Some Councillors - Part 1
[[Some Councillors - Part 1 Source: prekshaa]]
Purna Krishna Rao was a councillor during the era of Dewan Rangacharlu. He was the very first councillor from Mysuru.
He was born and brought up in Mysuru.
I have heard from respectable people that he was scrupulously honest, sattvik and honourable.
His son was Purna Raghavendra Rao. He was a preceptor to Maharaja Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV. Later, he was a huzur secretary. He was initially an excise commissioner during the time of Sir M. Visvesvaraya and later a councillor.
Purna Raghavendra was a co-founder of the Mysuru Graduates Trading Association (GTA). He has probably authored a treatise in Kannada on mineralogy (or perhaps zoology?).
His English would find approval even from the native English speakers.
Ratnasabhāpati
Ratnasabhāpati Mudaliar, just like Purna Krishna Rao, was one of the earliest councillors. He was a resident of the Bengaluru Cantonment area. He was well renowned as a cultured man. There is a village called Chandapura situated about 6-7 miles on the road leading to Hosuru and Anekal towards the east of Bengaluru. It is well known for its village fair. I believe that the dharma chatra (charitable lodge) that Ratnasabhapati Mudaliar built still exists today. I have seen the photos of several famous and well known people on the walls of that dharma chatra.
It is with some pride that I can recount an incident here: Ratnasabhāpati Mudaliar, with some scholarly help, had translated the portion of Vidura Niti in the Mahabharata to Kannada and published it. That is the only book I have ever received in my life as a prize! This incident is from 70 years ago! I still remember the great joy that I experienced when I first read that book. That Ratnasabhāpati Mudaliar had this book translated to Kannada is a testament to his character. Does such greatness still exist in our country today?
Chanchal Rao
I have written about P. Chanchal Rao in the article on Sheshadri Iyer. He was a large hearted and generous man who admired Sanatana Dharma and also cared for the citizens. He could be described as an embodiment of these four qualities - scholarship, care for fellow beings, discernment between what is appropriate and inappropriate, devotion to his dharma.
Chengai Srinivasa Iyengar
Chengai Srinivasa Iyengar was a Chief Secretary during the time of Sheshadri Iyer and later a councillor. He was very astute in managing his duties. Even his physical stature was awe inspiring and a fellow worthy of seeing! He had a dominating speech; and so was his English writing.
After retiring from Government work, he was a President of the Chikkaballapura Light Railway Company. At that time, I had the fortune of witnessing a series of correspondences between him, on behalf of his company, and the Government. In regard to that disputed matter, I had written something critical in my newspaper, perhaps in 1909-10. I seem to have forgotten that matter now. It appears that Srinivasa Iyengar was in agreement with what I wrote. He sent the company’s secretary Kotamaraju Ramaswamiah to me with a request asking for an appointment to see me. I responded that “It was not right for such a great man to take the trouble to see me. Instead, I would go to see him”, and keeping my word, went to meet him. I had never seen him before that meeting. But when I went there, I remember him talking to me very cordially and affectionately.
Sometime later, he was the President of the Central Cooperative Bank. Then, he showed me some of his correspondences with the Government. The registrar then was M. A. Narayana Iyengar (who later after renunciation, took Sannyasa under the name Srinivasananda). Srinivasa Iyengar and Narayana Iyengar were close friends. They even played cards together! But in the matter of disputes and disagreements regarding the Government and official work, it appears that their friendship was never a consideration. They sparred as wrestlers of equal strength!
K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar
K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar was a sub-divisional officer in Kolar for a while. I know him from his time during that stint. He was well known for his erudition in Mathematics. He and the Rt. Hon. V. S. Srinivasa Shastri studied together in Kumbakonam.
Srinivasa Iyengar was careful, astute, clever and efficient in his work. He was the Chief Secretary during the tenure of Sir. M. Visvesvaraya. He was a co-minister during Banerjee’s time. He was well versed in matters related to revenue law and administration.
He was kind hearted and helped people in need while also being an able administrator.
In his old age, he devoted his time to the study of divya-prabandham.
Chandrashekara Iyer
K. S. Chandrashekhara Iyer and K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar both passed the Mysuru Civil Services exam attaining the first and second ranks respectively and rose up the ranks. As Chandrashekhara Iyer had also passed the B.L (Bachelor of Law) exams with first class honors, he was able to hold top posts even in the judicial department. Chandrashekhara Iyer was an efficient and able worker and had no trace of laziness in him. Also, he was not one to neglect even trivial things. He had an intimate and clear understanding of the law. Along with a clear understanding, he was also embodied with discipline and dedication to his duty. In any matter however small it may be, he never lowered his standards and carried out his duty with dedication. His English handwriting was squarish and compact. He had a bluntness and frankness to his nature, but was not heartless. Along with his wife Parvatamma, he established the Mahila Seva Samaja in Shankarapuram. He has also participated in several charitable deeds other than this. The couple had an innate sympathy towards poor people and those in distress. Chandrashekhara Iyer had a great affinity to music and literature. The couple were both pillars of support to the Theosophical Society. Chandrashekhara Iyer’s service record was pristine and blemishless. The couple were pious and believed in social and religious customs and traditions.
Chandrashekhara Iyer was also a Sanskrit scholar. So also, he was a scholar in Mathematics. To summarize, he was of a systematic and disciplined nature.
Abdul Rahman Sahib was a Deputy Commissioner and later a councillor and colleague to Sir. K Sheshadri Iyer. I have heard from others that he was of an untainted character, sympathetic and cultured man. During his time, he was well received by the citizens and by the administrative class and held in high regard.
This is the first part of the translation of the twenty-eighth essay in D V Gundappa’s magnum-opus Jnapakachitrashaale (Volume 8) – Samkirna Smrti Samputa.
Some Councillors - Part 2
[[Some Councillors - Part 2 Source: prekshaa]]
Rangaswamy Iyengar
A. Rangaswamy Iyengar started his Government service during the time of Rangacharya. He was revenue commissioner for a long time and later a high court judge. He was a well read man. He had all legal information readily accessible at his fingertips. He was a man of courage and also was an adept horse-rider.
After retiring from Government service, he had the habit of performing bhajans^(^([1])) every Saturday. I have even heard it said that he made arrangements to charitable organizations in his will.
Balasundaram Iyer
C. S. Balasundaram Iyer entered service through the Civil Service exam. Among his qualities, I consider four of them to be his best - politeness , ability to understand the pros and cons of any matter, propriety and helpful nature.
He never did anything in haste. He never thought ill of anyone and was very popular with everyone.
He had a discerning eye for critical assessment and was efficient at executing his duties. Visvesvaraya chose to appoint him to the post of Chief Secretary. In due course, he became a councillor.
Since his thought and speech were characterized by clear thinking without haste, prejudices and filled with wisdom, the Diwan respected him and placed great faith in his words. Personally, you could say that he was in the same league as H. V. Nanjundaiah. He had a large family and was generous and charitable.
Balasundaram Iyer’s self-endurance and patience was unparalleled. His eldest son, Subrahmanyam, was a dear friend of mine. He had to undergo an operation. Dr. Mylvaganam, a great surgeon, performed the operation at Victoria Hospital. Unfortunately, Subrahmanyam did not wake up from the operating table. We were grief stricken. His father, Balasundaram Iyer, did not outwardly show the pain he felt after hearing the news of his son’s death. He stood shell-shocked for a few moments after he heard the news. He wiped a tear, and said “this is life!”, and controlling himself, moved on to the subsequent duties.
There were disputes and disagreements regarding public matters that arose between us a few times. He always spoke and behaved affectionately with me. He would oppose my viewpoint with conviction, but not even an iota of love and affection towards me reduced.
A gentleman in all regards and a great one too!
Narasinga Rao
D. M. Narasinga Rao was well known for his intelligence and adeptness. During the tenure of Dewan Sir. P. N. Krishnamurthy, he was a Registrar in the Dewan’s office. At the suggestion of Viceroy Lord Curzon, Narasinga Rao was sent to study the India Secretariat programmes. I have mentioned elsewhere that after his return, he made some improvements in the functioning of the Mysuru Secretariat.
D. M. Narasinga Rao’s father Madhwa Rao was apparently a Judicial Head Clerk at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Kolar. Since my grandfather was a lawyer, he had frequent goings-on at the judicial department. There was a close friendship between my grandfather and Narasinga Rao due to encounters at the judicial department and also due to the fact that they lived close by. In due course of time, the ties of friendship between my father and D. M. Narasinga Rao strengthened. They used to speak affectionately about each other. It is for that reason that I too was a recipient of D. M. Narasinga Rao’s friendship and trust.
More than any personal reason, the reason for our friendship was that D. M. Narasinga Rao was very interested in print media. I will refer to this later.
Tip Top
D. M. Narasinga Rao was a man in vogue. Tall and with a beautiful complexion, he used to adorn himself with ear rings studded with ten diamonds. He was debonair even in his dress. He certainly was an eye-catching man.
Narasinga Rao had passed the B. L (Bachelor of Law) exams from Madras with First Class Honors. This was a sign of a great scholar in those days.
In my experience, he was extremely good at explaining legalese and the intricacies of law in simpler words; then he would establish the legal point he was trying to make. His intellect and cleverness shone in these legal debates.
In those days in Mysuru, there were two political parties - those of Krishnamurthy’s and Madhava Rao’s respectively. After the tenure of Krishnamurthy as the Dewan, Madhava Rao succeeded him and immediately D. M. Narasinga Rao lost his position in the Secretariat. He was transferred to Sagar or Koppa as a Sub-Division officer. Later, he was a Munsiff for a while at places such as Narasimharajapura, Madhugiri and others. Subsequently, during the tenure of Visvesvaraya, he returned to Bengaluru as the Deputy Secretary. I have heard from several people that Narasinga Rao came to Dewan Visvesvaraya’s attention due to his newspaper columns.
Newspaper Columns
Around 1911, the ‘Indian Patriot’ published from Madras and other newspapers carried weekly articles in English on administration in Mysuru and improvements needed for progress in Mysuru. These columns did not mention the columnist by name in the byline, but only attributed them to ‘By a Mysore Patriot’. These articles continued even when Visvesvaraya was the Dewan. Later, the series of articles were re-published as a book, perhaps in two or three volumes, titled ‘Epoch-making Events in Mysore’. I shall be grateful to anyone who can kindly lend me a copy of that book. One of the epochal points was Visvesvaraya becoming the Dewan. Another was the establishment of the Economic Conference. Those three volumes elucidate the turn of events by the Government of the day, its duties, shortcomings and weaknesses. It provides relevant material to a historian.
Writing Help
Narasinga Rao was helped by B. Rameshwarayya, a teacher at the Mysuru Wesleyan Mission School, in publishing the above columns. I have referred to this earlier. Rameshwarayya himself was a capable writer. He was also well versed in Sanskrit and a proud citizen. He was a helping hand to D. M. Narasinga Rao.
D. M. Narasinga Rao rose through the ranks and was promoted from Deputy Secretary to General Secretary. After continuing in that position for a year, he saw an opportunity in the princely State of Nabha. The Indian Government was dissatisfied in its relationship with Maharaja Ripudaman Singh, the ruler of Nabha. The Maharaja deliberated that in the dispute that arose between him and the Indian Government, he could avail the services of a legal expert and clever problem-solver. At the Maharaja’s invitation, D. M. Narasinga Rao retired from service in Mysuru and departed for Nabha. The events which transpired thereafter are not in the scope of our consideration.
This is the final part of the translation of the twenty-eighth essay in D V Gundappa’s magnum-opus Jnapakachitrashaale (Volume 8) – Samkirna Smrti Samputa.
Footnotes
^(^([1]))Singing devotional verses/songs that extol the various deities..