A EULOGY
of an alumnus of our college,
Mr. SOMASUNDARAM,
Commandant, Indian Coast Guard
on
PROF. R. PADMANABHAN NAIR
*****
Prof RP Nair, My Pole
Star!
In our country since beginning of
the Vedic Age, the relationship between the Guru and his Shishya has been the
much celebrated one! This unique relationship has a certain place in one's
bosom and remains as lifelong memory with both or either of the survivor!
I being the
survivor, since my beloved teacher and mentor Prof RP Nair passed away
yesterday, would like to share some of the memories I cherish about him.
1989-91. After my graduation in Chemistry, I wanted to do post
graduation in English, that too at the prestigious American College, Madurai.
Post Graduation in English Literature from the American College is a dream for
many students in Tamil Nadu. Only a few
lucky ones like me could realize it, while still it remains a dream for many. I
prepared hard for the entrance exam and having qualified appeared for the
interview. Prof RP Nair was the HOD of PG English Department. I was anxious to
face the interview panel consisting of five illustrious professors of English
Literature like Dr Paul L. Love, Prof RP Nair, Prof J Vasanthan, Prof R
Nedumaran, and Dr. Pramila Paul. The members put me at ease at the very
beginning and I was at home with them. What I feared most was the grueling
interview! But it became a friendly chat! Since I had not read much in English
Literature and my reading was only
limited to the non-detailed text in Part-I English of B.Sc program, the
interview panel was only trying to find out my passion for literature unmindful
of my poor Spoken English and limited knowledge about English Literature. The
interview still remains in my memory as it was the first interview in my life!
Needless to mention that I qualified in the interview also, a remarkable feat
indeed considering my Non-English major background!
Prof RP Nair, taught us the Aspects of Prose in the first
semester. What could have been mundane prosaic sessions were turned into poetic
ones by the magical wand of him, who made us understand the 'unseens' and
appreciate the nuances of lyrical prose! My poetic persona was turning prosaic,
and the prosaic persona was turning poetic! And I could feel the metamorphosis happening simultaneously during
his class! What an imaginative method of teaching! He would soak us in the
literary brook and make us feel as fresh as dew-dropped flowers! His classes
used to be more participative and he used to encourage discussions. I was a
green horn at that time (not that it has become grey now!) but he used to
handle me maturely. I still laugh at my foolishness of having entered into some
stupid arguments, while at the same time rave about his deft handling of such
morons with knowledge and maturity. He guided me into the correct path of
literary appreciation without making me feel inadequate or insecure. That is
his greatness! My inquisitive self always found an answer in him for he was a
walking encyclopaedia! I used to remember the Guru-Shishya parampara fables
that I had been reading since my childhood!
Francis Bacon, the father of English essays says, "Reading
makes a complete man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man."
Nairji, as we affectionately addressed him, was a visual embodiment of all the
above rolled into one! He was a voracious reader, powerful orator, and a
prolific writer! Need not these qualities enough for inspiring his students!
Having heard about his reading skills I wanted to emulate him and used to read
in the PG English Department library till 11pm. Whatever I've read in those two
years from 1989-91 holds me in good stead even now. That was his motivation! Till
I joined PG English program, I was proud of my Tamil heritage and literature.
Nairji opened the window to the world literature and made me see the vignettes
of world literature. But for him I would have remained a Tamil fanatic! In that
sense he was my eye opener!
Before the end-of-semester exams we would be assigned a project
paper for every course of that semester. If Madurai Kamarajar University
followed only two papers per semester, the American College, being an
autonomous institution, followed five papers per semester. You can guage the
depth of our studies by this! Nairji taught us European Literature in
translation. Samuel Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' is a French play translated
into English. The play is about the Christian belief of God's coming again and
the characters' hopeless wait for His coming! I argued with Nairji that though
the play was based on the Christian belief, what made the play unique was its
universal appeal of waiting for the God! Nairji asked me to clarify my point. I
said that in all religions of the world God's coming is the main hope for human
beings' salvation. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna says that whenever there
is adharma he'll reincarnate and come
to the rescue of humankind! Nairji encouraged me to do a project paper on the subject and I submitted
my project paper, "Waiting for Godot from the view point of the
Bhagavad-Gita." Nairji not only appreciated the paper but also forwarded
to Dr. Charles Ryerson, Professor and Head of the Department of Religion &
Theology, Princeton University, USA. Dr. Charles Ryerson, my another mentor,
held that it was the best paper he had ever received and published it in the Princeton University
journal. This is just to highlight to what extent a teacher can catapult his
student!
When I chose to translate TS Eliot's much difficult poem,
"The Waste Land" as a project for my 'Translation Problems &
Techniques' paper, I turned to Nairji for help. The Waste Land is one of the
great poems written in the 20th century about the degradation of moral values
in the Western society in the aftermath of the world wars. The poet laments
about the moral degradation and seeks solution in the Eastern religious
beliefs, particularly the Vedic scriptures. He ends the poem with quotes from
Brihadharanyaka Upanishads, Datta (charity), Damyata (Self-discipline), and
Dayaatva (empathy) as solutions to the moral degradation which will result in
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti! The poem is so challenging not only because of its
length but also because of its references to various religious texts! More so
the liberal usage of diction and phrases from French, German, and Sanskrit
makes it more complicated! Since the poem had been translated into Malayalam by
the doyen of Malayalam Literature, Ayyappa Panikker, and Nairji was his
student, I couldn't find anyone better than him. As Nairji read out the poem
translated into Malayalam as Tharisu
Bhoomi in Malayalam, I transcribed the same in Tamil just to understand the
nuances and lyrics of it! Instead of translating directly into Tamil, I was
able to translate it through the poetic vehicle of Malayalam. And the credit
entirely goes to Nairji for working besides me with true care and patience.
Till date the translated work of mine titled, Tharisu Nilam, remains my priceless possession! That sort of commitment
is very rare now, and I was fortunate being his student!
I can go on endlessly on my meandering stream of consciousness,
but the two most valuable lessons I learnt from Nairji are Hope and Principled
Steadfastness! When I passed out MA English in first class, Nairji was more
happy than me for by then our relationship had
become that of a father and his son. When I asked him, "Sir, now
that you've equipped me with knowledge and language, what's the purpose
studying literature and how it helps in
serving the society?". Nairji replied in his inimitable style, "The
purpose of studying literature is to remain hopeful in all circumstances and to
stand up with moral courage to say NO to
self-serving authority in whichever form." Nairji, I hope I've imbibed
your teaching not only in every word, but also every letter of it! Among the
galaxy of teachers in the American College, you will remain my Pole Star
alongwith Dr. Paul L.Love! Kindly lead me to the light of knowledge and wisdom!
Rest In Peace Beloved Nairji!