One woke up to the sad news on Wednesday morning that Prof .Ramaswamy Venkatraman is no more. His friend, Rajasekaran Jesudasan with the Chella Meenakshi Centre, sent a message: “Dr.V was hospitalised for the last three weeks. But none of us were informed. Of course, someone like him would never like people crowding around him.”
I remember for several months he kept dodging me for an interview. “I am just a history teacher. You can call me anywhere any time for a lecture and I will speak non-stop for hours,” he would tell me every time I approached him for an appointment. I realised it was easy to get him for a history class than to convince him for an interview.
And eventually when it happened in the winter of 2010, I told him how as a student I used to be intimidated by history. His answer was history is not just about remembering too many dates and facts. It is about re-evaluating the way we think about the past and critically think about how we came to be here. “Only history tells what man is” – were his words.
Dr.V, as he was fondly called by all, was an enormous influence on students in Madurai where his energy and commitment to teaching and imparting knowledge was irrepressible. For him creating awareness about anything that is old, ancient and treasure-worthy was an ongoing project. Even at 85 he did not show any signs of slowing down despite bouts of ill-health. Driven by a crazy passion to teach and share the information he gathered by reading and visiting sites, he would make himself available for any meeting organised by INTACH, CII, ASI, Rotary or Travel Club, events of schools, colleges, universities or any meetings of SHGs, village councillors, panchayat bodies and groups of foreigners.
His regular Sunday lectures at DHAN Foundation and hundreds of walk-the-talk tours of historic spots in and around the city with people of all ages and academic background will be forever missed now. He was always a man on the go. It was only this January I was at the Agrini Apartments, where he lived. On an early Sunday morning, I saw him from a distance walking with the help of a stick and getting into the matador van to go for his regular talks. When he spotted me walking towards the vehicle, he immediately got down. With his signature smile intact, he wished me happy new year, enquired about the family and work, blessed me for the future and even before I could reciprocate, he left saying he would get late for the programme. His simplicity and warmth touched me every time I met him whether at INTACH programmes or the Gita chanting competitions organised by the Chinmaya Mission where he was regular as a judge.
He was an erudite but always said he learnt life’s real lessons from the ordinary people during his childhood – the art of story telling from a potter, horse riding and about Islam from Kadir Moineedin; about Christianity and the Church Choir from family driver Joseph Antony; Vellayudam, the caretaker of his father's salt pans in Tuticorin taught him the significance of an endearing guru-shishya relationship. And his father, the master idol, N.L.Ramaswamy Iyer, taught him to be part of society.
A complete human being that he became, Dr.V believed in and practised simple living and high thinking. He took up a less paying teaching job because that was his calling and retired from MKU as one of the most popular history professors who believed students need to be taken out of classrooms in order to be inspired by the past.
After the interview on that sunny afternoon eight years ago, he enthusiastically took me too to Samanarmalai. At 77 then, he had spring in his feet, and I could hardly match his steps and speed in climbing up. He was full of facts about Jainism in Tamil Nadu and the rediscovery of inscriptions on eight Jain caves around Madurai.
INTACH members remember him like a family member. Says Saravanan, “Dr.V was very soft-spoken and kind hearted person. With his interesting talks on archaeology and ancient temples, he would bring the Gods so close to mankind.”
“His one lecture was worth a million. He made history sound so interesting and entertaining. His going away is a huge loss and it is a void no one can fill. Our group and lectures will never be the same without him,” says Mital Lalan.
Madurai will always remember the on-the-spot historian as a quiet, modest and thoughtful man and a most loving teacher. Over the decades, he crafted an army of students who have benefitted from his lectures. And as he used to say, only history will tell now who Prof.V was.
QUOTES:
“I used to call him the ‘pitamah’ of our INTACH chapter. He was such an encyclopaedia of knowledge. It is a pity that we haven’t documented his works and talks. Many times I discussed with him but he was always so busy.” -- Aravind Sankar, Convener, INTACH Madurai
For Metro Weekend , Madurai, 30/08/2009. : Aravind Kumar Shanker, for madurai metro weekend cover story.-Photo:S_James.
“Dr.V was a true guru for many. He believed in the joy of giving and sharing and never accepted anything in return for all the field visits he made and lectures he gave. I cherish all the moments spent with him on INTACH projects.” -- Rajesh Kanna, Executive Committee member, INTACH Madurai
Madurai, Tamil Nadu, 04/01/2017: For Metroplus: P. Rajesh Kanna, Co-convenor, INTACH in Madurai. Photo: R. Ashok
“He was an amazing guide and an affectionate friend who was ever willing to share his encyclopaedic knowledge on history and culture, inspire listeners to understand and preserve heritage and bring back the pride we were losing.” -- M.D.Vel, CMD, Indian Foods (P) Ltd.
For Weekend Desk, Madurai, 25/03/2009. : M.D.Vel, Cover Story.-Photo:S_James.
