SR Prakash ICF Pachaiappas Cat Lover

The Panther on the cricket field in the 1970s has turned a Cat Lover 

Mylaporean SR Prakash was an enthusiastic school boy cricketer in the late 1960s and early 70s. Coached by AG Ram Singh at Hindu High School, where he started out, he drew inspiration from Gary Sobers’ two terrific innings in the Pongal test of 1967 that he watched at Chepauk. Sobers’ fielding too created a special interest for him in cricket. In the decades that followed, he himself turned a ‘Panther’ (nicknamed by his teammates at ICF) on the field and very few balls went past him. The southpaw moved to MCC School and scored a lot of runs for them as well as for Pachaiappas at the College level.

As a 16 year old, he scored a terrific unbeaten century for TVS MSC in the second division cricket in December 1972 that captured the attention of the powers that be. He played two years for Senior Colts. In his final year at college in 1976, playing in a selection match for ICF against a strong MCC XI at the University Union ground, he scored 36 while his team was bundled out by VV Kumar for just 100. Within the next week, he was offered a sports quota job at ICF for whom he played a decade and a half of first division cricket alongside the likes of S Balaji, Doraiappan and M Arunachalam.

Gets the ‘Kaattaan’ tag from Legend Venkat

He recalls his battle with  S Venkataraghavan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/04/venkataraghavan75.html). The legendary off spinner would lovingly call cricketers by ‘names’. Bharat Kumar was Kurungu….When Prakash came into bat that day for ICF, he referred to the youngster, fresh into first division, as ‘Kaattaan’ but he took it in his stride and remained cool “I was the youngest kid in the team. S Venkataraghavan was already a legend then having captained India in the World Cup. When I came in, he set an umbrella field, something that I had never seen before. He wanted to psyche me and test my mental strength. I drove him for two fours and scored over 30. Later that evening, he came up to me and praised my gutsy knock and my fearless approach to batting. It was a great feeling to have been praised by such a legend.”

Biggest Cricketing Moment

His biggest moment in cricket in 1984-85 season in the inter Railways tourney at Hyderabad. Against a strong Northern Railway comprising of Hyder Ali, Hansraj and Vedraj among others, Prakash scored an unbeaten 91 to help South beat North for the first time to win the national tourney. His teammate S Kalaimani recalls that day “We were chasing a big target of well over 300 and had lost early wickets. He came in at No.6 at a time when we were struggling. The two of us put on a big partnership. He batted brilliantly that day and helped up beat North (I scored70). He was a witty fellow and had a good cricketing mind. He was highly rated and an integral part of our through the late 70s and 80s.”

Very Kind Hearted

Leggie S Madhavan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/11/rbi-madhavan-leg-spinner.html), who played for the Railways in Central Zone, before moving back to Madras and joining RBI, continues to play league cricket in Madras though he is touching 70 (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/12/tnca-league-cricket-returns-after-nine.html). He remembers Prakash from that phase "During the time I played with him, I found him to be a fantastic left handed batsman and an outstanding fielder. He was a kind hearted human being and I really enjoyed playing with him."

Facing up to India’s fastest bowler

Prakash has always been fearless in life and he recounts the moment when he came up against the fastest of the time at the Railway Stadium “TA Sekar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2013/08/ta-sekar-fastest-indian-bowler-of-1980s.html) was the fastest bowler in India at that time and when he finished on his follow through, he was almost next to the batsman. I had to face him that day when he was at his peak and his fiercest. He picked up 8 wickets and bundled us out for 100 but I was delighted that day to have withstood his demolition act and scoring 30+ on that (railway) stadium wicket gave me a lot of satisfaction.”

Talented Bloke, A Classy Player

S Balaji played for the Railways through the 1980s and watched Prakash from close quarters through that cricketing phase. He told this writer that ‘SRP’ was a wonderfully talented bloke who sadly could not make the cut and go to the next level. He was a truly classy player and we were involved in several partnerships 

Panther on the field

Kalaimani also remembers him as a brilliant fielder “While he was a certainty in our playing XI through that phase, he distinguished himself as a brilliant fielder. He had a special liking for fielding and always fielded in the Cover and Point region. He was well respected by the opposition for his fielding.”

His high point in his fielding achievements came in the final of the inter-collegiate tournament in the early 1970s. AC Tech was chasing just 98 and with Captain R Ravichandran (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/10/r-ravichandran-madras-university.html) back after stitches (he was hit on the thumb by Pachaiappa’s captain Ramanujam), they were on course to lift the trophy. With just a couple of runs to win, Ram Mohan hit the ball to point and almost lifted his bat in a celebratory moment only to find Prakash knocking down the stumps with a direct hit “It was my best fielding moment in cricket. My throw helped us win the tournament and I savour that moment to this day, five decades later.”

IOB's opener Rocko M Sundar has known Prakash since 1972 when they were part of the TNCA colts team  that toured Bombay. He remembers  Prakash as a fine, gritty left hand batsman & an excellent fielder particularly at covers. "He was always on the prowl waiting to run the batsman out. He had been the backbone of the ICF team for quite a long time. With cricket behind him, he is still in the limelight as “catman” & a familiar face in Mylapore."

Goodbye Cricket - Welcome Cats

Like most cricketers of the time, he settled down in his job and his cricket faded away over a period of time. But by now, he had developed a big interest in a completely unrelated field. He was always an animal lover and had great compassion for dogs and cats. His office at ICF was abound with cats.

He recounts as to how it all started in the 1990s “When I went to the Kapali temple, devotees used to stack the entrance of the Murugan Sannidhi with milk for the abhisekam. The thirsty looking cats that were present in good numbers used to keep looking at the milk. I felt saddened at the state of these cats but it also provided me with an inspiration (just in the same way that Sobers inspired his batting and fielding approach) to feed them with quality food.”

From that day, he has been feeding cats at the Kapali temple. In addition, he has also expanded his service to cats to the Navasakthi Pillayar temple at the Luz Junction and at the Nageswara Rao Park. Over the last 25years, he has been feeding around 50 cats each day of the year, rain or sun. The moment he arrives, they all run up to him.

Of course, for years, he has had his detractors at the temple and the park.  This section featured a story last year on a young girl taking care of cats every Pradosham evening (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/12/kapali-temple-pradosham-love-for-cats.html) at the Kapaleeswarar temple. While there are such animal lovers, there are those devotees who think that temple is not the place for cats and feeding cats inside the temple is not the way it should be. That is a call the temple authorities should take.  But like he was at the batting crease in the 1970s and 80s, Prakash is unfazed at the criticism. He was affected by the Pandemic and his BP shoots up high whenever there is this opposition to his feeding either at the temples or at the Nageswara Rao Park, where too the presence (of the cats) has shot up. He says he is taking care of the cats that otherwise don’t find takers within the temple. He spends several thousands of rupees every month feeding these cats at the temples and the park. In addition, he has also had a cat at home for the last 20 years. He says when you shower love on them, they seem to live forever. The Chairman of the Kapali temple, Vijayakumar Reddy, too handed him a cat to take care of and that too resides at his home near Mundaka Kanni Amman Koil.

He enjoyed his cricket on the field for over 20 years and over the last 25years, he has found happiness with a life that has centered around the cats. 

Punnai Nallur Kothandaramar temple Venkatesa Bhattar

This Archaka Family has served devotionally for well over a 100  years and have remained committed to the temple overcoming several challenging phases

Venkatesa Bhattar is now anchoring a revival of the Utsavams and bringing the temple back to its glory days

This section had featured a story in 2020 as to how the Thanjavur Palace had found it financially challenging till the mid-1980s to manage the temples under its administration. The consecration of the Big Temple in Thanjavur had not taken place for over 150years. It was only after the current leader Prince Babaji Rajah Bhonsle took charge did the situation turn around for the better (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/06/thanjavur-palace-babaji-rajah-bhonsle.html). One of the temples managed by the Palace is the Saligrama Kothandarama temple in Punnai Nallur, a few kms east of Thanjavur and near the now popular Mariamman temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2012/03/punnai-nallur-mariamman-temple.html).

57 year old Venkatesa Bhattar, who has now been the priest for over two decades, was a young boy in the 1970s when he saw the temple take a turn for the worse. His appa Vijayaraghava Bhattar performed archaka service at the temple for close to five decades before his death at the turn of the century. His grandfather had served through the first half of the 20th century at this temple.

Exodus of Original Inhabitants

Venkatesa Bhattar recounts as to how from a vibrant temple once upon a time, the temple saw a slowdown as a result of the mass exodus of original inhabitants “Not so long ago, there were around 25 service personnel, including Paricharakas, Adyapakas and Vedic Scholors at the temple but when the overall situation turned bad in the 70s, most of them left Punnai Nallur seeking greener pastures elsewhere leaving my appa as the only long standing person serving at the temple. Though it was a financially challenging time for the family, my appa took upon the Kainkaryam for Ramar as his sole focus in life. He lived all his life with Ramar and had the fullest faith that in the long run the Lord would take care of him and his family.”

                                   

Living in a Thatched Hut - Poverty Stricken

He looks back at his life from his school days in the 1970s “My appa received one bag of Paddy every month and 8 Pattai Rice every day. For the first 15days, we survived on this and then every second fortnight of the month, it was a big struggle to manage the large household. There was minimal thattu kaasu with the original inhabitants having all gone away.”

Where's the next devotee

There was not enough oil to light the lamp.  There were very few devotees at the temple. Vijayaraghava Bhattar would eagerly wait for the next devotee to arrive but it almost always proved elusive in that phase. Rama Navami was the only utsavam of the year that attracted some crowd. It was a lonely sortfeeling for him but he always told his family members that with Kothandaramar for company, one should not ask for

Babaji Rajah Bhonsle had told this writer in an earlier conversation a few years ago that soon after he took over in the mid 1980s, he found that the next gen of most of the archakas in his 88 temples had chosen a life outside of the temples and that there was always a shortage of service personnel.

Refuses lucrative offers

Venkatesa Bhattar now proudly looks back at his appa’s devotional commitment that stood the test of time “Like many others in that phase, my appa too received lucrative offers from temples including from Singapore but he had great devotional strength and was attached to Saligrama Kothandaramar. It was a time when the financial situation in the family was terrible and there was no money even for the next meal at home. Taking such an offer would have easily turned around our fortunes at that time but he simply refused it and stuck with Ramar all through his life.”

                                        Vijayaraghava Bhattar

Even as Venkatesa Bhattar watched his appa take this decision, it taught him a big lesson - that of continuing the hereditary service at the feet of Ramar irrespective of the challenges that comes his way.

The large family lived for decades in a thatched hut. Stricken by poverty, Venkatesa Bhattar quit school early and went to work in Thanjavur in the 1980s. During the off days, Venkatesa Bhattar supported his appa in temple kainkaryam. 

Venkatesa Bhattar takes over, Appa's Message

At the turn of the century, Vijayaraghava Bhattar’s health deteriorated. Kainkaryam at the feet of Rama was a service that the family had committed to. Venkatesa Bhattar was then in his 30s and had a family to take care of including a young son and a daughter but he had no second thoughts on quitting his job. His wife backed him fully in this endeavor to serve Lord Rama and he joined the temple at a salary of Rs. 900.  

When Venkatesa Bhattar took charge, Vijayaraghava Bhattar told his son that performing daily Thiru Aradhanam with sincerity and feeding the Lord every day was his utmost duty and he had to do it with the greatest devotion unmindful of the financial returns. 

Soon after, his appa passed away, in 2002. 

The first decade at the temple continued to be a struggle like it had been for his appa. Venkatesa Bhattar, who had learned the Vaikanasa agama from Seshadri Bhattar of Thadalan Divya Desam in Sirkazhi (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2008/05/kaazhicheeraama-vinnagaram.html), was the sole priest at the temple. 

Consecration and the Big Turnaround

This writer had featured a story in The Hindu Friday Review just over a decade ago on the renovation works (https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/ancient-temple-gets-a-face-lift/article2012090.ece) at the temple. Following the consecration that took place after three decades, the temple wore a fresh look and saw a positive transformation. Vahana processions were revived. Devotee crowd has increased dramatically to over 500 people on Saturdays from around 20 in the pre consecration phase. Devotees now look forward eagerly to the special alankaram for Anjaneya for whom the Bhattar has also sourced a glittering Kavacham. The devotees are thronging the temple in big numbers on Puratasi Saturdays. 

Over the last decade or so, Venkatesa Bhattar has revived a lot of the historical traditions. He performs a Thirumanjanam every Punarvasu for Ramar. On special occasions, Devotees have been able to enjoy the Garuda and Sesha Vahana processions during the Panguni Utsavam. He is hoping that by next year there will be a vahana procession on all days of the Rama Navami Utsavam.

Great Satisfaction 

He has found great peace within himself over the last two decades serving at this temple “Performing Kainkaryam at Rama’s feet is a special feeling and it’s quite unmatched in terms of the satisfaction.” Venkatesa Bhattar is grateful to the Prince for the solid increase in the salary for the archakas under his administration that has now gone up to Rs. 14000 from Rs. 450 that his appa earned at the time of his retirement. In recent times, Babaji Rajah Bhonsle has also launched medical schemes for archakas serving at his temples. Overall they are now well taken care of and as foreseen by Vijayaraghava Bhattar, Saligrama Kothandaramar has kept this family under his watchful eyes and blessed them with a life that each of the members is happy  with.

Venkatesa Bhattar's son in law (Ashwin Bhattar) is at the Shiva Vishnu temple in T. Nagar, Madras and his brothers too are archakas in temples under the Palace’s administration. He is hoping that one day in the near future his son would take over the Kainkaryam from him and continue the hereditary service that this family has been performing for over a hundred years.

Venkatesa Bhattar has showcased both to the archaka world as well as to the devotees that if you are devotionally committed to the Lord and have the fullest faith in him, it is likely that you will be well taken care of in life. 

He can be reached on 6381437436

Vaduvur Govindan Veda Ganapadigal

Sticking to his ancestral roots

His amma directed him to take to Vedic Education in 1976 and close to five decades later, he counts being initiated into the Vedas by Vaduvur Srinivasa Desikachariar and being under his tutelage as the greatest blessing of his life
50 of Govindan’s Vedic students are now performing service in temples across the world

The 1970s had been a terrible time for those associated with temple and associated service. It was the phase when traditionalists began to move away from their ancestral locations into cities looking for corporate opportunities(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/10/therazhundur-divya-desam.html). Mannargudi and Vaduvur had been abound with Prabhandham and Vedic scholars and there was a certain positive vibrancy inside the temple during the festive days of the year. But when financial challenges began to mount, the traditionalists foresaw a life for the next gen away from temple service. When Upanayanam took place in Thiruvallikeni for this young boy at a time when his parents had already moved to Madras, it was time for a call to be made about his future. His amma stood firm in wanting him to go the traditional way while everyone else in the family opposed her suggestion to him taking to Vedic studies. Amma won over the rest of the family and he went on to spend a glorious four decades under the guidance of the revered Vaduvur Srinivasa Desikacharya. Here’s the story.

Take Vedas into the Next Gen, says Amma

In 1976, 10 year old Govindan was in a dilemma. His appa had moved away from the Mannargudi region to Madras in pursuit of a job. When his thread ceremony was held in Thiruvallikeni, his amma expressed the view that the young Govindan should shoulder the family responsibility of taking forward the Vedic teachings into the next gen (her appa Raghava Vadhyar and her elder brother Pichai Vathyar were vedic scholars in Mannargudi). The family was already financially challenged and they lived a hand to mouth existence. Her view was not well received by the family members and everyone without exception opposed the move to him quitting academics and taking to Vedic studies. 

It was then that she made a bold statement to her other two sons. Sitting on the Thinnai of his Acharya Veeravalli Salakshana Ganapadi Srinivasa Desikacharyar’s home in Vaduvur, 57 year old Govindan told this writer on Monday as how that moment transformed his life “If Govindan failed in his traditional way of life, the two of you should take care of him”, my amma told my brothers and they were left with no answer and just nodded.

His appa, ST Narayanan, immediately sent a postal letter to Periyava seeking his guidance and blessings.

       Parents and Uncle Pichai

"Soon a person from Kanchi Mutt reached our home and picked me up. Periyava directed me to join the Patshala founded by Anna Swamy Iyengar in Mannargudi. He had great regard for both Srinivasa Iyengar (founder's son) and Desikacharya and he believed that I would be taken care of well by both of them."

Moves to Anna Swamy Patshala- His Greatest Experience

In 1976, Govindan quit academics and on November 1 that year joined the patshala. He looks back at the decade that he says provided him with the greatest experience in life. “Srinivasa Iyengar who ran the Patshala gave us all the facilities. He was a great disciplinarian and inculcated 'values' that have stood with me all through my life. The Vedic initiation under the tutelage of Desikacharya, I consider, as my life's greatest blessing “My acharya’s love for me was unbelievable. He poured everything he had into his teachings and wanted me to be better than him. He always said that he wanted to see me atop the Raja Gopuram while he watched from below. That was how he motivated me through that decade. He taught me every aspect of life including contentment.”

Govindan completed Yajur Veda course in 1985 and then went on to learn Krishna Yajur Veda. He took the tough exams at all the leading centers including the Mannargudi Patshala, Sankara Mutt, TTD and Melkote.

Refuses Lucrative offers

Govindan's family was financially challenged through the 1970s and 80s and him getting into larger cities after the completion of his Vedic Education would have served them them well financially for they were even struggling for food but Govindan withstood the temptation for financial glory instead choosing to be with his Guru till Desikachariar's death a decade ago. Even as the years went by, over the last three decades or so, there have been repeated calls for him to head to Madras and to other larger cities to take up lucrative opportunities but he has remained committed to Vaduvur where he has been since the late1980s.

Veda Parayanam  at three Consecrations at Vaduvur

His Acharya initiated him into Thiru Aradhanam service at the Hayagriva Desikar Sannidhi at the Kothandarama temple in Vaduvur. When the consecration took place at the temple in 1996, after 25years, Desikachariar presented him with an opportunity to be an integral part of that sacred event. He has since anchored the Veda Parayanam at the 2007 and 2020 consecrations as well.

Not Monetised the Vedic Knowledge

Govindan has spent almost five decades in Mannargudi and Vaduvur when most of his contemporaries have gone away seeking greener pastures. He often hears comments from them that ‘he has missed the bus’ referring to him not monetizing his Vedic Knowledge in the way he could have. But he is nonplussed. He has heard it so often but right from the beginning he was clear about his way of life. 

“My Acharya wanted me to lead a simple dharmic life and help others in every way possible. It was his inspiration that helped keep me away from the lures of a city life and gave me clarity about not chasing money. You cannot see Vedas as a mere financial instrument that helps you earn a lot of money. The fact that I am known as Desikachariar’s student is the greatest blessing I have in this life.”

At the turn of the century, he began initiating the Vedas to the next generation of students. Around 50 of them have graduated from the Andavan Ashramam Patshala in Vaduvur. He is keen for the next gen of vedic students to go deep into the subject. While the number of Vedic students is on the rise, he is saddened that many of them go very soon into monetizing their learnings. The current gen is seeing this as a 'professional' activity "Veda Adyayanam should be seen as a penance and they should be ready to face all the hurdles and overcome through Veda Parayanam".

Wants his sishyas to be in temple service

He is keen for his sishyas to be into temple service. One of his students, the 31 year old Yathulan, makes him feel proud. Just like his Guru, Yathulan too received lucrative offers from temples and mutts in larger cities and overseas but he resisted the temptation and placed importance on staying close to his ancestral home. As directed by his acharya Govindan, Yethulan has been performing archaka service at the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Rayanallur (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/03/rayanallur-varadaraja-perumal-yathulan.html). He is an integral part of the Veda Parayanam at the big utsavams both in Mannargudi and Vaduvur. 

Govindan is also delighted that all his students have agreed to pool in the Sambhavanai received during Veda Parayanam at the Ramar temple to the development of the Desikar Sannidhi. ‘Not a single sishya takes a rupee from the Veda Parayanam and we have been using that money to present abaranam and kavacham to Hayagrivar and Desikar.”

He feels blessed to have been by the side of Desikarachariar for almost four decades. He says he acted as per the directions of his Guru. At 57, Govindan has found great peace of mind in the life at Vaduvur (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/05/vaduvur-rama-navami-utsavam.html) keeping the tradition of Veda Parayanam going in Vaduvur. In addition, he is also  keen to continue the developmental works in this temple town in the areas of temple development, health and education through the Chakravathi Thirumagan Dharma Paripalana Trust. 

If the vedic recital is still heard in Vaduvur, its thanks to that decision of Govindan to stay back at his ancestral location when most other traditionlists turned towards more lucrative options. He is hoping that, sometime into  the future,  his two sons too would get into this traditional way of life by taking that bold call in the same way he did way back in 1976.

Patteeswaram Gopinathaswamy Temple New Raja Gopuram

Chozha Period Gopinatha Swamy temple at Patteeswaram to see a Grand Revival

New Raja Gopuram, Big Outer Walls and a Revival of Historical Utsavams

After a lull in the second half of the previous decade, the HR & CE department is on a temple renovation spree. The department has been making aggressive allocation for renovation exercises across temples in TN. Close to a 1000 temples are expected to see consecration in this phase. 

Earlier this week, this section featured a story on Sundara Perumal Koil for which the HR & CE has estimated a renovation at a cost of just over Rs. 30Lakhs (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/06/sundara-perumal-koil-new-young-archaka.html). This story is about a whopping Rs. 2.5crores allocation for the Chozha Period Gopinatha Swamy Perumal temple in Patteeswaram. 

This section had featured a story in February 2019 (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/02/renovation-issues-in-tn-temples.html) as to how renovation exercises had dropped dramatically after the High Court order restraining repairs work. HR & CE Minister P. K Sekar Babu told this writer last month at an exclusive meeting in his office that an allocation of over Rs. 100crores had been made for the renovation and consecration of 1000+year old temples. Over a 100 such temples had seen consecration in 2022-23 and close to another 100 is on the anvil this year (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/05/hr-ce-minister-sekar-babu-on-roll.html).

He said that over 700 other temples had now been listed for renovation exercises and consecration and those will take place over a period of time. 

Nandipura Vinnagaram in the East, Gopinathan in the West

In centuries gone by, the Perumal temple east of Patteeswaram was  the Jagannathan Perumal Divya Desam at Nandipura Vinnagaram (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2008/02/108-divya-desam-nathan-koil-nandipura.html) while the Perumal temple west of Patteeswaram was the Gopinatha Swamy temple. 

Dilapidated State for over a decade

This writer had captured photographs of the temple over 10 years ago. This week, the temple remains in the same dilapidated state that one had seen back then. Huge bushes are seen around the temple complex. Similar to the Mottai Gopuram in Thiru Vellarai Divya Desam(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/08/thiru-vellarai-7-tier-raja-gopuram.html), the Raja Gopuram here too was half complete. And now is seen in a dilapidated state.

Utsavams a thing of the past

Long ago, Akshaya Trithiya, procession on Rohini Star day, Ekadasi and Dakshinayina and Utharayina Punya Kaalams were celebrated at this temple. The beating of the drums and the Mela Vadhyams were once heard at this temple. But the utsavams have become a thing of the past and like with the idols at Sundara Perumal Koil, the processional idols of Gopinathan along with Rukmini and Satyabhama have been sent to the icon center long ago. The priest at the Ramar temple in Patteeswaram performs a one kaala Thiru Aradhanam in the morning at this temple (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2012/11/patteeswaram-kothandarama-temple.html). 

Not unexpectedly, the temple lands around the temple have been taken over by residents and that’s the first thing HR & CE will have secure back as part of this renovation exercise. Some of the private buildings have come to the prakara walls on the Northern side. There is a big tank behind the temple and that has remained unattended for decades. That too will require a complete refurbishing. The outer walls will have to be built from scratch.

Like with Thiru Vellarai, the base of the Raja Gopuram will have to be strengthened before the five tier Raja Gopuram can be constructed (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/05/thiru-vellarai-raja-gopuram.html). 

Speedy action this year

Patteeswaram temple’s experienced Pulavar Selva Sekar, who will oversee the renovation exercise on the ground, told this writer  on Monday that as the first step in this exercise, the temple authorities are in the process of preparing a complete documentation of the entire temple complex and its current state including the Raja Gopuram. Soil tests will have to be undertaken later before the construction of the Raja Gopuram can be finalized. 

He said that the presence of a Ther Mandapam pointed to a Chariot festival in centuries gone by.  He also showed the original moolavar sannidhi which lie dilapidated behind the current sannidhi. The original sannidhi was like the big one at Sarangapani Koil (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/06/sarangapani-koil-thiru-kudanthai.html) built of Karungal structure. Historically this place was referred to as Kathali Vanam/ Shenbagaranyam indicating the presence of a large number of flower bearing trees.

Structural Engineers have had a look at the temple last week. The ASI officials are expected to make a trip some time in the coming months. Some of the preliminary work could start this second fortnight of June at the Gopinathaswamy Perumal temple soon after the completion of Thiru Gnana Sambandar’s Muthu Pandal Utsavam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2017/07/patteeswaram-thiru-gnana-sambanthar.html) that is currently taking place this week at the Patteeswaram temple.

                                  

                          Current complex 

The revival of the utsavams may still be a long way off but hopefully within the next 12 months full fledged construction should begin at the Gopinatha Perumal temple especially as the allocation of the renovation amount has been announced in the TN assembly. 

Sometime in the coming years, this temple should see devotees coming back in good numbers like it once was in the previous century.  And if all goes well, may be the devotees will also get a darshan of the Utsava Moorthies and the processions around the four streets that is a dream of the Pulavar could become a reality again.

Sundara Perumal Koil New Young Archaka Revival

The arrival of 33 year old Aravamudhan as an archaka could see a revival in the fortunes of Sundara Perumal Koil and help the temple regain its lost glory

The Oil Lamps are back at the temple, the handsome Sundara Perumal is seen in new vastrams and even the Utsava Idol was back for a month last Margazhi from the Icon Center

Almost a Century without Consecration - It is hoped that the HR & CE will fast track the renovation approvals to help restore the temple

In October 2009, this section had featured a story on the handsome lord at Sundara Perumal Koil, about 10kms from Kumbakonam on the Thanjavur Highway (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2009/10/sundara-perumal-koil-near-papanasam.html). After the passing away of Sundara Raja Bhattar, the temple had been without a priest for a decade. This section featured another story in February 2020 just a month before the arrival of the Pandemic as to how the temple had been in a dilapidated state and without devotees and a priest (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/02/sundara-perumal-koil-papanasam.html).

Sundara Raja Bhattar had served at the temple as the priest for 50 years from the early 1960s. For decades, he was paid a salary of just Rs. 300 which at the time of his death in 2014 had gone up to Rs. 1200 per month. That salary too remained unpaid for several months on the grounds of lack of income from the temple. Sundararaja Bhattar served at the temple with great devotional commitment even in the decades when there was no power connection in his house and when Rs. 200 was deducted from his salary as house rent.

In the decade that Sundararaja Bhattar joined the temple, the agraharam was vibrant. Festivals were a regular feature including Garuda Sevai on Tamil New Year’s day. 

There were also processions on the occasion of Krishna Jayanthi and on the Kanu day in Thai. 10 day Navarathri Festival too was celebrated in a grand way with Horse Vahana Procession on Vijayadasami. There was a four kalam pooja every day with sacred food presentations to the Lord that included Curd rice, Sundal and Sweet Pongal. In the outer prakara was a huge Nandavanam that was filled with different varieties of Jasmine trees. The Lord and Thayar were draped with beautiful garlands especially on festive occasions.

The Handsome Sundara Raja Perumal sports a grand vastram,

 the Oil Lamps are back at the Sannidhi

An unexpected arrival and a Revival

But since the passing away of the Bhattar just under a decade ago, the temple saw a rapid deterioration. There was no oil to light the lamp. The utsava idols (this writer had captured a photo in 2009) were moved away to the icon center. And the utsavams became a thing of the past. 

While the temple thus lay in  a state of despair without a consecration for close to a century,  the temple saw an unexpected revival in its fortunes with the arrival of Aravamudhan, a disciple of Periya Nambi Acharya of Srirangam. With a Masters degree in IT, he had joined the corporate world, but took a bold call and quit his job to get into full time archaka kainkaryam.

He had lost his appa when he was not yet two in the early 1990s and it was his amma who fought out all of life’s challenges to help him see through his academics. Through the college years when he travelled from Kumbakonam to his college, he was always curious about the location ‘Sundara Perumal Koil’ and wondered if there was a perumal temple here as the place was named so.

Devotionally attached to Sundara Perumal

Finally he landed up here as a devotee to find that there was not even oil to light the lamp. The entire temple complex was in a dilapidated state. He became devotionally attached to Sundara Perumal, moved by the quiet ambience at the temple. There was neither a priest nor a devotee at the temple and he was sitting there all alone wondering as to what could be done to improve the temple. It was then that he decided to quit the corporate job and take up service as an archaka. He was newly married and when he took this thought to his wife, she readily agreed. 

Aravamudhan told this writer sitting in front of the newly constructed madapalli at the temple on Monday morning that he also sought the approval of Srirangam Periya Nambi Acharya and he blessed him to take up archaka service as there had been no priest at this temple for many years and the temple was in bad shape.

Villagers welcome Aravamudhan

The villagers at the temple welcomed this development. Senthil Kumar, a several decades resident of Sundara Perumal Koil and one who has been integral to the recent renovation activities at the temple, told this writer that he along with other villagers organised a house for Aravamudhan on the street opposite the temple and also arranged for the rent to be paid through a devotee donor.

Senthil Kumar, who has bagged a 15 year NH maintenance contract for the new Sethiya Thope -Thanjavur route,  says that the devotee crowd had started increasing especially on Saturdays since the time Aravamudhan took over. He along with the residents of the temple town have also organised renovation of the temple with a new tiled flooring for the sannidhis. The huge nandavanam wears a fresh green look. Aravamudhan says that he picks up the daily requirement for pooja and thaligai from the sacred garden. He also proudly says that the Theertham for the Lord is taken from the sacred well and he is trying to revive all the traditional forms of Thiru Aradhanam at the temple.

Traditional attire

Aravamudhan wears a bright traditional look with 12 Thiruman and a tuft. He himself doubles up as the cook at the madapalli which has also been renovated over the last year or so. Ghee Pongal is now presented to the Lord every morning and distributed to the local devotees. He has also been teaching Slokams and Divya Prabhandham to the village kids to initiate them early into the path of devotion. Vishnu Sahasranamam is played out twice a day on the temple loudspeaker as the temple town regains some of its historical glory.

The 33 year old Aravamudhan has tears rolling down his cheeks when he talks about the 15+ utsava idols that have been at the icon center for a long time now. The utsavams have long been stopped. There is a horse vahana that is still seen at the temple an indication that there was vahana procession in the century gone by but not anymore. 

He is hoping that a Brahmotsavam can be started sometime in the future.

Senthil Kumar says that they were able to convince the HR & CE to hand over the utsava idol for a month during Margazhi last year and that he says was a significant  first step towards revival of utsavams. 

Taking care of the Priest

Senthil Kumar says that along with the residents, he spoke to the HR & CE and secured a daily wages of Rs.100 for his archaka service. He also says that the villagers have been ready to take care of other requirements of the priest as long as he is here full time. He confirmed to this writer that as long as he performs the Thiru Aradhanam every day and takes care of the devotional aspects of the devotees, the villagers will take care of his financial requirement. The provisions for the madapalli too have been taken care of through devotees. 

Full Fledged Renovation Exercise

The Raja Gopuram continues to wear the same faded look that this writer had seen and photo captured 15years ago. The HR & CE has allocated a sum of over Rs. 20 Lakhs for the renovation. On the village devotees’ part, Senthil Kumar says that the residents have collected close to a dozen lakhs from devotee donors and transferred to the HR & CE account for the renovation project. Once the tenders are floated and finalized, he says that the renovation work including of the Raja Gopuram can start.

                                     SP Koil Tower in 2009

The temple had been without a priest for almost a decade and remained in a dilapidated state. But there is great news for now with the arrival of the young priest. It is hoped with the presence of the 33 year old Aravamudhan, the temple can see a revival with the devotees coming back to the temple for a darshan of the handsome looking Sundara Perumal and the restoration of the physical infrastructure at the temple.

PS Moses TN Ranji batsman 1970s 80s

After a blazing start in March 1977 against Bombay as a 19year old, he was in the form of his cricketing life in 1982 when his father’s heart attack followed by a ‘Spiritual Experience’ transformed him. A 2nd tragedy in the early 90s led him into Social Entrepreneurship and deeper into ‘FAITH’

Paul Satish Moses shot into prominence as a 19 year old with a stunning knock in the Ranji Trophy Semi Final against Bombay in March 1977. A big knock against Bombay was always seen in special light in those days and created a big impression on the powers that be. It was an innings that drew immediate praise from batting legend and his cricketing icon Sunil Gavaskar from whom he received an international brand gloves. It was a magical moment in his life and he was on a high. In 1982, he was in the form of his life with a century and a 90 against a strong Hyderabad attack in successive seasons. Just then his father suffered a heart attack and the 25 year old had to run from pillar to post seeking life support. The doctors threw their hands up and asked him to reach out to the 'Superior Powers' above. The youngster, who was all alone that night, was shocked at the response. Soon after he had a great ‘Spiritual Experience’ (enlightenment) that transformed his thought process and he was never the same again.  The experience reformed him as a person and led him to give up serious cricket. At the turn of the next decade, the death of his 18 day daughter led him even deeper into this transformational journey. Over the last couple of decades, he has immersed himself fully into ‘FAITH’ and has turned into a Social Entrepreneur supporting 75 girl children. Here is the story.

The first Gift- Bill Ponsford Bat from Moore Market!!!

Like all young boys from that generation, PS Moses was crazy about cricket and spent a lot of time at the Nehru Park playing cork ball cricket. Like the Somasundaram ground in T. Nagar, this ground too in Chetput served as a launch platform for budding cricketers.

His father Dr RV Moses was the early inspiration for young Paul. Though he himself was not a cricketer, the Senior Moses would roll his arm over every day at home shaping his son’s batting technique. While his father was impressed with the way he played in the inter colony matches in Purasawakkam, there was disappointment in store for Paul soon after he joined MCC School in Chetput. 

PS Moses, now 66, recounts the struggle he encountered to get into the school team in the late 1960s “MCC School had a strong cricket team and was dominated by seniors. My father felt that I was talented and wanted them to take a look at me but despite his request to the PD, I was not allowed into the nets. It took quite an effort for me to have my first knock at the school nets.”

However, the moment coach Audi Chetty had one look at the 11 year old, he was impressed and 'my cricketing prowess began to grow under his watchful eyes', says Moses looking back at how he overcame the early rejection “I scored 35 in my first knock for the school against the Railways team and cemented my place in the team. I was totally thrilled when my father took me to Moore Market and surprised me by handing me a ‘Bill Ponsford’ bat. It was my first big moment in cricket.”

Into the TNCA League - God has his ways!!!

His induction into the TNCA League came out of nowhere. The owner of Milky Way CC, Devarajan, was a medical representative. Moses recalls as to how his father sprung another surprise on him that evening in the early 70s “The two got talking about medicines at my father’s clinic in Padi and when the conversation turned to cricket, my induction into the fifth division league team was sealed.”

Deceptive medium pacer during his school days

Moses had two terrific seasons with Milky Way picking up over 50wickets including 7 and 8 wicket hauls.  These along with his performances for the school got him into the city schools and state schools side. Former TN off spinner M Santosh Kumar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/06/m-santosh-kumar-iob-tn-ica.html) played alongside Moses right from the City Schools days right up to Ranji Trophy and was his deputy at the TN state schools tourney as well. Along with current BCCI President Roger Binny, Santosh was also part of the South Zone schools team that Moses captained against North Zone comprising Kapil Dev and Rajinder Amarnath. He recalls Moses from those early years "Moses was a terrific batsman and a very good medium pace bowler with a deceptive bouncer. He was unplayable on matting wickets. He was a gritty cricketer and a classical all-rounder."

While he performed well on the field as an all-rounder in that phase in his mid-teens, what stood out distinctively was his conduct both on and off the field.

“Pasmo (a name given by his close mate Bharath Reddy) was a great Gentleman of the game. He was a very soft spoken person and a nice character to move with on and off the field” says Santosh.

Big Cricketing years at Pachaiappas -Academics takes a back seat

Along with his school mate Bharath Reddy, with whom he was to forge a five decades long friendship, he joined the Pachaiappas College, a team that also had TA Sekar and Santosh. It was a glorious cricket phase for him and he enjoyed the fun atmosphere at the college. 

By this time, Moses’s entire focus was on cricket and academics had taken a back seat. “My father was a doctor and my brother and sister both went on to do medicine. I was the odd one out in the family on the academics front. But my father encouraged me a lot and believed that I could go a long way with the talent I possessed. This helped me play with a free mind in my teenage phase without any parental pressure.”

Along with his college mates, he signed up with Gandhi Nagar club (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/02/gandhi-nagar-sports-club-cricket-ground.html) in the first division. His two hundreds for the city colleges in the Buchi Babu tournament grabbed attention and into his late teens, he seemed to be moving in the right direction in cricket.

India fast bowler from the 1980s and the architect of the MRF Pace Foundation TA Sekar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2013/08/ta-sekar-architect-behind-worlds-best.html) played with Moses through the college phase and at the U22 level and later for TN in the Ranji Trophy. He looks back at Moses as one of the most lovable characters in TN cricket in that period.

Naturally gifted stroke maker

Head of TNCA Academy, PC Prakash was part of the TN team through the 1980s. He found Moses to be a naturally gifted player. “There was a certain style about him in the way he batted. He was excellent in stroke play and timed the ball well. He never seemed to hit too hard but always got the desired results. I fondly remember his double hundred for City Colleges vs Districts at Udumalpet, an innings that stood out for patience and shot selection, bringing out his other side." 

The two of them also played together at the University level and there too 'Paul played some eye catching innings truly memorable ones'. As a team mate, Paul was fun loving and a jolly guy who was always loved by his teammates, says PCP.

A cricketer liked by everyone

Off Spinner and top order bat NS Ramesh played for the Coimbatore districts in his late teens and later went on to play for RBI in the TNCA first division. He was touched by Moses’ personality and the way he moved around with his teammates "While he was a compact and fine batsman, it was the warmth that he exuded that stood out in him. Moses was a very friendly and unassuming guy. He was the kind of person who was liked by all those who knew him."

A dream debut season- Biggest Cricketing Moment

He had made his Ranji debut in December 1976 when TE Srinivasan pulled out at the last moment against Hyderabad “I batted well against Ramnarayan and Abid Ali and scored 30 but with TE back for the next match against Karnataka, I was left out and did not figure in the QF against Railways as well.”

He was picked for the big semifinal clash against Bombay (replacing Michael Dalvi). He was just 19 then and got a taste of what top notch Ranji cricket was all about. On the first morning, TN slumped to 31 for 4 and Moses was up against a fiery Karsan Ghavri and Ismail. “It was a tense entry with my batting idol Gavaskar standing at first slip. I gathered all my determination to see through the initial pace battering and ended up with a satisfying knock of 87.”

Legendary leggie VV Kumar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2007/07/cricket-tales-exclusive-with-vv-kumar.html) was in his final phase as a cricketer when Moses played that great knock against Bombay and ‘saved TN from the blushes’. He remembers Moses as a chistle cut bat who never deviated from ground realities. "He was an excellent member on tours and his dry sense of humour ‘kept us in good spirits’.  Those who needed solace and comfort could always lean on his shoulders." 

TN Ranji Trophy winning captain S Vasudevan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/06/vasudevan-tn-ranji-trophy-retirement.html) was team mates with Moses right from the college days and saw many of his stupendous innings. During that entire decade of playing together, he found Moses to be a very sweet person. "And that innings in Bombay  was a memorable one."

When Moses arrived at the dressing room the next morning, he was in for a big surprise. He saw Sunil Gavaskar walking towards him and what happened in the next few moments left him dazed “My cricketing idol handed me an international pair of batting gloves and said ‘I hope to see you in the Indian team soon.’ His words left me numb and I simply could not believe what had happened. It remains my biggest cricketing moment.”

Grateful to VVK and Kalli

As recounted to this writer over the last many years by many of the Ranji stars from the 1970s and 80s, the TN dressing room was not the most cheerful in that phase.  It was overwhelming for a teenager to be part of that dressing room. Moses is grateful to VV Kumar and B Kalyanasundaram for their inspirational role in that debut season ‘VV and Kalli kept motivating and cheering me up with positive words that was so important for a youngster. It helped in taking away that fear of underperformance and being shouted at. It was their contribution off the field that had a calming influence on me in that early phase in my Ranji career.”

High Expectations, Gets a Golden Duck

As expected, that knock against Bombay sent expectations soaring and he was on top of the world. Soon his name was doing the rounds for the national camp ahead of the tour to Australia (he did not make it into the camp). But as is so often the case, he was brought down to earth in the first match next season when on a damp wicket, he was out first ball to Chandrasekara Rao against Andhra. 

Another Master Class on a soggy wicket against Haryana Hurricane

It was on another damp wicket in Jammu that Moses showcased his class in the Vizzy Trophy against North Zone in early 1978. NP Madhavan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/05/np-madhavan.html), who has spent the last four decades at SVPB in Udumalpet, was Moses' roommate during that tourney and remembers the way he fought it out against a rampant Kapil “When we entered Jammu, all talks were on the ‘Haryana Hurricane’. A certain wave of expectations had been built around Kapil. It was a soggy wicket and we were made to play on that though heavy rain had lashed the city. Kapil had 8 fielders around the bat and was almost unplayable. Moses batted with grit and great determination to counter Kapil. Though Kapil took 8 wickets, Moses with his half century helped us reach 161 (Madhavan himself made 30). And then on the final day our captain L Vasan ran through North Zone in 30 odd overs.”

“It was clear to all those that watched the stylish Moses that day that he was a special talent, one that had to be nurtured.”

“As a person, he was soft spoken. Even when he was in the opposition (Madhavan played for IOB in the late 1970s and then for SVPB), he was a very friendly person and it was always good to be talking to him.”

Joins Chemplast, Jolly Rovers cricket was his most enjoyable phase

After his strong debut season, Moses’ fortunes for TN fluctuated in the coming years and he was in and out of the team. He joined Chemplast in 1979 and contrasted with his TN days, he says playing for Jolly Rovers gave him the greatest joy “N Sankar was just unbelievable. He provided all the freedom that we needed as players and there was great camaraderie within the team. It was a real joy to play alongside Sriram and Balaji and later under Bharath Reddy after he took charge in 82 along with Jabbar, Jillu Ramesh and V Prasad. I could fully express myself there without the fear of being shouted at.”

The Hindu’s K Balaji (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/09/a-blossoming-cricket-career-was-cut.html) played for Jolly Rovers for a few years in that phase and saw Moses from close quarters. “He was a talented all round cricketer and a solid team player”, says Balaji.

Best years in Ranji Cricket

He had his two best years in Ranji Trophy in 81-82 and 82-83. For the first time, he got to play almost the entire Ranji season in these two years. In January 1982, he scored a brilliant 90 at the Forest College ground in Coimbatore against Hyderabad helping TN take the first innings lead, a knock that this writer watched in full seated under the tent on the Southern side. In December that year, Moses scored his first and only century in Ranji Trophy against Hyderabad. He was involved in a partnership of over 150 with debutant R Madhavan who missed his century by four runs. 

Moses gave me my batting confidence

Madhavan, whose Ranji career began with that partnership with Moses at Secunderabad and peaked in the 1984-85 when he was on the verge of India Selection, says that right from his school days he was a great admirer of Moses and particularly remembers his fierce square cuts and punches. "He also had this ability to score under pressure." 

Madhavan also credits Moses for giving him the confidence during his college and early Ranji days “Along with Tony Adams, Moses was the one who gave me tremendous confidence during my college days as he had big faith in my abilities . In my early days of first class cricket, the presence of Moses and Jabbar was comforting. They gave me a lot of guidance and I was able to bat without curtailing my aggression and stroke play” 

“Moses was a very affable and friendly person and his ready smile was contagious! I think TN didn't nurture that great talent."

A Complete Team Man

Jolly Rovers and TN teammate for close to a decade, Abdul Jabbar says he was fortunate to watch all of Moses' delightful innings in the RT matches including his brilliant knock against Bombay and later his twin delight against a strong Hyderabad team. The two spent a lot of happy time together on and off the field. He told this writer from Hyderabad where he now resides that Paul Moses was an attractive, elegant as well as a destructive middle order batsman with a wide range of strokes "He was a complete team man. His special knocks in Ranji Trophy revealed that he had immense talent & potential to play higher level but it was not to be."

Father's heart attack 

Dr Moses was all excited about the cricketing prospects of his son in this phase but then tragedy struck. "My father suffered a heart attack late in the night. I was just 25 with a younger brother and sister.  I ran from pillar to post seeking life support for my father. I had a sinking feeling and asked the doctor if he would survive and was shocked at the response. The doctor just threw up his hands  and told me that it was now left to the superior power above."

The youngster, who was all alone that night, did not know what it meant. It was a very difficult thing for him to take that night (his father survived and lived another two decades) and opened him up to a lot of questions about life, at a time when he was in the form of his life on the cricket field. 

The Spiritual Experience

Soon after he had a great ‘Spiritual Experience’ (enlightenment) that transformed his thought process and he was never the same again. He began questioning the purpose of life. The experience reformed him as a person and led him to give up serious cricket when he was 27. It took him on an entirely new path. He wanted to make life a lot more meaningful. After his spiritual experience in 1983, his habits changed overnight. It was the most releasing thing of his life and he found a new freedom that he had hitherto not experienced. For a time during that Ranji phase, he felt he had been in a ‘prison of agony’ and it occurred to him that one should not be spending an important phase in life that way. 

He was at crossroads in life in the mid 1980s caught between cricket on one side and a corporate career on the other. While he decided to give up serious cricket, he worked hard at Chemplast for another 15years in the Personnel department. 

Did not work hard enough to succeed in cricket

Looking back on his Ranji career, he agrees that he did not work as hard as he should have, given the great potential he had and the early success that came his way. He says fitness was not in big focus those days and 'a lot of us played for fun and for job security'. 

"I did not cherish fierce ambitions of climbing high on the cricketing ladder. Also, opportunities at the state level was limited and we played a lot on square turners. Venkat (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/04/venkataraghavan75.html) was an exception and wanted everyone to be like him but I simply did not match up to his expectations. I played under pressure through most of my Ranji days and with a feeling that I was always one innings away from being dropped.”

Names his son after his batting idol

Like the former  MD of Sundaram Finance TT Srinivasaraghavan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/08/tt-srinivasaraghavan-tts-sundaram.html) who named his son after the legendary off spinner (Venkataraghavan) and Gavaskar himself who named his son after the West Indian batting great (Rohan), Paul Moses too named his son after his batting idol as Sunil Moses. His son went on to play U19 cricket for TN and for Alwarpet in the first division.

Tragedy Strikes

A few years after the birth of his first son, tragedy struck in the family. In 1991, he lost his daughter just 18 days after her birth. His closest mate in cricket Bharath Reddy (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/11/bharath-reddy-players-man.html), who had been a team mate right from their school  days, recounts that tragic year "I went and visited him at the Kalyani Hospital. He was completely down and out for a year. The tragedy drove him faster towards his spiritual endeavours."

Moses went into further introspection after this event and began asking probing questions on what life was about. He was doing well at Chemplast in the 1990s but quit the firm in 1998 rather prematurely when a strong professional career beckoned. 

76 year old B Kalyanasundaram (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2011/08/kalli-b-kalyanasundaram.html) is now travelling across the state on a talent hunt scouting for the next generation of fast bowlers. He himself was a star bowler in the late 1960s and 70s and was on the verge of being selected for the Indian tour to the West Indies. He has always been referred to by Gavaskar as the 'hat-trick man'. Kalli and Moses worked together at Chemplast for a decade.

Kalli believes that Moses could have scaled better heights had he continued there “Moses was an excellent guy. He was not only good at Cricket but made a mark in his professional career in the Personnel department at Chemplast.  He was always well regarded by his friends, fellow cricketers and colleagues in the office. He was very trustworthy and would have scaled better heights had he chosen to continue his professional life."

Into Social Entrepreneurship

Moses moved into Social Entrepreneurship and launched a home near Kanchipuram for 75 girl children and has been running it for the last 25years. He also looked back at his cricketing days and did not like a lot of what he experienced in Ranji cricket. This led him to foraying into ‘Sports Ethics’ directing the next gen on how sports should be played. He finds every opportunity to talk to young sportspeople on how they should look at sports. ‘While they should stay competitive and chase their sporting dream, they should also remember all the time that they should play ‘fair and clean’.”

Into FAITH

As part of his transformation into the ‘FAITH’ space, he continues to preach at Churches based on scriptures on the way to live, on the importance of even loving your enemies and on making the world a better place to live. He says that the real test of a human being is when he or she is under a crisis. ‘That’s when your real character comes out.’

He feels blessed to have made life time friends through cricket and cherishes the great camaraderie to this day. “The cricketing memories will never fade away for it helped forged ever lasting friendships. I am very proud to have played the game for as long as I did.”

For the moment, Moses’s focus is on taking care of the 75 girl children in Kanchipuram, directing the next generation of sportspeople on ‘Sports Ethics’, Motivating people through his speaker sessions on the ‘Dharmic’ way to live life while staying competitive  and propagating ‘FAITH’ that has been close to his heart for four decades now since his first Spiritual Experience in 1983.

The Final Word

His team mate from the late 1960s Bharath Reddy  (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/03/jolly-rovers-bharath-reddy-40-years.html) has known him long and the best. He credits Moses for having a positive influence on his life. "He taught me the importance of loyalty. On many aspects in life, I have followed his way of life. He has remained a great human being all through his life, a God Fearing Man, humble and straight forward and one who has always believed in mutually enduring long term relationships. His communication skills and the ability to articulate his thoughts has helped him in his motivational speaking sessions and with his 'Sports Ethics' training. He was a gritty fighter during his cricketing days and it is commendable that he has overcome really challenging times in his life to support the 75 odd girl children in the home near Kanchi for as long a period as he has done."