Will You Walk With Me? The Final Part

My Dear GFs,

First accept my hearty congratulations. To walk with a mofussil accountant along the streets of a mofussil town is no easy accomplishment. I am sure it would have taught you enormous patience. When your wonderful husbands hold your chin and ask you, “Honey, where did you learn this kind of patience - something I have not come across during the xx years of our marriage?” , tell him about me.

Ok, it’s time to go now. Take out your make-up kits, arrange your hair, have a glance at your beautiful form. If you don’t have a mirror you can use the dark glass of any vehicle that is parked in Vakkil New Street.

Madurai, in those days, was one town which gave a realistic shape to the adage, “Birds of the same feather flock together” in its town-planning process. All the advocates of Madurai had their office-cum-residence in this street and hence the name. We had (and still substantially have) all our jewellers in one place (South Avani Moola Street).

Vakkil New Street used to be a very calm residential area in the 60s. In those days all the Courts in Madurai were functioning in Thirumalai Nayaker Mahal, the Nayak king’s palace. (The courts moved to the new complex in Northen Madurai only during the seventies) The courts were just a minute’s drive from the Vakkil New Street. The lawyers had a peaceful, contented life here. Literature and fine arts flourished. The lawyers were the patrons of many sabhas and cultural associations in the city.

Now Vakkil new street is full of fruit vendors. (Pazha Commission Mandi is the name that’s given to the fruit sellers here).It is difficult to find a place in the platform to walk. Most of the time we have to walk on the road itself an activity which the Maduraiites have perfected to an art form. We manage to escape the passing vehicles and start inching towards our destination.

On our left side we see the door number 155. Now this is quite special to me. I pause for a micro second every time when I cross this building. A wholesaler of fruits has his shop here in this place. So what’s so special about 155, Vakkil New Street?

Let’s pause here and take a walk down my memory lane. 155 Vakkil New Street happened to be the office of a lawyer, popularly known as VSR in the legal circles.

I have told you that I was adopted by my uncle, my father’s sister’s husband in 1972. He hails from Varalotti and his full name is Varalotti Srinivasa Rengaswamy Iyengar.

Now you know how I got my pen name. I am using his name Varalotti Rengasamy only to repay a millionth of what he gave to me. He gave me not just my initials; in a way he gave me my life and made me into what I am today.

Our family (that is my biological parents, my brothers and sister) and my aunt’s (father’s sister and her husband – they did not have any issues) family were living together as one joint family.

When I was doing my seventh grade VSR had to undergo a cataract surgery. It was early 70s and the medical science had not advanced this much. For a long time he could not read the briefs, the law journals and other materials. I was asked to read them out for him.

But that great man did not just use me as his clerk. He would insist that I should have a dictionary handy. And made sure that I understood the meaning of every word I read. He would pause many times to quiz me on the meaning, and even the rationale of the statements I had just read. Unknown to myself I was building up my command over English. And unknown to myself I was also honing my argument skills.

Lawyers would sum up their arguments after the trial is over. Whenever an argument was due VSR would dictate the arguments to me. I would write them in long hand. He had a phenomenol memory. He did not need the background paper. It was mainly for me.

Once he had to argue a very difficult case at the Melur Court. (Melur is a small town 30 kms from Madurai in the Madurai – Chennai Highway) He asked me to go with him. I was only too happy to cut my classes on that day. I had taken down the arguments the previous day.

I sat in the visitors gallery in the court watching VSR give one of his sterling performances as a trial lawyer. He had told me that he would ask me during the lunch break if he had omitted any points that he had dictated earlier.

And when he asked, I told him with awe and reverence, “Not only you did not omit a single point, but added several, that were not in the original text.”

“I should not let my own earlier preparation limit my performance,” was his reply.
Now I have many friends who are lawyers just by qualification. In those days even before I finished schooling I was a lawyer in all ways except by qualification.

And the credit goes to this great human being, VSR.

When I had to choose a career I thought it was all pre-ordained. I told him that I was going to be a lawyer. He told me with a heavy heart.

“No Sridhar, you cant be. Don’t ever try to be. I am already 74. I may not live long. It may take another 5, 6 years for you to qualify. By that time I will be gone. The profession has gone from bad to worse. I don’t want you to waste your life here. Let’s think of something else. First get your degree.”

What he said about the legal profession was true. And what he said about his life came true. He died before I could finish my degree. I was just 19 when he passed away. It was really tragic that he could not finish the work he started – of moulding me into a lawyer.

But he had given many precious gifts to me, the value of which, I was to realise much later.

About three months back my friend and I were in in a leading lawyer’s office for his case.

My friend had suggested some legal move to the lawyer. The lawyer is my close friend and he knows my background very well.

He asked me, “Sridhar, what do you think of this move suggested by your friend?”

I told him on his face that it won’t work. That would only instigate the other side to a vehement retalliation. And we would eventually lose the case.

You won’t believe. The lawyer stood up from his seat and shook my hands. “Only you could make such a powerful statement.”

He turned to my friend who was his client and said, “I knew that but I wanted Sridhar to confirm my view.”

My friend was puzzled. “After all Sridhar is an accountant like me and you are the town’s leading lawyer. How could he know about all these things?”

It was a herculean task for me to muffle my sobs. “Thank you Athi” (that’s how I used to call my adoptive father. He insisted that I should call him the same way even after my adoption) I mumbled as I ran out of the chamber trying to hide my tears.

A year after his death his portrait was unveiled at the Madurai Bar Council Hall in the Court Complex. I was asked to offer an eulogy to him. I was a lean 20 year-old lad who had just started apprenticing for the chartered accountancy course standing in a hall full of lawyers. The District Judge was the Chief Guest.

I quoted the immortal lines of Shakespeare (Do you know that today -23^rd April- is Shakespeare’s Birthday as well as his day of death) which Prof. John Sahayam had drilled into my young heart four years earlier, to describe VSR’s glorious life.

His life was gentle, and the elements
So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world,
This was a man!

In moulding the character Shiva, Shalini’s father in the serial SHE I took a lot of VSR’s traits.

Sorry for making you emotional, but could not help it.

Let’s now continue walking beyond 155, Vakil New Street. We go further down and merge into the broad North Veli Street. Now this is the place where we have all the shops dealing in automobile spares. Some of them have sales running into crores of Rupees. What is Wall Street to New York is NV Street to Madurai.


But it’s economic importance has come down a lot after the introduction of the new generation cars. Now you don’t go to this street to buy automobile spares. You just send your car to the dealership and they get the parts directly from the manufacturers eliminating the traders in between.


Now we come to a traffic signal. In those days there was a bus stop there called “TVS”. Now the actual corporate headquarters of TVS is near the Railway Station. But then why should they call this the TVS stop? Because it was here that the founder of TVS, TV Sundaram Iyengar started a small shop. He used to sell wood, cycles and so many other things, before he ventured into his legendary automobile business.

Now we need to turn left and walk further down. We come across another junction. To our left is Naicker New Street and to our right is Goods Shed Street. The latter had a lot of Doctors’ clinics in those days. We go straight and in a few minutes we reach our destination – Nehru Alalasundara Vinayakar Temple.


What had Nehruji to do with a Pillayar Koil? When he visited Madurai in the early 60s, his procession paused at the West Masi Street-North Masi Street junction and he should have cast a loving glance at the Pillayar statue standing there. And people immediately gave that name to the temple. There’s a huge pupil tree and beneath it stands this Vinayakar, the very embodiment of love.


I don’t even go inside the temple. I don’t even take off my shoes. I stand right on the road folding my hands in His direction.

“If you get to live your life once again, what choices would you make? And what specific boon would you seek from Him?” these are the usual questions at the interviews.


I have lived more than three-fourths of the life alloted to me. If ever I have the chance to respond to these questions, I will just say, “I feel that every choice I made in my life, right or wrong, good or bad, was inspired by His love. So I will do the same thing again. And I would only ask to love more, love better, and love more deeply.”


Ladies, we have now walked 3 miles. (about 4.5 kilometres). So let’s take an auto-rickshaw and return home. When I go alone I go by the bus. The only time I travel in the city bus, again a penance no less than walking over the AV bridge.


So how did you like the walk? And if I call you over again, will you come?

I read your final part and even though you have written actual happenings in your life, it looks like a story on human values. During earlier days parents spent their time with their children atleast countable hours a day. This probably might not have produced intellegent or top level citizens in society, BUT that type of relationship of parents and children produced good citizens, people with good human values.
Now unfortunately on the name living in a fast world, parents do something beyond their capability and capacity to only make their children highly educated, to occupy high positions, make more than enough of money; but miss to give them the touch of human. Pass on the message of love and affection. I dont blame all parents, but most of them are like that. That is why when we are all appreciating and respecting our fathers' words even today at this age, we see some children blame their parents for not giving them sufficient education or not tried with full efforts to put them in the course of their choice etc.,
Anyhow the people in the transition stage (of ages between40-60 now) should now try to offset by their efforts in small circles within our families to bring up good grandchildren atleast.

Dear Varalotti
It was nice reading the 1st few lines of the post...........hahahahahaha
It was a nice write up I always enjoyed knowing more and more about you and here to a part of you has been put up. Thanking people who helped you I really apreciate this quality in you.
I really waited for a minute after reading about VSR.....
Prayers to VSR and Shakespeare for the soul to rest in peace........
Indeed a wonderful walk. Thanks varalotti for taking us for the wonderful walk of 4.5 Km
I think I can walk back admiring all that once again you had mentioned and recollecting all that you have told, instead of taking an auto back home........

dear varalotty sir,

I always have thought about the typical punai peyar you have. Now you have opened up the secret.
have Crossed tvs stop so many times without knowing.now it would be a thrill to look at the stop and also the nehru pilayar koil.

MY mil used to tell marrying a vakil is a great boon those days.but now girls show no interest in marrying a vakil.Many advocates now are jobless.very few who are lucky work as legal advisors in bigger cos and Very few treat this profession as passion and continue their profession.

Very touching lines about your uncle.

The words"I have lived more than three-fourths of the life alloted to me. If ever I have the chance to respond to these questions, I will just say, “I feel that every choice I made in my life, right or wrong, good or bad, was inspired by His love. So I will do the same thing again. And I would only ask to love more, love better, and love more deeply"

only great people like you can feel like this.

We had a very nice walk filled with emotions,thrill,love.NO doubt we are ready for the next walk.eagerly waiting for next experience .

tons of thanks our good friend.

Dear Kitchuppa,

First things first. I have been hearing all nice things about you and your wife. But only today my forum had the honour of being visited by you.

You are perfectly right, Kitchuppa. In those days our parents did not bother us with what is to be done and what not to be done. But they spent quite a lot of time with us. They used to take us to movies, circus, temples, festivals and the like. Now the parents meet the child very rarely. I still remember a joke told by my friend several years ago.
In Mumbai one child asked his mother, 'Mommy who's this guy who comes home only on Sundays and does nothing but watches the TV?' Well there could not have been a more cryptic role on the dad's role these days.

Anyhow the people in the transition stage (of ages between40-60 now) should now try to offset by their efforts in small circles within our families to bring up good grandchildren atleast.

Well said. I am ready. But the problem now is that will our grandchildren come to us lovingly as we went to our grandparents? I doubt that. Let's just wait and see.
Thanks for your fb and let me say again, Welcome to this forum.

regards,

Dear Sridhar,

It was really very emotional to know about the great VSR and VRS (Varalotti Rengasamy Sridhar) together. I can understand how much of VSR should have gone into you. It is really great of you to always pay homage to him. My prayers for his soul to rest in peace.

About the walk felt sad that we are finishing it off. But all nice things come to an end and this also ended bit fastly than expected.

I have lived more than three-fourths of the life alloted to me. If ever I have the chance to respond to these questions, I will just say, “I feel that every choice I made in my life, right or wrong, good or bad, was inspired by His love. So I will do the same thing again. And I would only ask to love more, love better, and love more deeply.”

These few lines really sums up about you. It was really very nice to know a great human being like you and to proclaim that I am your friend puts more feathers to my cap.

We are always ready whether you take us for a walk or a jog or a dinner or to a god forsaken place? No doubts dear Sridhar.

Dear Varalotti Sir,

That was a stupendous write up !. Though all good things must come to an end ,I genuinely hope this walk doesnt have to!

Your 'Athi' was indeed a great man. You know Sir there is seldom enough love in this world for people to give to any one but their own kids , but for him to have loved you and reared you so wonderfully is very laudable and praiseworthy .
This reminds me of an very important phase of my life. My Dad expired when we were very young infact I was 15 and hardly in an age when I would get employed anywhere.
My Dad's elder brother was a renowned Lawyer infact then he was the President of the Labour Lawyers Association . After my Dad's expiry , my Uncle decided to take care of the family. Though my Father had a flourishing business and people to take charge of it , yet my uncle Mr. KPV Menon insisted that he help us. Now I told my Mother that we will not accept a single paise from him and he need not be charitable . Then he decided that he would employ me in his office and pay me xyz amount as my salary. I accepted foolishly , not realising that I would'nt be of any help at that age in an established lawyers office. Yet I would go there and sit in his cabin next to him and he would introduce me as his daughter to all who came(he didnt have any daughters) and I was get all the attention. My job there was to wipe out all the cakes that were brought there by the clients on winning cases. And I would sit and watch Mr. Bhaskaran run his hand on the typewriter so fast that I almost did a double take everytime i sat with him. And get paid very generously for this.! But my uncle was a great soul , alas no more and I miss him terribly. Yes infact if he were around I too would have probably been a lawyer , since I was totally in awe of the way he conducted himself and his work. Infact he was such a renowned lawyer that it was difficult to find opposition.But after his death I chose otherwise and my sister jumped into my shoes and she is a lawyer now! Just like 155 holds a special place for you. Gopi niwas is very close to my heart.
Infact I guess your uncle was right but of course there are a lot many exceptions but when ever i go to court , i cannot understand why these lawyers run behind people asking for work. Infact I have always witnessed people running away as they sight lawyers running behind them , makes for a fun sequence for a comic film.
Mr. TVS is truly inspirational. Sure would love to know someday about how he went from selling wood to being one of the biggest names to reckon with.Its intersting to learn about their journey of people like him and Dhirubhai Ambani.
NV street in Madurai will be of importance to my hubby as he is fanatic about cars, while they have always been a four wheeled structure for me which helps me get from one place to another. And I am tired of arguing about it!

I am sure you have loved every one to the best of your capacity and I am sure you will be truly reciprocated and thats what I wish for you!

All the world is a stage and everyone has their part and you have played yours exceedingly well,(A thanks to you and a tribute to the great Shakespear!)as a friend, a philosopher and a guide, (MADURAI) and I would be honoured if I am given another chance to walk with you.
Love,
Devika