Background
1. On this day, 25 years ago, PN Panicker - the founder of the Kerala Library Movement and the architect of 100% literacy in Kerala, in 1991 - passed into the mist of time. He was 86. He had left for his heavenly abode at 1913 hrs on that ill fated day. From 1996, the Kerala Government has been celebrating 19 Jun as the Reading Day and the connected activities were conducted over a span of one week, making it a Reading Week.
2. On 17 Jun 2017, at a glittering ceremony at the St Theresa's College, Ernakulam it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had announced that a personality like PN Panicker was a national icon and that the Foundation's activities must not be restricted within the state. It was he who had announced, that from then on, a Reading Month would be organised all over the country, every year, commencing 19 Jun. This was to facilitate us to monitor our activities, in connection with Reading, in every nook and corner of the country. (He'd told us the reason for being spellbound by PN Panicker's success in making the Malayalees read. When he'd taken over as the chief minister of Gujarat for the first time, he'd kept aside resources for his pet project -'Vanche Gujarat'...meaning, Gujarat Reads. The project had failed to take off and he was surprised that a frail man like PN Panicker could achieve the impossible in making the Malayalees read!)
3. At many public meetings, I've heard numerous guests saying that PN Panicker spent his time for the upliftment of the society and consequently, never had any time for his family. Ruminating about it, I beg to differ on that statement and my narration of certain incidents would highlight the fact that he definitely did find adequate time for his family, though Mrs PN Panicker 'ran a taut ship' and never bothered him with trivia within the family.
A Grandson Remembers
4. My mother, Chandramathykutty Amma, is the eldest of his seven children (The Panickers had nine children but two - Radhakrishnan, died when he was just over a year and Geetha, died at the age of 13 yrs) and he was very fond of her. She was the only one who could stand up to him and put across her point of view, often encouraged by him. At the time of my birth, my mother had certain complications and the doctor seems to have told my grandparents that she could save only one of the two - the mother or the baby. My grandfather's retort was "What baby? I want my daughter". In an unguarded moment he'd let the cat out of the bag to say, "Do you know why I'm fond of you? I'd almost lost you at the time of your birth!"
5. From Nov '63, when my dad had brought us back from Bombay, mom, me and my two sisters became part of the PN Panicker joint family and those were fun loving days, with around twenty odd people - which included guests - full of fun and frolic. My dad thought if I'd continue to be with my grandparents, I'd become a pampered boy and insisted on putting me in a boarding school, despite my grandparents' fervent pleas. The toss up was between the RIMC, St Lawrence School, Lovedale and the Sainik School, Kazhakootam and it was at my grandfather's insistence that I was sent to the Sainik School, from class VII.
6. One evening while I was on the games field, my House Master, Mr CV Sankaranarayanan came by to inquire as to whose parent had come in a 'state car' - the red number plated car with serial numbers - and that he has been waiting for quite a while. Around that time I'd heard that the Education Minister, Mr CH Mohammed Koya had released one for my Muthachhan to travel through the entire state to do his work. I couldn't bring myself to believe that my grandfather would drop by to meet me because of his busy schedule, but due to a bankruptcy of thought, I'd headed towards the spot accompanied by my House Master. To my utter surprise, I saw my grandfather waiting beside the car. The problem was that he used to call me 'monay' and was not aware of my official name and to the query of the Master, he was at a loss for words! (My friends started calling me 'monay' from then on, much to my annoyance!)
7. Subsequently and much later when I'd joined the IN, he used to carry a piece of paper with my rank and name inscribed on it. He made it a point to drop by and even spend a night, at our house, whenever he used to pass through Ernakulam!
8. There are very many such small incidents that showed as to how much he cared. He had wanted me to join the IAS and when I'd written the entrance examination for the NDA, I'd told him that I'd done badly in a paper. When I was called for the SSB interview and had returned after clearing it, I'd told him that I would never figure in the final merit list to assure him because, frankly, I wasn't happy with my overall performance! I can never forget the sad look on his face when he returned from office, one evening and had waited for me to get back, as I'd gone out with my friends. As I entered the house, he told me, "The Press Information Bureau had called up this evening to congratulate me because you're 13th in the overall merit list for NDA". However much I tried to convince him that I wasn't expecting that, he could not be convinced. Did I hurt him then, I wonder?
9. I can go on and on with so many such anecdotes about my grandfather. But time and space, dictate that I should adhere to brevity. So, I shall jump time and recall the last time that I'd seen my handsome grandfather. He had arrived at New Delhi on 01 Dec 1994 for his felicitation by the Malayalee organisations there. He'd spent a week with us - at D II/A 32 at Nanakpura - often pulling my legs about my weakness for Bruno, the Dobermann - who, incidentally, was in his best behaviour throughout those seven days! On the eighth day, I'd driven my grandfather to the airport early in the morning and saw him go along with the then minister, MV Raghavan into the building. I and Maman waited there to see his small frame disappearing into the innards of the airport terminal. Never in my wildest of dreams did I realise then that I was seeing him for the last time!
Epilogue
This evening, exactly at 1913 hrs, I stood in front of his portrait concentrating on my experiences with him. I consider myself to be lucky that I'd received his unadulterated love.
Twenty five years - a quarter of a century - has zipped past without him but he continues to live in my heart and for many others too....thanks to the tremendous body of work done by him during his lifetime.
My grandfather bestest!
Tailpiece.
Got up at our usual time with thoughts about my grandfather. The chores were gone through and was ready by a half past 9. The monitoring of the Vaayana Dinam activities took up most of the day.
1. On this day, 25 years ago, PN Panicker - the founder of the Kerala Library Movement and the architect of 100% literacy in Kerala, in 1991 - passed into the mist of time. He was 86. He had left for his heavenly abode at 1913 hrs on that ill fated day. From 1996, the Kerala Government has been celebrating 19 Jun as the Reading Day and the connected activities were conducted over a span of one week, making it a Reading Week.
2. On 17 Jun 2017, at a glittering ceremony at the St Theresa's College, Ernakulam it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had announced that a personality like PN Panicker was a national icon and that the Foundation's activities must not be restricted within the state. It was he who had announced, that from then on, a Reading Month would be organised all over the country, every year, commencing 19 Jun. This was to facilitate us to monitor our activities, in connection with Reading, in every nook and corner of the country. (He'd told us the reason for being spellbound by PN Panicker's success in making the Malayalees read. When he'd taken over as the chief minister of Gujarat for the first time, he'd kept aside resources for his pet project -'Vanche Gujarat'...meaning, Gujarat Reads. The project had failed to take off and he was surprised that a frail man like PN Panicker could achieve the impossible in making the Malayalees read!)
3. At many public meetings, I've heard numerous guests saying that PN Panicker spent his time for the upliftment of the society and consequently, never had any time for his family. Ruminating about it, I beg to differ on that statement and my narration of certain incidents would highlight the fact that he definitely did find adequate time for his family, though Mrs PN Panicker 'ran a taut ship' and never bothered him with trivia within the family.
A Grandson Remembers
4. My mother, Chandramathykutty Amma, is the eldest of his seven children (The Panickers had nine children but two - Radhakrishnan, died when he was just over a year and Geetha, died at the age of 13 yrs) and he was very fond of her. She was the only one who could stand up to him and put across her point of view, often encouraged by him. At the time of my birth, my mother had certain complications and the doctor seems to have told my grandparents that she could save only one of the two - the mother or the baby. My grandfather's retort was "What baby? I want my daughter". In an unguarded moment he'd let the cat out of the bag to say, "Do you know why I'm fond of you? I'd almost lost you at the time of your birth!"
5. From Nov '63, when my dad had brought us back from Bombay, mom, me and my two sisters became part of the PN Panicker joint family and those were fun loving days, with around twenty odd people - which included guests - full of fun and frolic. My dad thought if I'd continue to be with my grandparents, I'd become a pampered boy and insisted on putting me in a boarding school, despite my grandparents' fervent pleas. The toss up was between the RIMC, St Lawrence School, Lovedale and the Sainik School, Kazhakootam and it was at my grandfather's insistence that I was sent to the Sainik School, from class VII.
6. One evening while I was on the games field, my House Master, Mr CV Sankaranarayanan came by to inquire as to whose parent had come in a 'state car' - the red number plated car with serial numbers - and that he has been waiting for quite a while. Around that time I'd heard that the Education Minister, Mr CH Mohammed Koya had released one for my Muthachhan to travel through the entire state to do his work. I couldn't bring myself to believe that my grandfather would drop by to meet me because of his busy schedule, but due to a bankruptcy of thought, I'd headed towards the spot accompanied by my House Master. To my utter surprise, I saw my grandfather waiting beside the car. The problem was that he used to call me 'monay' and was not aware of my official name and to the query of the Master, he was at a loss for words! (My friends started calling me 'monay' from then on, much to my annoyance!)
7. Subsequently and much later when I'd joined the IN, he used to carry a piece of paper with my rank and name inscribed on it. He made it a point to drop by and even spend a night, at our house, whenever he used to pass through Ernakulam!
8. There are very many such small incidents that showed as to how much he cared. He had wanted me to join the IAS and when I'd written the entrance examination for the NDA, I'd told him that I'd done badly in a paper. When I was called for the SSB interview and had returned after clearing it, I'd told him that I would never figure in the final merit list to assure him because, frankly, I wasn't happy with my overall performance! I can never forget the sad look on his face when he returned from office, one evening and had waited for me to get back, as I'd gone out with my friends. As I entered the house, he told me, "The Press Information Bureau had called up this evening to congratulate me because you're 13th in the overall merit list for NDA". However much I tried to convince him that I wasn't expecting that, he could not be convinced. Did I hurt him then, I wonder?
9. I can go on and on with so many such anecdotes about my grandfather. But time and space, dictate that I should adhere to brevity. So, I shall jump time and recall the last time that I'd seen my handsome grandfather. He had arrived at New Delhi on 01 Dec 1994 for his felicitation by the Malayalee organisations there. He'd spent a week with us - at D II/A 32 at Nanakpura - often pulling my legs about my weakness for Bruno, the Dobermann - who, incidentally, was in his best behaviour throughout those seven days! On the eighth day, I'd driven my grandfather to the airport early in the morning and saw him go along with the then minister, MV Raghavan into the building. I and Maman waited there to see his small frame disappearing into the innards of the airport terminal. Never in my wildest of dreams did I realise then that I was seeing him for the last time!
Epilogue
This evening, exactly at 1913 hrs, I stood in front of his portrait concentrating on my experiences with him. I consider myself to be lucky that I'd received his unadulterated love.
Twenty five years - a quarter of a century - has zipped past without him but he continues to live in my heart and for many others too....thanks to the tremendous body of work done by him during his lifetime.
My grandfather bestest!
Tailpiece.
Got up at our usual time with thoughts about my grandfather. The chores were gone through and was ready by a half past 9. The monitoring of the Vaayana Dinam activities took up most of the day.
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