UNDERSTANDING DETACHMENT
In detachment lies the wisdom of uncertainty.
In the wisdom of uncertainty lies the freedom from our past, from the known,
which is the prison of past conditioning.
Dr. Deepak Chopra, (b.1946) Indian-American author/
Advocate of Alternate Medicine
Persons who manage a big joint family system (perhaps not very common these days) or today’s business leaders, ideally should not obsessively worry about others, lest they cannot do their jobs efficiently. In my younger years I had interacted for sufficiently long time with a relative, my paternal grand-mother’s eldest of five younger brothers – Prof. Narayana Iyengar, who was managing a big joint family during 1924-74.
When I had met Nana mama (as I used to call him) for the first time as a very young boy, I was amused to see that he was surrounded by a few adults. I was later told that he was teaching mathematics and those people around him were college going students. I did not know then, that one day I will also be learning not just mathematics from him, but also a few life lessons.
Narayana Iyengar (1895-1974) was born at Nellore, a town in the present State of Andhra Pradesh to Thiruvengadachar (1864-1917) and Kamalammal (1872-1935), as the second child and eldest of five sons. His father was head-master of a Primary school. Right from his childhood days, Nana mama was very good in academics and by the time he was thirteen he completed sixth form of that era – equivalent of today’s 11th Standard. His father decided to send him to Madras for higher education and got him admitted to Intermediate course (today’s Pre-University Course) at Pachayappa’s College.
Pachayapp’s College[1], Chennai is the offspring of a superlative act of private philanthropy of its progenitor, Pachayappa Mudaliar (1754-94). Pachayappa, born posthumously in a poor family made himself a Master Financier and Merchant Prince when he was just 22 years old. Around this age many of us are in the threshold of completing our collegiate education. It was on March 22, 1794 having a premonition of his premature demise, Pachayappa in the absence of any male issue, drew up his renowned Will, supporting temples, seminaries of Sanskrit learning and to other objects of general benevolence including education.
However, it was only in 1842 the first Primary school got started for the benefit of Hindus in the name of Pachayappa Educational Institution. Very soon the school grew up in popularity and got elevated to High school. In 1880, as there were only two colleges in Madras Presidency – Presidency College and Christian College, both being elitist in nature and only rich could afford collegiate education, responding to the demands of poor Hindus, the trustees started Intermediate course. By 1889, Pachayappa’s Educational Institution was raised to first Grade College offering B.A courses in humanities.
The dawn of the new century culminated in the generation of a new awareness of the growing importance of Mathematics and Science subjects whose phenomenal advances touched every aspect of life. In 1902 B.A courses in Mathematics and Physical Sciences were started and spacious laboratories constructed. By the time Nana mama joined Pachayappa’s college in 1908, a few students had passed out with post-graduation in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. In 1914, Nana mama too passed out M.A in Mathematics with a first class (> 60%) at a very young age of nineteen.
Soon after completing his Post-graduation, Nana mama got employed as a lecturer of mathematics at Central College, Bangalore. He also got married to daughter of Krishnamachari (1869-1923) and Kanakammal (1877-1973) who also was sister of my paternal grand-father. Krishanmachari was himself one of those early graduates during that era (1880s) and was employed as Accounts officer at Mysore Government Insurance Department, Bangalore. Thus, Nana mama started living in his father-in-law’s home after his marriage. On passing away of his father-in-law in 1923 he took charge of the responsibility of the younger siblings of his wife who were school going children then, apart from his own family and his younger siblings.
Sometime during 1930s Nana mama got transferred to Maharaja College at Mysore. He never took up the responsibility of Head of the department, nor opted to become principal because of seniority, as he did not want to deviate from his teaching job and help those who needed his guidance. After retirement in 1950, he joined National Institute of Engineering, which had just got affiliated to Mysore University that year. In 1958 he returned to Bangalore after one of his five sons got a job in Accountant General’s office to lead retired life.
Though my earliest meeting with Nana mama was sometime during 1960, only during 1967 I started visiting him regularly to learn mathematics when I joined Pre-University Course (PUC). I was always amazed at his speed of solving any mathematical problem; it could be simple Arithmetic Progression or Complex Variables, a theorem of ninth standard or Astronomy problem of final year B.Sc. When he was not solving problems, he’d be reading books brought from British Library or serving water to the thirsty school students from the nearby school.
After I passed out of PUC, it was Nana mama who motivated me to join the newly commenced Engineering graduate program in Electronics announced by Bangalore University. All through the first eight semesters he taught me mathematics and made it look so easy. He was not keen to know the outcome of examinations written by his students, nor did he believe in taking any fees for tuition. He was of the view that education should not be commercialized. When anyone offered him money, he’d ask them, ‘will you pay your grand-father, if he teaches you?’ On many occasions during my student years, I had observed several officials visiting him and prostrating to him, as he was their teacher during their college days. Even when he was in his seventies, he could remember some of his students who had done well both academically and professionally; but never claimed any credit for their achievements. Though several of his students were in high positions, he never recommended anyone, including his own children for a job.
I was fortunate that he was there to teach me mathematics till I completed my engineering course. I felt greatly happy when he accepted a small gift that I gave him after getting appointment as Assistant Executive Engineer in a Bangalore based Public-sector Undertaking.
It is from Nana mama’s life that I understood when we detach ourselves from others, we let others be responsible for their own choices and we don’t interfere or try to protect them from any negative consequences that may result.
[1] http://pachaiyappascollege.edu.in/
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October 25th, 2023 | Ravi 65