The Saga of Santhanam - Part I

In my post dated July 11th 2007, I had mentioned a character called Santhanam to whom I would dedicate an entire post at an appropriate time. The time it seems has come. Let me tell you why. I got the phone number of Santhanam’s eldest brother Vasudevan from JC and called him up yesterday. Vasudevan’s wife picked up the telephone. I asked for Vasudevan and was in turn asked who I am. I replied in my most dignified voice that I was Ramdas Iyer, the Deputy Director of the National Science Centre, Delhi. Vasudevan then came on line. I asked, “Is it Mr. Vasudevan?” Rather than the expected “Yes”, again the question “Who is speaking?” I repeated my self introduction. I have called many old friends (I wouldn’t care to classify Vasudevan as a friend though) and some answer with warmth, some with suspicion. This was in the latter category I guessed. I wouldn’t repeat the whole conversation verbatim, but this was an occasion where I regretted my decision to place a call. The long and short of it was that Vasudevan let me know that he didn’t know where Santhanam was. “Thanks brother”. God bless Seshadri Mama who begot such sons, I understand he died “in 99 or 98 – I donno which” according to Vasudevan. May his soul rest in peace.

Now about Santhanam. He was actually Santhanagopalan. He was a very close friend. We called him “Menda” meaning sheep in Hyderabadi, because he had curly hair like a sheep’s fur. Both his mother and his father Seshadri mama (Pillaipalayam Kidambi Seshadridasan, he called himself – a typical Srirangam Iyengar) were excellent singers and all their kids, Mythili, Vasudevan, Jaya, Raju, Raghu, Kasturi and Santhanam had inherited their parents’ inclination for music. They sang well, both light music and classical. They participated in many competitions in the ACC club and won prizes. Jaya had a very nasal voice and her number “Bole re papi hara” was quite well known in Wadi. Mythili was a wasted wife, sent back to her paternal home by her in laws. Jaya didn’t marry at all as far as I know. Vasudevan, as the previous paragraph would have led you to suspect dissociated himself from the family very early in his life and settled down as timekeeper in ACC. Vasudevan never sang but probably inherited a love for music and was one of the first to acquire an HMV record player in those areas. When “Hum Kisise Kum (sorry, Kam – Kum is a spelling recently invented for ‘Cheeni Kum”) Nahin” was released, Vasudevan bought an LP record of the movie’s music and Santhanam proudly took us to Vasu’s house to listen to the songs. We used to have a ‘Kolu’ at home during Navaratri and Seshadri Mama invariably came after all the ladies had left and sang for about half an hour. His favourites were “Karpaga Valli Nin” and “ Shree Chakra Raja Simhaneshwari”

A problem with Seshadri Mama was that he was always in debt. It probably had to do with his many kids, or with his penchant for high living. He blew his salary by the 3rd of every month buying ghee and first grade rice and things. Then on he subsisted on borrowed money. Like his musical talent, his taste for high living was inherited by some of his kids, especially Santhanam. Santhanam hated school and adopted all methods to skip school. He used to leave home fully dressed in his uniform everyday and then hide somewhere for the whole day and then return home without attending school. I once remember him hiding in our terrace and my redoubtable grandmother Thangi catching him red handed. He said that he didn’t attend school because he wasn’t given food by his mother. Thangi fed him and took him to school. We later learnt that he had had a heavy breakfast at home. But this could not continue forever. Santhanam slipped in studies. He somehow passed his 7th and got admitted to 8th at MCC, but I don’t remember him clearing his Matriculation. Let’s continue later.