III. My children

My parents had nine children. Seven sons and two daughters. I happen to be the last son.

My first brother Ahobila shastry studied upto SSLC and was employed in Judicial department. He worked in Munsiff’s Court at Bangalore and lived up to the age of 50 years. He was married to Ambamma in his 30th year and left one daughter called Lakshminarasamma. My eldest brother Ahobila shastry did not complete his SSLC but joined service in judicial department at Bangalore in Munsiffs Court. He lived in HB Samaja raste in a house sublet from my maternal uncle Nanjunda shastry.

He died before retirement and my attige did not get any pension. He had no male issues, but only a daughter called Lakshminarasamma (Ammayya) to whom I brought about the marriage alliance to my class mate called Viswanatha Shastry who was in Railway Service in North India. In 1997, she had been widowed 10 years, and lived with her only son who is a Revenue Inspector in Bangalore city corporation. She also had three daughters.

A family photo taken in 1930 is shown above. It shows my parents, and all my six brothers with their wives, my sister Parvatamma, and some children. The photo was taken in front of Rameshwara temple in 4th main road, Chamarajapet, Bangalore, on the occasion of my marriage performed at shri Ramashesha Shasthry’s house (8 Bharathi Bhavanam, 4th main Road). Me and my wife are at the extreme right.

My eldest sister Gangamma was married to Krishna Somayaji who was a teacher in the primary school at Sringeri. I studied there for a period of nine months in a primary school (during 1916). Krishna Somayaji died before retirement in his 50th year and my sister Gangamma lived as a widow in our place for 40 years.

The second sister Parvatamma died in her twenties before giving birth to a son to Ramashastry employed at Sringeri in Sharada Cooperative Society. She died during child birth.

My second brother Ramachandra Shastry studied up to LS, joined a Taluk Office at Sira as a daftarband (class IV) and before retirement rose up to the position of Record keeper. As such he was well known to many people with lands in Sira. His service was entirely in Sira except for one year at Madhugiri. He suffered from Asthma for over 30 years, and suffered a great deal. His first marriage was at Bukkapatna. I remember having seen it when I was a boy, but his wife died a year after marriage. His second wife was called Subbamma, the daughter of Venkatachala Shastry of Mudaganoor in Kolar district. He happened to be a Kannada pandit in Weslyan Mission High School,Bangalore, when I studied there for a year, when I was in fourth form. My second brother Ramachandra Shastry learnt astrology and it was he who prepared a geneology of the family for the first time and I use his data. He wrote horoscopes of our family. His family has grown well and following family tree provides information about its present status.

Amongst the children of my second brother, four are sons and two are daughters. The first son Srilakshminarasimha alias Shamanna was very much attached to us and especially to me and my sons. He worked in HAL and in rail coach factory till his demise in 1980.

His second son is Padmanabha, who joined KEB and served throughout in the taluk in different villages. He resides in his paternal house in Sira and is enjoying the fruits of his fathers landed property. The third son is Dr-prof Chidambara who lived in St Louis, USA for 10 years, before joining IISc and retiring from it in 1991. Kittu, the fourth son has a geology degree from US and worked in Goa and Bellary mines. Amongst the daughters, Meenakshi has a big family. Uma Married Subbanna and they live in their village near Koratagere. All these sons have children and grand children with whom I am not very familiar.

(click to see enlarged image)

My third brother Shivarama Shastry was a pure vaidika and never wore a stiched cloth in his life. He studied vedas in Maharaja's Sanskrit college and obtained a degree with distinction, having received certificate from HH Krishna Raja Wodeyar in Mysore. For one year he learnt advanced veda (Ghanapata) from a well known Ghana-paathi in Madhure in Madras presidency. He joined high school as a sanskrit teacher at Channarayapatna and was a sanskrit teacher in a middle school in Chitradurga when he died of plague in his 35th year. I stayed with him for one year at Channarayapatna when I appeared for the Lower Secondary Examination in 1922.

I was a boy of 12 years when my third brother Shivarama Shastry was married to Shrilakshamma (daughter of the priest of His Highness Swamiji’s deities) at Shringeri. The marriage took place in Shringeri and I had been there. His wife srilakshamma was daughter of Naagale Narahari bhatta a priest in Sringeri temple. I had the privilege of personally paying homage to well known Shringeri swamiji twice during my boyhood. I happened to witness his Kanakbhisheka at Sringeri in 1916.

Shivarama shastry had one son Subrahmanya (married to Shantamma and had a daughter Lokamba), and four daughters. All were married to vaidikas in Andhra. The son Subrahmanya was handicapped, but completed his degree and was a teacher. Lokamaba is married and has two children.

My fourth brother Appanna Shastry was a pure vaidika. He never wore stitched cloths in his life. He did not complete his studies in Maharajs's sanskrit college, but took up vaidika's profession serving as a purohita for arasu community. His only son Manjunatha served in police wireless department and retired as a sub inspector. He died in his sixtieth year leaving behind five sons and two daughters.

My fifth brother Sitarama Shastry passed SSLC and joined Dewan's office(Old Public Offices) or old Secratariat in Bangalore and served till retirement. He got elevated to superintendent at education department at the end of his service before retirement. He had influence in the department. He was able to help me in my college education by getting me supply of text books and getting boarding in the house of the eldest son of Controller of Palace Ramakrishna Rao. My brother helped me in getting free studentship in the in the three year course at Maharaja's college paying only Rs 2 and 8 annas per annum towards library and sports fee. Out of his three sons, one son could not live with the two wives when he married. He died a premature death in his 60th year. The second son Shankara has two sons and two daughters. Last son Chandrashekhara was a design-draughtsman in ITI from where he retired. Their family tree is appended.

My sixth brother Krishnappa by name passed SSLC. He joined education department and retired as the head clerk in the District Education Office at his native place sira. He married my sister Gangamma’s daughter Annaporna. Maybe because of near blood relation, though he had as many as 13 children only one -Radhakrishna has survived. Radahkrishna passed B Com and having not procured a government job, was lawyer’s clerk for five years. Later he passed LLB and now is practicing as an advocate in his native town Sira. Radhakrishna has two sons.