V P Madhava Rao (Part 1)
[[V P Madhava Rao (Part 1) Source: prekshaa]]
After P N Krishnamurti, V P Madhava Rao came to power as the Dewan. He was a smārta Deśastha brāhmaṇa from the Tanjore region. We could see a little bit of Sir K Seshadri Iyer’s mien in him. Employed by the Government of Mysore during Rungacharlu’s tenure as Dewan, Madhava Rao rose to prominence and became well known for his competence. He became successful as the Inspector General of Police. It was the period when the plague had struck for the first time. To prevent the disease, the government had made arrangements such as inoculation. A significant percentage of the population refused to accept these measures and protested. The reason for the refusal and resistance was fear. This new medical procedure of injecting a drug called ‘inoculation’ and the regulation to stay away from home had frightened people in multiple ways. In places like Ganjam and Seringapatam (Srirangapatna), the protests were spearheaded by wrestlers and strongmen. Stopping such an army from marching in became the responsibility of V P Madhava Rao, the then Chief of the Police Force. Apparently, he conducted his duty quite courageously and cleverly. Thus Madhava Rao’s success grew.
Personality
A person’s physical structure is one of the significant attributes of his wealth of personality. Madhava Rao was a tall man. He was golden brown in complexion and had a serious demeanor. He would inspire a sense of respect in the minds of the onlookers. In addition to this, he used to dress majestically. He used to wear many grand clothes such as robes and a lacy uttarīya. Even Madhava Rao’s voice was such. His words and tone used to radiate arrogance and self-confidence. Whenever he spoke, he sounded like someone extraordinary and greatly influential. In this manner, V P Madhava Rao shone with the wealth of his personality.
V P Madhava Rao used to emulate Seshadri Iyer in many ways.
The Two Parties
For about thirty to forty years since 1870-75, there were two parties battling in the political scene of Mysore. Of them, one was the Mysore Party and the other was the Madras Party.
Bindiganavile Krishna Iyengar, who rose to fame having been the Deputy Commissioner of Kolar, was the central figure of the Mysore Party. The basic slogan of this party was: “Mysore for Mysoreans.” They desired for the Kingdom of Mysore to be exclusive for Mysoreans. This party came into being mainly to bring down Rungacharlu’s importance.
The motto of the second party was: “Mysore for India.” This party wanted the whole of India to have opportunities in Mysore. In other words, Mysore had to encourage the people of India by providing them with opportunities. The central figures of this parry were Rungacharlu, Seshadri Iyer, and others.
Effects of the Inter-party Conflicts
What were the ramifications of these clashes? One party was seeking plum posts for second- and third-grade people simply because they were Mysoreans. And the cunning ones in the second party would enter into the families of Tamilians enjoying high positions and secure jobs for themselves. There were fat bellies on one side and cunning minds on the other. The disputes between these parties were not only entertaining but also sensational. The heat of the conflict between the parties was quite high during the tenure of Seshadri Iyer. As the natives of Madras gradually transitioned into Mysoreans, the smoke reduced. Yet, there still were embers beneath the ashes. At every blow of wind, the ashes would fly and the glowing embers would surface. This was the condition during Krishnamurti’s tenure.
Members of Either Party
P N Krishnamurti was a Mysorean to Mysoreans but he was not an outsider to those hailing from Madras. Adi Purnaiah came from the Coimbatore region and many of Dewan Krishnamurti’s relatives were from Madras. The most important people who often met him belonged to either of the parties. A happening from that period serves as an example to understand human nature.
There were ten to twenty officials—more or less holding positions such as Amaldar and Assistant Commissioner—who belonged to both parties. A few of these people were Raojis. These leaders who belonged to both parties constantly tried to be a favourite in the close circles of both Krishnamurti and Madhava Rao. At seven in the morning people appeared at Pūrṇa Prasāda, wearing thick mudras on their temples, a stripe of black aṅgāra on the forehead, and a few tulasī (basil) leaves stuffed behind their ears. They would be hovering around, chanting ślokas such as ‘Sumaṇimañjarī’ and ‘Sumadhvavijaya,’ [All these are distinguishing features of mādhva-brāhmaṇas.] merely to be recognized by the eminences. Ten minutes later, they would leave the place and rush to the adjoining house belonging to V P Madhava Rao, which was called ‘Pāṭana Bhavana.’ By the time they reached, their mudras would have faded, the aṅgāra would have been erased, and the tulasī leaves would have vanished. The dialect of Kannada spoken here originated in Kumbakonam –
“Hāṅgadā āgodu.” (That’s how it will happen.)
“Hīṅgadā irodu.” (This is how it is.)
—this is one category of people.
Conspiracy of Lawyers
Another category could be seen when an appeal was being made in front of a high-ranking officer, and more so in the courts during the arguments of the lawyers. Let us assume Jayarama Iyer was the Munsiff. While arguing in English— Let us pronounce “My client’s moneys” as “Mai kḻaieṇṭs maṇīs,” swapping syllables like la and na with ḻa and ṇa; likewise, let us pronounce ‘early’ as ‘yerlī’ and often say “Nā śolrudu” during conversations and appear like Tamilians who have forgotten Kannada. Let us use ‘Avaḻadān;’ let us use ‘Ām’ —with a variety of such insinuations let us make Jayarama Iyer believe that we hail from his region.
Thus, the political situation of that period started stimulating the practice of deceit and pretense.
Hostility between the parties had begun to raise its ugly head during V P Madhava Rao’s tenure.
I am not suggesting that either Madhava Rao or Krishnamurti supported the growth of such party loyalists. They had nothing to benefit from the parties by nurturing them. Back then, the State was not democratic. No political community was strong enough to create a future of great authority for Madhava Rao and Krishnamurti. That power rested only in the Mahārāja’s mind and in the British Resident’s approval.
However, the thinking of the followers was not like that. All they needed were personal favours such as small positions, concessions, allowances, promotions, transfers, and contracts. If such things need to materialize, they invariably have to rely on someone powerful. In this manner, parties and allegiances are necessary only for such insignificant people. Several such petty-minded people could be seen at Pūrṇa Prasāda. Even Pāṭana Bhavana had a significant number of such people. It was remarkable to see that many of these petty folk were those who burned incense at both the shrines.
The most important fuel to the incense burnt by them was Complaint. They would say, “Oh, there they said this, they did that!” and ignite a spark by gossip and complaints; praise the one in front of them to glory and criticize the other to hell. The mutual competition between Krishnamurti and Madhava Rao turned extremely unpleasant because of these trifles. Soon after, it occurred to Madhava Rao that Krishnamurti was keen [to become the Dewan], he was rich, and he had also won Lord Curzon’s camaraderie; he realized that his chances in Mysore were less and started looking out for other opportunities. It was around then that he got an invitation from the Kingdom of Travancore.
This is the first of a four-part English translation of the sixth chapter of D V Gundappa’s Jnapakachitrashaale – Vol. 4 – Mysurina Diwanaru. Edited by Hari Ravikumar.
V P Madhava Rao (Part 2)
[[V P Madhava Rao (Part 2) Source: prekshaa]]
In Travancore
In this manner, V P Madhava Rao became the Dewan of Travancore long before Krishnamurti became the Dewan of Mysore.*There is no doubt that V P Madhava Rao had become popular in Travancore. In my consideration, three of his attributes are extremely necessary for an administrator –
- An attractive appearance and oratory (i.e., personality) 2. Efficiency at work 3. Excitement in the face of novel ventures
Madhava Rao had an impressive personality and physical appearance. Even in a crowd of a thousand people, any new entrant would point his finger at Madhava Rao and ask, “Who is that?” The brilliance on his face, his imposing height, his delicate glances, and orderliness in his dressing were the qualities that attracted everyone at their first sight of him. There is no doubt that such wealth of physical appearance is a great resource for anyone in public life.
Madhava Rao never sat idly; he was never lethargic. He never let out unenthusiastic sighs. He must either be conversing with someone or doing some work. He used to draw people’s minds towards himself purely by his trait of never escaping from work.
Establishment of Legislative Bodies
When Madhava Rao went to Travancore, he found that the kingdom had a long-standing system of legislation called the Legislative Council. He felt that it wasn’t sufficient and established another citizen’s assembly called the ‘Śrīmūlam Citizens’ Representative Assembly,’ which was similar to the one in Mysore. When he returned to Mysore from Travancore [1906], he established a legislative body (Legislative Council) similar to the one that was at Travancore alongside the Representative Assembly, which had been functional for about twenty-five years.
Kalady
I have heard that people liked Madhava Rao’s administration at Travancore. During his tenure, he did something that brought delight to the whole of India. That was identifying and preserving the birthplace of Śrīmad-Ādi-Śaṅkarācārya for the Hindu people. The region of Kalady had been forgotten by the world as it had been captured by the Christians. Inspired by Jagadguru Saccidānanda Śivābhinava Nṛsiṃhabhāratī, V P Madhava Rao saved the place from being taken over by people of other religions. He had a devatālaya of Śrī Śāradā constructed in memory of Ācārya’s mother at the place where Ācārya’s father resided, and adjacent to it, he had a shrine of Śrīmad-ācārya built. That region on the banks of River Pūrṇa has become a place that facilitates tranquillity and is suitable for tapas.
Two Incidents
After returning from Travancore to Mysore as the Dewan, two important actions of V P Madhava Rao have remained in my memory –
- He rolled out a new gag law to silence the newspapers [Mysore Newspaper Regulation Act of 1908] through the Legislative Council established by him. 2. He had the compound wall around the premises of Janopakārī Doddanna Shetty’s Sabhā Bhavana [congregation centre] demolished.
The second incident wreaked havoc in the hearts of the people. Doddanna Shetty was a person who had earned the people’s admiration. His nature and his conduct inspired reverence toward him. In thought, word, and deed, he was pious and devoted to the Supreme. He was an elder, a wise man, and was endowed with spotless conduct. People were furious that Madhava Rao crippled the great deeds of such a noble soul. What might have the reason been?
Advocate D Venkataramayya was Doddanna Shetty’s lawyer. He was a person of eminence who shared an intense bond with the people. He was prominent in the field of law. Mokshagundam Ramachandra Rao, Dewan Visvesvaraya’s younger brother, started his career and practiced law for a long time in Venkataramayya’s office. Further, Venkataramayya was extremely close to M Venkatakrishnayya. Venkatakrishnayya and Venkataramayya were the main leaders of the Mysore Party. And that is the reason V P Madhava Rao, who belonged to the Madras Party, was their opponent.
In addition to this, many emiment citizens including Venkataramayya, Venkatakrishnayya, Balakrishna Rao of Shivamogga, and Shankaranarayana Rao had bitterly criticised the Mysore Newspaper Regulation Act in the Representative Assembly. That acerbic criticism had perhaps irked V P Madhava Rao quite intensely.
There had been one more episode. Madhava Rao imposed a meharbāngiri on the citizenry that the the Representative Assembly could elect two representatives and send them to the Legislative Council. The very first opportunity that was available to utilize that meharbāngiri, the Representative Assembly elected the selfsame Venkataramayya and Venkatakrishnayya as its representatives. Madhava Rao rejected that election and ordered for another election to be conducted. This turned the heat of people’s mind into a blaze.
The above incidents display the caustic feelings that Madhava Rao had against Venkatakrishnayya and Venkataramayya. The blow inflicted on Venkataramayya’s client Doddanna Shetty was merely a consequence of the same caustic feelings.
Effects of Criticism
Several people expressed their displeasure quite blatantly. Newspapers published bitter criticisms. Numerous petitions reached the Mahārāja. One evening, at around seven or eight, the Mahārāja secretly came in his car and personally inspected the wall around the premises of Doddanna Shetty’s Sabhā Bhavana that had been demolished.
As a consequence of all these happenings, Madhava Rao had to be shown the door soon after his tenure came to an end.
This incident occurred during the period prior to that of the Responsible Government. This episode clearly shows that during those days the positions of even ministers were never free from threats.
Regulation to Silence Newspapers
After stepping down from his position as the Dewan, Madhava Rao joined public ceremonies all across India. Most importantly, he became a member of the Congress Party. The leaders of the Congress felt elated that someone of such great repute had joined them. Many people expected Madhava Rao to become the tallest statesman in the Congress leadership ranks. Madhava Rao made tens of political speeches from the Congress platform.
In one of those gatherings, someone asked him the origins, impact, and aftermath of the Mysore Newspaper Regulation that he had passed. Madhava Rao nonchalantly responded to the question, calling it a finished chapter. Did he independently approve of it and then have it passed as a law or did he have it passed simply to flatter the British, hoping that such a law would please the British Government? V P Madhava Rao never answered these questions convincingly anywhere. In sum, Madhava Rao neither got good opportunities nor achieved any great success in the Congress Party’s political arena.
* * *
Although V P Madhava Rao could not ascend to the highest echelons in politics, he is highly regarded amongst the common men in Mysore as someone who was generous and worked for people’s welfare. His endeavors at social welfare were trivial; nothing worth highlighting. As for the establishment of the Legislative Council, it doesn’t count as a feat important enough to be mentioned.
However, one must definitely agree that Madhava Rao was a large-hearted human being at a personal level. Let me illustrate this by citing a couple of incidents.
M Subbayya, the elder son of Mysore’s Venkatakrishnayya, fell ill due to typhoid while he was a student at a law college in Trivandrum. Madhava Rao, who was the Dewan of Travancore during that period, inquired and learnt about the situation. He made available the medical staff and other things necessary for Subbayya. He wrote a letter to Venkatakrishnayya, received him there, and showed him immense care and affection. This is an illustration of his affection towards Mysore.
This is the second of a four-part English translation of the sixth chapter of D V Gundappa’s Jnapakachitrashaale – Vol. 4 – Mysurina Diwanaru. Edited by Hari Ravikumar.
* This statement appears to be erroneous; V P Madhava Rao served as the Dewan of Travancore from 1904 to 1906, while P N Krishnamurti served as the Dewan of Mysore from 1901 to 1906. Madhava Rao was the Inspector General of Police from 1892 to 1901 and Revenue Commissioner from 1902 to 1904, after which he moved to Travancore for a few years. He spent much of his professional life in the Mysore State.
V P Madhava Rao (Part 3)
[[V P Madhava Rao (Part 3) Source: prekshaa]]
Generosity
There is yet another instance. Vidvān Brahmaśrī Chappalli Viśveśvara-śāstrī of Bangalore was a Sanskrit Scholar at Central College. He was an outstanding scholar of grammar and literary aesthetics. He was a person whose conduct and faith in traditions were worth being emulated by everyone. One day, he went to Dewan V P Madhava Rao to make a request. Rao received him with a lot of regard and asked him what the purpose of his visit was.
Viśveśvara-śāstrī explained the things on his mind (in the Telugu Language) – “I have two children. It has been many years since I have become a widower. Children haven’t yet come to a state of earning. Along with this, I am also carrying the burden of a loan. With the thought of owning a house, I became entangled in a painful loan due to some prārabdha-karma of mine. This is my plight. The elder of the two sons who had been to Poona to pursue engineering has returned clearing the LCE [Licentiate in Civil Engineering] examination. That is another reason for my taking a loan.”
Madhava Rao asked, “So, what may I do to convenience you?”
“If you could help my unemployed elder son to get salaried or if you could arrange for a scholarship to be granted to the younger one, who wishes to study something further, I will be relieved.”
“Oh Śāstrīji! You don’t even know how to make an appeal! Is this how you ask? Both shall happen! We will get both the things arranged for.” Thus assured Madhava Rao.
The Mentality of the Common People
This episode was narrated to me by Viśveśvara-śāstrī himself with his arms widened and waving with vigour. There’s another thing he said that is worth listening to.
In the year 1910–11, I was residing in a portion of Viśveśvara-śāstrī’s home. I also used to take lessons from him. The biography of Dewan Rungacharlu that I had written was published around the same time. It was reviewed by newspapers; and advertisements printed with letters six inches by eight inches had been pasted on every single wall on every single street. Viśveśvara-śāstrī was surprised at the sight of all these. One afternoon, he graced me by visiting my room and said thus (in Telugu) – “What is this commotion you are raking up? And that too about that terrible miser? What did Rungacharlu do? He merely reduced all the expenditures and tightly saved penny after penny. Is the Mahārāja writhing in abject poverty for him (Rungacharlu) to do so? This is intense greed and parsimony. Write about our V P Madhava Rao! His generosity is what generosity means! He gives away with his palms open.”
Thus he praised Madhava Rao and narrated the aforementioned anecdote to me. Nobody has to laugh at it though. That has been the typical mentality of the traditional Vaidikas of the past. They were simple people who sought the refuge of kings and patrons.
tanimnā śobhante galita-vibhavāś-cārthiṣu nṛpāḥ
“The kind of poverty that a king attains by
constantly giving to those who seek
will be a thing of glory in itself!”
That was the reminiscence of a great period. The kings were strong. The kingdom was trouble-free. ‘Kāle varṣati parjanyāḥ.’ [Loosely, ‘the kingdom gets timely rains.’] That is the reason kings were able to nurture knowledge and scholarship.
Madhava Rao’s Curiosity About Philosophy
Madhava Rao was greatly devoted to the Śriṅgeri Saṃsthānam. Both while going to Kalady and returning from there, Śrī Śivābhinava Nṛsiṃhabhāratī Svāmī camped at Madhava Rao’s Pāṭana Bhavana and graced thousands of his devotees daily with his darśana.
I met Madhava Rao at his bungalow Pāṭana Bhavana sometime around the year 1911, while he was leading a leisurely life after retirement. He was comfortably sitting in the verandah in front of his home. K Ramachandra Rao*, the Headmaster of the London Mission School, took me along and introduced me to him. Receiving me affectionately, Madhava Rao spoke to me for a couple of minutes. A minute or two before I met him, Madhava Rao was browsing through the popular English quarterly magazine, Hibbert Journal. That magazine used to be concerned with the most sophisticated and exceptional questions of religion, theology, and philosophy. Madhava Rao’s taste for such subjects can be observed as one of the attributes of his nature.
For anyone who wishes to be recognized as somebody competent in governance, it is necessary to have put efforts towards learning at least a little bit of philosophical matters. This is a faith that has remained deep rooted in both India and the West for ages. Whether or not it appears correct for people of today’s generation should be left to their respective judgments.
Śaṅkara-maṭha
A building of a maṭha belonging to the Śriṅgeri Saṃsthānam has remained in Bangalore for a very long time. This building has been there in the Pete region – towards the southern part of Chickpet, around the area which meets Mamulpet. However, sensing the need for a bigger building to accommodate ventures such as a pāṭhaśālā (school) to facilitate the promotion of dharma, V P Madhava Rao motivated and supported the guru-sannidhānam to take the necessary actions. The Śaṅkara-maṭha Ācārya-pīṭha was established around the years 1907–08. Like already mentioned, the Jagadguru’s retinue kindly agreed to grace Bangalore and camped at Madhava Rao’s Pāṭana Bhavana. Within a few weeks after the installation of the Ācārya (i.e., Śaṅkarācārya) in the temple, the construction work of the maṭha’s main building started. While the construction was progressing, V P Madhava Rao visited the site once every day at around nine or ten in the morning to inspect. Learning the time of his visit, many Vaidikas as well as men of the world would come. Chappalli Viśveśvara-śāstrī, Moṭagānahalli Śaṅkara-śāstrī and Rāmaśeṣa-śāstrī, Hoskoṭe Veṅkaṭarāma-śāstrī, Kānakānahalli Narasiṃha-śāstrī, Hariyappācārya, Śrīnivāsācārya, Nuggehalli Tirumalācārya, and Ānandāḷvār were the popular Vedic scholars who used to visit the site. Amongst the men of the world, Sir K P Puttanna Chetty, H Ramayya, Venkataramanayya of Channarayapatna, B V Lakshmana Rao, Chapatla Sitarama Rao, Chaubine Subba Rao, Anagondahalli Subbanna, Chaubine Timmappa, Sahukār Mariyappa, et al. were the most renowned. Typically, after arriving at the site, Madhava Rao used to propose a question either from the śāstras or from the Purāṇas, and thereafter the scholars would speak little by little. This used to be interesting for the onlookers. Occasionally, even the state of the worldly matters were discussed.
There is no doubt about the fact that Madhava Rao was a deep admirer of erudition. He had absolute faith and devotion towards Śaṅkara-bhagavatpāda. He had established an agrahāra by constructing eight to ten houses on the southeastern part of the maṭha for the residence of scholars.
V P Madhava Rao had developed friendship and harmony with people across all communities. After a very long time, around the year 1909, Chitradurga’s Jagadguru Śrī Murugharājendra Mahāsvāmi graced the city of Bangalore. He was paraded in a procession that traversed the most important roads of the city. He received this grand welcome during the tenure of V P Madhava Rao. This event obtained his (Madhava Rao’s) complete support and assistance. The Jagadguru’s retinue had camped at Thotadappa’s Choultry for some two to three months. Mahāmahopādhyāya Ra. Narasimhacharya delivered a lecture about the significance of the ‘Śivaśaraṇa’ literature in the august presence of the Jagadguru, I think.
To be concluded…
This is the third of a four-part English translation of the sixth chapter of D V Gundappa’s Jnapakachitrashaale – Vol. 4 – Mysurina Diwanaru. Edited by Hari Ravikumar.
* See the first episode of Art Gallery of Memories, Vol. 1.
V P Madhava Rao (Part 4)
[[V P Madhava Rao (Part 4) Source: prekshaa]]
Vokkaligara Saṅgha
I have heard that the Vokkaligara Saṅgha was established with the support and encouragement of V P Madhava Rao. He greatly admired K H Ramayya, who was one of the founding members of the Vokkaligara Saṅgha. Madhava Rao had great respect for Ramayya’s decency, people’s confidence in him, and his astuteness. As a result, he greatly motivated Ramayya. Even the Śrīmad-yuvarāja [Crown Prince] supported Ramayya’s efforts. Particularly with respect to matters concerning the Vokkaligara Saṅgha, Madhava Rao showed a lot of regard and confidence in Ramayya.
Madhava Rao’s respect towards the Muslim community was quite noteworthy. He was deeply invested in matters related to Hindu-Muslim unity. A few of the huge constructions and sculptures during his tenure are believed by a few to evidently possess a style of architecture and aesthetics having its origin in the regions of Arab and Turkey called the ‘Saracenic.’ I can’t say how credible these opinions are. Madhava Rao had friendship with people from other communities – this is the only fact I can vouch for, without any hesitation.
* * *
Madhava Rao wasn’t ignorant of the fact that he had enemies. Satisfying all the requests of one’s near and dear ones is never possible for anyone in positions of high authority. Due to the lack of necessary facilities or other reasons, the requests from a few will have to be side-lined. Such people joining the opposition is not a rarity.
Two Publications
Around the year 1909 two publications that were inconvenient to Madhava Rao became public. One of them was an open letter. It was in English and undersigned as ‘Hosur Mari.’ There was nothing great in it; some insignificant suggestions. However, it seemed as if the writer was intending to write it in a high-flown style of language.
The other was a short story titled ‘Piśāca Rodana.’ The intention of this story was to highlight the inner flaws of a few individuals under the pretext of describing the pleasures and luxury of people holding positions of high authority.
Ten thousand copies of each of these publications were distributed at the Congress convention in Madras. The organization that published it was an English weekly, United India and Indian States.
Here comes the fact that is embarrassing to me. Who was the author of those publications? I was twenty years old around the time.
Gopala Iyengar
One afternoon, at the turn towards New Tharagupet—on First Main Road, Chamrajapet—I was spotted by M Gopala Iyengar, the elder brother of M Srinivas Iyengar, who served as the editor of the Mysore Standard. After going a little further, he called out, “Come here!”
Gopala Iyengar was a tall man. He was wearing a thick pair of glasses. His upper teeth had a slight protrusion. There was a thick and long staff in his hand. He had made a name for himself in the field of journalism. His pen had seasoned well. He was a strict and principled man. His younger brother Srinivasa Iyengar too was a man of principles just like him but he was always soft and cheerful. I had heard that Gopala Iyengar’s words were bitter and decisive. Towards him, I had immense respect and fear.
Condemnation
The moment he called me, I got scared and walked towards him. He went inside through a door to the west of a big building in New Tharagupet known as Aragam Ramareddy Buildings. During those days, the printing press of the Mysore Standard was housed in that building. It had been around a year since the publication of the newspapers Mysore Standard and Naḍègannaḍi had stopped. Only the printing press was operational in that building.
There appeared to be no one inside the building when Gopalakrishna Iyengar walked in there. Perhaps, because it was Sunday, there was not a single worker. After I entered the building, Gopalkrishna Iyengar shut the outside door, climbed up the stairs, and called out, “Come here!” Severely frightened, I followed him. The moment I set my foot there, Gopala Iyengar turned around and said, “What you have done is a huge crime. ‘Open Letter to V P Madhava Rao’ and ‘Piśāca Rodana’ – these two pieces of writings are yours, aren’t they? Using your pen to write something as lowly as this is a misdeed. There are two faults in this – firstly, the subject is cheap; secondly, it is anonymous. You are not any proud of it, are you? Why should you venture into such shameless tasks? And why should you resort to hiding afterwards? If your writing had seemed sensible to you, then you should have signed your name on it. I would have at least admitted that you have courage if not wisdom.”
An Unforgettable Lesson
In this manner, he thrashed me. When I was wondering how to respond, he melted a little and said, “This is not your work. This is that old man’s doing. What do you know about the story you have written? That aged cheat has utilized an innocent boy for an inappropriate task. Having known very well that you are a strong orator, he has fed you these profligate details. Feeling good that such a great man is giving you a scoop, your chest pumped up! You have made your pen into a prostitute.”
Making a Promise
I was deeply hurt by those words. I told the same to Gopala Iyengar and begged for his forgiveness. He said, “Keep your palm on mine and promise me that you will never ever do something like this.”
I promised him that I would never write in anonymity thereafter and never venture into anything cheap. With a broad smile, Gopala Iyengar spoke some words of confidence.
“Stop going back to that old coot. He will be harbouring some unknown envy and fury. And he will be raring to fill your head with it. You don’t need his support. He won’t even pay you anything. He doesn’t even have enough stuff. Why do you need that shelter? Take refuge only under truth. Stand on your own feet. The grace of god will always be with you.”
I believe that the above incident made a huge impact on my life. I also believe that I have not drifted away from the promise I made to Gopala Iyengar.
This is a sub-story. Whenever I bring to memory V P Madhava Rao, this little episode comes along too.
Genetic Trait
In V P Madhava Rao’s bungalow, I saw a huge valiant picture on the wall in the living room. It appeared as if that brave man was holding a sword and riding a horse. When I asked who that brave man in the picture was, I was informed that he was Khande Rao, one of Madhava Rao’s forefathers.
We can believe that the picture partly depicts Madhava Rao’s attitude deep within him.
Concluded…
This is the fourth and final part of the English translation of the sixth chapter of D V Gundappa’s Jnapakachitrashaale – Vol. 4 – Mysurina Diwanaru. Edited by Hari Ravikumar.