IX. My wife - biography

My wife, Saraswati was born while her parents were in Mysore in 1918. The day was April 28 1918- Chaitra bahula Chaturdashi. Her parents lived in a house called Chaturaalaya, behind Dalvoy’s high school/Banumaiah High School in Mysore.

She went to Lakshmipuram Primay School till 4th class. She was educated in Sanskrit and English at house. I think their parents left Mysore by 1926-27 and settled in their Bangalore house.

She lived with her parents till 1932 or so, though we were married in 1930. It was traditional to marry daughters off before they reached their puberty. We had to wait till 1932-33 to start our wedded life.

I was teaching in Shravanabelagola-Hiresave during the period after marriage. Then I got an appointment in Palace in 1932. Then I made my first home, initially in a rented house in College road of Bandikeri.

My brother in law Srikantha shastry found a new house, a separate one in Raajarama Agrahhara. During this period my first three sons Appi, Narasmhamurthy and Balu were born. We lived their from 1933- 1940 till my house was built. We moved to our Saraswatipuram house in 1940, after Balu was born. That place was marshy as it was in the down stream of Kukkanahallikere and there were lots of malarial Mosquito’s. The place was rather lonely, with a few houses around us. My college friend Venkataramaiah (a Madhwa) and his wife Lakshamma lived opposite our house. Our right side adjacent house to right was Narayana Shastry, a tamil vaidika brahmana. My son Srinath was born during stay in this house.

The mosquito situation was so bad that my sons were living with their grand mother a good deal of time. I also was on travel duty over long periods.

In 1947, we rented away that Saraswatipuram house and moved to a rented house 573 College road, Mysore where we lived for nearly 12 years till 1959. This place was nearer to my work and had no mosquito problems. Initially this house did not have electricity. We got electricity by 1949-50.

My wife had probably her best time with children and neighbours in this house. She learned veena from Vidwaan RN Doreswamy, a sankethi in this house. She used to attend Ramanavami music at Bidaaram Krishnappa’s ganamandira. She had number of friends. She celebrated Gowri festival grandly every year, with many devotee’s joining her during this august festival before Ganesha. My wife had a special bhakti towards Chamundeshwari on Mysore hills. We regularly went there.

She was once ill in 1950 with double pneumonia of both lungs. Dr Venkatadasappa gave her pencillin injections and she got cured.

From a religious point of view we, my wife and I, performed the vrata’s Varamahalakshmi on Shravana Friday with a kalasha. We used to have Gowri idol installed and traditionally worshipped. The immersion was a great event and usually at Kukkanahalli kere. We performed the Anantha padmanabha vrata on Bhadrapada shukla Chaturdashi. A priest known to us (and a family firend),for a long time (including his father) Timmappayya Shastri used to regularly come for these poojas. He was also a teacher in Dalvoy Middle school. When my son Srinth did go to school till 1955, he was a teacher there.

She taught a number of girls some music. My son Narasimhamurthy married the daughter of one of her friends, though from a different group (bobburkamme), because of this friendship.

My son’s were educated in Dalvoy High school and then in First grade college (now called Yuvaraja’s college). I had another son Nagendra Prasad born on April 13, 1953 but died of Influenza on June 20 1957. It was a shock to my wife, as was Srinath’s condition which deteriorated slowly.

My son Appi completed his BSc in 1954 and went to Bangalore to study Cinematography. He also went to Madras and was an assistant cameraman for a few movies made in Vauhini Studios. He then Joined Mysore Government Printing press and served in Bangalore, Mysore and Dharawad. Appi was deputed on Colombo plan to England (1968-70) and he got a degree in printing Technology from there. He and his friend Hiriyannaiah were there together. Then he changed departments and in 1985 and Joined Administrative Training Center near kaaranji kere in Mysore.

My son Balu completed his Intermediate in 1956 and went to study electrical engineering in Bangalore.

My son Narasimhamurthy studied BE civil Engineering in National Institute of Engineering in Mysore and stayed with us till 1960. He then joined MES and served in Nagpur, Jabbalpore, Bangalore, Madras etc. He then changed departments and went to Delhi Development authority.

By 1959 we moved from college road hose to Mutta’s house ,in Veenesheshanna street, on rent. We lived there from 1959 till my wife’s death in 1970 after which I vacated the house. She found this place also to be to her liking. But it was during the 1962 period that we found she had a heart condition, a leaky valve.

Me and my wife travelled together to many places. We must have done 50-60 trips to Bangalore during the period till my mother in law died in 1952. In early 1950’s we went on piligrimage to Subrahmanya, Dharmasthala with srinath. We went many times to KRS. We went to Thiramakudlu-narasipura, Chamaraja nagara, Srinranga Patna also.

Just after marriage my wife and I went to Sira a few times. I went with her to Marasanapalle, Peddatippasamudramau, Madanapalle, Kuppam, and other places. During 1956 we had a neighbour from Andhra–kaakinada. We went on a visit to their place which was a center of kuchipudi dance. This period we took our son Prasadu with us.

When Balu left to England on Nov 24, 1962 me and my wife went to Bombay to see him off. We also visited a number of friends in Bombay one Ghanashyamadas, who was known to me during my palace trips in 1940’s.

My wife tried many cures for Srinath’s situation. We had one Kerala person who gave some taila’s in early 1950’s. My wife spent a month in Kottakkaal with Srinath during 1959-60. He was given many ayurvedic medcines, tailas, etc.

During 1965 to 1970 period, her heart condition got worse with an enlarged heart due to a leaky valve. I had retired by then, and we kept our Veenesheshanna road house, though we stayed at Appi’s house in Rajajinagar as well as near Anebande in Bangalore.