Rajagopalan: Multifaceted personalities of the Rasikas forum

[thanjavooran]

Ponbhairavi,
Thanks for sharing the wonderful, divine and rare painting.
Thanjavooran
29 09 2018

[Pratyaksham Bala]

.
Aha !
Note the rare portraits of “Maha Raja Raja Shri Ma Rani Mangamma Avargal"* at right; and “Raja Raja Shri Dazhava Ramappaiyer Avargal"* at left !

*(as written in Tamil in the painting)

[Pratyaksham Bala]

.
Titbit :
Shri Subramanian Swamy, Rajya Sabha MP, is a descendant of Dalavai Ramappaiyer !

[Ponbhairavi]

thanks Tsnjavooran..
P.Bala Very good observation on a painting by another painting artist.!Your deciphering the tamil names in that picture and adding the titbit information really add to the significance of the Picture. Artiste name anhwhere?

[Ponbhairavi]

Chandramathi holding logidasan in her arms. Silpi

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gpsH1 ... XQ2XckOhiu

[arasi]

Ponbhairavi,
And then, YOU leave us
Will miss you...

[nadhasudha]

I plan to post his kavidhais from time to time - just as a way to share it with folks whose company he valued and also as a means for me to reflect upon his writings and share it. Not sure if I need to post it here or on kavithaigal by rasikas thread.

[rajeshnat]

YOu can post it here itself as they all belong to your appa. This thread is all about his contribution.

[arasi]

Rajesh,
Yes, indeed, as I have suggested in the eulogy thread.

[nadhasudha]

Thanks rajeshnat and arasi ji.

[nadhasudha]

ஞாயிறில் தீபாவளி - by ponbhairavi

புத்தாடை சரசரப்பு, கரவொலியில் கைவளையல் கலகலப்பு!
கொத்து மலர்க் கோதையர்தம் மென்முகத்தில் புன் சிரிப்பு!
கூட வரும் அப்பாக்கள் ஜிப்பாக்கள் காட்டும் அரைமுருவல்!
பல்சுவை பணியாரம் பலவுண்ட நிரைமுகங்கள்
கம்பி மத்தாப்பிசையில் அவை சிவக்கும்! - மறுநொடியே
வயலின் கம்பி வளம் அதைப் பச்சையாய் மாற்றிவிடும்!
கலசம்போல் வண்ணவண்ணப் பூச்சொரியும் ராகங்கள்
ராக்கெட்டாய் மேல் எழும்பி ஒளிவீசும் பிருகாக்கள்!
விஷ்ணு சக்கரமாய் பொறி சுழற்றும் ஸ்வரக் கோர்வை!
வினாடிக்கொரு வண்ணங்காட்டி ஒளிரும் ராக மாலிகை!
சாட்டையெனச் சுண்டிச் சொக்கவைக்கும் மோராக்கள்!
'தனி'யாக ஆர்ப்பரிக்கும் நீள் சரவெடிப் பேரொலிக்குள்
கட முழக்கம் ஊசி வெடிச்சரம்போல் உள் ஒலிக்கும்!
காதைப் பொத்திடச் செய்திடும் இன்ப வேதனையோ?
மழையில் நனைந்தாலும் பிசுபிசுக்கா புஸ்வாணங்கள்!
அருங்கலை! ஐயமில்லை! சீனாவின் பங்கிதில் சிறிதுமில்லை!
அனைத்துமே சிவகாசி உள்ளடக்கிய தமிழ்மண்தான் - ஆம்
திங்கள் தோறும் ஞாயிறில் தீபாவளி நம் பைரவியில்!

[thanjavooran]

Nadhasudha,
Excellent. I recollect his creations. Blessings.
Thanjavooran
05 11 2018

[rajeshnat]

கம்பி மத்தாப்பிசையில் அவை சிவக்கும்! - மறுநொடியே
வயலின் கம்பி வளம் அதைப் பச்சையாய் மாற்றிவிடும்!

Nadasudha
I did not get the phrase "வயலின் கம்பி வளம் அதைப் பச்சையாய் மாற்றிவிடும்!". Rest are all fine , i got it .

அருங்கலை! ஐயமில்லை! சீனாவின் பங்கிதில் சிறிதுமில்லை!
அனைத்துமே சிவகாசி உள்ளடக்கிய தமிழ்மண்தான் - ஆம்
திங்கள் தோறும் ஞாயிறில் தீபாவளி நம் பைரவியில்!

Nadasudha
Your appa all of a sudden connects so beautifully with always a contemporary theme , he suddenly adds phrase China has no role to play there and connecting to sivakasi and from there possibly to his sabha bhairavi .His flow is so varied but when it comes in words it all ties up beautifully which many many struggle . His thoughts was just like mannargudi rajagopalaswami temple , the temple may have many idols inside but they all tie up with a powerful theme .

[rajeshnat]

Rajagopalan was born in the year 1937 - April 4th 1937 to be precise. I have written a tribute for him and I am sharing it here.

How do I even begin to describe Appa? - A dynamic multifaceted personality who was the fulcrum of our family. A linguist, a poet, an author, a creative artist, a carnatic music rasika, a screenplay writer, an actor, a director, an athlete and above all a karma yogi who tread the path of dharma and so much more.

Born as the eighth child of Vengattaramayyar and Nagalakshmi and aptly named as Rajagopalan after Lord Krishna. He was affectionately called as பெரியம்பி within family circles. He was a very active child scaling temple walls in Karaikal, climbing coconut trees, rounding up all the kids in the neighborhood and regaling them with stories of magicians with flying carpets. He was very good in mathematics especially geometry but little did he know that he will make a career out of French.

He moved to Puducherry after completing his Baccalaureate degree in Karaikal and took up a job in the administration department at JIPMER . That is when he decided to do his M.Phil at Dharwad in Pune, in French and subsequently took up the post of Lecturer in French at JIPMER. I have heard through friends of mine that his lectures were very popular because the learning was made fun with a lot of humor thrown in.

Growing up our time at JIPMER campus was a golden time. Appa and his friends would get together and have late night chat sessions at our house verandah that would culminate in Appa writing and staging drama for Staff Nite at JIPMER. His forte was political satire and many a times he would have the audience in splits just being on stage. He was also an active member of Pondicherry Volleyball association and would spend a lot of time organizing inter state tournaments. Being an athletic person every Sunday morning would be spent playing badminton in the campus badminton court.

Then in 80's he found an outlet for yet another passion of his - carnatic music. He founded Bhairavi - a Carnatic music circle in Puducherry and successfully ran the sabha for 25 years with a membership model and one concert a month. He brought all major artists to Bhairavi and used to organize concerts, often with meagre membership funds. Many carnatic music legends have visited our house while staying opposite at the JIPMER guest house and have raved about Amma's freshly brewed degree coffee most notable among them being Shri. Umayalpuram Sivaraman.

Sampradaya Bhajans and Radha Kalyanams was another passion of his and he has organized numerous bhajans at our home supporting many bhagavathas.

He was a pillar of support to his parents, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces and others in the extended family in tough times and has chaperoned countless relatives and friends for treatments at JIPMER. Never the one to complain about his health, he battled through a major spinal fusion surgery in 1999. His favorite lines were "Grin and Bear", " It is better to wear out than rust out" and "Simple living High Thinking" and he lived by all of it till his last breath.

His exceptional skills at geometry would come in handy later when he would make models of temple chariots, water tanks, temple gopurams out of cardboard and household materials which continue to adorn both my brother's and my house golus.

All through this, my Amma has been the person who maintained the household which gave him the freedom to engage in so many activities.

My brother inherited Appa's academic intelligence and is a successful practising Hematologist Oncologist while some of his artistic inclinations have rubbed off on me. His four grandsons have each inherited some of his talents.

He earned a lot of goodwill and friends who stayed with him through thick and thin. Never the one who cared much for material possessions I do not recollect ever seeing him wear any jewellery except for a watch which adorned his left hand.

He has published several books, written many short stories and tamizh kavidhais. His literary knowledge was very deep and spanned both French and Tamizh and he could easily discuss a Jean Paul Sartre, Subramanya Bharathi or the Silapaddikaram.

He also had a significant contribution( more than 1000 posts) on an online music forum called rasikas.org and went by the name of ponbhairavi - a mix of Pondicherry and Bhairavi - both very dear to him.

He was a stickler for tradition, yet with a modern outlook and a very principled person.

Full of Joie de Vivre he took whatever problems life threw at him head on. It is our purva janma punyam that we were co travellers on the journey of his for all these years. We are inspired to lead our lives like he has. And what an inspiration he has been!

We will continue to cherish the memories of the times we got to spend with him and will hold them very dear to our heart.

Adieu Appa!

[rajeshnat]

How do I even begin to describe Appa? - A dynamic multifaceted personality who was the fulcrum of our family. A linguist, a poet, an author, a creative artist, a carnatic music rasika, a screenplay writer, an actor, a director, an athlete and above all a karma yogi who tread the path of dharma and so much more.

Nadasudha,
I am particularly interested to know his screenplay and director persona. Was he part of any drama troop like komal swaminathan, cho ramaswamy etc. Take your time to enlist what all he did as screen play and director. Tell what all you know if possible collect some more data by talking to his Pondy friends and then write. Donot rush.

[arasi]

Nadasudha,
Thanks for bringing your father's thematic poem to us--which makes us think for a moment that he's here with us. I wondered about the sivappu and pachai too.
Two typos can be corrected: arai muRuval
niRai mugangaL முறுவல் and நிறை.

Rajesh,
Your tamizh aRivu impresses me.

[nadhasudha]

Nadasudha,
Thanks for bringing your father's thematic poem to us--which makes us think for a moment that he's here with us. I wondered about the sivappu and pachai too.
Two typos can be corrected: arai muRuval
niRai mugangaL முறுவல் and நிறை.

Rajesh,
Your tamizh aRivu impresses me.

Thanks Arasi ji! Point noted about the typos. Unable to go back and edit post.

[nadhasudha]

கம்பி மத்தாப்பிசையில் அவை சிவக்கும்! - மறுநொடியே
வயலின் கம்பி வளம் அதைப் பச்சையாய் மாற்றிவிடும்!

Nadasudha
I did not get the phrase "வயலின் கம்பி வளம் அதைப் பச்சையாய் மாற்றிவிடும்!". Rest are all fine , i got it .

அருங்கலை! ஐயமில்லை! சீனாவின் பங்கிதில் சிறிதுமில்லை!
அனைத்துமே சிவகாசி உள்ளடக்கிய தமிழ்மண்தான் - ஆம்
திங்கள் தோறும் ஞாயிறில் தீபாவளி நம் பைரவியில்!

Nadasudha
Your appa all of a sudden connects so beautifully with always a contemporary theme , he suddenly adds phrase China has no role to play there and connecting to sivakasi and from there possibly to his sabha bhairavi .His flow is so varied but when it comes in words it all ties up beautifully which many many struggle . His thoughts was just like mannargudi rajagopalaswami temple , the temple may have many idols inside but they all tie up with a powerful theme .

Rajeshnat - Thanks for your comments. I am taking a wild guess here. The words வளம் and பச்சை conjures up images of fertile paddy fields that are beautiful and are a sight to behold. The face turns green on hearing the rich sounds emanating from the violin strings literally but metaphorically it makes the faces happy and a sight to behold. I am not aware of any தமிழ் literary reference that may apply in this instance. My 2 cents.

Let me know your thoughts.

[arasi]

Yes, Nadasudha. The word vaLam gives the clue (green). Makes him proceed with his visual imagery--the sparklers effect changing colors in happy faces with their light...

[rajeshnat]

nadasudha
gentle reminder on post #290 on your appas screenplay and director persona.

sridhar rang
you can give a try on pachai vaLam kambi. I have,a gut feeling that u may interpret more closer to ponbhairavi rajagopalan sir's intent

[nadhasudha]

nadasudha
gentle reminder on post #290 on your appas screenplay and director persona.

sridhar rang
you can give a try on pachai vaLam kambi. I have,a gut feeling that u may interpret more closer to ponbhairavi rajagopalan sir's intent

Rajeshnat - I recollect those dramas from my childhood memories. In terms of getting my hands on to actual screenplays is going to take some time. Unfortunately not many of his friends are living anymore and I am going to have to search for them.

[nadhasudha]

A month has elapsed since he passed away and I thought I will share a writing of his today.

Title of kavidhai is Oorukku Pudhusu

இந்த ஊருக்கு புதுசு நான்
வந்தேன் கண்டேன் வியந்தேன்
"ஹை" என்ற ஓலி கேட்டுத் திரும்பிய நான்
நம்கும்பகோணத்து குதிரைச் சாரதி
யாரையும் என்பின்னே காண்கிலேன்
வாத்ஸல்யம்ததும்ப ஒருவரை ஒருவர்
விளிக்கும் வார்த்தையிது என்றறிந்தேன்
இங்கு எல்லாமே greatஉம் grand உம் தான்
ஏரிகள் ஆகட்டும் பள்ளத்தாக்குகள் ஆகட்டும்
நாட்டின் பரப்பளவு, காபி கப் கொள்ளளவு
அதை விற்கும் பெண்கள் சுற்றளவு
எல்லாமே பிரும்மாண்டம் தான்
கடைகளில் விற்கும் சோளப்பொறி பைகள்
நம்ம ஊர் யானைப்பசிக்கும் போதுமே
கஜேந்திரன் கால்பிடித்த முதலையின் வாய்கூட
Burger Sandwichஐக் கவ்வவும் முடியுமோ ?
அணில்கள் எல்லாம் கூட பூனைகள் size
நல்ல வேலை இங்கு கொசுக்கள் கிடையாது,
இருந்தால் அவற்றின் size? ஐயஹோ!
புகை பிடித்தால் cancer வரும்
எனும் பயம் நியாயம்தான். ஆனால்
புகைவண்டி trainகளுக்கு கூடவா அப்படி!
சாலைகளில் வாகனங்கள் வலம்வர வலப்புறமே
Right ஒன்றே Right என்பார் இதற்கு,
Left இன் மேல் கொண்ட allergy தான் காரணமோ?
இவர்களுக்கென்றே தனியான ஒரு gallon
வீடுதோறும் shock தரும் சம்சாரம் எப்படியோ!
ஆயினும் மின்சாரம் 110 volts மட்டிலுமே
Switchகளை மேலே தள்ளினால் தான் விளக்கெரியும்
இங்கு பேசுமொழி ஆங்கிலம் என நினைத்ததென் தவறு
சொற்களில் முத்துக்கள் பலவற்றை காணவில்லை
தெரிந்த வார்த்தைகள் என நினைத்த பலவற்றின்
அர்த்தமெல்லாம் வேறுதான் அகராதியும் வேறு தான்
ஊருக்குள் நுழைவதற்கு exit வழி வரவேண்டும்
Do not pass என்ற எச்சரிக்கை பலகைக்கு
செல்லாதே நில் என்று பொருளில்லை
Restroomகள் ஓய்வெடுத்து இளைப்பாறும் இடமல்ல
Half என்றும் Fast என்றும் வாயாற இம்மக்கள்
சொல்லக்கேளாத செவி என்ன செவியே!
Pizzaவைச்சுவையாத நாவென்ன நாவே!
வீட்டுச்சுவர்கூட இவர் மனம் போல் மிக மிருது
ஆணியடிக்க சுத்தியலே தேவையில்லை
மெய்சிலிர்க்கும் மிருகாபிமானம் மிக்க மக்களிவர்
பூனைக்கும் கட்டில் புகழ்மிகு இந்நாட்டில்
நாய்குட்டியாய் பிறக்க நம் முன்னேழு
பிறவியில் மாதவம் செய்திட வேண்டுமம்மா!
T.V. நிகழ்ச்சி தனி; நாய்கள் தாமே சென்று
மோப்பம் பிடித்து வாங்க தனிக்கடைகள்!
மேலும் நாய்க்கென்றே மனநோய் மருத்துவர்கள்
தாழ்வு மனப்பான்மையில் தலை குனிந்தேன்
ஆயினும் ஓர் ஆறுதல்
மேலக்காசாக்குடி வெங்கட்டராமன் ராஜகோபால கிருஷ்ணய்யர்
என்ற முழுப்பெயரை சிதைக்காமல் ஒரு முறையேனும்
திருவாய் மலர்ந்தருள முடியாதே இவர்களால்!

ராஜகோபாலன்

[rajeshnat]

Rajeshnat - I recollect those dramas from my childhood memories. In terms of getting my hands on to actual screenplays is going to take some time. Unfortunately not many of his friends are living anymore and I am going to have to search for them.

Nadasudha
The way i understand right now is your appa did a lot of screenplay, writer, director ,actor when you were too young. Even if you could not recollect screenplay atleast name the plays that he is directed and with whom he was associated in plays. Just tell what you know when you stated that your appa was a screenplay writer, an actor, a director- we can take it from there.

[nadhasudha]

Rajeshnat - I recollect those dramas from my childhood memories. In terms of getting my hands on to actual screenplays is going to take some time. Unfortunately not many of his friends are living anymore and I am going to have to search for them.

Nadasudha
The way i understand right now is your appa did a lot of screenplay, writer, director ,actor when you were too young. Even if you could not recollect screenplay atleast name the plays that he is directed and with whom he was associated in plays. Just tell what you know when you stated that your appa was a screenplay writer, an actor, a director- we can take it from there.

Rajeshnat - Please check your inbox

[rajeshnat]

nadasudha
You have just mentioned the following relevant snippet in a mail to me. Thank you .

My father wrote dramas at JIPMER for their staff nites. There used to be
one every year. These were written and directed by him. He also used to
play a part in it. All of the people on the group were Professors at
JIPMER. - All amateurs. As I said - most of them are not living anymore.
.....

He may have left manuscripts of his dramas- I have to check through them.
Unfortunately that will have to wait until my next India trip.

For now, I will post some of his kavidhais or articles. Please read and
comment on them. Latest one is the ஊருக்கு புதுசு posted in his thread.

Ravi
Any chance that you heard any of shri rajagopalan sir's drama.

[rshankar]

Ravi
Any chance that you heard any of shri rajagopalan sir's drama.

I do not remember attending any of the Staff Nites as a student.