Vasanthi in Dubai

Pollachi Padmanabhan's daughter Vasanthi and her husband Sampath (Kannan) are visiting their only son Karthik in Dubai, for three months. This is their second visit to Dubai,but their first, after Karthik's wedding last year.Vasanthi emailed this picture, taken during their visit to Al Ain. Al Ain, which means "the water spring", is called the 'Garden City of The Gulf' . It is said the authorities do not allow construction of any building higher than seven floors, in order to maintain its image as a place known for its greenery - a rarity in Middle-East.
Vasanthi's father Mr Padmanabhan is expected to join her in Dubai early next month. Apart from being his grand-father Mr Padmanabhan has been a mentor for young Karthik.

Nikhil is two

It is Nikhil's birthday today, November 16. He is two. We took this photo in Mysore when they Skypes us from San Ramon C A a couple of days back.

Chittappa for Sharjah

Our Padmanabha chittappa is all set for a Sharjah trip next month, to visit grandson Karthik. His grandson works in Dubai, commuting there from his residence in Sharjah. This is Mr Padmanabhan's first trip abroad. He is scheduled to leave December 9 from Coimbatore, which has a direct flight to Sharjah. He didn't have to go to Chennai even for visa. Chittappa could get his ticket and visa from his own town Pollachi.

For someone his age Mr Padmanabhan is very active and a doer - accomplishes whatever he sets out to do. And he still has the urge to travel, visit places , and meet new people. We look forward to a load of stories on his Dubai experience on his return from month-long trip abroad. Meanwhile, he could ask Karthik and his wife to e-mail photos on chittappa's trip for publication in this family blog.

His grandson Karthik has been inviting Mr Padmanabhan to visit him in Dubai for a while now. He couldn't go with daughter Vasanthi and son-in-law Kannan when they made their first trip last year. They are leaving again later this month for a three-month stay in Sharjah with their son and daughter-in-law. This time Chittappa Padmanabhan would join them on a much deserved holiday in Sharjah. He is due back at Pollachi early next year.

Faded family album: A wedding and a poonal

Faded pictures take you back in time; trigger memory into recalling events and incidents that you would not have otherwise remembered, or have even forgotten.
This one is dated 1974. Apart from the bride and the groom one can spot in this frame at least 10 persons, many of them partly visible. Recognizing them all is a challenge. I can make out no more than four faces in this photo.
Bhagya's wedding and her brother Sridhar's poonal were held at the same venue - Kozhumbu Chattiram, Palani. It was a two-in-one event, and cost effective from our parents' point of view.
Our family picture, taken after the wedding.The kids here now have children of their own. And two of those in the picture are no more - father and Murthy mama.
This group has had a casualty as well - Govindan's sister (wearing dark glasses).
Most members of the Pollachi clan are here. The photo, like other group photographs, was taken at the backyard of the chaultry, located just a street away from the shrine. Many relatives attended the marriage because we held it at Palani.
Father had reason to feel happy and relieved at having fulfilled, what he saw as, the last of his family responsibilities. Someone else, unrelated to us, and far away in Dehradun, was
equally happy at seeing Bhagya getting married. He was my father's boss in the finance ministry, Shivnaub Singh.

Mr Singh wanted my father to move with him to Dehradun as his personal assistant.My father, who shifted from New Delhi to Pollachi on retirement, had expressed his inability, saying he wouldn't take up any commitment on retirement, till he was able to perform Bhagya's marriage. Now that she was happily married, Shivnaub Singh lost no time persuading my father to join him in Dehradun.

Sahasra, London

Who does she look like ? That chubby face, chappai nose points to her grandma Bhagya, says her mother, as she knew her when Bhagya was Sahasra's age.
Seated over her father Shankar's head. Already ?

The Govindans wedding anniversary

Yesterday (Nov.3) was their wedding anniversary - the Govindans. It was on this day 35 years ago that my sister Bhagya married Govindan, at Palani.
This is the only photo of the occasion available with us in Mysore, though, I presume, my sister has the album, containing pictures of the wedding ceremony and of the relatives who were present on the occasion. Would be nice if she could share some of those photos with us on this family blog.

The marriage was held at a chaultry - Kozhumbu Chattiram - close to the foothills of Palani shrine. The occassion attracted most of our relatives not merely because it was Bhagya's wedding but more so because it was being held at Palani. The chaultry, arrangeged by our Chettipalayam chittappa Ramaiar, didn't cost us anything by way of rent.

And the marriage expenses, excluding the value of gold ornaments and things offered to the bride, added up to Rs.13,000 at 1974 price-level. I remember this because I heard my father V Gopalan telling chittappa that he got Rs.30,000 by way of provident fund on retirement from the government service. Of this he had spent Rs.17,000 in building our Pollachi house, and had kept the rest for Bhagya's wedding. My mother had saved, by way of ornaments and silver vessels, for the wedding. Gold price those days was around Rs.150 a paun (eight grams).
The Govindans went through a second wedding ceremony, this time in New Delhi, two years back (Sept.2007) after he turned 60.

Faded Family Album

Here is a selection from our collection of vintage photos that we thought you might want to see.I am sure every household has such photos to be shared with others in the family, before they fade or get lost.
A group photo of relatives at our wedding in Mysore,1971 (I guess) . Double-click on the image to see an enlarged version.
We were so many in our Pollachi clan that they had to split in two groups for the customary post-wedding photo session. This and the earlier group photo was taken on the terrace of Udupi Krishna Kalyanamandapam.
Wife's mother Meenakshi with a grandchild at their Forest Collage bungalow in Dehradun. Vintage - 1965
Shobi with a baby on a two-wheeler parked in front of her grandma house in Mysore.
In New Delhi, my wife's family with her uncle Ramasami Iyer, aunt Kalyani and cousin Shyamala.
A family outing with other relatives in New Delhi, 1956 .

We would like to carry more such photos in the Faded Family album series. You could scan and mail photos to gv.krishnan@gmail.com