole one rupee was given, and he would not ask for the change.
Once he got colored dolls and a top from Channapatna. Lakshminarayanappa asked.
“This is for whom.”
“Let it be, for the kids to play.”
“Who is there in this house to play with dolls.”
Venkatakrishnaiah pointed his hands towards me. I asked, “for me?”
“yes”
Another time khāra-būndi and laḍḍu packets were brought from Maddur. Lakshminarayanappa got angry and raised his voice. Venkatakrishnaiah said.
“Let the kid eat” and he put the heap in my hand.
This was his madness; there was no control over money. This was his way of earning money.
A place of charity
In the lifetime of Venkatakrishnaiah, personally, when he enjoyed rest and peace I do not know. In my fifty to sixty years of experience; it did not appear that he had a private life. His house was like a charitable trust. The place where he was seated was like a fair. To converse and to eat many would come and join. Acquaintances, unknown people, friends, frauds disguised as friends, students, the general public, officers, lawyers, scholars, teachers used to be there. No one knows who had what intentions. People with specific purposes were few. Many were without aim or purpose. From morning five to night ten, the same routine would happen. Without caring about eating time or sleeping time, the crowd came. The crowd used to be overwhelming during the times of Dasara and the birthday celebrations of Maharaja. I want to share an experience when he used to be at Padmalaya. About quarter to seven in the evening two or three people would be there. By seven it would have increased to five to six. Some of them were lawyers, one or two would be prominent people. Among them, someone would raise a matter related to some city. Using that as the pretext, “What injustice”, “No one to hear” he would complain. Some others would criticize some officials. This way screaming and scolding would continue till seven-thirty. Everyone would be offered upma and coffee. Then one by one would depart. This was those people ‘served’ their motherland.
It is not that Venkatakrishnaiah did not know about the quality of such people. Many friends used to get him into trouble, he was cognizant about this. He did not forget the attitude of people who escaped in nick of time. He never talked in a lighter vein about anyone, never complained, never disappointing others. He used to forgive all and respect all; I have come up with three reasons for his behavior. (1) He was a courteous character. By nature, he was soft. (2) People in the public domain should not have any adversaries. No one knows when who may be useful. (3) Each and every one should get a chance for self-correction. If one is scolded and chided, then he would become angry. An attitude of correction will be driven out by anger. Maybe these were the things driving him: he was always humble and confident. People have called him ‘dayāsāgara’ (the ocean of compassion) and Bhīṣmācarya. No one says those were uncalled for or exaggerated. But I would call him a storehouse of liquid jaggery. He was exploited by many in many ways.
This is the third part of the translation of the fifth essay in D V Gundappa’s magnum-opus Jnapakachitrashaale (Volume 6) – Halavu Sarvajanikaru. Edited by Raghavendra G S.
Paṅktipāvana Venkatakrishnaiah - Part 4
[[Paṅktipāvana Venkatakrishnaiah - Part 4 Source: prekshaa]]
All-round capability
Chikkamagalur’s coffee planter Sri Srinivasa Rao used to tease Venkatakrishnaiah affectionately. “If some troublemakers made an association naming ‘Mysore’s Dacoits club’ and asked him to be the president; he would not deny”.
Three or four conferences happened one afternoon between two PM to seven PM during 1910-11 in Mysore’s Marimallappa High School. Each one of them was presided by Venkatakrishnaiah. Theosophical society, Arya Samaj, Samāja-sudhāraṇe (Betterment of society), Vitantu-saṃrakṣaṇe (Welfare of Widows), Go-saṃrakṣaṇe (Welfare of cattle) – for every cause there was a group. Venkatakrishnaiah took the lead role in all of them. I too witnessed the proceedings of these groups; I observed his varied interests. In each matter, he spoke without hurting or disappointing anyone. He would say the merit in each argument in a dignified way. This way he was a person with no enemies (as the Telugu proverb goes – Anantayya – in good terms with everyone^(^([1]))).
Legislative council
During 1915-16 in the legislative council of Mysore, a bill related to Mysore University was being discussed. Venkatakrishnaiah was also present. Sir A. R Banerjee, a member of the council, presented the bill. He said “There have been several requests related to this bill from the city of Mysore. 1: ‘Mr. M. Venkatakrishnaiah, president of the literary union, has written like this’, 2: ‘Mr. M Venkatakrishnaiah, municipal council member, has suggested the following in the council’, 3: ‘Mr. Venkatakrishnaiah, president of teachers’ association, has written like this’, 4: ‘Mr. Venkatakrishnaiah from Paṇḍita-maṇḍali (scholars’-circle) has written like this’, 5: ‘Mr. Venkatakrishnaiah, President of Mahajana-sabha has said so’”.
This way Sir Banerjee named seven to eight organizations, quoted as many opinions, and finally said, “In this assembly I see one Venkatakrishnaiah. I am eagerly waiting to hear him. Does any of the above seven to eight opinions belong to him, or he has a ninth opinion?”
Venkatakrishnaiah laughed with everyone listening to the narration of Sir Banerjee and he answered thus “I belong to many organizations. I have put forward the recommendations and decisions of each organization. That is the responsibility of the President of the organization. I would like to speak in my capacity here.” This was the all-round capability of Sri Venkatakrishnaiah. He would not hurt anyone.
Family-Life
I have already mentioned that if at all there was a long peaceful phase in his life certainly I’m not aware of it. In 1913-14 during Dasara, I was his guest. Then he was staying at a house in Ramā-vilāsa-agrahāra. His son Sri Narayana Rao was my dear friend. Narayana Rao’s wife Smt. Rukminiyamma was like a sister to my wife. During my wife’s last days, when her death was imminent, she was the one who stayed close providing moral support. Narayana Rao, Rukminiyamma, their son, M. Subbarao – who was then around five-six year old, who later went on to become an ICS officer – also stayed with Venkatakrishnaiah. I camped there because of the affectionate persuasion from Narayana Rao and his wife. To my knowledge, this was the time when Venkatakrishnaiah had some sort of peace in his life. Visitors were happy to see child Subbarao. Beautiful appearance, pleasant complexion. A face similar to his grandfather’s. Liveliness in speech. Visitors liked everything about him. Venkatakrishnaiah would observe these appreciations joyfully standing at a distance. This joy was seen in the glitter of his eyes but never spoken. After the demise of the first wife of Venkatakrishnaiah, he got married to Smt. Venkatalakshamma. Her brother’s son was Sri. T. Venkatasubba Shastry, a lawyer in Shivamogga known for his ability and pleasant conduct. Venkatalakshamma was educated. She knew Sanskrit very well. I have heard about her great qualities and virtuous character from others. Once that light faded away, Venkatakrishnaiah’s family life became dull and difficult.
As per my knowledge, Venkatakrishnaiah had two sisters. Both were traditional widows. Both were handicapped, one was blind and the other was lame. Both would work in synergy as if they are one. One can imagine the comforts and levels of enthusiasm that might be present in such a house.
Accident
Venkatakrishnaiah’s second son, Sri Narayana Rao was an Amaldar grade officer. During Visvesvaraya’s time, a department named, ‘Efficiency Audit’ [sic] was set up. Justice Madhava Rao was the head. His associate was M. Narayana Rao. Once, during the functioning of this department, on an evening, Narayana Rao was returning home on his bicycle. His route started from a building near the Sheshadri memorial and joined the huge road south of Statue. The same moment as he entered the junction; a speeding horse cart hit Narayana Rao’s bicycle. One of the shafts of the cart battered his chest, he fell down and passed away.
The news came to Lakshminarayanappa’s house in a few minutes on that horrific day. I was there at that time. Words fail me to describe what transpired later. That is not even necessary. From then after the passing of ten or fifteen days and completion of the last rites, one day Venkatakrishnaiah called his grandson Subbarao near and told:
“My child, from now on you can stay at one of the two places. One is my house in Mysore, another is the house of your mother’s father Dr. C. V. Ramarao. You can stay wherever you like. If you come to Mysore no one is there to take care. You will have to stay as an inhabitant of an orphanage along with fifteen to twenty others. You will be like them. Whatever happens to them happens to you. Your Grandparents will take care of you if you go to their house in Bangalore. As Ramarao has all comforts, he can take care of your higher education and future. You choose based on your liking. Think and decide where you want to be. If you stay with me, I will be extremely happy. You are not a burden to me. You are my beloved. But I should think about your future. Consult your mother and grandparents and make a decision”.
This is Venkatakrishnaiah’s character:
अयं निजः परो वेति गणना लघुचेतसाम् ।
उदारचरितानां तु वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् ॥
This person is a friend; or is he a foe? - such are thoughts of narrow-minded people. For the noble-minded the whole world is a family.
Venkatakrishnaiah would consider everyone as his family.
Writing work
Venkatakrishnaiah would get up at four in the morning. By five he would tie a piece of cloth around his head and would dictate articles which were to be sent out. The dictation would be in english or Kannada and one of his students would be the scribe. Normally Venkatakrishnaiah would hold an edition of “Madras Mail” and choose a topic. That was the paper which would provoke his thoughts and trigger his mind. The style and imagination were his. He had a simple and natural style. His Kannada while being understandable to the common readers would be interspersed with scholarly phrases from Sanskrit bringing joy to one and all. His English was majestic and included good idioms. This would go on till seven in the morning. In between there would be a coffee break. Then he would go for a walk.
This is the fourth part of the translation of the fifth essay in D V Gundappa’s magnum-opus Jnapakachitrashaale (Volume 6) – Halavu Sarvajanikaru. Edited by Raghavendra G S.
Footnotes
^(^([1]))ಅಂದರಿಕಿ ಮಂಚಿವಾಡು ಅನಂತಯ್ಯ
Paṅktipāvana Venkatakrishnaiah - Part 5
[[Paṅktipāvana Venkatakrishnaiah - Part 5 Source: prekshaa]]
Commitment
Pondering about his work in the press reminds me of a sad incident. Around 1902 or 1903 he lost his son. His daughter and son-in-law Dakshinamurthy too expired (may be due to plague). During one of these troubled times before the body would be taken to the crematorium Venkarakrishnaiah said to someone “Oh dear! today’s article isn’t ready yet? Go get paper and pen.” thus he made sure it was ready. This was his commitment to work.
Ridiculous
Venkatakrishnaiah had some acquaintance with the British Resident. Once he went to see a Resident, Sir Donald Robertson. The resident welcomed him with affection, made him sit on the sofa, and started a conversation. After three to four minutes, he asked, “Mr. Venkatakrishnaiah, I want to tell you something personal. Please pardon me.”
“What is it? let it be ordered.”
“Appears that you are going through some pain.”
“Nothing as such.”
“No, looking at the way you are seated I feel so. Therefore, you need to permit me.”
That official called his jawan “Look at Venkatakrishnaiah’s feet”. That jawan observed that Venkatakrishnaiah’s left shoe was on the right foot and right shoe on the left, tightly laced. He smiled; untied the lace. He helped him wear the left shoe on the left foot, the right shoe on the right foot and tied the lace properly. Venkatakrishnaiah smiled and said, “I did not notice this”. The sweeper had misaligned the shoes and Venkatakrishnaiah had worn them as is.
Teaching method
I have heard about the teaching methodology of Venkatakrishnaiah from many of his students. Especially, English and History. He would not only introduce things which were pertinent to the topic, but he would take them through a tour across the globe on the pretext of a topic in the syllabus. He used to remember a few names without fail daily. [Thomas] Arnold (19th century educator), [William Ewart] Gladstone, Telemachus, [Abraham] Lincoln, George Washington, Booker T. Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and other great men used to be quoted often during the teaching. Students’ keenness would be renewed at every instance. The flow of language, depth of the subject, more than anything the way the speaker used to forget himself while teaching inspired the students. He did not teach for the sake of exams. His goal was to make students virtuous. Patriotism manifested in him.
Punishment
Venkatakrishnaiah used to punish his students as well. A student who has committed a mistake would be treated with a stick. Once the student’s eyes were filled with tears, the master’s eyes would be filled with tears, and he would embrace the student tightly. He used to take the student to his cabin and give him dry grapes and sugar crystals. I have seen glass jars filled with dates, almonds, etc in the cupboard of his room. Those were for the students, especially students who were punished. Students would conspire by making a fellow student agree to take the blame and getting him punished. Then distribute the dry fruits he would get later. Among the students who planned such activities was a friend of mine.
Hospitality
In his last days, he would have his afternoon meal in the house of Advocate Chandrasekharaiah. He used to fast in the evenings. If milk or water is needed, students would get it. [The Right Honourable] V S Srinivasa Sastri had great respect towards Venkatakrishnaiah. Whenever he went to Mysore, he would inform Venkatakrishnaiah and visit him. Once Shastry went to him, Venkatakrishnaiah offered a plate full of fruits, dates, and other delicacies. Shastry informed, “I cannot eat such because of various ailments” Venkatakrishnaiah replied with tearful eyes: “I am unable to get the happiness of offering a meal to esteemed people like you, if you take nothing it would cause great trouble to my mind.” I was present to witness this conversation.
Prajapaksha
In 1926-27, Prajapaksha was powerful in Mysore. An incident happened. Prajapratinidhi-Sabha used to meet in Jaganmohana Bungalow. On the dais, Dewan and his colleagues would be seated. Towards the left, facing west, in the front row’s five-six chairs, Venkatakrishnaiah, Srinivasa Rao, Vasudeva Rao, and other senior members would be seated. This was a practice for many years. Some leaders of Prajapaksha talked among themselves that “What is great about Venkatakrishnaiah? Why should he sit in the front row? Why should we not sit?”. They came at eleven for the assembly which is supposed to start by twelve and sat. Abbas Khan Saheb, Paramashiviah, H. C. Dasappa, and others were in those seats. By 12 noon, Dewan Mirza Saheb entered the auditorium and observed the people sitting in the front row. He did not say anything. Eight to ten minutes prior, Venkatakrishnaiah and his friends had come. As the front rows were occupied, he said, “Let it be, we will occupy the empty seats. What difference would it make?”, they sat in the chairs in one of the corners. Proceedings started. Some matter came for discussion. Leaders seated at the front row debated on that. After these debates ended, before the conclusion, Mirza Saheb turned towards Venkatakrishnaiah and asked:
M: “Mr. Venkatakrishnaiah, have you nothing to say?”
V: “Many members have spoken. Perhaps they have discussed it enough.”
M: “I am anxious to know your views. The government cannot ignore the views of a veteran like you.”
Hearing that majority of the assembly clapped. There were murmurs that the dewan was partial and disrespected the assembly. It made no difference to the conduct or inner peace of Venkatakrishnaiah.
***
In the latter days, there were misunderstandings between Mirza Saheb and Venkatakrishnaiah. I did not agree with what Mirza Saheb did then. Even now I feel that his conduct was not dignified or magnanimous.
I went to see Venkatakrishnaiah at Krishnaraja Hospital during his last days. He was as usual calm and composed. People who were taking care of him were his students. Since many years, Venkatakrishnaiah had already made up his mind:
एकाकी निस्पृहः शांतः पाणिपात्रो दिगंबरः ।
कदा शंभो भविष्यामि कर्मनिर्मूलनक्षमः ॥
When will I be able to (through jnana) destroy karma (like) Shiva (who is alone) alone, free from desires, calm, bowl in hand, covered only by the directions?
This is the final part of the translation of the fifth essay in D V Gundappa’s magnum-opus Jnapakachitrashaale (Volume 6) – Halavu Sarvajanikaru. Edited by Raghavendra G S.