Tracing VKR-Family Roots

Tracing the VKR-Family Roots

I shall attempt to trace the VKR roots, if not from the Bronze Age, at least from the time it came to be known as such. The sketch is based on Bala Chittappa’s account (Sethu’s father, or Sheela’s grandfather) narrated in the 1960s when he stayed with us in Delhi for about ten days for his cataract operation. Some portions, heard from my father, have also been added.

Famine or greener pastures caused an exodus of Brahmin population from Thanjavur, probably in the 19^th century. Our ancestors headed 350 km down to Palghat . The Rajas of Palghat, Kollengode, Calicut, Cochin, welcomed Brahmins as they were Vedic and Sanskrit scholars, and offered them land to set up homes. Thus sprung up ‘agraharams’ (villages) in Palghat – Kalpathy,Vadakkantharai, Ramanathapuram, Chattapuram, etc.

As was expected, in each of these new villages birds of the same feather flocked together. Chokkanathapuram consisted of migrants from Madurai, and they built a Meenakshi-Sundareswarar temple to perpetuate their origin. Nurani’s population came from Tirunelveli side, and they follow Sringeri Swamy-ji. By this token, residents of Vadakkantharai must be from Tiruvenkatam, as the name of the village Siva temple, Tiruvenkatappan, suggests. Our family deity is Vaideeswaran Kovil, near Seerkazi. The roots:

Venkateswara Iyer-1 migrates from Thanjavur. (Unsure what he did for a living.)

Krishna Iyer, his son, known also as Krishna Pattar, starts selling thortha mundu (bath towels) – pedaling his way on bicycle from village to village.

Ramaswamy Iyer-1, his son, upgrades it. Sets up a shop, adds more textile goods. Names it VKR. Brings it to a take-off stage.

Venkateswara Iyer-2, his son, popularly known as Venku Iyer, builds it up further. Apportions assets to his brothers to start business independently – all with the prefix VKR. Thus emerge VKR Venku Iyer & Sons (his own), VKR Appadurai & Sons, VKR Vaidyanatha Iyer & Sons.

Ramaswamy Iyer-2 (my grandfather), son of Venku Iyer, heads the operations along with his three younger brothers upon the demise of Venku Iyer. Adds name and fame to the establishment. Expands scope of business to both wholesale and retail. Opens branches/administrative offices in Ernakulam, Coimbatore, Madras and Bombay. Raises it to a level to be hailed as the golden age of the VKR era. The family becomes synonymous with wealth-aplenty and benevolence. He is very religious-minded - covers with gold the village Siva temple gopuram, and instals a huge ‘aala vilakku’ at the front. (The name inscribed on the vilakku can be seen - on a day the rock-like oil deposits are scratched, that is). Our ancestral house is still called “Periaam” – the big house. Does pada pujai to the Paramachariar when he visits Vadakkantharai. Performs Sahasra Bhojanam – feeding 1008 scholarly priests and honouring each with gifts: agricultural land, house, cow, cash, etc. (Their descendents still own those houses, while we check into a hotel on visits to our ancestral village. No regrets.)

Upon the death of Ramaswamy Iyer-2, at a young age of 42 or 45, his three younger brothers jointly run the show (Sheela’s grandfather, Ramu’s (CISCO, California) grandfather, and Ramani’s (Chennai) father. Just possible you may not be able to place Ramani.

Venkateswara Iyer-3 (my father) and his younger brother (Calicut Vasantha’s father, or Prasad’s grandfather) get pro rata share upon the demise of their father, Ramaswamy Iyer-2. They set up an independent business; styles it VKRV Ramaswamy Iyer Sons. Their business flourishes no less than VKR Venku Iyer Sons along side.

World War II breaks out. Shortage of goods. The business community gets wind of British Government’s plan to enforce price-control by stamping their own sale-prices on all goods. My father suggests to other VKR constituents to retain a nominal stock and transfer the rest to the stockist in Pondicherry, a French territory then where this regulation does not apply, and to retrieve the goods after the War. The suggestion is rejected outright because it is against the spirit of VKR’s integrity and business ethics.

Government implements price-control. Goods bought at, say, @ Rs 100 per unit are stamped to be sold compulsorily at, say, Rs 80. In other words, sell at a loss - and in a wholesale business. The financiers who advanced us money get panicky. They rush to demand their money back. We are unable to comply, more so with the stocks still unsold. Next course. The government arbitrator; does a valuation of our movable and immovable assets and decides that for each Rs 100 that we borrowed, we would repay the financiers, with their consent, say, @ Rs 70. Accounts are settled in full by each constituent by selling all their agricultural lands, residences, and jewellery collection. The financiers suffer a marginal loss. All the VKR establishments – Venku Iyer, Ramaswamy Iyer, Appadurai Iyer, Vaidyanatha Iyer – collapse like a pack of cards. Overnight all are on the streets penniless - from prince to a pauper.

Two of my father’s Chittappas are rehabilitated by their wife’s relatives. The third and my father’s younger brother take up employment with local cloth merchants – from being employers of many to mere employees themselves.

My mother’s father comes to father’s rescue. He shelters all the seven of us in his house in Ramanathapuram village, in addition to his own family of four. Gives us, children, basic education, and packs us off one by one with his sons to Bombay and Delhi to earn our livelihood.

The tree’s branches now extend to four continents – Asia, Australia, Europe, and the US – with gratitude to the Almighty that the good deeds of both paternal and maternal grandparents have not gone unrewarded.