The Eight Sumangalis 

"The hand that rocks the cradle, rules the world". 

The world women's day that went by gave me an opportunity to think of some women. Some of them belonged to my family and some were connected with us. In fact, I had never seen some of them but have heard from others. However, they left a lasting impression on me. I must thank my elders; teachers; my wife, Sujatha; and my friends for helping undertake this journey. Our culture and tradition shared us stories about great women. Gargi, Maitreyi, Draupadi, and Damayanti belonged to this vast list. The changing time motivated the chronicler in me to write about some of them. 

Women of the yonder era wished to live happily with their husbands. They considered it a virtue to depart before their partners. The men were exposed to the outside world and the women lived within boundaries. However, these Home Ministers played an important role. They were wives, mothers, farmers, and mentors all rolled into one. 

I am happy to share some snippets about some of them. 

My alma mater GRG Matriculation School gave me the opportunity to know about PSGR. Krishnammal, the mother of the Founder, G. R. Govindarajulu. An elderly gentleman spoke about her on 'Krishnammal Day'. This day was meant to commemorate her. He told us that Krishnammal was incredibly lucky and used to be a friendly person. The gentleman recalled his visits to her house during his younger days. She had been extremely devoted to her husband Diwan Bahadur P. S. G. Rangaswamy Naidu. He also told us that Krishnammal was blessed by Goddess Lakshmi and her marriage had brought in good fortune to her family. Suvasini Krishnammal was celebrated in my alma mater. 

Rajalakshmi Raju Chettiar was my great grandmother and was the daughter of the Mirasdar of Virugalpatti. She was very fair complexioned and would use a lot of turmeric on her person. Great grandmother took amazing care of my great grandfather. She would ensure that he got the best of everything. Her world moved around her husband. My mother used to tell me that she would serve piping hot idlis straight from the stove to her husband. She was very fond of me and would give me my oil bath on Saturdays. Great grandmother was the lady luck of our household. My great grandfather used to tell me that it was her good luck that got him the grace of Goddess Lakshmi. She served her husband throughout her life. Great grandmother was a ‘Dheerga Sumangali’. She used to make the face of Varalakshmi in turmeric and would be up by 2 AM on the day of the Vratam year on year. 

Hard working Chinnammal Rangaswamy Naidu was an innovative farmer. Her techniques increased farm yields for her near and dear. She used to visit the family, run Coimbatore Institute of Technology and enquire about the wellbeing of the students in the hostel. Chinnammal was a very lucky lady and she brought good luck to her husband, V. Rangaswamy Naidu. Her first son R. Venkataswamy Naidu became the number one industrialist of this region and her second son Prof.  P. R. Ramakrishnan became a public representative. She used to light the lamps at the pooja altar of her family home near the Renuka Temple in Peelamedu (Coimbatore) on every Friday. It used to be a moment to catch up with her old friends. 

Kaveri the wife of the famous auditor, D. V. Subbachar, was a devout lady. The Sumangali used to do Sashtanga Namaskarams (prostrating on the ground) all her life. She had totally done over 100,000 Sashtanga Namaskarams  at her residence in Telugu Brahmin Street over the years. Her prayers and devotion to Lord Narayana was legendary. 

Jayalakshmi Kandaswamy Iyer lived in Erode with her advocate husband. The Kandaswamy couple were blessed with nine children. She used to make Kumkumam for the shrine of Goddess Bhuvaneswari in Pudukottai. Jayakashmi was known to pay a lot of attention to the needs of her husband, Kandaswamy Iyer.  She used to deck with ornaments, and this made her the best guide for aspiring jewellery shoppers. The couple would visit our family jewellery store for jewels and was an opportunity for me to learn much about matrimony. The ornaments worn by her were donated to the shrine as per her wish by her husband. Details of her personal contribution had been inscribed on the walls of the shrine. 

Vittala Bai Radhakrishna was the second daughter of the legendary jeweller, P. A. Raju Chettiar. She was a wise lady who lived happily with her husband, Pathi Radhakrishna and family in Bengaluru. She and her husband led a fabulous matrimonial life. She was known for keeping up family values. Vittala Bai worked hard and showered love on all the members of her family. She was a mother for all her sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren. This Suvasini was highly regarded by all her relatives. She used to gift clothes to her brothers, Krishnan and Damodaran on Garuda Panchami every year. Vittala Bai's sage counsel had helped her near and dear in many ways. She was known for her hard work and commitment. Her large residence in Basavangudi was open to everyone. 

Grandmother, Lalitha Bai Krishna wanted to be a Suvasini all her life. Her favourite deity, Lord Krishna of Guruvayoor, blessed her with the same. She was known to be a kind a loving person. Grandmother would be dressed in Conjeevarams and diamonds all the time. This did not deter her from doing day to day work. She was an expert in music, cookery, stitching, knitting, embroidery, tradition, and culture. Every person known to her would seek her guidance at the time of celebrations and ceremonies. She was deeply religious and spiritual. Grandmother had imbibed these qualities from her parents, S. N. Padmanabha Chetty and Parvathavardhini Thayar of Salem. She would wish each one on Diwali and Pongal. Her knowledge of poojas and prayers were phenomenal. 

My mother Aravindakumari was an avid reader. She would devour books at great speed. I got to know about Tamil fiction because of her. Mother was silent but efficient and hard working. She understood the needs of my father and addressed them properly. Mother was very affectionate to her siblings. She was known to give practical solutions for issues. Mother was good with finances and was good in handling transactions. I would always tell her that she would have made a great jeweller. Her eye for detail and attention to the task on hand made her succeed in all her endeavors. My father K. Govindarajulu was deeply attached to my mother and could never reconcile with life after her times. She had left an indelible mark. Mother was a good wife and a dutiful daughter-in-law. She was known to treat everyone equally. The good Tamil teacher in her helped many a relative to clear the exams with aplomb. Mother would somehow make my brother, Suresh and me study, eat and be good kids at home and school. She kept herself away from unnecessary fights and quarrels. People continue to remember my calm and strawberry complexioned mother. My parents were good examples of Anyonya Dampathyam.