Reminiscing my Srirangam days

My summer holidays throughout my childhood revolved around Srirangam. Those were the days that started early and bright in the traditional agraharam of Srirangam where my grandparents lived.

Every day we had the glance of the magnificent temple gopurams of Srirangam and the huge madhil suvar (the tall fenced wall) around the divine abode of Sriranganatha Swamy, which is considered as Bhoolaka Vaikuntam, Heaven on Earth, for the Sri Vaishnavites.

My grandparents lived a very simple, down-to-earth life following the traditions of Sri Vaishnavism. Every morning started off with my bright and energetic paati chirping to the markets to get fresh vegetables and fruits. These make-shift markets came to the agraharam every day, and people used to buy the highest quality fresh fruits and vegetables for a reasonable price. Imagine there was no fridge to store vegetables bought days back, no packed snacks, nothing from the shops. Everything fresh and right off the farms got cooked fresh in the morning to be given to their family and grandchildren.

It was fun to sit on the thinnais of our thaatha and paati’s house, which had granite thoons, and watch the markets and the buzz of activity every morning. We used to play dhaya kattai with the cousins and another great aunt who used to live there. We used to jump from one thinnai to the other and run around wild with the cousins.

My dear paati looked fresh in the traditional 9 yard saree worn in the Iyengar style, and my thatha used to match her style in dhoti and the Sri Vaishnava Thiruman and Srichurnam. Every day she used to make extraordinary samayal during our visits with many poriyals, kootu, pachadi, applam, and a feast always awaited us. Yummy, crispy bakshanams were prepared fresh by her for all the grandchildren who used to throng their house during the summer vacations. The food was extremely delicious, thanks to the huge dollop of extra love that was added for the grandchildren.

We used to play street cricket with the cousins and their friends, and we played many hide-and-seek games in the traditional jeeyar madam, which was right next to our thatha and paati’s house. We had a lot of fun hiding inside the jeeyar madam, and we did irritate the people who managed that place. 🙂 But we got away, thanks to our inherent charm as children.

My paati used to buy grocery items in bulk for the entire year and store them in the terrace room that was allocated just for this purpose. It was a great surprise to see a whole bunch of dry grocery items like mustard seeds, tamarind, etc., all stacked inside the store room, which was quite unlike the situation in our city-bred life.

My thatha was an expert in mathematics and engineering, though he was an accountant by profession. He had a thorough knowledge of electrical, plumbing, and many other technical domains as well. He used to discuss math with my brother, who was becoming a budding mathematician at that time.

A very simple man, my thatha was an epitome of kindness and goodness. Always gentle, he never once used harsh words with anyone. He was a hardworking man who took care of the family. My thatha was also a swayam acharya, a Vaishnava Guru in his own right. He had such a strong faith in our Sampradaya, and until the last days, he had an iron-clad faith.

I quizzed him endlessly about our Sampradaya and whether he believed in the redemption as mentioned by our acharyas. He was sure that he will go to Sri Vaikunta until his last breath. His faith on the supremacy of Sri Vishnu and our Sampradaya was supreme. I was stunned to see such a belief even when his memory was slightly fuzzy during his last days. He advised me to always refer to Rahasya Traya Saram of Sri Vedanta Desika if I had any doubt ever in my life. He told me that it had all the answers to my questions. 🙂

During his last days, I talked with my thatha and my chinna thaatha to discuss the efficacy of surrender to the Lord and following the yogic path. Both were firm that surrender to the Lord is the easiest and the best path, as suggested by our acharyas.

Our thatha and paati lived a life of love for the kids and the family, always being generous with the last fibre of their being, always giving more than receiving, always showing that you get more by giving more.

This year is the 100th birth anniversary (birth centenary) of our beloved grandfather, Srirangam Srirangaraja Thathachariar. All the family members are celebrating this wonderful moment with devotion and reverence to the gentle couple who was always a guiding light to everyone of us. Our humble prostrations to the divine feet of the couple who are now forever in the abode of Sri Vaikuntam with Sri Maha Vishnu and Sri Mahalakshmi Thayar.

My Thatha is a direct descendant of Nathamuni and Alavandar (Yamunacharya), belonging to the family of illustrious Sri Vaishnava saints whose idols grace the largest and oldest temples of Sri Mahavishnu. Our illustrious ancestor Sri Lakshmi Kumara Thathacharya was the Rajaguru of the Vijayanagar empire and the overseer of all the divyadesams in that time period.

Here is the sloka composed by my father for my thatha (his father-in-law) for his 100th birthday:
नाथमुनिकृपापात्रं ज्ञानभक्तिसमन्वितम् ।
रङ्गराजगुरोर्यश: जीयादाचन्द्रतारकम्॥

May the fame of Guru Rangaraja
recipient of Nathamuni’s grace,
endowed with knowledge and devotion
flourish as long as the moon and stars endure.

Our ancestors Nathamuni and Alavandhar

Our ancestor Alavandhar/Yamunacharya

Sri Lakshmi Kumara Thathachariar