Sanjay Parthasarathy South Zone U19 Cricketer Microsoft VP

The nephew of TVS’ Suresh Krishna was very passionate about cricket in his teens and had it in him to make it big in cricket but quit early and went on to become a top notch IT Professional at Microsoft - In his comeback innings in Cricket, he is all excited about the MLC in the US 

Sanjay was a rare 'Complete’ Package as a teenager – WV Raman, former India Cricketer and U15 and U19 SZ team mate

In the mid 1950s, S Ram, the Grandson of TVS Iyengar, was developing into a top swing bowler and had played for South Zone as a teenager but with an auto business to manage he quit cricket for his family business (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/06/tvs-ram-s-cricketer.html). Three decades later, a nephew of his, Sanjay Parthasarathy (Sundram Fasteners Suresh Krishna’s sister’s son) was making a strong case for himself on the cricket field as an opening batsman. He played for MCC in the first division and had represented South Zone at the U15 and U19 level playing alongside future India cricketers such as WV Raman and L Sivaramakrishnan. He had also played in the Rohinton Baria Inter Universities tourney.  But just out of his teens, he decided to hang up his cricketing shoes and moved overseas into a non-cricketing nation (then) to pursue his Masters. And soon after, he became a top notch Tech Professional at Microsoft and anchored Bill Gates’ visit to India in the late 1990s that brought IT investment into the country. Though he quit cricket early, his passion did not die. In his second innings in cricket, he has now invested big dollars in cricket and will be Mentoring the Seattle team in the Major League Cricket in the US that is set to start in the next three months.  Here’s the story.

A Top Ranker at School, But Great Cricketing Interest
Sanjay Parthasarathy was a top ranker at school with special interest in Physics, Chemistry and Maths. While he was studious throughout his school life, cricket was a passion. Though not very ambitious, he rose to great heights in cricket as a teenager. His appa Parthasarathy had played in the Rohinton Baria for Jadhavpur University and had earlier been coached by the revered KS Kannan, the much liked cricket coach at Don Bosco. Sanjay too blossomed under the watchful eyes of Kannan and was an integral part of the DB team that won many tournaments in  the late 1970s and early 80s before the cricketing power shifted to Santhome.

Sanjay is just back from a trip to the historical Adhi Jagannathan Perumal Divya Desam in Thiru Pullani (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/11/thiru-pullani-divya-desam.html). Interestingly, he has already done two temple trips this summer!!! He told this writer at his palacious home (much like VBC later, Sanjay too  had earmarked a pitch to practice at home as a school boy) in Boat Club about the influential role of his first cricket coach “Kannan was big on practice. We underwent rigorous training under him. In the net session every evening, he stressed on the importance of hard work. Fielding sessions were not in vogue those days at the school level, but he was particularly keen that in addition to batting and bowling, one had to sharpen the fielding skills as well and fielding practice was integral to our day at the nets. All these helped me a great deal in getting the basics right.”

A Well Balanced Personality

Akbar Ibrahim, who played Ranji cricket for TN in the mid 1980s, was Sanjay’s classmate at DB for a dozen years. They both batted at the top of the order and strung together several partnerships including a tournament winning one that Akku distinctly remembers “We were playing the final of the TNCA schools tourney at RKM ground against a very strong Adarsh team comprising of U19 stars. We won the finals through a big partnership that the two of us put on. He scored a half century and anchored the victory.”

“For a large part, he was a quiet guy but had great communication ability and when he got chatting, he made a lot of sense in everything he spoke. He could talk on a wide variety of topics. He was very well balanced person even as a school boy.”

Former India Bowling coach B Arun (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/01/b-arun-ipl-son-adithya-coaching-academy.html), whose cricket academy Sanjay visited this week on the outskirts of Chennai, remembers that match "Akku had told me about this stylish batsman at the top of the order and to watch out for him in the future. It was my first encounter and he definitely turned out to be a fine talent and very promising at that early stage."

⁹

His First Century

Opening with VV Sankapani, Sanjay scored a century for TN against Andhra in the interstate U15 match at Marina. It was his first big moment in cricket and he cherishes the knock of 129 to this day “It was that century that gave me the early confidence and instilled the belief that I belonged at this level. It laid the foundation for my cricket in the coming years.”

     Teenage Days

Sankapani (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/01/sankapani-vv_21.html) was a dashing opener and set the city grounds alight with his stroke play from ball one. He says that opening together for the state brought them close and he had many a memorable moment with Sanjay “In those days, both of us would write our name on the gloves as SP (Sanka Pani and Sanjay Parthasarathy). Throughout our cricket association, he would always pull my leg that he had the ‘copyright’ over SP. It was great fun being with him on so many tours. While I was the flashy batsman, he showed great temperament and patience to build an innings. He was really matured for his age and mentored me a lot in terms of not asking me to give away my wicket to impetuous shots but I did not have the ability to grasp those finer points in my early teens and often threw away my wicket much to his frustration.”

Glimpses of Zaheer in his batting

Pak Legend Zaheer Abbas was in peak form when India toured in 1978 and many would remember the bashing he handed out to the Indian spinners. Business Editor of The Hindu Suresh Seshadri saw Sanjay bat from close quarters during the late 1970s and early 80s at Don Bosco and saw a lot of the  Zaheer in him “He was truly gifted with ability and timing as a batsman and reminded me of Zaheer for his languid grace and placement with his offside strokes."

Suresh Seshadri

M Sanjay was one year junior at Don Bosco and has known him closely right from his childhood. He too recalls the similarities with the Pak great “Sanjay was a stylish player and all elegance and grace. He was bespectacled, wore a sweat band like Zaheer and was very similar to him in style.”

"As a personality, he was quiet but very intense on the field. Sometimes he was misunderstood as being laidback especially since he hailed from a very high profile (TVS) family. He was just one within himself and not too outgoing. He had a small circle of friends and moved extremely well with them. He was silently tough and quietly aggressive."

Makes the Bombay cricket trip, picks up a State Rank in Class X

He enjoyed a great time for TN at the U15 level and also contributed for South Zone that included 6 players from TN (WVR, LS, Vijay Rajamani, Ashok Kaushik, Sankapani and Sanjay). In early 1980, Sanjay was to travel to Bombay for the U15 match. With the Board exam just around the corner, DB’s Principal called on his amma (Radha Parthasarathy), who was a big source of inspiration, to enquire about the possible conflict of interest and the cricket trip impacting his academics.

Sanjay says that his parents encouraged him and his two sisters (State TT players) in their sporting endeavours. “My amma gave the green signal. I made the trip, came back and ended up with a State rank in Class X.”

Patti’s big cricket support

In 1980, he won the TN Junior Cricketer of the Year (LS had won it the year before and the one after) award.  He says that the family appreciated his cricketing achievements but there was not ‘much fuss’ about it at home. The biggest cricketing support came from his patti, Ambujam Krishna, who was a great fan of his. It was she who collected and put together all his paper scores in a scrap book.

Sanjay's most prized cricketing scalp

In 1980-81, Don Bosco beat a strong Hindu HSS in the final of the TNCA tournament, one that Sanjay counts amongst his best matches and a tourney victory that he dedicates to his favourite coach Kannan. He was also coached subsequently by PK Dharmalingam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2015/06/pk-dharmalingam.html), who he refers to as a 'professional' but the real cricketing joy came from being coached by Kannan. 

He himself picked up four wickets and scored a half century in that final. While WV Raman did the star turn picking up 13 wickets in the match, it  Sanjay had the last laugh and particularly remembers picking up Raman’s wicket with a ball that he says 'went the other way'. It is the wicket that he considers the most prized in his cricket career. 

TN keeper from the 1980s and his namesake M Sanjay, who now volunteers at Isha Foundation Coimbatore, also recalls the way he foxed many a batsman with his non – off spin “He was a useful off spinner. He used to try his best to turn the ball. Seeing the twisting of the wrist, many a batsman expected big turn and were often foxed by the one that went straight. And sometimes he bowled the other one. He was quite an unpredictable bowler.”

Almost the same bunch of cricketers graduated to U19 and Sanjay made useful contributions in the Cooch Behar tournament including in the final at the Wankhade in 1982 against North Zone. 

                                 

Raman played together with Sanjay for a number of years in many different tournaments and the two have remained good friends ever since. Raman says that even as a young teenager, Sanjay was very committed in whatever he did. “He was diligent and a keen student of the game. Despite his high profile background, he was always humble and polite. Standout features of his helpful and kind nature came to the fore on our long trips in age group cricket when we went North and West. He would bring an assortment of food from his home for the entire team.”

"His clarity at that young age stood out amongst the TN players. While he was passionate about the game, he was clear that academics was just as important. He would read the portions thrice before the exams and even studied during our train trips."

But the thing I hate about him the most is that he has never ceased to remind me of getting my wicket with his off spin in the final of the TNCA schools tournament, Raman told this writer bursting into laughter.

M.  Sanjay, who has been the head of cricket operations at the academy at Ramachandra College (where Dave Whatmore was the Chief Coach) for six years, says that when his namesake moved up from the middle order to open the batting, some felt that he did not have it in him. But he did not flinch and was a revelation as an opener. 

"At that time, in the way he approached cricket, I felt he was a sure shot for Ranji."

Collegiate Cricket - Rohinton Baria..... but lost a bit of sting

In his cricketing phase at Anna University, he lost a bit of the bite as the academic intensity took over.  He says the college extended up to 5pm and there were no daily net sessions like the one at DB and that made a big difference. Nonetheless he did make big runs in that phase for the college. Sanjay’s captain at Anna University, PC Prakash (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/04/pc-prakash-tn-ranji-1980s.html), now Chief of TNCA Academy, remembers him as a stylish bat and a run machine. "He was a wholesome cricketer at that time- was a good fielder and bowled decent off spin. As a batsman, he was technically correct and compact and could have easily played higher levels for TN but he chose to pursue his Masters in the US. He made big runs for Anna University in the year we qualified for the all India Rohinton Baria tournament. He was consistent through that season."

"Particularly striking and strong in my memory even now after four decades is the fact that he had no airs about himself though he came from a top industrialist family and moved well with all of us and was very friendly." 

Thorough Professional 

Sanjay wanted to remain entirely professional in the way he conducted himself both on the cricketing field as well as on the corporate front later on.

"I have labored my whole life, not to distance myself from the family, but to stand on my own two feet and hope that anything that I do can be credited to my effort. This is what I learned from my father" he told this writer.

"It is ironic that growing up in Chennai, I had to work 10x harder so I wouldn’t be seen to take advantage of the family name. And in the US where I had no privilege I had to work 10x harder as an immigrant to prove that I was good enough."

Former TN wicket keeper and PCP's Ranji team mate from the late 1980s, D Girish is now Chairman of Cricket Advisory Committee. He was Sanjay’s batch mate at Anna University. Talking to this writer from Sikkim, where he is on a summer holiday after picking the new TN Selection committee for the coming season, Girish pointed to Sanjay being a highly focused and determined cricketer. “He was a deeply intense character and gave his 100% on the field. Though he was from a very affluent family, he was able to adjust himself to the travails of cricketing tours (many of the train trips were extremely tiring) with the poor facilities in those days. Sanjay was all cool and mingled with us as equals. He never missed a practice session and we had a lot of fun playing together over those years at College.”

Best Cricketing year at YMA under B Arun

He played for YMA under B Arun and considers that as his most enjoyable year in cricket and that's no surprise. Both are high on communication and clarity of thought “It was fabulous entertainment and we just enjoyed playing. And it was no wonder I  ended up scoring a lot of runs.”

He would have taken to Cricket as a career had he been playing now

Arun told this writer just a few hours ahead of his team's (KKR) IPL match against Gujarat that he practiced a lot with Sanjay at the BS Nets where they were part of the Schools Camp. He was very promising but he just looked Studious. He was always good to interact with. He was clear that his first priority was Education. Beyond a point, he knew he was not going to pursue cricket as a career. If he had been playing like that now, it is very likely he would have continued with cricket but in the 1980s, it was logical for a top ranker in academics to go the education route. And it took him places!!!

A Good Season at MCC

In 1985, he signed up for MCC in the first division. Long time MCC offie VV Giri who has continued to play inter club cricket till very recently recalls his memories of Sanjay from that season. "He used to be thin, trim and was a smart student of the game and very intelligent. He was a graceful right hander and a wonderful fielder. He was soft spoken and a gentleman to the core. I was very happy to play with him but unfortunately for us (at MCC), he moved to USA after one year. He could have gone higher up in cricket had he continued to play senior division league here"

Former BCCI President S Sriraman sent a letter home wherein he wrote that he was happy to see Sanjay knocking on the doors of Ranji with his consistent performances and a long and successful cricketing career beckoned.

The MIT experience - Mind Blowing

But it was not to be. In 1986, he moved to MIT and got into Artificial Intelligence, an experience that he says was phenomenal “The difference between education here (then) and the years at MIT was one of a night and 1000 brilliant suns. It was a mind boggling experience. The freedom and intellectual thinking blew my mind. You would have been finished here (in India) for such thinking” says Sanjay.

“It was just as big a gift to be at MIT as it had been for me to have played such enjoyable cricket for a decade earlier.”

No real cricketing ambition- The Safety Net in Life

Sanjay agrees that he could have been more ambitious but all along at the back of his mind he knew that academics was the way forward for him ‘I just enjoyed the rigour of practice and the challenge of battling it out on the field. I knew it was never going to be my career. I played for fun and in a way that helped me really enjoy that phase in cricket.”

But he is quick to point out the benefits of safety net in life “Most cricketers of that gen depended on cricket for a career and a job. “I had a safety net in that phase. I have always remembered that it is very easy to underestimate the ‘Power of Privilege’.” 

Sunil Gavaskar was his all time favourite batsman. Though many from his generation idolized GRV, Sanjay liked Sunny, who he finally met four years ago, for his grit, determination and the process he followed. Gavaskar was not the most fashionable of batsmen but he definitely worked a methodology to fight it out against the best of the bowlers.

Sanjay counts his first century, the two finals against North Zone and the win against Raman’s Hindu HSS as his best moments in cricket. 

While batting with Sanku during the schooling phase, he was a lot more responsible in the way he batted. At college, with Girish and PCP in the middle order, he took on a Sanku role and played with a lot more freedom and aggressively.

Two Decades of a high profile life at Microsoft

After another couple of years of Masters at MIT, he joined Microsoft in 1990 and was there for close to two decades. In 1996, when he launched the India ops, it was he who foresaw India becoming a Super Power in IT. He was the cynosure of all eyes in that phase as an Indian making it to the top of the IT World in the US. In 2010, he founded a tech startup that he ran for six years before selling it off at a high valuation.

He missed out completely on the SRT era in cricket with Microsoft not offering a minute of free time in those two decades. But as soon as he came out, he began watching CSK’s matches in the IPL just over a dozen years ago.

The Cricketing Come Back- 2023

And now in the phase after the Pandemic, Sanjay is to make a comeback in cricket after nearly four decades. He has co-founded a team in the US Major league. He says it has been bubbling for a while and he is now in the process of getting it off the ground in Seattle. Like his previous corporate start up, the cricketing venture too is a startup. He has been joined in this endeavor by his old college mate Somasegar.  With just 80 days to go for the kick off, he says the next two months will be hectic. Going forward he will play the role of Mentor at Seattle club. He says he particularly enjoys the confluence of Sport, Business and Creativity. Sanjay has already starting dishing out his creative juice for the next season!!! He recently made a trip to Delhi to meet the partners (stake holders) at Delhi Capital, which part owns the Seattle Franchise. 

He always liked challenges, was self driven and self motivated. His passion can be seen in the way he has invested in a team in the US cricket league  says Girish.

Sanjay was a Rare Package -WVR

While most people have big plans and ambitions, Sanjay executed it with finesse. And it was no surprise that he achieved what he did in the corporate world. It is also no surprise to me that he is coming back into cricket now.  One simply cannot take the man out of cricket. He was so passionate about the game in his teenage days. There was no helmets in those days and he wore a glass but he did not flinch one bit even while facing a real quick Chetan Sharma in the Zonal match, says Raman.

"Sanjay was a rare kind of Package. He was well mannered, came from an affluent family but absolutely had no airs about himself, displayed great inter personal skills, always lent a helping hand to others, his head was firmly on his shoulders, has kept in touch with his old teammates even after over three decades. And on the field, he was a very dependable batsman and scored runs almost every time he went out to bat."

High on Generosity

M Sanjay says that his namesake was full of generosity "When I went for the India U15 schools camp, he handed me his high priced bat for the entire tour."

Sankapani too has high words of praise for Sanjay’s generosity and going out of the way to help his team mates. “Almost four decades after we played together for TN, he went out of the way to help my son with his education in the US. That’s Sanjay for you. He is ever willing to help his teammates and has never forgotten the joys of the cricketing days from the 1970s and early 80s.”

Arun says that Sanjay's love for the game has resurfaced with his involvement in the Major League Cricket and it is likely he will enjoy this stint in exactly the same way he enjoyed playing cricket as a youngster.

The Second Innings in Cricket

In the 1970s and 80s, we (TN) won almost everything on sight at the age group level in cricket. We knew deep inside that we were good enough to win and the only way that we would not was when we did not play to our potential. But a most important lesson in life is that you are not guaranteed to win everything. Hence the process, intent and value system is more important than the win itself. Both in cricket and at the work place over the last three decades, I have used this phrase ‘Trust the Process’ a lot, says Sanjay.

Cricket, he says, has taught him two big lessons that he put to great use in the Corporate World “Never give up till the end and Practice as hard as you can” have been life lessons that have stood with me during the most testing times. Cricket gave me a positive boost and it brought together a lot of threads in my life. It is interesting, complex and satisfying. The prospects of what might happen in the cricket league is already giving me goose bumps. Even just thinking about cricket gets my ‘non-existent’ hair to stand up. There are so many possibilities of what can be done.

Though there are a million kids playing cricket, he says there is no downside to playing the sport. The key though is that you don’t want unqualified people coaching susceptible kids. He has some interesting ideas though it is still only ‘lumps of clay’. Only a handful can be wildly successful in cricket. What about the rest, he asks.  How can they benefit from those skills that they have learnt over the previous ten years? He says there is a lot anxiety among kids about the future and dealing with the uncertainty. One has to build a resilience while playing and that will help later on in facing any of the challenges that life throws at you.  Sometime in the near future, Sanjay could come up with a solution to these challenges and make it a real enjoyable experience for the cricketing kids from the new generation. 

For the moment, his focus is on the 'processes' leading up to the launch of the Major League Cricket  even as he heads back to the US early next week to get the action going on the ground.

Best Wishes to Sanjay Parthasarathy in his new cricketing venture.

Mannar Koil Archaka wins Salary Case

Narasimha Gopalan Archaka - From a salary of Rs. 250 in 2005 to finally one as per Minimum Wages Act

The Madurai High Court has this month directed the HR & CE to start paying, within 8 weeks, a salary to the Mannar Koil Archaka and the temple's service personnel as per the Minimum Wages Act 

Finally after a long drawn court battle, PS Narasimha Gopalan, the sole archaka at the Rajagopalaswamy temple in Mannar Koil, one where Kulasekara Azhvaar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2009/11/kulasekara-perumal-koil-in-mannar-koil.html) is believed to have spent his final years, has won a case in the Madurai High Court resulting in a monthly salary to the temple's service personnel as per the minimum wages act.

Almost 15years with a Three Digit Salary

He took over as the archaka after the demise of his appa Srinivasacharya just under a couple of decades ago at a salary of Rs. 250 per month. This section has featured many stories on how the next gen in most remote temples in TN have moved on into the corporate world seeing the struggles of the archakas in the previous decades(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/11/bhattars-gurukals-move-away-from-temples.html). Narasimha Gopalan chose otherwise. He wanted to continue the archaka service that his appa had rendered for several decades even though for over ten years, he was paid a monthly salary of only Rs. 250. But he decided very early on in his priesthood that he would fight for the cause of the archakas across the state.  

Fighting for a cause

Under a decade ago, he filed a case against the cine world on how the sacred Vaishnavite Thiruman was being abused in movies referring to the Thiruman as ‘Naamam Pottuttaan (Thiruman was used to indicate ‘cheating’) - https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2014/11/periya-nambi-acharya-fights-for.html.

And then he got even more serious when he found that there were no service personnel ready to get into temples. Similar to the hereditary archakas, there were Mei Kaavalars and Pala Velai workers who had carried on performing service in temples over the last hundred years. But with a three digit monthly income which too was not paid on time, these service personnel too began to move away from temples. 

It was against this backdrop that Narasimha Gopalan, who belongs to the revered Periya Nambi clan, decided to file a case in the Madurai High Court pleading for a salary that would at least satisfy the requirements under the Minimum Wages Act.

Being the Sole Archaka in Mannar Koil, Narasimha Gopalan has not moved out of the region in the last two decades as there are no substitute archakas available and even if they were ready there was no remuneration to pay them (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/03/periya-nambi-narasimha-gopalan-acharya.html).

He has often referred to the verses of Kulasekara Azhvaar in boosting his confidence and serving as inspiration for his selfless service.

பத்தியிலாத பாவிகள் உய்ந்திட

தீதில் நன்னெறி காட்டி

எங்கும் திரிந்து அரங்கனெம்மானுக்கே

காதல் செய் தொண்டர்க்கு

எப்பிறப்பிலும் காதல் செய்யும் என் நெஞ்சமே

After a prolonged four year battle in the court, earlier this month, the Madurai High Court directed the HR &CE to pay salary to the service personnel in line with the Minimum Wages Act. 

After he began filing cases in the high court over the last decade, the HR & CE increased the salary of Narasimha Gopalan initially to Rs. 750 from Rs. 250 and then to Rs. 2900. The service personnel such as Mei Kavalar, Pala Velai, Sweeper were still paid a salary of Rs.500 per month.

So what does this new order entail?

The Madurai High Court has directed the HR & CE to pay the revised salary along with dues from 2019 (from the time he filed this specific salary case) within 8 weeks. If implemented as per the order, it is likely that Narasimha Gopalan would get a salary of around Rs. 16000 per month (calculated at a minimum wages act figure of Rs.520 per day). As per the court order he is also entitled to this salary from 2019 which would mean the HR & CE would have to pay him dues of around Rs.6.50Lakhs (13000x50months).

The service personnel mentioned above who have been carrying out their duties for several years at this abysmally low salary of Rs. 500 would also be entitled to a salary of Rs. 16000 as per the court order.

Restoration of Tanks and Income from these tanks

The temple has under its fold multiple tanks in the Ambai region. These are let out under auction every couple of years for the villagers to breed fish. Only this week the HR&CE minister has announced restoration of temple tanks in TN and also directed breeding of fish at these tanks for additional income to the temple. The Mannar Koil Rajagopalaswamy temple receives an income just over a lakh from these tanks every year or so. There are several tracts of land belonging to the temple but as in most other cases in TN, there has been no income from these lands for the temple. The Hundi collection at this temple does not exceed Rs. 1L annually.

It has been the argument of the HR & CE for a long time that without income, they are not able to meet the salaries of the service personnel. These points have been fought out in the current petition of Narasimha Gopalan and it is after hearing both sides that the Madurai High Court has directed the payment of the salary as per the Minimum Wages Act. Hence it is unlikely that this argument of not having sufficient income from the individual temple would hold water anymore.

Temple Activist TR Ramesh(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/02/tr-ramesh-temple-activist.html), who himself has been fighting many a case against the HR & CE, lauded the determination of the Mannar Koil archaka saying that it was his persistence that has led to this victory for the archakas and the service personnel.

Revival of utsavams

Narasimha Gopalan has over the last decade single handedly revived historical utsavams such as the Theppotsavam and Pavitrotsavam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/09/mannar-koil-pavitrotsavam-revival.html). Also, during his time, he has already performed the Samprokshanam twice mostly with devotee contributions. He has built a huge Nandavanam and maintains it all on his own through the service personnel. He has also built rest houses for devotees visiting these utsavams.

Renewed hope for other temple archakas across TN

Narasimha Gopalan has filed the salary case pleading for salaries as per minimum wages act for archakas and service personnel across TN temples. The current order directs the salary revision only for the Rajagopalaswamy temple in Mannar Koil. Nonetheless, based on this landmark judgment, archakas in other HR & CE temples in TN who have been serving for decades but receiving only three digit salaries, can now reach out to their respective courts seeking a salary as per the minimum wages act. And there is now a precedence set with this court order and the archakas need not go farther than this judgment.  It is also likely that this judgment will lead to an influx of more service personnel into remote temples in TN. At the moment, a majority of the historical temples in the Ambasamudram region are without Mei Kavalar and Pala Velai personnel. And it is also no surprise that a single archaka manages multiple temples in this region.

Hearing about his selfless services, devotees are also now coming forward to support his services at the temple. And that's a big positive for remote temples in TN.

What is the HR & CE likely to do

If we are to go by historical evidence, it is likely that the HR&CE will file an appeal against this judgment and seek more time. But in this case, as the judgment has come after several rounds of hearing and counter arguments from the HR & CE over a four year period, the good news for the archakas and the service personnel may be here to stay and it is unlikely that this order will see a reversal.

                                     Amma and Appa

Mannar Koil, near Ambasamudram, is as remote as it gets. After what his appa had gone through financially in the 1980s and 90s and in line with the trend of the time, one would not have been surprised if Narasimha Gopalan made his way to a larger city seeking greener pastures in a life away from temples. But he was reminded of this verse of Kulasekara Azhvaar, stood his ground, continued the hereditary service and has showcased that even from as remote a temple town as Mannar Koil, it is still possible to fight for the sacred cause. 

வாழ்த்தி மால்கொள் சிந்தையராய்

ஆட்ட மேவியலந்தழைத்து அயர் வெய்தும் மெய்யடியார்கள்

தம் ஈட்டம் கண்டிடக் கூடுமேல் 

அது காணும் பயனாவதே

His amma, who had meant everything to him, passed away last year, but that too has not slowed down his determination to fight for the temple cause. In the not so distant past, very few would have given any chance to a Rs. 250 earning priest to fight out against the powers that be but this priest has turned it all around. With single minded devotion and a spirit that wants to get the service personnel back into remote temples, Narasimha Gopalan Bhattar has gone on to show that if one fights for a fair cause, with the Lord's blessings, justice will always prevail in the end even if may  have been delayed for a while. And he has served as a great real life inspiration to those who want to take up just causes (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/03/periya-nambi-narasimha-gopalan-acharya.html) and given them the belief and confidence that truth will prevail some day.

Kapali Temple Balaji Gurukal

Sleepless nights, Limited Food, Devotionally Alluring Alankarams and Timely Processions - ‘Captain Cool’ Balaji Gurukal anchors successful conduct of the Panguni Utsavam

Balaji Gurukal, the 52 year old hereditary priest at the Kapaleeswarar Temple, has just had an exhausting fortnight at the Panguni Utsavam. Almost every night of the utsavam he stayed back at the Thiru Kalyana Mandapam till the Lord returned, which on most nights was after 1am. The alankaram of the evening had to be undone and this was followed by an Ekantha Thirumanjam (no devotee darshan here) that took up to half hour. This was followed by an extensive alankaram for the next morning’s procession. By the time this was done, it was well past 3am. The only time he went  home was for the bath and he returned soon back to the Thiru Kalyana Mandapam for there was Thiru Abharanam on the Lord and that had to be taken care of. He had roped in around 20 additional archakas for support function during the Utsavam.

While devotees in several thousands enjoyed the Panguni Utsavam over the ten days, very few were aware of the sleepless nights Balaji Gurukal had over the period of the utsavam. In fact, late on Thursday, after the Thiru Kalyanam had been successfully performed, his face wore a tired look and his entire body seemed pleading for some rest.

25+ years as the Hereditary Priest

He has carried out the role of a hereditary priest for over 25 years and has been involved with the anchoring of the Panguni Utsavam for over a dozen years. 

It was he who had read out the Lagna Patrikai on March 1 at the Moolavar Sannidhi. He told this writer on Sunday evening on the biggest challenge for him during the Utsavam “Ahead of every single procession, the biggest task was to stick to the time announced as per the Lagnam for the Gopura Vaasal Deepaarathanai. It involved the co-operation of various service personnel at the temple including the Vedic members, the Othuvars, the Paricharakar and the Sripatham.”

Pillars of Strength - Wife and Daughter

It is just under 72 hours after the flag was brought down and he sits in front of the Thiru Kalyana Mandapam with a cheerful face happy that everything went as per plan. But it was not as straightforward as it seems. He credits his wife (Meenakshi) and daughter for their unflinching support during the utsavam “They were my biggest supporters and the pillars of strength without whom I may have crumbled under the weight of pressure. As the utsavam neared, I wore a tense look as I wondered if the Deeparathanai would take place as scheduled each day and if every alankaram would come out in the way devotees expected.”

Biggest Panguni Utsavam Lessons from his Acharyas

Balaji Gurukal’s first Acharya was his appa N Kumaraswamy Gurukal. He learned the entire pooja Kramams from his appa having started out his agama learning process when he was just eight years old. Later for a decade, he learned the Vedas and Agamas from the revered KA Sabharathna Shivachariar of Parrys Pookadai. He would leave by 21 (Number) bus early in the morning. He says those were the biggest learnings in his life that laid a strong foundation for the successful conduct of the big utsavams. “The Shivachariar and his wife took care of me as if I was their own son. The selfless love and care I received under them for 10 years is unforgettable.”

“The most important lesson I learned both from my appa and from Sabharathna Shivachariara was that we should stick to the Deeparathanai time as per the Lagna during the Panguni Utsavam.”

Be Captain Cool - Daughter to her appa on the eve of the Utsavam

His daughter is currently doing her MBA and it was her motivation that inspired him every day of the Utsavam. “She told me that people have great expectations and that the belief I had in the Divine Couple would help me sail through this Utsavam. When I went home, she would be waiting with an energy drink and food to get me back in shape. She would often tell me not to get tense and that Swami would take care of the proceedings and that everything would be on time.”

In tune with the current phase – IPL started a couple of days after the Panguni Utsavam flag was hoisted- his daughter provided a great piece of inspiration 'Appa, you should be like ‘Captain Cool’ (MS Dhoni of CSK) during this Utsavam.' 

"Her statement was a big stress reliever and at the most testing of times, I tried best to remain calm” said Balaji Gurukal sitting outside the Thiru Kalyana mandapam as he relived events of the last fortnight to this writer.

Arthaneeswarar Alankaram- The Biggest Satisfaction

Out of all the alankarams, the Arthanareeswarar Thiru Kolam on the fourth evening of the Utsavam gave him the biggest satisfaction. Thirupura Samhara alankaram on the Ther morning was another favourite of his. He says he liked watching the swami in one of the lesser known alankarams – Ekantha Sevai with just one flower garland on the 7th and 8th nights of the utsavam.

Will everything happen on time at the Thiru Kalyanam

After the first nine days went well, the tenth evening was another big challenge and easily the most tense day of the utsavam “I had to ensure that the Mangalya Dharanam takes place as per the announced Lagna but for this to happen all the events preceding it had to go as per schedule. It was a very pressure and highly tense evening but I remembered the ‘Captain Cool’ tag that my daughter wanted me to be. The Divine Couple’s blessings were with me and the celestial wedding went on well. It looked like everyone was happy that evening at the end of the event and that gave a lot of internal satisfaction.”

Son keen to continue hereditary service

This section has featured many stories on the Next Gen moving on to other fields away from the role of archaka across temples in Tamil Nadu (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/11/bhattars-gurukals-move-away-from-temples.html). On a positive development, his 17 year old son Karpagam Manoharan has expressed great interest in continuing the hereditary service. He is now into his second year at Sanskrit College doing Prak-Shiromani Over the last few years, he has also been learning the Koil related Vedas and Agamas from Kapaleeswarar temple’s hereditary priest and agama expert Kapali Gurukal. Balaji Gurukal is delighted that his son is fully involved in temple related activities and particularly his contribution in the recently concluded Panguni Utsavam. Balaji Gurukal’s nephew Baranidharan too has joined the temple service as an archaka and that augurs well for the future of the temple.

Balaji Gurukal is particularly appreciative of the new EO R Hariharan who took over in December “It has been a very cordial engagement with him and as the EO of the temple he has been supportive in every possible way during the Utsavam especially during the big days like the Chariot and Arubathumoovar processions and the Thiru Kalyanam event.”

He also acknowledges the big mentoring role played by his cousin Kapali Gurukal who was seen at most of the processions through the Utsavam. It was his guidance that helped the younger priests manage the procession in an orderly manner. 

                      Kapali and Baranidhara Gurukal

As those that have experienced his services would know, Balaji Gurukal is rarely heard. Most times during his Moolavar period of 15 days every month, outside of the six kaala pooja, he is seen performing japam outside the sannidhi. Never has he indulged himself in unnecessary conversations and has focused on discharging his duty as an archaka in the best way he could. 

Continuing the historical tradition, Balaji Gurukal and his family continue to live in the ancestral home on sannidhi Street opposite the Raja Gopuram where his forefathers had resided and performed service at the temple. For centuries, it has not seen a full-fledged renovation and hopefully sometime into the future, this historical house that has been home to several shivachariars will undergo restoration in line with the modern times. But for the moment, Balaji Gurukal is happy that the Panguni Utsavam has gone on well to the satisfaction of the temple authorities and the devotees. After a couple of years of the Pandemic, this year saw unprecedented crowds at the Utsavam and the overall feedback from the devotees about the smooth conduct and the alankarams has left him pleased that the Divine Couple have indeed showered their blessings on him and his team.

Kudos to Balaji Gurukal for enthralling the devotees with great darshan over the ten days of the Panguni Utsavam.

Jolly Rovers SBI Palayampatti Shield Marina Thriller 1964

Three Former Ranji Cricketers recount a 1964 First Division thriller at the Marina  

The Hindu Rangarajan's Jolly Rovers beat a start studded SBI by one run after three suicidal run outs at the end

End of October 1964, Jolly Rovers, run by The Hindu’s S Rangarajan, and a start studded SBI played out a thriller at the Marina Ground in front of thousands of spectators. There was a test match feel about the match as the two top ranked teams that fought each other many a time that decade vying for the prestigious Palayampatti crown came head to head yet another time on Sunday October 25.

84 year old SVS Mani (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/07/svs-mani-cricketer-selector-coach.html) was in the form of his life.  He had played for South Zone schools in the late 1950s alongside TVS’ S Ram(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/06/tvs-ram-s-cricketer.html), a new ball swing bowler. Earlier in the year, the then 24 year old had scored a Ranji hundred against Andhra and followed it up a couple of months later with another century this time in the Gopalan Trophy match against a top Ceylon bowling attack comprising of Fredricks and Chanmugham. He recounts to this writer the pains of losing a thriller at Marina “In that phase, this was the most eagerly fought battle. Unfortunately for us (SBI), the crowd always rooted for the opposition when we played and it was the same at Marina that day in 1964.”

Mani was the most outstanding TN fielder that decade and for the Pongal Test of that year, he was in the India Reserves as a substitute fielder when Engineer was fighting an injury. In the first division matches for SBI, he was the one manning the deep field and was always under pressure with the huge crowd just a few yards behind him. In another match against Jolly Rovers that decade, he picked up two brilliant catches to send back legendary Salim Durrani, who passed earlier this week and N Ram.

“VV Kumar was once again outstanding that day as he spun a web around the Jolly Rovers’ batting line up.”

VVK and Wilmot each picked up three wickets as Jolly Rovers was bundled for just 76 that stunned the huge crowd into silence.

K Balaji (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/09/a-blossoming-cricket-career-was-cut.html), who went on to play for TN in the 1970s, was not yet 10 then and went for the match along with his uncle Rangarajan. He recalls a rare occurrence from that match “My uncle was a most unlikely top scorer for JR batting at No.11!!”

SBI's Chase - The crowd back on its feet

 Within minutes of the start of SBI’ innings, the crowd was back on its feet as V Rajaram dealt a double blow in the very first over of the innings. The Hindu in its report, a copy of which is available with this writer, was all praise for new ball bowler Rajaram “After being bowled out for 76runs, Jolly Rovers struck two quick blows when Rajaram in the opening over captured the wickets of D Padmanabhan and Test Cricketer AG Milkha Singh with the scoreboard remaining blank.”

A solid partnership for the fourth wicket brought SBI right back into the match. Mani remembers his partnership with Habib Ahmed “We were on the back foot after the double blows in the first over. I was in confident form that year and with Habib striking it big, we believed we would beat our arch rivals. But the pressure was always on us as the crowd was against us and clearly they were waiting for a collapse.”

Habib's stroke-filled innings

The Hindu wrote in its Monday sports page report “The (early) reverse did not seem to perturb the tall and lithe Habib Ahmed, as he was in an aggressive mood as he hit a six and a four. He drove and pulled elegantly and it looked as though SBI would pull through.”

The Hindu also commended the role played by Habib’s batting partner “SVS Mani, who joined Habib after the fall of Shajahan, was unruffled by the position.”

Mani told this writer that he enjoyed batting in tense situations. It was his dogged innings that complimented Habib's stroke play and led SBI's fight back that afternoon. He says the anti SBI sentiment in the crowd made it even more challenging in the chase as they were battling both the opposition bowlers as well as the booing crowd.

He recalls another match when VV Kumar knocked down the stumps when the batsman strolled out for a walk (K Srikkanth did that in 1981 on his Test debut in Bombay!!! - https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/10/abhinav-mukund-bizarre-dismissal.html). The crowd was so upset that they ran on to the ground and uprooted the stumps in protest and the match had to be abandoned.

Habib and Mani took the score to 40 but the fall of Habib and the subsequent fall of three more wickets within 13 runs put Jolly Rovers back in the fight, wrote The Hindu.

Looking back, Balaji (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/10/world-cup-1979-reliving-final-k-balaji.html?m=1) says he enjoyed watching the match as a young boy but it was quite a tense affair when Habib was batting “The situation did not look very good for JR when Habib Ahmed was batting. And then when the wickets fell (in a hurry) the pressure got to the SBI batsmen.”

VV Kumar - a surprise with the bat

It was VVK, not known much for his batting, with the bat, after his three wicket haul earlier, who led the late order recovery as SBI closed in on the chase.  The Hindu wrote that VV Kumar and Bhimraj took the score to 70 with SBI needing just seven to win with three wickets in hand.

Mani was sitting far away in the Pavilion almost biting his nails and just could not bear to watch the match that was heading for a thriller. He recounts those final moments of tragedy for SBI that day “The two brought us really close and with every run that was posted we thought we would scrape through. But like it so often happens in cricket, stupidity struck the cricketing minds. Three suicidal run outs and we lost by just one run. The entire team was distraught as at 40 for 3 everyone in our dressing room (Marina Pavilion) had fancied our chances.”

“It was one of the many thrillers that was played out that decade between SBI and Jolly Rovers. My long time team mate and one of my best cricketing friends the lanky off spinner Chandru (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/09/r-chandrasekaran-sbi-globe-trotter.html) - he passed away last year - who played a stellar role in many a SBI win that decade along with VV would have been thrilled to recall this match and he would be delighted to read this way up in the heaven”, said Mani.

Rajaram's bowling wins him a TN cap

While the three suicidal run outs at the end resulted in the one run win, it was V Rajaram’s extraordinary piece of bowling that was instrumental in Jolly Rovers’ triumph that day. VV Kumar recounts the impact of such a  performance and how it immediately won him a place in the TN Ranji team “The tall Rajaram impressed with his swing bowling. Balu Alaganan, who watched the match, had no hesitation in picking him for TN’s next Ranji match against Kerala at Tellichery. And he responded brilliantly with a seven wicket haul in the match including five in the first innings that helped us bowl out Kerala for just 69. Rajaram had a short but useful stint for TN in the National Tournament.”

It was gripping towards the end. . There were no more nails left for most in the crowd. They had enjoyed munching sundal and peanuts (and biting their finger nails) and had just watched one of the most enthralling first division matches. They disbursed some of them to the beach discussing the highlights of the match and how the result would have been different had it not been for those three run outs at the end. Most of them though, much to Mani's fury, were delighted with SBI’s loss. 

A couple of years later, Jolly Rovers was handed over to KS Narayanan (and later N Sankar) - https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/11/jolly-rovers-n-sankar-75.html- and the club has gone on to become one of the most successful private cricket clubs in the country. On this Sunday in October 1964, Marina had played host to yet another cricketing thriller.

Kapali Panguni Utsavam 2023

After the Pandemic years, crowds back in large numbers at the Utsavam

8 hour Adikaara Nandi, an all night long Rishabham, 5 1/2 hour Chariot Procession, Arubathumoovar till midnight and a Grand Thiru Kalyanam marks this year's Panguni Utsavam 

Kapaleeswarar was one of the few temples that saw the annual Panguni Utsavam take place as per plan both in 2021 and 2022 but the seniors and the children had stayed back from the Utsavam in those two years. Over the last ten days, the crowd was back in large numbers and it took Arubathmoovar till midnight to return to the temple. As is the new trend, everything is mega and on a large scale at temples these days. A big and colourfully decorated stage for the Thiru Kalyanam and large screens across the temple complex symbolised the growing nature of annual utsavams.

March 1 

The first big event leading up to this year’s Panguni Utsavam at Kapaleeswarar temple came just after 8pm on the first of March. At the Moolavar Sannidhi, hereditary priest Balaji Gurukal read out the Lagna Patrikai and the timings for the eagerly awaited Rishabha Vahanam, the start of the Chariot procession and the Thiru Kalyanam. A few days after this event, the new EO R Hariharan ( he took over on temporary deputation following the death of Kaveri) directed the erection of the pandal across the temple complex. The entire temple wore a festive look leading up to the Panguni Utsavam.

The Prep Meetings

In the week leading up to the Utsavam, EO Hariharan anchors two meetings of various teams including the police, fire services, corporation, voluntary organisations and the EB to discuss threadbare the preparatory plans for the utsavam. The meetings set the agenda on the action points to be carried out by different teams during the festival.

Mooshiga Vahana Procession

At 9pm on March 27, on the eve of the Utsavam, Narthana Pillayar made his way around the Mada Streets on a Velli Mooshika Vahanam as a pre cursor to the festival. One could sense that there was excitement building up to the fest with devotees discussing amongst themselves on the important processions to mark/block in their calendar in the coming week.

A host of additional priests had landed up at the temple on this day. Balaji Gurukal told this writer that about 20 priests had joined in to support the utsavam. Despite the addition, it turned out to be a very tiring 10 days for the priests with most of them having very minimal sleep during the utsavam. On the final evening, one could spot the tiredness on the face of Balaji Gurukal.

Flag Hoisting

It was an early start the next morning (March 28) with several hundreds gathering around the Dwajasthambam for the flag hoisting event. By 8.30am the entire temple reverberated in devotion following the vedic recital. The flag had been hoisted and it was time for the Pancha Moorthy procession. The first morning procession is usually a quiet affair and with year end work and the board examinations still on, it turned out to be so that Thursday morning. 

The big crowd lands up for the procession in the night at 10pm. A devotional roar erupts even as Balaji Gurukal presents the Gopura Vaasal Deeparaathanai. Shortly after, the Sripatham personnel were up with their Voyali which has become popular in recent years. An unwelcome addition has been for the devotees’ hands going up over their heads with the phone both when the screen is lifted in front of the Thiru Kalyana Mandapam for the first glimpse as well as in the Sannidhi Street to shoot the dance. It takes three hours for the Lord to make his way around the Mada Streets on this first night of the Utsavam. That is a question this writer is asking in this story on temple processions going well past midnight each day of the Utsavam when most have gone to sleep. More on this later in the story.

Thiru Maahalam Bros’ Nagaswaram drowned out

The Thiru Maahaalam Brothers, TS Pandyan and TS Sethuraman (who has been overseas for a long time), come all the way from near Koothanur  to present Nagaswaram through the first night of the procession but for a large part of the early procession their devotional tunes are drowned out by the Periya Udal. 

An early alert to the EO of the temple, R Hariharan, at least a week ahead of the festival to direct the Udal members to move well ahead of the procession has no impact. Subsequent alerts too have no impact as the beating of the drums blanks out the Nagaswaram recital in almost every night procession during the first half of the fest leaving the outstation artistes sad (The EO did assign a team member but it did not have the necessary impact and nothing changed). These are important aspects to the festival and the authorities have to pay attention to these devotional details in addition to getting the mega things correct at the festival. These devotional aspects get sidelined and the artistes are left to themselves to find a solution when the temple authorities should be ensuring that deviations are corrected. Much later, in the 2nd half of the festival Asthana Vidwan Mohan Dass himself went ahead and repeatedly pleaded with the Udal artistes to get them to move forward in the procession.

Chairman sponsors outstation artistes but does not know their sadness

This has an even more interesting dimension to it. The outstation Nagaswaram roped in from different parts of TN by Mohan Dass is sponsored by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Kapali temple and this is printed prominently on the Utsavam invitation every year!!! One wonders why the Chairman would not initiate corrective action on this (it is likely he does not know for he has almost never been through any part of a procession in the last many years!!!). Most of the outstation artistes return saddened as the pleas to the Udal artistes bear no fruits. Of course seen as a standalone presentation, the devotional play of the Udal artistes along with the Shiva Adiyars is remarkable and the devotees surrounded them all along enjoying the drums but they were insensitive to the fact that the Nagaswaram with its lesser output was being easily out-drummed by their presentation.

The FIRST Big Moment

On a hot Wednesday (March 29) afternoon on the Northern Prakara, a few minutes after Kapaleesawarar has returned from the first procession of the utsavam, P Murali, who runs a handicrafts shop in Mylapore, is busy providing the finishing polishing touches to the silver adikaara nandi vahanaa that his grandfather Thasai Kumaraswamy Bhaktha had built in 1917.

He tells this writer that his grandfather was a big devotee of Sri Kapaleeswarar and sold 3 houses ( including  the current locations where Raasi Silks and Giri Trading are housed) on Sannidhi Street opposite the temple to build the silver Adikaara Nandi vahana at a cost  of Rs. 40000. Chandru Bhaktha, another descendent, said that it turned out to be so auspicious that his appa was born on the day of the Adikaara Nandi procession in Panguni of 1917.

Every year on the eve of the procession, the family members jointly recite Thirvasagam inside the temple and then present prasadam to the devotees.

For 106 years it's this family that has been maintaining the Adikaara Nandi vahana. In recognition of their contribution the first deeparadhanai on the third morning of the utsavam is shown to them.

The first big moment of the Utsavam takes place on Thursday (March 30) morning with several hundreds of devotees gathering at the Eastern Raja Gopuram for the unveiling of Kapaleeswarar seated atop the tall Adikaara Nandi. The Deeparathanai at 5.45am receives a big devotional roar. For the next hour, the Lord provides darshan at the 16 pillar mandapam as the crowd remains unabated. It is past 8am when Kapaleeswarar is on to the South Mada Street. Late comers have darshan there. Residents of Mylapore and others present milk to devotees in memory of the Gnana Paal episode.  Thiru Gnana Sambandar joins the Pancha Moorthy at the South entrance of the tank for the enactment of this legendary episode.

Later in the afternoon, there is a longish stopover at East end of North Mada Street. On this hot day, it is well past 2pm when Kapaleeswarar is back at the temple – that’s an over 8 hour procession around the Mada Streets. 

Naga Vahana – Sripatham asks Nagaswaram to Stop

The Naga Vahana procession at the start on the 4th evening of the utsavam was disappointing. The oversized crowd meant that that Sripatham could not put up a full show of their dance. The volunteers from SVC did not plan in advance on what was going to be in store outside the Raja Gopuram. While the entire Sannidhi Street was clear just before 9pm, as the Swami made his way to the Raja Gopuram, it was packed in a matter of minutes. And thus clearing people till 8.55pm proved irrelevant. 

S Aparna, who has been at the utsavam for well over a decade and has watched the Voyali on the Sannidhi Street, says that the snake dance on the Naga Vahana evening has not taken place in the last few years and the devotees have had to make do with the standard voyali that one sees on other days of the utsavam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/03/kapali-devotee-aparna-panguni-utsavam.html).

"Earlier, they used interesting other movements such as kneeling down in the way Karpagambal danced during Bikshadanar on the 9th evening. Since people touch the moorthy while the snake dance is performed, the Sripatham stopped doing those and stuck to normal dance that we see everyday" she told this writer on Friday.

Unfortunately none in the police department too have a clue of the next steps in the procession and are constantly pushing away the devotees. It would have helped for the police to post personnel with some background experience of different processions and what was likely to happen next.  In most cases, through the utsavam processions, the police personnel are asking devotees to get back to the Pillayar Sannidhi when the idols were at least 10 minutes away from starting from the 16 pillar mandapam. Their sincerity and commitment to the task cannot be questioned but for most part they are simply clueless on processions and the next steps of the Lord.

Stop the Nagaswaram, we want to play to the Bands' tunes

Another saddening new development at this utsavam has been the Sripatham asking the Nagaswaram to stop playing in front of the Raja Gopuram so they can present Voyali to the tunes of the band music. Are the temple authorities watching such developments and is it not their responsibility to prevent Sripatham from stopping the Aasthana Vidwan’s presentations at the start of the procession.

Rishabham - The Big Saturday night

When the lagna patrikai was read out on March 1, the biggest cheer amongst devotees was the timing of the Rishabham at 9pm on Saturday. One of the devotees from Thiruvallikeni immediately posted a comment that they could spend extra hours with Kapaleeswarar because of the early start (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/04/kapali-panguni-utsavam.html). And that’s how it turned. The Sannidhi Street and East Mada Street was packed with devotees. It was a gala atmosphere that late evening on Saturday. There was huge crowd till mid night. 

Its tradition (agama) for the Rishabham to return to the temple only after sunrise the next morning. When Rishabham typically started out in the past after midnight, it seemed a reasonable timeline of around 5 hours to reach the Raja Gopuram. But with an early start at 9pm, to be stationed on South Mada and West Mada streets with absolutely no additional devotees (except those residents who are waiting to present the thattu in front of their homes) is not devotionally invigorating. The police and service personnel outnumbered the devotees after 1am and it was only during the last phase of the procession the next morning when the Swami turned into the Sannidhi street did the devotees (who went back home) join back for the morning session.

Sunday Morning - The Othuvars with their Ekantha Sevai

Asthana Othuvar of Kapali temple Sathgurunathan roped in Othuvars from across TN including Sirkazhi, Vriddachalam, Sankaran Koil and Thoothukudi to present the sacred verses through the evening procession. A special highlight of the utsavam was the one hour Ekantha Sevai on Sunday morning as devotees in hundreds enjoyed the Thevaram presentation of the Othuvars led by Sathgurunathan. As Kapaleeswarar turned into the North Prakara, Aadu Mayil Aadu elicited humming from the devotees and the Sripatham presented a terrific dance in line with the song.

Every evening through the utsavam, they presented the Thevaram songs for two hours at the Navarathri Mandapam and then through the Mada Streets procession.

Simple Alankaram - 6th day morning

Later that morning, Kapaleeswarar goes out on a procession in the simplest of alankarams, in a simple white vastram. It is the day of the Yaanai Vahanam later in the evening and a day of 'simple whites' for all.

The Two Big Crowd Days

The Chariot and Arubathumoovar processions were very well managed by the authorities. It was broadly well thought out and the crowd was under control. The young 32 year old DCP Rajat Chaturvedi (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/03/mylapore-dcp-rajat-chaturvedi.html), who had experienced the big chariot festival at Nanguneri Divya Desam, later told this writer that he was surprised at the time it took on the turns at every street corner. 

Chariot took 5 ½ hours from start to return to Theradi, while the Arubathumoovar procession last almost 10 hours and reached around midnight. The announcements from SVC played a big role in devotee having a safe darshan. Specifically on both these days as well as on other evenings of the utsavam, the police enforced a strict implementation of restricting vehicles into Mada Streets. This initiative has to be commended for it brought the real Thiruvizha atmosphere into the Mada Streets with small businesses thriving through the festival. For the first time in many years, the Mada Street was shut out to four wheelers well ahead of the procession with police personnel manning the  West end of North and South Mada streets and ensuring that not too many exceptions were made. The Police personnel also handed out safety pins for the women to tie their jewelry to the saree. DCP Rajat told this writer that it was satisfying to have a crime free utsavam with no major reports of chain snatching or thefts at this high profile series of events.

A Devotionally Big Moment 

One of the devotionally big moments of the utsavam was the event at the West Tank on Tuesday (April 4) morning a few hours before the start of the Arubathumoovar procession. Saint Poet Thiru Gnana Sambandar came on a joint procession with Sivanesar, Poompaavai’s appa from the temple to the West side of the tank.

Though Sivanesar had not met Thiru Gnana Sambandar, so moved was he with the devotion of the Saint poet that he had made up his mind to give his daughter’s hand to him. However, in the meanwhile, his daughter died of a snake bite. When he heard that Thiru Gnana Sambandar was coming to Mylapore from Thiruvottiyur, he came here to meet him.

It was here in Mylapore that the Saint Poet presented 10 verses praising the utsavams of Kapaleeswarar asking if Poompavai did not want to enjoy each of these utsavams. When he rendered the verse of Panguni uthiram celebrations and asked her if she did not want to have darshan of the wedding of the Divine Couple, much to the joy of the devotees, Poompaavai came back to life. This entire episode was enacted at the West Tank with Othuvar Sathgurunathan presenting these devotional ten verses that had devotees in tears. It was the one event in the utsavam when devotees listened to the rendering in silence.

Temple Authorities unprepared

Unfortunately, on this day, there were two instances that showcasedì event, the authorities did not ensure traffic management near the tank on RK Mutt Road and Thiru Gnana Sambandar was caught right in the middle of the road in peak traffic just after 11am on Tuesday with buses and several private vehicles lining up both sides of the road. The police too were caught off guard.

An hour later, inside the temple complex, with all the focus on the Arubathumoovar procession, the temple authorities were once again caught off guard with huge crowd lining up for Moolavar darshan. There were no temple staffers to take charge of the situation and the scene turned chaotic at the North Prakara. The police inspector as well as one of the trustees were helpless and shut their eyes to the situation and moved away. 

While Arubathumoovar was the big occasion on Tuesday, the authorities should have expected the big crowd at the Moolavar Sannidhi and taken appropriate steps to manage the crowd. 

Can the Othuvars sing Nambi Andaar Nambi songs at Arubathumoovar Procession

Temple Activist TR Ramesh has filed cases against the Kapali Temple authorities (HR & CE) over the last few years and has often been vocal about the issues he has against them. At the start of the Arubathumoovar procession, one saw a different side of Ramesh. High on devotion and quiet to himself in a sober pink shirt, he had a quiet darshan.

A Mylapore resident, Ramesh has been present at the temple on the Arubathumoovar day for the last 30 years. For a change he had some good words for the temple !!! "I am happy to see the 63 Nayanars being brought out in the order of Thiruthondathogai. Earlier it used to be mixed up. This orderly procession is good" he told this writer that evening.

He also had a suggestion to the temple authorities "Sri  Nambi Andaar Nambi has sung one song in praise of each Nayanar. It would have been wonderful for four or five Othuvars to have taken turns to sing those songs in front of the respective Nayanar at the start of the procession. I hope it happens next year on this day."

West Mada Street’s hour of Glory

West Mada Street had its hour of glory on Wednesday evening on the 9th day of the Utsavam. Kapaleeswarar in Bikshaandar Thiru Kolam made his way through the South Mada Street to North end of the West Mada Street just after 8pm. Karpagambal in a Mohini Alankaram presented a special dance show from the North end of West Mada Street that thrilled the devotees for over thirty minutes. It is one of the events at this utsavam that has caught the fancy of the modern day youth and has attracted big crowd outside the Mylapore bus stand.

The Mega Event inside the temple - The Thiru Kalyanam

The 10th and final evening was the most challenging for the temple authorities. While the Chariot and Arubathumoovar had to be managed on the public roads, the Thiru Kalyana Utsavam was the biggest event inside the temple complex during this utsavams and the thousands of devotees had to be accommodated inside for those crucial few hours after 5pm on Thursday.

EO Hariharan is busy monitoring the plans and instructing his teammates on the plan of action through the day on Thursday. He and Trustee Arumugham have been the busiest through the ten days of the utsavam. Another Trustee Thirunavukarasu, who works in a Tier 1 IT firm, told this writer late on Thursday evening that Trustee Arumugham had shut his shop for ten days to be full time at the utsavam in an effort to make this a success. Arumugham was visible everywhere from carrying the Lord on his shoulder to presenting the Thattu on behalf of the temple late in the night on each of the processions.

A commendable performance by the EO

There may soon be a permanent EO at the Kapaleeswarar temple but in the four months that Hariharan has been here he has done his credibility no harm at all. He has been in quite engaging conversations with his team members, even having tea with them (@ Tantea) and has wanted to ensure plan implementation ahead of time leaving nothing to the last minute. A most revealing and stand out feature that the service personnel at the temple have experienced during his short stint here has been his ability to hear out the views of others and to give them the confidence that action would be initiated if their views was on dharmic lines. That is quite commendable for an EO of such a large temple.

The Thiru Kalyana Utsavam went on well but by 10pm the entire temple complex had been littered with the remains of prasadams that devotees had distributed. On one side, devotees are coming to seek the Swami’s blessings for justice and a fair life but within minutes within the very same temple premises after they have had such a divine darshan they act adharmic throwing juice packets and food plates all around the prakara. The scene had been no different earlier in the week on the Arubathumoovar night when the Mada Streets were full of wastes (kudos to Urabesar for cleaning up the four mada streets well past midnight to get it back in shape the next morning). And many of the food plates contained food half eaten!!!

The Culmination -Kapaleeswarar on Kailaya Vahanam

It was also a surprise as to why the Sripatham personnel would bring out Ravaneswarar Vahana only after 10pm on Thursday when the Divine Couple had already been on the Oonjal for about half hour. By the time they had cleaned up the dust on the vahana and got it ready, it was close to 11pm. It was a silent procession with Kapaleeswarar atop the ten headed Ravana listening peacefully to the sole musical instrument on the night - Ravana's favourite Mukha Veena. When Kapaleeswarar returned to the Raja Gopuram after the final procession of the Panguni Utsavam, it was just past 2am. 

Into the future, the authorities have to sit and discuss on this practice of each of the processions going well past 1am. Centuries ago, the entire life in Mylapore centered around temples and utsavams. Today, people have to get back to schools and colleges the next morning and the seniors to their work place. Rishabham as an exception is probably given that the return into the temple has to be after sunrise. However, would every night procession has to go past 1am? While the Kodiyetram was a high profile event with several hundreds around the Dwajasthambam, the event to bring down the flag began well past 2am with tired looking eyes and withered bodies!!!!

Difference of opinion between Swami and Ambal

24 hours after the celestial wedding, Karpagambal took strong objection to Kapaleeswarar holding Ganga secretly atop his head and shot past him to the 16 pillar mandapam at the end of the Mada Streets procession while he stayed back near the Chariot, shocked at this sudden and hasty retreat of his consort.

It was then that Kapaleeswarar pulled in his friend and one of the four famous Saint Poets, Sundara Moorthy Nayanar to check the reason for Ambal’s anger and to bring her back. For the next half hour or so, this historical episode from Thiru Oodal was played out with Sundarar going back and forth between Ambal and the Swami from the 16 pillar mandapam to the Chariot side playing a conciliatory role.  

Othuvar Vageesan anchored the enactment reading out Ambal’s message to Kapaleeswarar and his defense to Ambal.  While Ambal reasoned that the Lord having Ganga secretly on his head was unpardonable,  Swamy said he had tanned waiting in the hot sun. Finally Kapaleeswarar asked Sundarar to play out the Saama Veda before Ambal to cool her reasoning out that even Ravana did so after he was crushed under Mount Kailasa by his big toe. After three rounds, Ambal finally relented and made her way to the Chariot side to take her place beside Kapaleeswarar much to the delight of the bunch of devotees who had gathered near the Chariot to watch the enactment of this episode.

Tail Piece – The Processional Torch Bearer

While two external institutions- the police force and SVC- gave their all at the utsavam, one man who stood out distinctly throughout the festival with an outstanding Kainkaryam was the former World Bank Consultant V Ramkumar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/07/kapali-v-ramkumar-world-bank-to-sanyasam.html). Previously he was known for handing out the Rudrakasham and devotional books to young devotees to direct them in the dharmic path. Since the last Vasantha Utsavam, he had begun to perform the Theevatti Kainkaryam.

At this Panguni Utsavam, he was probably one of the very few service personnel to have performed from start to finish at every procession over the last ten days having to come from his home in Kodambakkam through the first five days before resting out in Mylapore through the 2nd half of the utsavam. In addition to festival kainkaryam, the priest in charge of the Moolavar Sannidhi also used his services for some of the internal processions. Historically, this was how the devotees participated in utsavams taking a specific Kainkaryam and seeing it through the end. In a fast paced world, it has become a trend in recent years for most of the devotees to leave after the Swami has made his way to the end of the Sannidhi Street. Ramkumar, who is getting away from the Corporate World (in the not too distant past, he had four top cars at his household!!!), showcased as to how one could take up and perform selfless kainkaryam at temple utsavams.

For a few, the end of the utsavam marks a relief after ten really tiring days and are looking forward to a well earned rest. For the hereditary priests its back to daily duty. And there are those, for whom the end of the utsavam marks a depression of it having ended so soon and missing the positive vibrations from the processions. And there are those who are already looking forward to the next Panguni!!!