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!
