KB Ramaswamy Test Umpire

The Hindu High School student from the 1930s made his way up the cricketing ladder to become an international umpire in the 1970s

He officiated in the high profile Delhi v Bombay (Bedi v Gavaskar) Ranji final, the Irani Trophy and 8 test matches in the 1970s and early 80s

Rodney Hogg knocked down the stumps in the 1979 Bangalore Test after Ramaswamy no-balled him repeatedly, while Clive Lloyd made his displeasure known after the umpires walked into the ground without the new ball in the 1983 Ahmedabad Test but he remained firm in both the instances

Thiruvallikeni boy, who did his entire schooling at Hindu High school and lived all his life in this historical temple location near the Parthasarathy Perumal temple, started out as an umpire in the 1950s more for the love of the game and went on to achieve way beyond his dreams in becoming an international umpire in the 1970s at a time when test match opportunities were not easily forthcoming for umpires from the state.

Soon after his intermediate at Loyola College, Kondathur Bashyam Ramaswamy, whose forefathers hailed from a small village near Chengalpattu, joined British firm Best & Crompton Engineering in the accounts division as an assistant clerk in the late 1940s. While he played a bit of league cricket for Crombest, he did not make a big mark as a player and hence moved into Umpiring and passed the examination in the 1950s.  

At a fee of Rs. 2 per day, he began umpiring lower division league matches in Madras and then over a period of time graduated to the first division. He was a cricket fanatic and for decades spent the weekends at the cricket grounds.  Well over a decade after he became an umpire, he moved into the next level and became a BCCI umpire. 

Sriraman's motivating role

Ramaswamy will be 94 in a couple of months and does not move out much these days but the matches from the 1970s are still fresh in his memories as he recalls the glorious decade in his life to this writer “S Sriraman played a big role in my career as he motivated me to take to umpiring in a serious way. Opportunities were not too many in those years and I got only a couple of Ranji matches every season but like all youngsters I was crazy about cricket and he told me that umpiring would be a good way to be associated with the game. I was also involved in supporting him with background work during all the test matches at Chepauk.”

While Ramaswamy could not play alongside the top guns of TN cricket, he counts as a blessing watching them in action from 22yards “What a sight it was to umpire Kalli, VVK and Venkat in those days. They were so competitive and even a league match was like a test match, such was the pressure. KR Rajagopal was an ultimate delight and did not give the square leg umpire more than a milli second as he whipped the bails in a flash even while standing up to fast bowlers.”

Tough time with Venkat

He still remembers the many 'encounters' he had with Venkat “He was a thorough professional and set the highest standards in cricket. He raised the bar for umpires as he knew every law in the book. It was never easy umpiring when he was bowling as he would bring up every law point in the cricket book and usually umpires did not have answers to his questions.”

TN middle order batsman from the 1980s who was on the verge of a India debut in 1984, R Madhavan, recalls one such encounter with Venkat "It was a match at ICF. With a buffalo entering the ground, Venkat refused to bowl until KBR sent the invading animal out. A bit taken aback by Venkat's decision,  KBR,  in his typical Thiruvallikeni slang, told Venkat that 'its not my job'."

The SBI matches with VV Kumar

Ramaswamy says that matches involving SBI were particularly challenging. VVK and Chandru were top bowlers and I had to face a barrage of appeals when they were in action. Legendary leggie VV Kumar remembers those matches "I had the opportunity to play under his supervision at least 50 times in many different tournaments. He was most affable, but steadfast in his decisions. I had many altercations, on the field, all in good spirit.  He had the knack of spotting the chucker, and quite often ended up in the frying pan. He was an ardent supporter of S Sriraman.”

Post lunch sessions were always a challenge especially when VV bowled. Opening batsman S Kedarnath recalls ‘funny’ moments during a big Buchi Babu Trophy “VVK led SBI was playing a strong Rusi Modi side at Christian College ground. A sumptuous meal was on offer during lunch on day 2. While KBR would usually bring ‘Thiruvallikeni’ famous Thayir Saatham with Milagai for lunch, the Bisibela Bath of Modern Cafe was simply irresistible. VVK was already quite upset that such tasty food was being offered to all the players as it would impact their action on the field. When he saw KBR too taking to this food, his anger knew no bounds. He went up to the umpire and asked if it was the '4th round of Bisibela' and 3rd round of Gulab Jamun. He expected a poor performance in the 2nd session."

"Even under normal circumstances, VVK would pin KBR down with his appeals and all of us would silently laugh away at the umpire’s discomfort. On that afternoon, immediately after lunch, he had the opposition captain Ramesh Saxena plumb in front but KBR was in a sleepy mode and negatived the appeal. VVK did not hide his displeasure and gave a mouthful, mostly relating to the overconsumption of Bisibela just a few minutes earlier.'

International Debut - A Surprise call

His international debut came in quite unexpected circumstances. He performed voluntary service at the TNCA during the test matches and had worked late into the night at Chepauk to get things organised for the next day in the India v NZ test match in November 1976. It was a big surprise the next morning when he received the 'emergency' call. He recalls that call  that got him into the Umpire's attire on day 2 of the test against Glenn Turner’s New Zealand at Chepauk “Umpire Sharma could not make it from Delhi. After the first day’s play was washed out, Gothaskar fell ill on the 2nd morning. As I was based in Madras, I was called in and that’s how I made my international debut as an umpire. It was a great experience to officiate at Chepauk and watch GRV in action. I also had the privilege of watching the legend Richard Hadlee bowl in my very first test as an international umpire.”

A couple of months later, he had a more planned  umpiring assignment as he was assigned the touring Englishmen’s match against Bombay at Indore.

Ranji Final- A big moment

That summer, he umpired in the Ranji Trophy final, a match that he counts as one of the big moments in his life “It was a star studded line up Gavaskar, Mankads and Solkar for Bombay and Chauhan, Amarnaths and Bedi for Delhi, among others. I never dreamt of officiating a Ranji match let alone a final. When I did get the opportunity, I was standing there in the middle watching the who’s who of Indian cricket battle it out for the biggest in domestic cricket.”

At the start of the 1977-78 season, he got another big break this time to officiate in the Duleep Trophy and he watched big hundreds from Gavaskar and Vengsarkar. A few months later, he had the privilege of umpiring the finals of the Wills one day tournament at Chepauk. One day cricket was at a nascent stage and he says it was a new and exciting experience to officiate in a 60 over final.

Kallicharan's West Indians

In Dec 1978, he got an opportunity to watch the 2nd rung West Indies team in action, though he was to watch a top notch World beating West Indies in action 5 years later in his last season as a first class umpire. He was in Hyderabad for South Zone's match against Windies and then went on to officiate the 5th test in Delhi.

A big season - His bold No - Ball Calls

1979-80 was a big year for Ramaswamy in terms of international exposure. He began with North Zone’s match against Kim Hughes’s Australians, once again a 2nd rung team as like with the Windies, the first XI was away with WSC that was making waves in that phase. 

In the 2nd test at Bangalore in September, he no balled the temperamental Rodney Hogg for over stepping multiple times “After I repeatedly called out, he got annoyed and knocked the stumps out of the ground. Immediately I called for the captain and asked him to relay the stumps which Hughes willingly did. It was one of the most controversial moments in my umpiring career.”

“Hughes asked for his players at Mid off and Mid on to take a close look at Hogg’s landing and both of them confirmed to their captain that he was indeed overstepping, thus endorsing my decision. By the time I umpired again in Delhi in the fourth test of the series a fortnight later, Hogg had cooled down and we had a good relationship subsequently.”

Tense matches involving Pak Legends

A month later, after once against umpiring North Zone against a visiting team, this time Pakistan, he watched the legendary Imran and Javed in action in the third test in Bombay. He also had the privilege of watching a young Abdul Qadir bowl in that test. “With big stars in action and as with an India v Pak encounter, it was tense and a number of appeals through the match but I look back with pride in the way I officiated and came through unscathed.”

The Bengali Hospitality and Patil's batting

That international season ended with him umpiring the final test at Eden Gardens, an unforgettable experience for him in front of the biggest crowd he had seen with Asif Iqbal's controversial declaration and a chase on the final day “The Bengalis were very hospitable and one of the best in the country. I always enjoyed umpiring there. My special memories are of watching Sandeep Patil in full flow and he gave glimpses of his class in both the innings. He was a delightful batsman and one of the most stylish I had seen in my umpiring career.”

He umpired the Irani Trophy match in 1980.

Srikkanth’s debut and run out in Bombay

He umpired in Srikkanth’s test debut in Bombay that was marked by his ‘funny’ runout. Ramaswamy recalls that shocking moment when the opener who he had umpired in many matches in the TNCA league strolled out casually "I was at the bowler's end and it was Swaroop who made that decision. Srikkanth was taking a quiet stroll like he always did in the league matches here but the Englishmen took advantage of this and ran him out though he was not attempting a run."

A year earlier GRV had called back Bob Taylor in the Golden Jubilee test but there was no such checking with the English captain by the umpires this time.

Where's the new ball - Controversial test against WI

In October 83, he was involved in more controversy as he walked into the ground in the 2nd innings without the new ball. He defends the decision “During the innings break, we asked the Indian captain to select the new ball but he was in the rest room and six minutes into the break, we had to walk on to the ground. Kapil then brought the new ball with him which did swing a lot and he ran through their top order. It did not go well with West Indian captain Clive Lloyd but I justified my decision." 

Throughout the 1970s and 80s, he was assigned by Sriraman the task of taking care of the Life Members during the Tests at Chepauk. Ranji Cricketer from the 1960s SVS Mani has high words of praise for KBR in this role "He was a good human being. He was in-charge of the life members and did an excellent job during test matches."

After his retirement, he played an office manager’s role at Narasimha Priya for over two decades.

Madhavan is appreciative of his service rendered at the TNCA over several years "He was a good human being and carried out honorary service during test matches without expecting any returns. He had genuine love for the game and his decades of standing in the hot Madras sun officiating in local league matches is testimony to that."

"He was a highly devout personality and would be in his traditional attire at every procession at the Parthasarathy temple."

Umpiring Career - True to his Conscience

At 94, Ramaswamy is fit physically and his memories from his umpiring phase remains fresh "Cricket was a way of life for me and I spent over three decades at cricket grounds.”

He says that he may have made mistakes on the field but he remained true to his conscience when he handed out the decisions “I was honest as an umpire. I was not overawed by the status of the players and did not try to please any player however big he was. I put in a lot of hard work into my umpiring and grew to the international level through perseverance at a time when those outside South dominated. I enjoyed the test matches I umpired."

He counts Hanumant Rao and PR Punjabi as two of the umpires he respected during his first class and international umpiring phase. Among the players he officiated in the 1970s and early 80s, he says Sandeep Patil was the most destructive batsman, Prasanna and Bedi the best spinners, Ghavri a challenging bowler for an umpire coming from left arm over and Gavaskar the finest batsman. Among all the TN players of the time, he reserves the highest praise for the current Chairman of Selectors “Vasu was a shrewd captain and a great character on the field.”

Despite some ‘battles’ on the field with the bowlers, Ramaswamy says that it was a very satisfying decade or so for him in first class cricket having umpired Ranji, Duleep and Irani Trophy matches, in addition to the 8 tests he officiated in. He had never dreamed big but says his hard work paid off and he looks back with a lot of pride in the way he handled the players. He did not buckle under the pressure of big international stars such as Lloyd, Imran or Hughes. His biggest moment in umpiring came when both Kim Hughes and Rodney Hogg appreciated his sincerity and boldness in his decision making at the end of the 1979 test series. And that for Ramaswamy remains etched in his memory.

Thiru Velukkai Rajan Bhattar Devotional Service

From a dilapidated temple, Rajan Bhattar has single handedly transformed this Divya Desam reviving the utsavams and creating a big set of long standing devotees through his unflinching devotional service

Safeguarding and Promoting Sampradayam has been his sole focus during his three decades long service at Thiru Velukkai

When the Azhagiya Singar temple in Thiru Velukkai Divya Desam in Kanchipuram became his responsibility just over three decades ago, Rajan Bhattar was not yet 20. But over the last 30 years, he has single handedly managed the temple transforming it from a dilapidated temple with almost no devotees into a vibrant one simply through his unflinching devotion. Without collecting a single rupee, he inspired the devotees to take up physical service as well as infra improvement at the temple.

Three decades prior to his taking up this service, Thiru Velukkai Divya Desam had been completely unattended and discarded in the 1960s. For years, this had been in a locked state without an archaka. It was all debris at that time and did not resemble a temple, let alone a Divya Desam. His appa, TT Shriman Iyengar who was a Govt School teacher in Thiru Velukkai, was asked by the revered Uruputtur Rajagopalachariar, who performed archaka service at Thiru Vekka, to take to this Kainkaryam. 

Rajan Bhattar recalls those decades of service when all the original inhabitants had left this Divya Desam “My appa would light the lamp, cook the sacred food at the madapalli early in the morning, present it to the Lord and leave for the school. After he came back from the school, he repeated the above process and with darkness all around closed the temple at 6.15pm.”

In a Dilapidated state in the early 1980s

Forty years ago, the temple became completely dilapidated, Vimanam was damaged, the Gopuram was falling off, there were no outer walls and the prakaram resembled a forest with bushes running up 15feet. One could not even go around the prakaram “While my appa was devotionally attached to this temple for over three decades, he found it all the while dangerous to enter the temple for it was home to dangerous reptiles. It was my amma who stood by him all through accompanying him to the temple and giving him the confidence that Azhagiya Singar would protect us.”

Vekka archakar Rajagopalachariar's mentoring

In 1983, lawyer PB Ananthacharya helped restore the Thayar Sannidhi and six years later, Kumaran and Nalli supported the consecration of the Vimanam and Raja Gopuram. Following the Samprokshanam in 1989, there was no one to take care of the mandalabhisekam. Teenager Rajan had just got Dikshai following the Samprokshanam of the Pandava Dhoothar Divya Desam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/10/kanchipuram-divya-desams-delayed.html), a few kms from here. Rajagopalachariar had a profound influence on Rajan Bhattar’s life.  He had served at Banaswadi and Birla Mandir before settling down at Thiru Vekka Divya Desam. Even into his early teens, he would go to the Yathothagari Sannidhi to watch the pooja. “My entire learning was from watching Rajagopalachariar serve the Lord with utmost devotion. He taught me the agamas and japams. I also learned Divya Prabhandam from Sadagopachariar and used to be part of the Seva Kalam at Thiru Vekka.”

          Thiru Vekka Rajagopalachariar Bhattar

When his appa had a paralytic attack, Rajan Bhattar was asked by Rajagopalachariar to take to full time temple service. His appa had received a monthly sambhavanai of Rs. 60 which much later went up to Rs. 120 for his decades of daily service at the temple.

A decade long dual service at Thiru Vekka and Thiru Velukkai

Soon after Rajan Bhattar discontinued his studies into this mid-teens, he took to dual service – madapalli kainkaryam at Yathothagari Divya Desam at Thiru Vekka (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/03/kanchipuram-divya-desams-renovation.html) and Sannidhi and Madapalli Kainkaryam here at Thiru Velukkai. “I would light the lamp, cook the food, present to Azhagiya Singar and then cycle to Thiru Vekka to cook the sacred food there. In the evening, after the pooja and thaligai presentation at Thiru Velukkai, I cycled again to Vekka for Nithyaanusanthanam. And then I came back to Velukkai for Artha Jaama Pooja.”

In Thiru Vekka Divya Desam, with the shortage of service personnel, Rajan Bhattar also doubled up and performed Sannidhi Paricharaka service. For years, he donned these multiple roles in these two Divya Desams.

Idly King or ‘Best Archaka’

His presentation of ‘Kanchi Idly’ was a big hit with devotees and residents of Kanchipuram began to place orders with for these differentiated idlies. It was Rajagopalachariar who presented him with a life message in that phase “Do you want be known as the ‘idly king’ or the ‘selfless archaka’. "There were no two thoughts on this and I dropped making idlies for the residents from that day” recalls Rajan Bhattar.

For a brief period, he donned the role of a temple guide taking devotees to the Divya Desams in Kanchi in the early 1990s. Once again, Rajagopalachariar dissuaded him alerting him that this would distract him from his temple service. And immediately in no time, he gave that up.

The financial situation had turned so sour and with his appa’s poor health, he went for a brief period to the corporate world. When he came back for the Samprokshanam activities at Thiru Vekka, he was asked to carry the Kumbham during the procession “In an instant moment during that procession, I got a message from the Thayar to drop my corporate life and dedicated the rest of my life in selfless service to the Divya Desam Lord.”

From that moment, he has been at Thiru Velukkai serving at this Divya Desam without a salary and solely surviving on Thattu Kaasu. For a decade, he continued to perform the dual service at Thiru Vekka and Thiru Velukkai and multiple roles at each of these temples – Madapalli, Sannidhi Paricharaka and Archaka.

From dual service to focus exclusively on Thiru Velukkai

The aged Rajagopalachariar retired from service at Thiru Vekka a couple of decades ago and the temple appointed exclusive personnel for service there. Rajan Bhattar then began to focus fully on service at the  Azhagiya Singar in Thiru Velukkai Divya Desam.

Infra Improvement within the temple complex

Over the last 15years, he has transformed the temple with his devotional touch. There was no flooring in the temple complex. He created a path in the prakara and the devotees themselves brought cement, the mestri, contractors and constructed the flooring. When the madapalli began to leak, he restored it with the money he had saved over the previous decade, in memory of his appa, who passed away 18years ago. Just over a decade ago, he installed the Kannadi arai investing his own savings from the previous years  He has always taken inspiration from his parents who despite financially challenging conditions for a long part of their lives always dedicated themselves to Divya Desam Kainkaryam. "Amma was delighted that her husband was presented with the opportunity to serve Azhagiya Singar and she did everything in her might to keep him in this kainkaryam though there was very little income from the temple."

Revival of Utsavams

One by one, he began reviving the utsavams with Thirumanjanam for Yoga Narasimha on Amavasai, Thayar purapadu on the last Friday of the Tamil month with oonjal in the thottam similarly to the one at the Varadaraja Perumal Divya Desam in Chinna Kanchi. Sudarshana Jayanthi in Aani was the first utsavam to be revived. And ever since, Narasimha Jayanthi in Chitrai, Aadi Pooram, Sri Jayanthi, Vana Bhojanam Utsavam in Karthigai, Theppam in Thai, Davana Utasvam in Maasi and Ugadi, Rama Navami and Uthiram in Panguni have all been revived. So too have been the utsavams for Azhvaars.

During the Navarathri utsavam, his alankaram skills come to the fore as he drapes Thayar in a special Thiru Kolam each day of the festival. 

அன்று இவ்வுலகம்  அளந்த....

நின்று இருந்த வேளுக்கை நீள்

நகர்வாய் அன்று கிடந்தானை கேடு இல் சீரானை

முன்  கண்சைகடந்தானை நெஞ்சமே கான் - Pey Azhvaar

Inspires devotees to Divya Desam Kainkaryam

Since the time he was a young boy, he had been listening to upanyasams of Krishnapremi ‘anna’. He imbibed very early on that he should inspire the devotees to carry out at least a 10 min kainkaryam every day. One of the first messages to him from Rajagopalachariar was to not collect money from devotees for it make him their slave. It was this inspiration that led the devotees to create a beautiful nandavanam all on their own. While one set of devotees created the nandavanam, another set maintains it. There is a group that knots flowers and presents garlands while another group cleans the temple every day. The devotees also double up as Sripatham personnel and carry the Lord during the processions without any financial benefit. To create early interest in children, he presented Sayana Paal and dates to the Lord in the night and distributed to the kids before closing the sannidhi. “The parents came back with the feedback that their children found a lot of peace after this initiation and slept well in the night.”

Rejects lucrative overseas offer to stay  back in Thiru Velukkai

After experiencing his devotional service, a lucrative offer came his way from a Perumal temple in Sri Lanka but he rejected saying that he would not move Thiru Velukkai. Most in the temple circles have known his devotional approach and hence no more did they try to lure him into the more modern or financially rich temples.

மன்னும்  மதுக்கட்சி வேளுக்கை ஆளரியை 

மன்னிய பாடகத்து என் மைந்தனை 

வெஃகாவில் உன்னிய யோகத்து உறக்கத்தை 

ஊரகத்துள் அன்னவனை அட்ட புயகரத்தை எம்மான் ஏற்றை 

என்னை  மனங்கவர்ந்த ஈசனை  - பெரிய திரு மடல் 

In the last few years, after experiencing his devotional touch, the trustees at Thiru Nangur have invited him to serve at the annual Thai Amavasai 11 Garuda Sevai Utsavam. And he has been delighted to have performed service for Thiru Mangai Azhvaar

Refuses any financial support

Even during the Pandemic when the devotees offering financial support, he refused remembering the message of Rajagopalachariar. “Not once did I get money transferred into my account during the Pandemic though many wanted to a Divya Desam archaka. Serving Narasimha, I trust him to take care of my happiness through this lifetime. Not all the devotees took to this kindly but I refused every single offer for financial support that came my way.”

He has been with the temple for three decades but has never taken a salary from the temple though the EOs have offered him repeatedly seeing his devotional commitment. “If you follow the Brahminical way of life, your happiness will be taken care of by the Lord. My goal in life is to promote our sampradaya and create that devotional interest in people."

He has followed the philosophy of leading a simple life, not expecting any money, not investing in luxuries and creating devotional interest in all those who visit the temple. 

The Margazhi mornings and initiating sampradayam to the next gen

Rajan Bhattar’s devotional inspiration has led at least 50 kids in Thiru Velukkai to recite the Thiruppavai early in the morning every day in Margazhi. He also conducts devotional quiz and contests to keep them engaged and to kindle their devotional spirit. His wife, who supports him fully in his devotional endeavor, presents Bhagavatham to the young kids to encourage them in leading a dharmic way of life. He has been initiating all the sampradaya lessons to his daughter who is now into her early teens. And she too is fully engrossed into our historical traditions.

He also keeps away ‘parikarams’ in his temple for he believes that the only thing that ‘we should seek from the Lord is Moksham.”

Multi Faceted Devotional Bhattar

Rajan Bhattar has just turned 50, well over half of which he has spent almost all alone at Thiru Velukkai Azhagiya Singa Divya Desam performing the role of archaka, madapalli cook, prabhandham presenter, devotional motivator and has been an inspirational mentor to kids in the Next Gen. For all his solo efforts, he has sought no financial returns and has served this temple selflessly in exactly the way his mentor Rajagopalachariar archaka would have wanted him to. Devotees continue to offer him financial support but he would have none of it, for his mind has never wavered away from Narasimha into the financial path. Also, Rajan Bhattar continues to reside in a small traditional tiled house just opposite the temple that is just enough for the three of them. Here too his mind is clear. "Azhagiya Singar has blessed with a roof over my head, food to eat for the day and clothes to cover ourselves. We cannot desire anything more in life."

Long pending Consecration

The last Samprokshanam took place at the temple in 1989 and it has been a long 33 years now. That may be one thing pending in his list of achievements at this temple. Of course, through the devotees he has kept the temple clean, the nandavanam is beautiful, the flower garlands are colourful and grand, a majority of the historical festivals have been revived but the Raja Gopuram wears a faded old look. Someday in the near future similar to these devotees who have come on their own inspired by his devotion to perform service at this temple, there may be a set of devotees who will take to the restoration just like they did at Ayyur Varadaraja Perumal temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/08/ayyur-varadaraja-perumal-samprokshanam.html) earlier this year. If that happens, it will just be the icing on the cake for Rajan Bhattar who along with his appa has performed selfless service for over six decades at this Divya Desam in a quiet way.

 

The temple is open from 7.30am to 11.30am and from 5pm to 8pm. Contact Rajan Bhattar 98944 15456

Kanchi Varadar Ranganathan Garland Maker

Varadar's Specialist Garland Maker

Since the mid 1960s Ranganathan has been making flower garlands for Varadaraja Perumal that devotees see as very special

The now 76 year old Ranganathan was all of 15years when he began his devotional endeavor in knitting a wide range of flower garlands for Varadaraja Perumal of Chinna Kanchi, a divya desam that he has been associated every day ever since. Soon after completing his SSLC, he quit school and immersed himself in this service to Varadar. But even prior to that as a 10year school boy in the late 1950s, he spent all his free time learning the art of making flower garland from appa Venkataswamy.

He says that the financial returns was very minimal in those days. “There was no income in temples and they used to buy garlands for 50 paisa. We were a big joint family and the income from the garlands just enough to sustain our everyday life. To me it was not the money but the opportunity to present garlands to Varadar, Thayar and Narasimhar round the year. The satisfaction from that has been unmatched for over six decades.”

From his shop in Poo Kadai Chatram near the bus stand, he would cycle six kms carrying the garland to the temple. In those early years, he hired a cycle for 1anna and cycled his way over 20kms carrying the garlands to the perumal temple in Manimangalam over 20kms away “Once devotees saw Varadar draped with this garland, they were so delighted that they would ask the archaka and thus the word spread. And more and more devotees approached us.”

Desikar Utsavam in Delhi

From the 1970s, he has been presenting garlands to the Srinivasa Perumal temple in Navalpakkam. A big high for him came when Balaji temple in Delhi placed an order for the entire Desikar utsavam and he sent the set of garlands by flight something he did not ever visualize. “They saw the quality of our work and asked us to present different garlands every day of the utsavam.”

All the way to Melkote and Ahobilam

Another big day for him was when an order came from that historical cheluva Narayana perumal temple in Melkote. And they presented garlands to the temple for two decades. From Karnataka, they moved to Andhra where at the Narasimha Divya Desam in Ahobilam, they present garland for Vana Bhojana Utsavam and for the Poo Pallakku on Narasimha Jayanthi. It is also his garland that is draped on Ananthazhvaan on his Satru Murai. Over the last decade, he has been associated with the annual avathara utsava at Thoopal.

While he feels blessed about presenting to so many historical temples, Ranganathan’s personal attachment is with Varadar. “Presenting a garland for Vishroopam for five decades has been a great devotional experience. For almost every utsavam at Varadar, devotees look up to me for that garland that makes the Lord look even more special on that day.”

His several decades of presenting to Varadar has led everyone to refer to him as the ‘specialist for Varadar’.

In 1977, he bought a small 600 sq. ft place in Poo Kadai with a bit of savings he had managed in the mid 70s.

Son joins him as a teenager

His son Mohana Varadan did a course at ITI but his mind too like his appa’s was always on garlands even as a young boy. While it may have been reasonable for him to have pursued a job after his ITI, he joined his appa the day after his course. “Throughout my school days I saw my appa performing this as a service to Varadar and this instilled in me a great sense of devotion to Varadar. Everyone who I interacted with in my teenage years told me not to go away from this service as very few get such an opportunity to be able to see their garland on Varadar every day of the year.”

He joined his appa in 1995 and since then several temples in Chennai have sought their flower garlands. Mohana Varadan’s speciality is Thaavadam and he takes particular delight in knitting those.

He says his appa’s brother Anand along with four others Manikandan, Mahesh, Dilli Babu and Umapathy are great help in this service to make it a success as they come together on all important occasions to work round the clock to get the garlands ready within the deadline. 

Sannidhi Paricharaka of Varadar temple M Krishnan says that Ranganathan’s measurements are on the dot. His garland just fits Varadar perfectly. He knows the deities inside out and thus makes the perfect one every time.  

Varadan is contended with what the Kanchi Perumal has given his family "We are happy financially with what Varadaraja Perumal has given us. It was the early encouragement from devotees like Wheels India’s Vasudevan that motivated us to keep this going at a time when it was not financially remunerative. Those like him helped spread the word about our quality."

The father son duo’s specialty includes Malli Periya Maalai, Srirangam Pathi Maalai and Navaratna Maalai. Mohana Varadan points to the Vasantha Utsavam at Varadar temple when they present 7 different varieties of garlands one on each day.

Ranganathan recalls the promise taken by Thoopul Maniyakarar Suresh’s grandfather took from him “He told me that I should not stop making flower garlands for Varadar and Desikar in my lifetime.” 

More than the financial rewards, it is the happiness on the face of the devotees and the feedback such as these that gives us the greatest satisfaction, says Ranganathan.

Kanchi Varadar Malai Mel Krishnan MNCs to Paricharakar

A budding cricketer in his teens, he moved into the Financial Services space working with MNCs for close to decade

At 30, his mind turned completely devotional and he took the call to spend the rest of his life at the Varadar Sannidhi in Kanchipuram

An off spinner at Venkatasubba Rao School, coached by AG Ram Singh, Malai Mel Krishnan (Shukkal to his cricket teammates) was part of the YMCA TSR team along the current TNCA President Ashok Sigamani (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/11/ashok-sigamani-tnca-president.html) that won the All India inter club tournament in Bangalore in the early 1990s. He played a lot of his initial cricket with friends on Singaram Street in T. Nagar. He joined Gurunanak College under the sports quota but did not get enough opportunities there. He played for Free Lancers, his uncle’s team, in the TNCA league. Soon after graduation, he went to Symbiosis (Pune) for his MBA.

With MNCs for close to a decade

With a MBA to cap, the off spinner turned his attention to the Corporate World. For just under a decade, he worked at MNCs Ford, ABN Amro and CitiCorp in addition to engagements with ICICI and EDS. But by the time he turned 30, he had had enough of the corporate world and moved into the devotional space. His marriage into a very traditional family probably also influenced this transformation.

His forefathers had been performing the Sannidhi Paricharaka service at the Varadaraja Perumal Divya Desam in Kanchipuram. His appa too had taken VRS in his early 50s from the bank and performed this service. But given his early cricketing interests and his foray into the corporate world, one did not expect Krishnan to turn devotional at 30.

He learned the pooja kramas from his wife’s brothers one of whom is an archaka at the Vedantha Desikar temple in Mylapore. He recalls the early apprehension at the temple soon after he joined “Most of them at the temple saw me as a corporate guy who was likely to quit temple service and get back again into the corporate space. And hence I did not find easy acceptance inside the temple. But I was determined to dedicate a lifetime to the hereditary service and hung on to it. It took over two years for those at the temple to acknowledge that here was indeed a devotionally inclined kainkarya who had left the corporate world for good.”

Corporate Wear to Tuft and Panchakacham

From a coat wearing corporate lad, Malai Mel Krishnan began sporting a tuft. The shirt gave way to the traditional panchakacham. To those from his teens, he became unrecognizable. His external appearance bore no resemblance to how he looked as a cricketer and a corporate executive. He shifted from his house in T. Nagar and moved into a traditional several decades old home in front of the Varadaraja Perumal temple. 

Sannidhi Paricharaka Service

Krishnan provides Sannidhi Paricharaka service wherein he provides support service to archakas during Thiru Aradhanam, Thirumanjanam, Ashtotram and Yaaga Saalai pooja. He is also the one who carries the sacred vessels. In addition to the Sanndhi Paricharaka service, he has also been handed the responsibility of managing the Vedantha Desikar Sannidhi and Thiruvananthazhvaan Sannidhi at the temple.

It is now a decade and a half since he began his Sannidhi Paricharaka service and he has found it devotionally fulfilling. He spent the first three decades of his life completely in the metros living a fast paced life there. He says that the 15years at the Varadar temple have been enjoyable and that "he has fully tuned himself to this devotional way of life". 

Positively Energized even on tiring service days

There are several days in the year where he spends around 15hours at the temple but unlike the corporate world where he felt the monotony and boredom, he feels energized performing this sometimes physically exhausting service. During this phase, he has also had the opportunity to be  alongside Athi Varadar in that once in a 40 year event that saw several lakhs of devotees have darshan. 

Given his commitment to spending the rest of his life in service to Varadar, he has this year reconstructed his old dilapidated house on Sannidhi Street and that now wears a fresh look.

As a youngster in his teens and even well into his 20s, it was not conceivable that Malai Mel Krishnan would turn to temple service this early in his life. But the transformation was sudden and he has clung on to this service as a God’s gift to him. 

Srivilliputhur Araiyar Natha Muni Srinivasa Rangan

32year old Araiyar Natha Muni is back in Srivilliputhur to take forward the Araiyar Sevai service

He hopes to use the emerging WFH model to combine Corporate Work with Temple Kainkaryam

Way back in June 2007, this section had featured a story on Araiyar Sevai and how the service had dwindled to just a handful of Divya Desam in Tamil Nadu. Bala Mukunda Araiyar of Srivilliputhur, who is one of the few Araiyars still practicing this difficult art, had told this writer that month that while it was a great honour for him to be performing the ‘Abhinaya’ that he had learned from his legendary father for over 18 years, it was a pity that Araiyars had not been taken care of financially and hence many from other divya desams had gone away from this art seeking greener pastures in the corporate world. With the limited financial wherewithal he managed to perform the Arangetram for his son while he was still a young school student.

15 years later, his son Araiyar Srinivasa Rangan (Natha Muni) has taken a big call this month quitting his high paying job at HDFC Bank where he served as a Branch Manager in a devotional endeavor to continue the Araiyar Sevai Kainkaryam at the Srivilliputhur Vadabadrasayee Divya Desam. Earlier he had been with ICICI Bank for six years.

While a lot of the Pandemic challenges resulted in gloom, there were some positive outcomes as well. The Work From Home model has thrown open new opportunities and Natha Muni Araiyar is hoping to leverage that model to his advantage  “I have been away from full-fledged Kainkaryam over the last decade ever since I completed my Engineering degree. With the WFH concept now becoming an accepted model especially in the IT industry, I am toying with the idea of exploring opportunities in the IT space that would allow me to continue with the Araiyar Sevai Kainkaryam.”

Even as a young boy, he had begun learning the sacred verses from his grandfather Araiyar Srinivasa Rangachariar(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2013/08/araiyar-srinivasachariyar-srivilliputhur.html), who had performed service at this Divya Desam for over five decades. His grandfather, who passed away last decade, had even presented Araiyar Sevai once in the Himalayas in freezing conditions.  Araiyar Natha Muni was also initiated into the Vyakyanams by his appa. 

    Natha Muni Araiyar's Arangetram

Moves into the Corporate World

However, like most in the new gen, he too was keen to get into the corporate world having seen the financial struggles of his appa and grandfather through his childhood years. They had lived in a dilapidated house near the temple for a long time. Bala Mukunda Araiyar went through a lot of financial stress in getting his daughters married “My grandfather and appa performed this as a kainkaryam without salary from the temple. It had been a financially challenging period. My appa found it financially strenuous to help me become an Engineer and getting my sisters married. With both of them performing service at the temple, I wanted to get into the corporate world to put my engineering degree to use.”

Natha Muni Araiyar joined IBM Info Service in Madras a decade ago. After a few years, he moved into the banking industry and joined ICICI Bank at Tuticorin. While he was away at the corporate world, he did perform service at the temple once in a while whenever he was in Srivilliputhur.

Taking over the mantle from his appa

His appa is turning 70 and it is not getting any easier for him to perform the service, especially through the 21 day Adyayana Utsavam, given the health challenges. In 2019, during the Brahmotsavam at the Nambi Temple in Thiru Kurungudi, Bala Mukundan Araiyar swooned and fell down unconscious soon after presentation of Araiyar Sevai (it was again the TVS family - Venu Srinivasan - that offered immediate on the ground support). Despite challenging health conditions, Bala Mukundan Araiyar continues to perform at the Srivilliputhur Divya Desam but the medical bills have been mounting. In recent years, he has also been performing at the Maasi Utsavam at Thiru Kannapuram.

While he deems the financial part important for survival and hence a foot in the corporate world, Araiyar Natha Muni is keen to continue the Araiyar Sevai during his life time. It was that devotional mindset of trying to takeover the mantle from his aged appa that Araiyar Natha Muni has quit his coveted post at HDFC Bank and returned to Srivilliputhur. 

A full Margazhi presentation this year

10 days from now, Araiyar Natha Muni, who has learned 10 Vyakyanams from the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham, will be presenting the service during the Adyayana Utsavam. Some of the presentations during this utsavam are distinctive and a unique feature at this Divya Desam. This Margazhi, he will also be performing daily service at the temple through the entire month, for the first time in over a decade.

He is clear in his thought process. At the Srivilliputhur Divya Desam, Araiyars are bestowed with the exclusive rights during Thodakkam and Saatru Murai each day of the year. But except for select Thirumanjanams every month, income has been almost non-existent. Araiyar Natha Muni and his sisters also grew up in a dilapidated house whose roof could have come down anytime in that phase “Appa has performed service for several decades without a salary. The Sambhavanai from devotees accrues only during the Adyayana Utsavam. For the rest of the 11months, there was very minimal income for appa in all the decades that he performed service. I do not want my two daughters to go through the same financial challenges that we encountered and am hoping to lead a life that combines Selfless Kainkaryam with Corporate Work.”

The Pandemic and the resultant WFH has come as a blessing in disguise for him. Starting 2023, he expects to begin the process of mastering the entire Nalayira Divya Prabhandham as well as undergoing a further initiation into the Vyakyanams, while he simultaneously dons the role of a ‘WFH’ Business Analyst at one of the top IT firms. With Bangalore based IT firms offering full-fledged WFH, he is confident of picking up a job after the Margazhi Utsavam by when he is likely to complete his Java certification course that he is currently pursuing. 

The Araiyars

Araiyars (King of Music) are descendents of Nathamuni, who is said to have introduced the Araiyar Sevai. Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam himself gave the Araiyars the right to perform the unique musical chanting at the temples and presented them with the cone-like cap, two cymbals and the sacred garland (which they wear around their neck when they perform).

The Araiyars first recite the Paasuram, they then explain its inner meaning and finally perform the Abhinaya, a unique art/dance performance with their hands and legs explaining the Paasurams with special musical effect.

The Araiyar Sevai requires a deep knowledge and understanding of the Paasurams. It is not an easy art, as can be seen from the fact that it takes nearly 20 years to learn and perfect the ‘Abhinaya’.Araiyar Sevai that had once been performed in several Divya Desams in TN,, is currently seen only in four Divya Desams - Srirangam, Azhvaar Tirunagari, Thiru Kurungudi and Srivilliputhur - in TN. It is this Araiyar family from Srivilliputhur that had also been performing at Thiru Kurungudi during the Kaisika Ekadasi and Panguni Utsavams. 

With his return to his home town for this year's Margazhi Utsavam,  the young Araiyar Natha Muni has taken this big devotional call to keep this historical service going at Srivilliputhur at least during his lifetime.  His intent to take over from his appa Bala Mukundan Araiyar and to continue this service is laudable. In the coming decades, one can expect this Araiyar family from Srivilliputhur to continue to delight with the presentation of this rare art of Araiyar Sevai. And that’s great news for the devotional world. 

Shyamsundar India U19 Suryoday Banking Entrepreneur

He was the talk of the town in 1988 after playing the U19 World Cup in Australia

In his 2nd innings, Banking Entrepreneur Shyam has garnered business of Rs. 250crores and is looking to take his branch network to 10 in Chennai

Big runs for an unfancied St. John School (Mandaveli) prompted Santhome to rope him into their cricket squad. Within a few years, he made the big leap into the next level in cricket playing for the state and zone at the U15 level. His big century for South Zone against ROI at the U19 level earned him a place in the India team for the inaugural Junior World Cup. Soon he was a star personality in the city. When he came to play a practice match for a Santhome XI against YMCA TSR in the summer of 1988, he was the cynosure of all eyes. He failed to break through to the next level and could not make it into the TN Ranji squad. 30 years after his World Cup debut, he made his debut as an entrepreneur launching a Banking enterprise in Chennai. Within the first few years of the launch, he has garnered business of Rs. 250crores and has big expansion plans. Last year this section featured a story on first division Cricketer turned Entrepreneur Promodh Sharma (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/05/promodh-sharma-cricketer-turned.html). This one is about another one – Junior India Cricketer- who is now making a big mark in the Banking Sector. Here’s the story.

RG Shyamsundar grew up playing tennis ball cricket near Karaneeswarar temple in Mylapore very near the St Bedes ground where he had the first knock with the cricket ball.  His uncles VN Guruswamy (TNCA umpire) and Mukunthraman (Port Trust cricketer) played the early grooming role. 

74 year old Guruswamy says that it was Mukund Raman who played a larger role in his cricket development “Mukunth would write the names of Indian and Australian cricketers forming two teams and play a tennis ball test match with him inside the house. That was Shyam’s first initiation into cricket. It was also he who spoke to his namesake at Grand Prix and got Shyam into the league team alongside some of the established stars of the time.”

                                    Guruswamy

Shyam himself recalls practicing alongside WV Raman, LS and Sankupani as a young boy “Grand Prix was a destination of choice for budding cricketers as it was one of the very few clubs that offer net facilities. It was a great experience to have practiced and played alongside some of the greats of the times.”

                                  Mukunthraman

Guruswamy, who played for Bunts in the first division, recalls a match at the Union ground “Shyam was a young boy and he came along to watch the match. When one of our fielders was injured, he fielded as a substitute and much to everyone’s surprise took an outstanding catch. That day, he gave glimpses of what he could achieve on the cricket field.”

The Cricketing Call - Joins Santhome from St. Johns

His strong performance for an unfancied St Johns (Mandaveli) school in the TNCA tournament led cricket coach CPS Mani to rope him into the school. It was a dream run for Shyam at Santhome. He particularly remembers the 160 he scored against a strong St. Bedes side in the semifinal. He credits the Head Master Camillus for the cricketing transformation at Santhome “He was a thorough professional and gave his unflinching support to the cricket team. Ahead of every final, he would allow us to take off for practice. On the finals day, the students would pack the ground and support us. It served as a great motivation for us.”

Despite his cricketing focus, he was good at academics and always secured high grades at school. This was to stand him in good stead when after his cricketing career, he took to academics again.

Craze for his Idol GRV

Into the U19 level, he had moved up his game one notch. He was in scintillating form in 1987-88, the year that the senior team won the Ranji Trophy. He scored three hundreds including one against Rest of India. He calls it the biggest turning point of his career “At that age, there was no real aim and I just played for the love for the game. GRV was my inspiration.  He was my cricketing idol and I was crazy about him. I wanted to bat like him.”

Trademark Square Cuts

Shyam played for RBI in the first division before he joined Jolly Rovers. His craze for GRV had translated into how he played his strokes in those early years. Off spinner and top order batsman NS Ramesh remembers the phase and how he had a penchant for square cuts “He was an excellent player. His square cuts were superb and special. He was particularly strong off the backfoot. As a person, he was a team man to the hilt. We just loved him during his stint with RBI.”

South Zone were going down the barrel at 30 for 5 against ROI at the Wankhade Stadium chasing 400plus “I shared a 270run stand with CK. I ended up with an unbeaten 175. And we won outright.”

It was that big match winning century for South Zone that earned him a place in the Indian U19 team that toured NZ and then later for the Junior WC in Australia. In the only test against New Zealand, the Indian think tank decided to go for the run chase instead of playing out a draw. Shyam recalls that innings “Vasu Paranjpe instilled a lot of self-belief in me and thought that I had it in me go a long way in cricket. He wanted me to go after the chase. I remember taking it close but wickets kept falling at the other end and we fell just short.”

With that unbeaten knock, Shyamsundar showed that day that he could hold his own against a team that comprised future test stars. However, the World cup did not go as per expectations and India did not qualify “Vasu Paranjpe had high expectations of me. He would often ask later as to why TN did not pick me.”

When Shyam walked into the YMCA Pavilion ground along with S Sharath in the summer of 1988 to play a practice match against YMCA TSR, he was the cynosure of all eyes and the buzz in the entire ground was all about ‘that guy is India U19, a big hitter. Watch out for him.”

Lifelong Friendship

Murrays owner and U15 India schools fast bowler Hemant Srivatsa (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2015/04/hemant-srivatsa-cricketer-of-1980s.html), who quit serious cricket before he turned 20, played together for about four years in the mid-1980s with Shyamsundar from U15 to U19. Shyam has been one of Hemant’s few cricketing friends who have survived the test of time “I had never attended any camps till I was almost 15 and met Shyam for the first time at the U15 camp when we both got selected for the city team. My earliest memories of Shyam is of meeting a short diminutive boy who was extraordinary as a fielder in the cover region.”

Hemant was a big swing bowler in those early days and rarely placed a mid-off for a large part of his career. He looks back at the role Shyam played in those four years “With Shyam at wide cover, your confidence just shot up as a bowler. Nothing went past him, left or right. He would save a lot of runs for you with his brilliant fielding. He was a joy to watch, both as a batsman and a fielder. There was something graceful about everything he did on the field. He was all class and a brilliant cricketer. His persona was so charming that he remains one of the few cricketers I am still talking to.”

Soon after, he became a star at Vivekananda College “I realized how big the World Cup was back in Madras. Suddenly I had a big fan following and became conscious that everyone was watching me. It almost gave me the feeling that I had attained stardom, the way the college students and fellow cricketers looked at me that year.”

Unfortunately he was not immediately picked in the U22 squad. Guruswamy remembers that phase soon after his return from the U19 World Cup “Shockingly he was not picked in the U22 squad with the selector asking him to perform in the first division. An India U19 cricketer should have been an automatic choice in that squad but it did not work that way in TN cricket at that time. He got a raw deal.” 

To a star studded club

Similar to his move from St Johns to Santhome earlier in the decade, Shyamsundar had a high profile transfer to Jolly Rovers from RBI “Bharath Reddy presented an irresistible offer to play for Jolly Rovers. It was a star studded team comprising of VBC, B Arun, LS and D. Vasu. To be amongst them was a great feeling. But it also meant you could have got lost amidst all the glamorous names. But Bharath had a special liking for me and never dropped me in that phase.”

In the few years he played for Jolly Rovers, he got a feel of professional cricket in the true sense. Like his successor S Sharath, Shyam has the highest words of praise for Bharath Reddy “I learned a lot under Bharath. It was a completely professional approach there. You had to earn your place in the team. He was a great cricketing brain and the best captain I played under.”

Talented and Hardworking

Bharath Reddy (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/11/bharath-reddy-players-man.html) looks back at Shyam as a very special player from those times “There were only a few players who were both talented and hard working. Shyam was one such guy. I had a special liking for him as he combined his talent with hard work. It was unfortunate he did not get the Ranji call despite consistent scores.”

Shyamsundar did play Junior State cricket and performed creditably “We were chasing 350+ in the Junior State match and there was still 160 to get when the last man joined me. I scored 170 and we just fell short.”

Around 1990, he says he was confident of breaking into the Ranji squad. “After that innings and having scored three hundreds for Chemplast, I was confident of getting the Ranji break but it was highly competitive. Several of us were fighting for 1-2 spots in the middle order.”

The other three U19 teammates from that World Cup squad played for TN with Shyam being the lone one to miss out. It still rankles him “Every time someone talks to me about those days, this topic is brought up but I quickly moved on from those disappointments and enjoyed my cricket at Indian Bank.”

Family's Disappointment at Shyam not getting the Ranji break

Uma, wife of Mukunthraman, recalls those days from the 1970s “We lived on Canal Bank Road (RA Puram). My husband would bowl all the time to Shyam. As a young boy, Shyam was mad about cricket and was always seen with a cricket bat. While we were all delighted at him playing the U19 World Cup in Australia, it was disappointing that he did not get the chance to play in the Ranji Trophy as we thought he was talented enough and had it in him to play for the state at the senior level. 

A mentor to many cricketers

For ATG S Sharath (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/12/sharath-s-tn-crickets-atg.html), Shyam was a mentor. The two of played together at Jolly Rovers in the early 1990s “We batted at No. 5 and 6 and put together several big partnerships in that period. I found him to be a gritty and gutsy batsman and an excellent team man. He got big 100s on all matting wickets, a phenomenal achievement in those days. He held his own in that star studded line up.”

“As a human being, he was a straight forward man and a happy go lucky guy with a terrific attitude towards the game and life. He helped youngsters right from their school days to club cricket, mentoring many of them.”

One of his biggest moments -Meeting with Idol GRV

It was during his stint at Chemplast that he enjoyed one of the biggest moments in cricket “Chemplast was playing a tourney in Bombay. When Bharath Reddy called me to his hotel room, I thought it would be something to do with the match. He surprised me by introducing me to GRV. Bharath knew my craze for the legend and it was one of my big cricketing moments to chat with the legendary batsman.”

From Cricket to Banking

Sports Chief at Indian Bank DV Sundar who played a big role in the careers of several sportspeople and RI Palani, Captain of Indian Bank and now the Secretary of the TNCA, offered him an officer’s post at Indian Bank “My parents were delighted with the offer and asked me to take it. I enjoyed the responsibilities at the bank, both in cricket and at work.”

Sundar saw him from close quarters for over a decade and is critical of the way the TN selectors treated him “Almost every other India U19 cricketer from that year played Ranji cricket. He would have blossomed had he been immediately roped into the Ranji squad. It proved to be a big dampener. He was highly talented but was not recognized by the state. But despite that, he remained humble, pragmatic and committed to the team’s cause. He was very consistent and a big contributor for Indian Bank. But unfortunately, decades later, what lingers on in my mind was the shabby treatment meted out to him by the TN selectors.”

With hopes of a Ranji call dashed, he began equipping himself professionally. He picked a MBA in Banking and Finance, completed CAIIB and did a PG Dip in Treasury and ForEx as well as a Dip in Anti Money laundering. While he continued to play cricket, he began to focus on professional work at the bank.

Exceptional Cricketer, Down to Earth person

Palani has known Shyam very closely for the last four decades right from the time he was in school “He was an amazing talent and was shaping up like Gavaskar in his late teens. Despite his big contribution in Junior cricket as well as in the first division, he missed playing Ranji Trophy. It was unfortunate he was overlooked by the state but that’s how it goes in cricket.”

Solidity to the Indian Bank middle order

Palani says that Shyam provided great stability and solidity to the middle order "In the mid-90s, we had a solid bowling attacking and were a good fielding side but we were of solidity in the middle order. I convinced him to join the bank. In fact, he was the first India U19cricketer to be given an officer’s post at the bank. He contributed exceptionally for the bank and played a crucial role in many of our wins. Despite his unforgettable performances for the bank, he remained grounded and has always been a down to earth human being, ever willing to help others and a jovial character. Till the end of his stint with the bank, he was a dedicated cricketer offering his best to the bank.”

Into his late 30s, he quit Indian Bank and joined Axis Bank as VP where for over a decade he played the roles of Operations head and was deep into retail branch banking.

Entrepreneurial Venture

And then in March 2018, he did something that he had never visualized in his life. He took the call to become a banking entrepreneur. He became a banking correspondent of Suryoday Small Finance Bank in an exclusive partnership “It was a first of its kind arrangement. I had a banking license and could operate on my own managing the loans and advances. Providing employment to 20 people has been a particularly satisfying experience. To work hard every day to make this a successful venture and keep the employees happy has been a driving force in the last few years.”

Despite two years of the Pandemic, he has managed to garner business of Rs. 250crores and is looking to expand this further “We have three branches currently and our plan is to take this up to at least 10 branches in Chennai.”

He is active in his day to day role at the bank. His cricketing network as well as his almost three decades banking contacts have come in handy in his entrepreneurial venture in securing deposits as well as lending to customers.

A Great Role Model

Fast bowler from the 1990s DJ Gokulakrishnan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/03/gokulakrishnan-j.html) who played Ranji cricket for TN and Goa is now a Match Referee and will be making his ‘official’ debut in Ranji cricket later this month. He played against Shyamsundar on many occasions in the 1990s and is saddened that he did not get even opportunity to play Ranji cricket where he could have showcased his skills “To all of us in the late 1980s, he was a big star, having just come back from the World Cup. He was fiercely competitive, a fantastic fielder and a great team man. He should have been given at least one chance in Ranji to prove himself.   He handled the pressure well on the field. It is credit to him that he put the disappointments behind and moved on in life and has made it big in the banking field. It is a lesson for others as to how one should face the challenges in life and take things sportingly. His conduct says a lot about his positive mindset.”

While he was a warrior on the field, he was and has always been a great human being, off the field "As teenagers, when Madan and I played as guests in the Moin ud Dowla tourney in Hyderabad, he was on the opposite side. And yet, he took us out for dinner and made us feel at home in Hyderabad. He is a values driven person and I have always had huge respect for him for the way he has treated fellow humans." 

Shyamsundar continues to be involved with cricket. He has been managing Puraswalkam CC in the TNCA league for decades and has mentored several players including Hemang Badani (PCC is his appa's club) who played for the country. He is always seen at his favourite St. Bede’s ground during the league season practicing with his team mates and mentoring the next gen. He has also been playing club cricket for Indiranagar in the inter club T20 tournaments in the city. For now, he sees as his next big moments in life taking the Bank to the next level and scaling up its operations in the city. Just as he was in his hey days in cricket, Shyam is delighted to be donning the entrepreneurial hat and working as a team with his mates to take the bank to greater heights. The team spirit in him is undying and that will continue to serve as great motivation for all those who work with him in cricket and elsewhere.

This section wishes him the best in his entrepreneurial endeavour.