IN MEMORIUM
[This article - rather, the down pour of the heart - took the shape on a specific occassion. The article hints the occassion. I cannot put it better than this nor can edit it to perfectly suit this location. However, feel that it suits fully.]
Memories fade out. Even history is no exception But few are strong and last for long. And, few more are explored from the past and refreshed.
It is the passionate human action that tries to identify some ideal images - human images - from our own past for the respective tasks.
Identifying these images depends on the fact that how strong the impressions these human images left behind during their lifetime were; also, of course, on the time gap between their life-time and the attempts at identifying them.
It is quite an exciting thing for me, both as a son and an admirer with love, affection and great respect out of appreciation for the personality of late Thulasi Krishanaiah - popularly known as Thulasi Krishanaiah Saru in the areas he lived, that the District Forest Office is exploring 'HIM' in its endeavor to propagate the concept of social forestry in a variety of effective ways.
I feel it a great opportunity for me to share my views on my father - Thulasi Krishanaiah Saru.
On this occasion I feel it is right and my responsibility, with all love, affection and regard of a son for a father, to step back into the social crowd which considers him as Thulasi Krishanaiah Saru at Jagtial and as 'Pedda Saru' at Mallial.
What is relevant for the District Forest Office in its endeavour had been observed by me, I recollect, in Thulasi Krishanaiah right from my child hood at Mallial.
As a teacher and a headmaster of Primary School (at present the High School) at Mallial the appreciation he carried, I still remember, among the local people - who used to call him affectionately as 'Pedda Saru' - for his service for the school which includes a garden, plantation of trees and their proper maintenance.
An image of that gardened entry point where I heard in those days itself from some people an appreciation for the efforts of 'Pedda Saru' moves before my eyes as write these words.
His life at Jagtial started a little before his retirement from Puranipet School as a teacher around 1968.
During his stay at Mallial, either because I was a kid and hence not so full exposed to his activities or because there used to be quite an amount of greenery in the villages, even in the dwellings - court yards and back yards - that part of dedication of Thulasi Krishanaiah Saru for greenery couldn't be recorded much except for the fact that both the sprawling court and back yards of our rented house used to be ploughed and the season's crop along with vegetables were grown.
Whereas when we shifted to Jagtial and more after his retirement by which time our own house with lot of free space has come up, the green crusader in him was fully unveiled.
He used to spend at least 4 hours a day in gardening that large free space. Not that after retirement from government job as a teacher he retired from the teacher's profession. He continued that teacher profession too with the same reigour as a regular private teacher. He started with some tuitions at home and soon a school in Dharoor Camp and developed it to be handed over to some one after few years when it became too difficult for him to cycle all the way from our house in Vidyanagar to Dharoor Camp.
In his toil of at least 4 hours a day, even while being the in-charge of the school at Dharoor Camp, our place around our house really flushed into a green spot with a variety of plants - flowering, fruit, vegetable, etc. In an attempt to proliferate the plants he used to transplant and graft and then transplant them. He started spreading them into the neighbouring houses simultaneously. The people around our house too developed the interest to green their houses. Many used to come to our house for the saplings and Thulasi Krishanaiah Saru personally used to attend their requirements to their satisfaction, sometimes going along with them to plant in their respective houses. He started going to the houses far away in the town by carrying the saplings.
Some one listens to a knock on the door, opens it and to their amusement they see outside the door steps Thulasi Krishanaiah Saru, at times drenched in the rain, with saplings in one hand and in the other a small gardening instrument
The on set of monsoon used to make him even very busy in this service. He used to have commitments for future dates too to arrange saplings during the monsoon season. The intermittent rains too were never a hindrance for him to continue this service at the doorsteps of others. Rather he was serious and used to derive pleasure in doing the right thing in the right time.
What is also revealed in his work and service culture is that of thoroughness, completeness, etc. He did things - anything he did - with whole heartedness. It appears to me that if some one has not taken the complete service from him or hand not been benefited from his service he used check the thoroughness in his service than blame the other.
So was also his service in propagation of primary education and of teaching methodologiesat primary level.
Though it may be a little out of context, it is not of distaste to know that through out his life, as another major part of his activity, he molded many into education. I myself cam across, in my very limited movements, many of his admirers who had such benefit from him. Then there are admirers from teaching community too who were fancied for his dedication for the cause of teaching. One or two, who were not from the circles known to our family and who met me incidentally on some occasion, were even trying to enact those parts where Thulasi Krishnaiah Saru expressed his views on teaching - perhaps with no inhibition against the required unrestricted action - in the gatherings of teachers.
All this apart his concern for the physically deprived and helpless aged people too was exemplary. Many know about it. In fact what I listened from others about this is lot more than what I directly witnessed. It used to be his 'temperamental attitude' when he found people in dire requirement of basic things to take out anything from his pockets or off his body and give out to them. This being so, he used to feed one meal a day to one specific deprived during one specific period. He used to carry the food everyday to the place of that deprived from our house. He continued this for years. And, on the occasions of death anniversaries of his parents he used to arrange meals and at times clothes to few numbers of deprived persons.
His personal habits: No drinks, no smoking, no tea, no gambling, none of such.
During my life I saw him doing only either teaching, gardening, servicing, helping my mother and bhabhi in the kitchen or reading. But, never I saw him gossiping or consuming time to entertain just the self. There is an incident that remained and remains to be a very strong memory. I saw him grappling to focus his retinas on the literals in a book of English grammar at the age of 80 plus few months before his death.The point is that he is absolutely weak to waste time.
He used to be vociferous about the point that if one is preaching some thing one should first practice it. Consequently, perhaps, his attitude and gestures towards the children too used to be unique. Children too remember and love him a lot.
I never saw him in the bed after 4 or 5 AM. And, I never saw him sleeping or taking a nap in the afternoons till he died in December 1993.
The fact that I am narrating all this and also with an excitement does not imply that I am pursuing all that to which he was dedicated. But, of course, I definitely keep sharing all this with the children in our family to revisit that rare personality in them as they grow up.
Memories fade out. Even history is no exception But few are strong and last for long. And, few more are explored from the past and refreshed.
It is the passionate human action that tries to identify some ideal images - human images - from our own past for the respective tasks.
Identifying these images depends on the fact that how strong the impressions these human images left behind during their lifetime were; also, of course, on the time gap between their life-time and the attempts at identifying them.
It is quite an exciting thing for me, both as a son and an admirer with love, affection and great respect out of appreciation for the personality of late Thulasi Krishanaiah - popularly known as Thulasi Krishanaiah Saru in the areas he lived, that the District Forest Office is exploring 'HIM' in its endeavor to propagate the concept of social forestry in a variety of effective ways.
I feel it a great opportunity for me to share my views on my father - Thulasi Krishanaiah Saru.
On this occasion I feel it is right and my responsibility, with all love, affection and regard of a son for a father, to step back into the social crowd which considers him as Thulasi Krishanaiah Saru at Jagtial and as 'Pedda Saru' at Mallial.
What is relevant for the District Forest Office in its endeavour had been observed by me, I recollect, in Thulasi Krishanaiah right from my child hood at Mallial.
As a teacher and a headmaster of Primary School (at present the High School) at Mallial the appreciation he carried, I still remember, among the local people - who used to call him affectionately as 'Pedda Saru' - for his service for the school which includes a garden, plantation of trees and their proper maintenance.
An image of that gardened entry point where I heard in those days itself from some people an appreciation for the efforts of 'Pedda Saru' moves before my eyes as write these words.
His life at Jagtial started a little before his retirement from Puranipet School as a teacher around 1968.
During his stay at Mallial, either because I was a kid and hence not so full exposed to his activities or because there used to be quite an amount of greenery in the villages, even in the dwellings - court yards and back yards - that part of dedication of Thulasi Krishanaiah Saru for greenery couldn't be recorded much except for the fact that both the sprawling court and back yards of our rented house used to be ploughed and the season's crop along with vegetables were grown.
Whereas when we shifted to Jagtial and more after his retirement by which time our own house with lot of free space has come up, the green crusader in him was fully unveiled.
He used to spend at least 4 hours a day in gardening that large free space. Not that after retirement from government job as a teacher he retired from the teacher's profession. He continued that teacher profession too with the same reigour as a regular private teacher. He started with some tuitions at home and soon a school in Dharoor Camp and developed it to be handed over to some one after few years when it became too difficult for him to cycle all the way from our house in Vidyanagar to Dharoor Camp.
In his toil of at least 4 hours a day, even while being the in-charge of the school at Dharoor Camp, our place around our house really flushed into a green spot with a variety of plants - flowering, fruit, vegetable, etc. In an attempt to proliferate the plants he used to transplant and graft and then transplant them. He started spreading them into the neighbouring houses simultaneously. The people around our house too developed the interest to green their houses. Many used to come to our house for the saplings and Thulasi Krishanaiah Saru personally used to attend their requirements to their satisfaction, sometimes going along with them to plant in their respective houses. He started going to the houses far away in the town by carrying the saplings.
Some one listens to a knock on the door, opens it and to their amusement they see outside the door steps Thulasi Krishanaiah Saru, at times drenched in the rain, with saplings in one hand and in the other a small gardening instrument
The on set of monsoon used to make him even very busy in this service. He used to have commitments for future dates too to arrange saplings during the monsoon season. The intermittent rains too were never a hindrance for him to continue this service at the doorsteps of others. Rather he was serious and used to derive pleasure in doing the right thing in the right time.
What is also revealed in his work and service culture is that of thoroughness, completeness, etc. He did things - anything he did - with whole heartedness. It appears to me that if some one has not taken the complete service from him or hand not been benefited from his service he used check the thoroughness in his service than blame the other.
So was also his service in propagation of primary education and of teaching methodologiesat primary level.
Though it may be a little out of context, it is not of distaste to know that through out his life, as another major part of his activity, he molded many into education. I myself cam across, in my very limited movements, many of his admirers who had such benefit from him. Then there are admirers from teaching community too who were fancied for his dedication for the cause of teaching. One or two, who were not from the circles known to our family and who met me incidentally on some occasion, were even trying to enact those parts where Thulasi Krishnaiah Saru expressed his views on teaching - perhaps with no inhibition against the required unrestricted action - in the gatherings of teachers.
All this apart his concern for the physically deprived and helpless aged people too was exemplary. Many know about it. In fact what I listened from others about this is lot more than what I directly witnessed. It used to be his 'temperamental attitude' when he found people in dire requirement of basic things to take out anything from his pockets or off his body and give out to them. This being so, he used to feed one meal a day to one specific deprived during one specific period. He used to carry the food everyday to the place of that deprived from our house. He continued this for years. And, on the occasions of death anniversaries of his parents he used to arrange meals and at times clothes to few numbers of deprived persons.
His personal habits: No drinks, no smoking, no tea, no gambling, none of such.
During my life I saw him doing only either teaching, gardening, servicing, helping my mother and bhabhi in the kitchen or reading. But, never I saw him gossiping or consuming time to entertain just the self. There is an incident that remained and remains to be a very strong memory. I saw him grappling to focus his retinas on the literals in a book of English grammar at the age of 80 plus few months before his death.The point is that he is absolutely weak to waste time.
He used to be vociferous about the point that if one is preaching some thing one should first practice it. Consequently, perhaps, his attitude and gestures towards the children too used to be unique. Children too remember and love him a lot.
I never saw him in the bed after 4 or 5 AM. And, I never saw him sleeping or taking a nap in the afternoons till he died in December 1993.
The fact that I am narrating all this and also with an excitement does not imply that I am pursuing all that to which he was dedicated. But, of course, I definitely keep sharing all this with the children in our family to revisit that rare personality in them as they grow up.
posted by Sampath Kumar Thulasi @ 10:31 AM
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