Uncle and aunty
To my knowledge my father had one elder brother and a sister. The elder brother's (my uncle)name was A R Krishnan Iyer. He was a very mild, gentle and pious person unlike my father who was short tempered. Aunt - Ponnammal was a very aggressive lady with some mischievous tendency. My mother had to suffer to great extent because of her. Her deaths were mysterious. Aunt had diabetes and other health problems. In the last stage she was unwell for few days. One day suddenly she became still and every one thought her to be dead. The local doctor (LMP) came examined her and declared as dead In the villages in olden days there was a practice to cut a mango tree if it is available in the compound on the death of any member of the family to cremate. In every house there will be more than one mango tree. At least a branch will be cut for cremation purpose. Some went to call the priest of the family who is about 5 - 6 km away. All arrangements were made ready for taking the body for cremation. When the rituals were to start she suddenly sat up and started weeping and telling her experience just before her getting up. She said that she was taken to Yama's place and Yama told his assistants that it is not yet time for hear death and she should be sent back to the earth. Accordingly she was sent back. She was feeling that she had been very difficult in her life for others and repented for the same and wanted to correct herself. She became a changed person from that incident. After that incident she was alive for about 2 years when she passed away.
Children of uncle Krishna Iyer
Uncle late Krishnan Iyer had 5 daughters and 3 sons. I do not remember the order. However the eldest one late Lakshmi is daughter. Those days marriages were performed when the girl cross 11 years and before 13 years. She was married off and after that there was not much information to me about her. They had children. I have seen her one daughter who was in the ancestral home for some years. Another daughter of uncle is alive and might be about 90 to 95 years of age. She is at present in Chennai with her nephew. She is bent and her posture will be like that of figure 7. Her husband Sundaram Iyer died about 2 years back. He was a railway employee. His native place according to my knowledge is Lekkidi near Palakkad. He became senile and had to be under strict watch or else he would run away like children. They had no issues.
After these 2 daughters, I think uncle had 3 sons by name A K Ramaswamy, A K Narayanan and A K Venkatachalam.
Late A K Ramaswamy was the eldest son. He was employed in the National Grindlays Bank in their Indian Head Branch at Bombay. He was staying is one of the oldest society buildings (Sriram society) in Andheri a suburb of Bombay. He married late Ananthambal from the neighboring village, Desamangalam. They had 1 son A R Krishnan and 1 daughter Vanaja. Son studied engineering and got job in USA and is still in USA. He is married but I do not have details of his children. I think he married from a nearby town Shornur. His sister was married and was staying near to her parents at Andheri. Vanaja had to suffer in her life and died at a comparatively younger age. Both Mr and Mrs Ramaswamy died at Bombay within a gap of about 2 years from each other.His son Krishnan has told me recently when we met at Thrissur at the wedding ceremony the grand daughter of his uncle and my cousin A K Venakatachalam that he owe his becoming an engineer to his cousin uncle, my eldest brother late A R Raman. This bother was his role model and he has also helped him in the studies.
Late A K Narayanan was with his father at Biminipatnam helping to manage the hotel. Uncle Krisha Iyer came back to the village giving full charge to his son Narayanan. Narayanan managed the hotel for some more time and he gave it to one of his brother-in-laws Lat Gopalakrishnan who was one of my maternal uncle. Cousin Narayanan Married Smt Parvathy of Chelakkara a town in the same district.They have 2 sons both were helping their uncle (father's younger brother) one at Bombay and the other at Bangalore. Cousin Narayanan died few years back. After leaving the hotel business to his brother in law he settled down in native place and was looking after the agriculture and other properties of that family. The ancestral house had a large compound of about two acres of land. The front portion facing east and the house also facing east went to father's elder brother, uncle Krishna Iyer. The back side portion, about half of vacant the land went to my father as his share. The entranc to that land was from South and probably due to that fact father did not build a house there, but bought an old house with land of about one and half acres. Father renovated the old building with the mud walls and thatched roof into a bigger one without demolishing the old walls. He fortified the walls, expanded on all the 4 sides of the old one and removed the thatched roof into tiled roof with solid wood frames fixed on to the walls. This renovation was done at the time of the birth of my 2nd eldest brother A R Krishnan and the age of the building was the age of the brother. This building and the attached and was parallel to the ancestral portion of land given to father as his share. There is a road running in between these two properties of father. The uncle's family used to ask for the land behind their house but is of father for themselves as they felt that father have made property for his own and this vacant land is used for cultivation ginger crop whihc is an yearly affair but was a continuation of their property. Hence this portion of the property was know as the ginger land. Since it was a portion of the ancestral property father died not want to part with it.
My mother had leukemia and had to be taken to Thrissur which is about 30 km from our village. Father has to go with her and to assist him cousin Narayanan used to accompany them to Thrissur. Mother was ill for about 1 month at home and then taken to Thrissur. There she was diagnosed of having the leukemia problem and had to be given blood transfusion. This happened during late fifties and the blood donation was considered as a very bad thing and people never used to volunteer. But the cousin's blood matched with that of mother and he volunteered to donate and blood transfusion was done. But it was useful only for short period and eventually mother died soon thereafter. Then father appreciated the gesture of the cousin in giving blood to mother and gave the land portion of the ancestral property to this brother as a gift before father's death. Though Narayanan was our cousin only, he was like a real brother attending to the needs of help for father during mother's illness and later when father was ill.
Next is child of uncle is another son Sri A K Venkatachalam. He was working in a watch company neat V T Station in Bombay. During his work he came in contact with the persons from Geneva. Those days 99% of the watches were Swiss made. After going to Geneva cousin Venkatachalam got a Government job there. He was also having some business and is well off. He married and wife is from Chennai. They have two sons A V Krishnan (Ramani) and A V Raghavan (Ravi). Both the sons are in business and are based at Geneva. Both the sons are married and are having one daughter and son each. The spouses of both are in office job in Geneva. Since he gets pension from Geneva he has to stay for a minimum of 6 months in a year at Geneva. He keeps traveling between Geneva and India.
After that there were daughters. One is by name Seetha (who was married to one of my maternal uncle late Gopalakrishnan). He joined his brother-in-law Narayanan in the hotel business at Biminipatnam. After cousin Narayanan left the hotel, it was given to the brother-in-law Gopalakrishnan. Mr Gopalakrishnan died at Biminipatnam and after some years his wife Seetha died. They have 2 daughter and 3 sons.
Next one is a daughter by name Janaki and married to Rghavan a teacher cum land lord from a nearby village, Muringhtheri. I have not much details about them.
Next is also daughter married to Mani Iyer from Thrissur. He was employed in the PWD. They have 3 daughters and 3 sons. One daughter is the daughter in law of cousin Venkatachalam.
Family was in poverty
My grandfather (father of my father and uncle Krishnan) died at young age leaving the family to poverty. Uncle and my father had to start working at a very young age and were working as cook and my father was uncle's assistant and in a big landlord's house near to our village at a salary of Re 1 and 0.50 respectively. Those days this was a big amount. However for the family maintenance help from others in the form of vegetables, fruits, milk etc were available in those days as people consider helping Brahmins as an auspicious deed. When father grew up he went out for work. After his partial successes in some places he and his brother started a hotel in a Biminipatnam near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. After few years being together father left the hotel to his brother and went to a town Parvathipuram in Andhra near Orissa border. Uncle Krishna Iyer managed the hotel at Biminipatnam for some years and gave charge of it to his second son late A K Narayanan.
Ezhumangad aided upper primary school
My uncle Krishna Iyer was an uneducated person. But he started a primary school in the village and was one of the best primary schools in Kerala. After few years the school was made as an upper primary school and the Kerala State Government was giving aid and it became aided upper primary school. As he was out of station for work and lack of administrative experience he appointed a manager who was also a teacher in the school. The manger suggested for General Power of Attorney for himself as it was difficult for him to get the signatures on the documents to be submitted to various authorities. The GPA was given and later he tried to establish his right of ownership of the school. After his death it went to one of his successors. Even now the school is observing the annual death date of my uncle as the founder's day. Thousands of students have passed out of this school many of them went for higher studies and many had come to high positions in various walks of life.
Homeopathy Scientific System of Medicine
To my knowledge my father had one elder brother and a sister. The elder brother's (my uncle)name was A R Krishnan Iyer. He was a very mild, gentle and pious person unlike my father who was short tempered. Aunt - Ponnammal was a very aggressive lady with some mischievous tendency. My mother had to suffer to great extent because of her. Her deaths were mysterious. Aunt had diabetes and other health problems. In the last stage she was unwell for few days. One day suddenly she became still and every one thought her to be dead. The local doctor (LMP) came examined her and declared as dead In the villages in olden days there was a practice to cut a mango tree if it is available in the compound on the death of any member of the family to cremate. In every house there will be more than one mango tree. At least a branch will be cut for cremation purpose. Some went to call the priest of the family who is about 5 - 6 km away. All arrangements were made ready for taking the body for cremation. When the rituals were to start she suddenly sat up and started weeping and telling her experience just before her getting up. She said that she was taken to Yama's place and Yama told his assistants that it is not yet time for hear death and she should be sent back to the earth. Accordingly she was sent back. She was feeling that she had been very difficult in her life for others and repented for the same and wanted to correct herself. She became a changed person from that incident. After that incident she was alive for about 2 years when she passed away.
Children of uncle Krishna Iyer
Uncle late Krishnan Iyer had 5 daughters and 3 sons. I do not remember the order. However the eldest one late Lakshmi is daughter. Those days marriages were performed when the girl cross 11 years and before 13 years. She was married off and after that there was not much information to me about her. They had children. I have seen her one daughter who was in the ancestral home for some years. Another daughter of uncle is alive and might be about 90 to 95 years of age. She is at present in Chennai with her nephew. She is bent and her posture will be like that of figure 7. Her husband Sundaram Iyer died about 2 years back. He was a railway employee. His native place according to my knowledge is Lekkidi near Palakkad. He became senile and had to be under strict watch or else he would run away like children. They had no issues.
After these 2 daughters, I think uncle had 3 sons by name A K Ramaswamy, A K Narayanan and A K Venkatachalam.
Late A K Ramaswamy was the eldest son. He was employed in the National Grindlays Bank in their Indian Head Branch at Bombay. He was staying is one of the oldest society buildings (Sriram society) in Andheri a suburb of Bombay. He married late Ananthambal from the neighboring village, Desamangalam. They had 1 son A R Krishnan and 1 daughter Vanaja. Son studied engineering and got job in USA and is still in USA. He is married but I do not have details of his children. I think he married from a nearby town Shornur. His sister was married and was staying near to her parents at Andheri. Vanaja had to suffer in her life and died at a comparatively younger age. Both Mr and Mrs Ramaswamy died at Bombay within a gap of about 2 years from each other.His son Krishnan has told me recently when we met at Thrissur at the wedding ceremony the grand daughter of his uncle and my cousin A K Venakatachalam that he owe his becoming an engineer to his cousin uncle, my eldest brother late A R Raman. This bother was his role model and he has also helped him in the studies.
Late A K Narayanan was with his father at Biminipatnam helping to manage the hotel. Uncle Krisha Iyer came back to the village giving full charge to his son Narayanan. Narayanan managed the hotel for some more time and he gave it to one of his brother-in-laws Lat Gopalakrishnan who was one of my maternal uncle. Cousin Narayanan Married Smt Parvathy of Chelakkara a town in the same district.They have 2 sons both were helping their uncle (father's younger brother) one at Bombay and the other at Bangalore. Cousin Narayanan died few years back. After leaving the hotel business to his brother in law he settled down in native place and was looking after the agriculture and other properties of that family. The ancestral house had a large compound of about two acres of land. The front portion facing east and the house also facing east went to father's elder brother, uncle Krishna Iyer. The back side portion, about half of vacant the land went to my father as his share. The entranc to that land was from South and probably due to that fact father did not build a house there, but bought an old house with land of about one and half acres. Father renovated the old building with the mud walls and thatched roof into a bigger one without demolishing the old walls. He fortified the walls, expanded on all the 4 sides of the old one and removed the thatched roof into tiled roof with solid wood frames fixed on to the walls. This renovation was done at the time of the birth of my 2nd eldest brother A R Krishnan and the age of the building was the age of the brother. This building and the attached and was parallel to the ancestral portion of land given to father as his share. There is a road running in between these two properties of father. The uncle's family used to ask for the land behind their house but is of father for themselves as they felt that father have made property for his own and this vacant land is used for cultivation ginger crop whihc is an yearly affair but was a continuation of their property. Hence this portion of the property was know as the ginger land. Since it was a portion of the ancestral property father died not want to part with it.
My mother had leukemia and had to be taken to Thrissur which is about 30 km from our village. Father has to go with her and to assist him cousin Narayanan used to accompany them to Thrissur. Mother was ill for about 1 month at home and then taken to Thrissur. There she was diagnosed of having the leukemia problem and had to be given blood transfusion. This happened during late fifties and the blood donation was considered as a very bad thing and people never used to volunteer. But the cousin's blood matched with that of mother and he volunteered to donate and blood transfusion was done. But it was useful only for short period and eventually mother died soon thereafter. Then father appreciated the gesture of the cousin in giving blood to mother and gave the land portion of the ancestral property to this brother as a gift before father's death. Though Narayanan was our cousin only, he was like a real brother attending to the needs of help for father during mother's illness and later when father was ill.
Next is child of uncle is another son Sri A K Venkatachalam. He was working in a watch company neat V T Station in Bombay. During his work he came in contact with the persons from Geneva. Those days 99% of the watches were Swiss made. After going to Geneva cousin Venkatachalam got a Government job there. He was also having some business and is well off. He married and wife is from Chennai. They have two sons A V Krishnan (Ramani) and A V Raghavan (Ravi). Both the sons are in business and are based at Geneva. Both the sons are married and are having one daughter and son each. The spouses of both are in office job in Geneva. Since he gets pension from Geneva he has to stay for a minimum of 6 months in a year at Geneva. He keeps traveling between Geneva and India.
After that there were daughters. One is by name Seetha (who was married to one of my maternal uncle late Gopalakrishnan). He joined his brother-in-law Narayanan in the hotel business at Biminipatnam. After cousin Narayanan left the hotel, it was given to the brother-in-law Gopalakrishnan. Mr Gopalakrishnan died at Biminipatnam and after some years his wife Seetha died. They have 2 daughter and 3 sons.
Next one is a daughter by name Janaki and married to Rghavan a teacher cum land lord from a nearby village, Muringhtheri. I have not much details about them.
Next is also daughter married to Mani Iyer from Thrissur. He was employed in the PWD. They have 3 daughters and 3 sons. One daughter is the daughter in law of cousin Venkatachalam.
Family was in poverty
My grandfather (father of my father and uncle Krishnan) died at young age leaving the family to poverty. Uncle and my father had to start working at a very young age and were working as cook and my father was uncle's assistant and in a big landlord's house near to our village at a salary of Re 1 and 0.50 respectively. Those days this was a big amount. However for the family maintenance help from others in the form of vegetables, fruits, milk etc were available in those days as people consider helping Brahmins as an auspicious deed. When father grew up he went out for work. After his partial successes in some places he and his brother started a hotel in a Biminipatnam near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. After few years being together father left the hotel to his brother and went to a town Parvathipuram in Andhra near Orissa border. Uncle Krishna Iyer managed the hotel at Biminipatnam for some years and gave charge of it to his second son late A K Narayanan.
Ezhumangad aided upper primary school
My uncle Krishna Iyer was an uneducated person. But he started a primary school in the village and was one of the best primary schools in Kerala. After few years the school was made as an upper primary school and the Kerala State Government was giving aid and it became aided upper primary school. As he was out of station for work and lack of administrative experience he appointed a manager who was also a teacher in the school. The manger suggested for General Power of Attorney for himself as it was difficult for him to get the signatures on the documents to be submitted to various authorities. The GPA was given and later he tried to establish his right of ownership of the school. After his death it went to one of his successors. Even now the school is observing the annual death date of my uncle as the founder's day. Thousands of students have passed out of this school many of them went for higher studies and many had come to high positions in various walks of life.
Homeopathy Scientific System of Medicine
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