TT Rangaswamy TVS Group - A Man with a Kind Heart

'TTR was an institution by himself at Brakes India '- S Viji, Chairman, Sundaram Finance Ltd.,

In the late 1950s, former MD of Sundaram Finance TT Srinivasaraghavan (TTS)  was not yet five and enjoying his early childhood in the Hindi belt – initially for a few years in Delhi and then for a year or so in Bombay. His father TT Rangaswamy (TTR) was working with the Standard Vaccum Oil Company (later ESSO) and had made the trip up North after a transfer from Madras. It was a fairly settled job and at that time TTR was more likely to have continued his stint North of the Vindyas but for a surprise call that came his way in 1960. 

Integral Member of the Padi Expansion

It was from the legendary automan TS Santhanam, who having founded Sundaram Finance Ltd., in 1954, was anchoring the setting up of manufacturing plants in Padi. While TTR was happy and contented  at ESSO, he just could not say NO when Santhanam wanted him back in Madras to be an integral part of the Padi expansion. And thus quite as a surprise at that time, he quit the job in Bombay and returned to Madras to join Lucas TVS in 1961, that was to be the start of  an over five decades long association with the TVS Group.

Having worked at Lucas TVS and Sundaram Clayton through the 1960s, he moved to Brakes India in 1971 and was a key member of the Senior Management team that took the company to the top as India's leading brake system supplier.  He officially retired from Brakes India in 1998 as ED – Finance (modern day CFO) and Company Secretary but continued to play an active role over the next decade and a half  at Turbo Energy, a company where he was the Founder Promoter. Well into his 80s, he also continued to be engaged in the strategic decision making process at Brakes India. 

That's a beautiful kolam

He was so culturally inclined that even into his 90s, just a few years ago, he would walk through the North Mada Street to watch the White Pulli Kolam on a Saturday evening in Margazhi, an event that was a top draw at the Mylapore Festival organised by Sundaram Finance. He would exclaim with delight 'That's a beautiful kolam.'

A few years ago, he had a fall at home and fractured his femur but that did not dampen his spirit and he continued to be engaged with both Turbo Energy as well as Brakes India. Despite the physical injury, that had made him a bit immobile, TTS  found his memory to be razor sharp right till the end.

TTR - Never Compromised his values 

S Viji, MD, Brakes India and Chairman of Sundaram Finance, who has seen him from close quarters for over five decades says that TTR was a person of the highest integrity “He was an Institution by himself at Brakes India.  He was a very religious person in the best sense of the word.  In financial and accounting matters, he was very innovative and found solutions and a way forward, always strictly within the law and without compromising his values.”

“He was a person with compassion and an innate sense of justice and fair play.  He never spoke ill of anybody.”

A Life message for his son in 1982

It was that sense of fair play with the employees that he initiated into his son TTS (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/08/tt-srinivasaraghavan-tts-sundaram.html) when he started out on a career at Sundaram Finance in the early 1980s. Four decades later, TTS vividly recalls that life message and told this writer in August that his appa always insisted on leading a simple life and wanted me to be approachable to everyone. People Management is the most important skill, TTS remembers his appa telling him at a young age “Even though my appa was in finance, he saw the people connect as important. It was from him that I learnt to put people first.” It was a lesson that stayed with TTS right through his corporate life.

A Patient Hearing to every employee 

Viji says that all the employees of Brakes India including the union office bearers had immense respect for him and his words not because of his position, but because of how they perceived him "TTR's qualities as a human being endeared him to all who came in contact with him. On any given day of the year, long after office hours, you would find employees of the company waiting in front of his house and seeking an audience with him, to explain their grievances.  He never turned them away; but gave them a patient hearing and tried to find a solution to their problems as best he could.  He was a mentor to them.”

Viji recalls that though TTR was a very serious worker, there was a lighter side to him as well “He also had a tremendous sense of humour and was capable of a hearty laugh.”

  

A Father Figure to all of us - Srinivas Acharya

Former Managing Director of Sundaram Home Finance Srinivas Acharya knew two Rangaswamy’s very closely in his life. One was A Rangaswamy of LGF (who passed away recently during the Pandemic) and TT Rangaswamy. He too remembers the love and affection showered by TTR on his colleagues  "TTR connected individually with everyone. I enjoyed his love and affection ever since I got to know him several decades ago. He was a very thorough professional, very kind and encouraging. He had a sharp memory and would quote events from several years gone by. He was a father figure to all of us that knew him."

Navalpakkam S Ranganathan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2015/02/navalpakkam-ranganathan.html) is a renowned Prabhandham scholar and has released CDs on Nalayira Divya Prabhandham and Desikar Prabhandham. His father was the priest at the Vedantha Desikar Srinivasa Perumal temple in Mylapore (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/01/vedantha-desikar-srinivasa-perumal.html) for several decades.

Made for Each Other Couple 

Rangappa as he is called in the temple circles has known TT Rangaswamy for five decades and says that he was a regular at the temple at all the utsavams. “My appa always used to receive him at the temple during the annual utsavams. He would not miss the big utsavams at the temple and both he and his wife, a made for each other couple, were ardent devotees of Srinivasa Perumal.”

A Guiding Force for over three decades

Ranganathan recalls the days soon after he graduated in commerce "It was TTR who showed me the way in my career and directed me to Turbo Energy where I joined as a steno in 1989. Over the last three decades, he was my guiding force both at work and in my personal life. Though he was a Board level Director, he was always approachable to even those at the mid and junior levels. He had a big heart and was one with a special human touch. He was always sensitive to human issues. I could share any grievance with him and he would always come up with the perfect solution.”

Ranganathan says that the set of human values and friendly engagement with people at all levels has successfully passed on to his sons as well for he can see the same kind heartedness and simplicity in his children as well.  

While Rangappa has now grown to become the leader of the Secretarial Department at Turbo Energy, he has a big regret “He always wanted me to do ACS and pushed me a lot over a number of years. Every time I met him he would remind of the need to equip myself with a degree in CS but somehow I could not get down to doing that. That is one wish of his I could not fulfill.”

TTR spent the last 36hours of his life at his home in Kasturi Estates from where he had begun his six decades association with the TVS Group. His life’s journey had a quiet and peaceful end on Wednesday morning at 5.45am at the age of 97, just the way he would have wanted without troubling anyone. 

While his contribution as a Financial Controller and a Company Secretary at the various TVS Group companies was commendable over a long period of time, it was his large heartedness, compassion, the innate sense of justice and fair play and the personalized human touch that were standout features of his life. 

It was truly a life well lived.

Thiru Kannapuram Sowri Rajan Bhattar

The 72 year old Bhattar has now performed archaka service at this historical Divya Desam for over five decades - He began at Rs. 40 per month, moved up to Rs. 750 per month and now in 2021 performs Kainkaryam without any Salary from the HR & CE!!!

The two centuries old Sthaneegam Rights have been taken away from him by the HR & CE. His one remaining wish is to secure back in his lifetime the rights that had been recorded and handed to his forefathers in 1827 

The Previous Samprokshanam had taken place in 2005 and the Temple wears a forelorn look

Thiru Kannapuram Sowri Rajan Perumal Divya Desam is one of the only two Divya Desams to be praised with a 100 verses by Thiru Mangai Azhvaar, the other being Nachiyar Koil praised at Thiru Naraiyur Mani Maada Koil. Azhvaars called it ‘Wealthy Kannapuram’ and ‘Gold Walled’ City. The roar of the Sea could be heard at the temple. Kulasekara Azhvaar says that Thiru Kannapuram was Home to ‘Master Craftsmen’. 

"கரை எடுத்த சுரி சங்கும் கணபுரத்து எழு கொடியும்"

"நன் போன் ஏய்ந்த மதில் சூழ் திரு கண்ணபுரத்து அன்பன்"

"காலின்மணி கரை அலைக்கும் கணபுரத்து கருமணியே"

The once popular Veda Patshala that functioned from the North Mada Vilagam was demolished last decade. Several Vedic Scholars had graduated from here with a couple of the renowned Hindu school (Thiruvallikeni) teachers hailing from here. The South Street behind the South Mada Vilagam too resonated with Prabhandham recital. Close to Sirpathingals served at the temple just over half a century ago and this has come down to single digits now. 

The greenery referred to in the praise of the Azhvaars is still intact. As one walks through the newly laid tar road from Thiru Pugalur (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/11/thiru-pugalur-agneeswarar-temple.html) to Thiru Kannapuram, one finds huge fertile fields on either side. However, there is no hint of any of the temple’s glorious past. The original inhabitants have long left the city selling their lands at dead cheap rates. At the Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore, the Melam artiste who presents every day during the pooja occasions hails from Thiru Kannapuram but he too like several hundreds of residents had moved into larger cities several decades ago and has almost never gone back to his native town. The devotee crowd is sorely missing with the Maasi and Vaikasi festivals being the only two where some of these traditionalists visit their home town. In recent times, even the conduct of these festivals has hung in the balance with the lack of people to carry the Lord on street processions and issues surrounding that. It is now 16years since the last Samprokshanam. The towering Raja Gopuram wears a forelorn look, the walls inside the temple have faded but a renovation exercise does not seem to be starting anytime soon. The Brahmotsavam itself that had come to a halt was only recently revived but with the Pandemic that too has not taken place in the last couple of years.

An Exception at 72!!!

72 year old Sowri Rajan Bhattar is an exception at this historical temple town for he has spent almost his entire seven decades at Thiru Kannapuram. He has been serving Sowri Rajan Perumal for the last 52 years having joined the temple at a monthly salary of Rs. 40 in 1969. For the first sixty years of his life, he lived in a thatched hut on the North side of the huge Temple Tank that one finds right in front of the temple.

Sthaneegam cum Archaka service for 200 years

His forefathers had performed Kainkaryam at the Divya Desam since the early 19th century with a record of 1827 in Olai Chuvadi handing them the rights of Sthaneegam at the temple. In the first half of the 19th Century, his Great Great Grand Father, Venkatapathi Iyengar, had managed the entire activities at the Divya Desam. For over 100 years this family performed service as the exclusive archaka at the temple taking care of both the Perumal and Thayar Sannidhi as well as all the utsavams. When the temple came under the ‘Scheme of Arrangement’ in 1863, his Great Grand Father, Sowri Perumal Iyengar became a trustee of the temple. It was during the period of his Grand Father, Raju Bhattar, who died very early at the age of 35, that the family also took the support of another archaka family to split the kainkaryam between Perumal and Thayar sannidhis.

Sowri Rajan Bhattar’s appa, Srinivasa Bhattar, performed kainkaryam as an archaka for 60years having joined the temple service at the age of 13. 

Dedicating a Lifetime to Sowri Raja Perumal

Sowri Rajan Bhattar did his SSLC in Thiru Kannapuram following which he learned the agamas from Vanathirajapuram Srinivasa Bhattar. He was not interested in higher education and did not purse college. He was initiated into Veda Parayanam at a young age by TS Rajagopalachariar Ganapadigal. Despite the financially challenging times of the 1960s with all the Divya Desams in Tamil Nadu going through a torrid phase, Sowri Rajan Bhattar was clear that he would dedicate his entire life to serving Sowri Rajan Perumal. 

How did he manage to lead a happy life at a monthly salary of Rs. 40 “We led a contended life with our requirements being minimal. I spent almost each day of the year at the temple with my mind focused on serving the Lord and not on the financial returns. Not once did the miniscule salary bother me and never did I think of leaving the temple kainkaryam to join work elsewhere” says Sowri Rajan Bhattar looking back at his early days at the temple.

No Oil to light lamp at the temple

He recounts the first decade of his service at Thiru Kannapuram Divya Desam “As a teenager, I found that there was no oil to even light the lamp. I would light the lamp, but when the oil dried up, there would not be another packet to refill. Such was the state of the temple  50years ago." 

His appa had passed away in 1983 leaving Sowri Rajan Bhattar all on his own at the temple. 25years after he joined the temple service, by when he had had three children, his monthly salary had increased to Rs. 750!!! By this period, the once vibrant Divya Desam that was once home to 100s of Vaishnavite families had seen most of the original inhabitants leave the town seeking greener pastures in the city. This meant that the Thattu Kaasu that an archaka could have hoped for on a daily basis too dwindled. The temple struck a new low in the 1970s and 80s with minimal devotees visiting the temple and it became increasingly challenging for the archaka to manage the big utsavams. Unmindful of the financial challenges, he kept his service going for Kainkaryam to Sowri Raja Perumal surpassed everything else in life.

Rejects Lucrative Temple Offers

Sowri Rajan Bhattar is considered an agama expert and has been receiving calls from several popular non Divya Desam temples including Nanganallur and Panchavati Anjaneya Temples over the last couple of decades but right from his childhood when he had begun to watch his appa in Kainkaryam, he felt blessed to be part of Divya Desam Kainkaryam and rejected these lucrative offers “As seen in Thiru Mangai Azhvaar’s praise, I had seen the Lord as my own child, I have touched and bathed him over the last five decades and hence my mind has always been attached to this Lord” says  Sowri Rajan Bhattar on having no second thoughts of accepting financially lucrative offers in his lifetime.

கள்ளவிழ் சோலை கணபுரம் 

கை தொழும் பிள்ளையை 

பிள்ளை என்று என்னை பெருவரே

As the Sthaneegam, his family also had the rights to recite Purana Paadams on specific occasions in the year. They also had special rights during certain festivals at the temple. However, with the entry of the HR & CE, the Sthaneegam rights has been taken away from Sowri Rajan Bhattar and for the last many years, he has been fighting an uphill battle to secure back the rights, that has clearly been recorded in an Olai Chuvadi 2 centuries ago.

No Salary @ 72 after 50 years of Kainkaryam!!!

Well past 70, he does not get even the three digit salary anymore and is solely dependent on the Thattu Kaasu of devotees. His second son Murali Bhattar has joined him in daily service at this Divya Desam and he too does not get even a rupee as salary from the HR &CE. But when it comes to conducting the utsavams, the HR&CE reaches out to Sowri Rajan Bhattar and his five decades experience at the temple to secure the devotee support for the temple. 

A Big New Bell finds its way into the temple

A recent indication of this was when the big bell of Thiru Kannapuram that is used on various pooja occasions was damaged, it was Sowri Rajan Bhattar who immediately secured a replacement bell of the same huge size through a devotee. But he remains grounded even in these big happy moments “I perform my kainkaryam with sincerity. Hence when there is a requirement for the Lord, the devotee comes on his own with his offering. This securing of the big bell for the Lord is one such example when the devotee of his own accord offered to do the replacement bell.”

The new big bell will be installed soon at the temple. There are many other such requirements at the temple such as organizing the Six Kaalam Thaligai every day for the Lord, Adyayana Utsavam Kainkaryam in Margazhi, organizing flower garland, Thirumanjanam and Thaligai during the 10 day Utsavams in Maasi and Vaikasi. While he performs Kainkaryam at the Divya Desam without a salary for his service, it is Sowri Rajan Bhattar who shoulders the responsibility for the conduct of the daily pooja and the utsavams and to ensuring that all is well at the temple at least from a Kainkaryam point of view. 

Low Lights

No Salary to the long serving Priest

Brahmotsavam had come to a halt at this Divya Desam

No Consecration since 2005

Sthaneegam Rights taken away 

HR & CE has washed their hands away from the daily expenses

He says that the Lord has seen him through at the temple for half a century and has the fullest faith that Sowri Rajan Perumal will take care of him for the rest of his life in helping him perform Kainkaryam with sincerity and devotion at this five Azhvaars praised Divya Desam. In his daily life, he often remembers the praise of Kulasekara Azhvaar’s Perumal Thirumozhi and the verses on the Lord of Kannapuram where the strength of Lord Rama is extolled. Sowri Rajan Bhattar has gathered such strength in his mind to overcome all the challenges in his life and continues to perform archaka service at the temple with the same devotion that he began with over 50 years ago. 

The one unfulfilled wish in his life has been to get back the Sthaneegam rights that had been bestowed on his forefathers two centuries ago. Given that he has all the records in writing, he is hoping there will be like minded devotees who will fight for him and secure these rights from the HR & CE. He is also hoping that devotees will participate in temple utsavam in large numbers and bring back the vibrancy that he had seen in his childhood at this Divya Desam.

Sowri Rajan Bhattar can be reached on 95971 14670.

M Vijay Abhinav Mukund TN Cricket

The Two Former India Openers seem to have made a quiet exit from the TN cricket scene- The two have not played even the league matches this year

Vijay played over 60 Tests for India, while Abhinav Mukund played over a 100 Ranji matches for TN

Abhinav has made a bright start to his commentary career this year just as he had with his playing career 

M Vijay and M Abhinav (Abhinav Mukund) made contrasting entries into international cricket. While Abhinav began playing cricket at the age of five, coached by his father, Vijay was a late bloomer making his mark in cricket well after he was 20. Abhinav made his Ranji Debut as a teenager and within the next few years, he also made his Test Debut. Though Vijay started out late, he went on to make a big impact playing over 60 Tests and was a regular in the India squad for a long time over the last decade.

Abhinav did not enjoy the same success at the international level. After a debut in the West Indies, he opened and performed well against an English pace attack at its best in home conditions.  But was out once again for another three years. In his last test match, he made 80 getting out in the last over of the day against Sri Lanka.

Vijay made an impact in T20 cricket as well making important contributions at the top of the order along with Mathew Hayden early on for CSK. Abhinav remained a non starter in T20 but he did have a remarkable run in domestic cricket amassing runs especially in the first half of his career. He went on to play over a 100 matches for TN.

Vijay into a 'Silent' period

After Vijay was dropped from the India team after the tours of England and Australia and then subsequently from the CSK team as well, he made himself unavailable for the domestic season last year citing personal reasons which the selectors have held have not yet been elaborated. Since then, over the last 12 months he has not played much cricket including in the local first division league and has also not been considered for TN for the T20 tournament. In his case, the fact that he has not been vaccinated has made him ineligible for Selection.

With the focus of the new Selection committee led by former Ranji Trophy winning captain S Vasudevan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/06/vasudevan-tn-ranji-trophy-retirement.html )being on identifying and grooming youngsters, it is unlikely that the 37 year old Vijay will get another look in and the non selection in the TN T20 team could signal the end of the road for him in cricket.

Makes a bright start as a TV Commentator

With the Pandemic leading to just the T20 and One day domestic tournaments last year,  Abhinav has eased into the role of a TV commentator and has made just as bright a start to his commentary career as he had as a player way back in 2007. It is heard that Abhinav (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/01/abhinav-mukund-100-ranji-matches.html) has moved to Bombay and it is likely that he will be focusing on a career in TV commentary where he has already begun impressing the viewers with his expert views like his best friend DK.

Both Vijay and Abhinav did not play the knock outs of the Palayampatti Shield and also have not played in the first part of the new first division league season and the two have not played any matches in the last 18months that by itself should rule them out of contention for TN.

It is interesting that these former India openers, who both opened together for TN and India in the same year, are making a quiet and almost unannounced exit from TN cricket giving way to the next generation of openers. Both of them have not yet formally announced their retirement. 

Over the last decade or so, both M Vijay and Abhinav Mukund have made significant contributions to the TN team but they seem to have realised quickly that it is now time to move on and both have quietly let go of domestic cricket. In Abhinav's case, he seems to have made a clear move into commentary and bigger days await him in this new phase in his career.

It will leave the TN selectors in a fix if Abhinav makes himself available for the Ranji Trophy that is slated for January, especially given that the new crop of youngsters are beginning to do really well and the team spirit is building up.

This section will track the developments.

Villiyambakkam Rangarajan Bhattar

In the close to two decades at the Eri Kaatha Rama Temple, he contributed significantly in the development of the Villages around Madurantakam training the uneducated and reviving the school drop outs

The Priest, who has served in multiple temples over the last 35years, hopes to start a Vedic Patshala in his home town to create the next generation of Vedic Students

Villiyambakkam K Rangarajan Bhattar has for a large part lived an independent and fulfilling life as a temple priest. Once upon a time, he was the all dominating priest at the Eri Kaatha Rama Temple in Madurantakam with his devotional aradhanam capturing the attention of the visiting devotees. Belonging to the Swayam Acharya clan, his forefathers performed Samasrayanam for sishyas. However, into the 2nd half of the 20th century, when things turned for the worse, financially, his appa Krishnamachariar left Madurantakam to perform archaka service in Pushkaram where he performed service for over 15years from 1961.

Rangarajan did his early schooling in the late 1960s in Kanchipuram before completing his Class X exam in Madurantakam. He then went to Srirangam for Shakai Veda Adyayanam at the Thiru Kudanthai Andavan Patshala and later also underwent Sammidhas initiation at the Patshala in Madurantakam. 

Glory Days at Valparai Temple

By the time he was 22, he began his first temple Kainkaryam at the Srinivasa Perumal temple in Valparai. It was 7 glorious years for Rangarajan Bhattar, financially for the emergence of Valparai as a tourist hot spot led to big crowd at the temple.

At HR & CE salary of Rs. 60 per month - Madurantakam

It was likely that his life would continue at Valparai for long but when his appa returned to Madurantakam to take charge of the Eri Kaatha Rama Temple, he asked for his son to return to the temple town to support him in his daily kainkaryam. And thus Rangarajan Bhattar quit a high paying service in Valparai to join the Madurantakam temple at a monthly salary of Rs. 60 as a paricharakar, assisting his appa. 

It was a troublesome phase for him for in the mid 90s there was a theft in the temple and Rangarajan Bhattar was accused of being part of it. He recalls the challenges he went through “I was clear that I had not done anything wrong and I stood my ground through the entire enquiry. There were many devotees who began prayers for me and my well being. I had the fullest faith in the service I had performed and it was Lord Rama who protected me helping me come out clean and unscathed.”

In 2002, when his appa retired from archaka service, Rangarajan Bhattar was elevated as the priest. “The pre condition at the temple was that the priest would not be paid a salary and that I would have to manage my living with the ‘Thattu Kaasu’ that came my way.”

Anchored Revival of Utsavams

The Thai Parivettai Utsavam was revived during his stint as the archaka and the Pancha Samskara Vaibhavam was restored to its glorious past with Bhagavatha Thathiyaarathanai topping 100. He created the interest in the Villagers and got them to make the Parivettai utsavam an integral part of their annual calendar where the Lord visits the villages in Thai.

For close to a decade, he managed the Eri Kaatha Rama temple in quite a dominating way as has been his style everywhere. His knowledge of the agamas and the aradhana krama was so high that he could not be touched. 

Also, during the two decade period from the mid 1990s, he began performing social service in the villages around Madurantakam “When I was a young boy, one of the pre conditions that my amma laid was to listen to Upanyasam every week. On those days, I would be fed only if I listened to the Upanyasam, especially on Ramanuja and his service and narrated the gist of the story. It was a great early initiation that led me to my interest in community service.”

Social Service - Uplifting the Uneducated

In the 1990s, he created Hari Saranam, a service organization to lead people in the path of Ramanuja’s teachings. He joined as a member of the Society for Integrated Village Animation (SIVA) and became its Secretary. Through a Government programme, he helped create 350 women self help groups in the villages. To those that did not have even basic education, he led them to read and write. To the school drop outs he motivated them to return to school and revived their educational life. He himself became a trainer and helped women set up vegetable, fruit and flower stalls in the villages around Madurantakam. 

During the afternoon break at the temple, he would visit the villages and return in time for the evening aradhanam at the Rama temple. For years, this had become his daily process. He had made such a significant contribution in educating them that one of the groups won the best SHG award from the TN Govt in 2007. His social contribution also extended to running the Srihari Nursery school in Madurantakam for over 15years as its correspondent.

From Madurantakam to the Delhi Temple

By the turn of the last decade, his two girls were growing up and the income from the Eri Kaatha Rama Temple was not enough to run his family and to take care of the education expense “That is when I decided to move out of the temple town and took up the offer at the Srinivasa Perumal in RK Puram, Delhi.”

It was a phase when he used the free time to refresh his knowledge of the Prabhandham, Vedas and Agamas. Once again it was a financially rewarding phase for Rangarajan Bhattar and like in Valparai could have continued his life at the Delhi Temple. But he had a vision for the future and was keen to set up a Vedic Patshala to create the next generation of students.

However, when he returned to Madras, both his home town temple in Madurantakam and the Vedantha Desikar Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Mylapore were keen to have his archaka service. With the Mylapore temple taking a quick call, he chose to opt for the city temple. He then took a short break from the temple and spent two years in presenting Upanyasam and writing short books. He is also working on a book on Pancharatra Agamas. He has also been refreshing his knowledge on Sri Bashyam and other literary works.  During the Pandemic, he then rejoined the Vedantha Desikar Temple in Mylapore in 2020 and has been at the temple since. 

Doctorate for Social work

57 year old Rangarajan Bhattar was last month honoured with a Doctorate from the Global Human Peace University in recognition for his social work over two decades in villages around Madurantakam.

In the 1990s, Rangarajan Bhattar began creating Self Help Groups that focused on helping school dropouts get back to academics. He also focused on improving the medical facilities in these villages. Later he helped agri labourers with farming support and secured funding for them from NABARD and nationalized banks. During the Pandemic, he was involved in organizing food as well as rice, dhal and veggies for people in 12 villages.

Rangarajan Bhattar has now served as a temple priest for 35years. It has been largely fulfilling and he looks back with a great deal of satisfaction that he has been able to hold his own in every temple that he has served. If he had his way, he may have continued for long in Valparai and Delhi but he gave up both for a larger cause, first to serve at the historical Eri Kaatha Ramar Temple and then to come back to Tamil Nadu (from Delhi) to see if he could spend the 2nd part of his life in giving back to the society. To this end, his long term vision is to head back to Villiyambakkam and start a Vedic Patshala and initiate the Vedic lessons in young students in the Village. He is hoping that this will happen one day soon. 

TN Temples HR &CE EOs Out Trustees back

Madras HC order paves the way for the phasing out of Executive Officers in HR & CE Temples and the appointment of Trustees to take over the management of the temple

“With the elapsing of the tenure of the E.O (period of five years), he becomes functus officio” - Judge Dr. Anitha Sumanth on the role of EOs in TN Temples

Name of the Trustees and their phone numbers should be displayed inside the temple - Judge M.M. Sundresh

                            Photo: Madras HC Website

The recent Madras High Court Judgment reiterating the maximum tenure of Executive Officers in HR & CE administered temples in Temples has turned the attention back to Trustees. As per the Madras HC order in the Sri Varasiddhi Vinayagar Sath Sangam, Besant Nagar and the HR & CE case, Executive Officers cannot function in any temple in Tamil Nadu for more than five years. 

Referring to the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of Dr. Subramanian Swamy and Another Vs. The State of Tamil Nadu and Others (Chidambaram Temple) as well as the TN Government’s rules for appointment of E.O where in their tenure has been set at a maximum of five years (G.O.Ms.No.260 dated 06.11.2015), Judge Dr. Anitha Sumanth said “....with the elapsing of the tenure of the E.O (period of five years), he becomes functus officio.”

As per this order, the position of the Executive Officers in TN temples has become untenable and the temple has to be handed back to the hereditary trustees, or a new board of trustees has to be constituted. 

When can the E.O come into a temple

Section 23 of the HR & CE act specifically provides for an exigency and proviso thereto stipulates that notice has to be given to the person in charge along with complete particulars of the allegations (against the persons in management (Trustee) prior to any attempt at taking over the management of the temple. Public temple collecting public money in the hundials does not by itself call for interference by the HR & CE department, except if the department has sufficient evidence of mis-management or mal- administration.

Appointment of Trustees in TN Temples

18months ago, Mannar Koil Kulasekara Azhvaar Rajagopalaswamy Temple’s Periya Nambi Acharya Narasimha Gopalan had questioned the transparency involved in the appointment of non hereditary Trustees in Temples. In a letter to the Commissioner of the HR & CE and to the Secretary to the Govt - Religious Endowments Dept, he had requested to make public the qualifications and credentials of Trustees selected for the Temples in Tamil Nadu.                                                                                  

He himself has been fighting for his rights as the hereditary trustee of this temple pointing to historical inscriptions dating back close to a 1000 years that directs the Periya Nambi Clan as the Trustees of the temple.

Trustees name and phone number should be displayed inside the temple

In his order in September 2020, Judge M.M. Sudresh said "The trustees are doing a public duty and are appointed as trustees of the named temples to take care of the interest of the  temples to which  they   are  appointed.  Therefore, it is not only logical but also proper that their names along with their profession/ avocation will have to be  published  in such of those temples in which they are appointed and thereafter function as trustees. Their phone numbers also will have to be indicated so that a devotee can have access to them to redress his grievance on the functioning of the temple."

For decades, most temples under the HR & CE administration have had no trustees and the activities of the temples have been administered by “Fit Person” appointed by the Government.  There are also cases in temples where the Fit Person and the EO are the same. In many cases, the application for funds is signed by the EO of the temple and the same individual approves the application and signs as the Fit Person.

Temple EOs have to quit immediately - TR Ramesh

TR Ramesh, President, Temple Worshippers Society was instrumental in securing the Chidambaram Sabanayakar temple back to the Hereditary Trustees from the HR &CE referred above in Dr. Anitha Sumanth’s order. For over five years, he has also been fighting the presence of Executive Officers and the Fit Person in HR & CE temples. He is of the view that even in a temple where an Executive Officer is appointed by validly following the procedures laid down in law, the Court has opined that such Executive Officers cannot function in such temples beyond 5 years. "Specifically, in the case of Sri Kapali Temple, the presence of an E.O. is illegal as per the Court’s order. The Management of the temple should immediately be handed back to the Saivite community of Poonamalee Mudhaliars, who are the hereditary trustees, from whose hands the administration was taken over a few decades ago.”

Poonamallee Community's contribution to Kapali Temple

Over three Centuries ago, when the Kapaleeswarar temple was being built in its current location, the Thuluva Velalar community had a significant role to play in its development. AC Kandaswamy, a Civil Engineer, President of the Poonamalee Uyar Thuluva Vellalar Marabinar Sangam had told this writer last year that his forefathers had donated lands for the Kapaleeswarar temple 380 years ago. Several members of the community made large donations in the form of jewels and house properties for the maintenance of the temple. It was with the rental income from these properties that Utsavams were organised in the centuries gone by.

Historically, the Community has been organizing the first day of the Theppotsavam in Thai every year and also the Yaanai Vahanam procession on the sixth day of the Panguni Brahmotsavam. In addition, they have also been organizing the Vayilar Nayanar Utsavam on Margazhi Revathi. Also, their forefathers were once the ‘Kanakkupillai’ at the temple. 

                            AC Kandaswamy

Till the middle of the 19th century, there were two trustees and one overseer (supervisor) on the board of the temple. Even after the HR & CE took over the administration of the Kapali temple, three members of the Thulu Vellala community were appointed as trustees and this went on till 1976.

When this right was taken away, the community approached the court that in 1980 directed the appointment at least one representative from the Poonamalee Uyar Thuluva Vellalar Marabinar Sangam to the Board of Trustees of the temple. For three decades, there continued to be this representative on the Board. Earlier last decade, the trustee was done away with and ‘Thakkar’ was appointed by the HR & CE. And the same Thakkar has continued for several years now.

The HR &CE has on Saturday (Oct 30) called out for the Poonamallee Uyar Thuluva Sangam to apply for the post of the trustee at the Kapali Temple.

As the order extends to all HR&CE temples in TN, it is expected that such Trustees will soon be appointed across all the temples in the state.

The Next Steps

District Committees are likely to be appointed soon for selecting trustees for temples under the HR & CE administration across the state.  TR Ramesh and his team are working towards creating likeminded groups in the state. He is also creating a document on who could apply for the post of trustees in temples across the state so devotees can start applying for the post in their respective hereditary locations. 

Will devotees take to this opportunity in 1000s and apply for the post of Trustees in each of the so far HR & CE administered temples in TN. Also, will the corporate chieftains, who enjoy credibility of having established long standing institutions, take to this and anchor the transformation in temples.  One will have to wait and watch if people will come in large numbers and take up the Trusteeship in historical Paadal Petra Sthalams, Divya Desams and Purana Sthalams that had thus far been administered by the HR & CE.