The New Year has been ushered in with the usual frolic and fanfare, albeit celebrations this time have bee a little low-key, what with economic and other problems attacking from all sides. Nevertheless greetings have been exchanged among friends and relatives most probably in the most prevalent technological form of communication - the e- mail.
That technological wonder, the computer has taken over human lives, regulating our daily routine and tasks totally and completely. Gone are the days when people made telephone calls to exchange New Year Greetings. Old fashioned they may be but definitely those greeting cards containing pictures of lighted candles, changing seasons, landscapes, a decorative Santa Claus or Christmas tree are getting to be increasingly scarce. Along with Greeting Cards, another New Year accessory- the calendar and the diary are also not very visible these days. My father was and is still an avid collector of calendars and diaries The gift of a calendar or diary makes his day; he is pleased like a child with a box of chocolates. There is something very endearing in the manner in which senior citizens do the rounds of shops and departmental stores at the turn of the New Year to collect a calendar or diary.
However there is probably nobody like inimitable Gayatri Patti, my grand mother who was obsessed with collecting calendars. Gods and Goddesses big and small descended from past pages of history into her Puja room to perch on the walls as mute witnesses of the present, All the gods of the Hindu pantheon- Devi and Saraswathi, Balaji and Shiva, Rama and Krishna, Hanuman and Garuda in their various avatars colourfully bestowed their benevolent gazes on those who entered the Pooja room. Patti’s favourite pastime was to snip out these pictures from old calendars and paste them on cardboard squares with devout piety. The jeweller, the grocer, the neighbourhood departmental store were solicited in turn by Patti for the annual calendar Not only this, she would also send out requests for the "Daily Sheet calendar", where you daily tore off a sheet bearing the day and date. This also served as the almanac for the faithful. But Patti’s favourite was the Sridharan Finance calendar, which she liked for its bold, clear markings and glossy sheets
Now Sridharan Finance was a popular Lease Finance Company in the South whose annual calendar was even more popular. In fact , procuring the annual Sridharan Finance calendar was an activity that most TamBrams looked forward to very eagerly. Sridharan Finance had the practice of distributing coupons to its deposit holders which were to be exchanged for calendars issued from their branch offices. Patti’s son Venkataraman advised Patti to open a fixed deposit with Sridharan Finance and Patti promptly agreed. Usually she had her own views on how to invest her money. But as, Patti’s daughter in law Meena remarked,” Like a carrot dangled before a horse, it’s probably the thought of a calendar that has tempted Patti”. Meena was probably right - it was not the return on her investment but the calendar which attracted Patti. “ No more will I have to ask my daughters Sathya or Usha for Sridharan Finance’s calendar”, reflected Patti. “I will own one in my own right”.
Patti’s FD receipt arrived in due course along with a coupon for the annual calendar. There was a slight hitch, however. The instruction on the coupon was that the calendar had to be collected from Sridharan Finance’s branch office in Trichy. Patti however lived in a nearby town Thanjavur where Sridharan Finance did not have an office. “Don’t worry”, Venkataraman said in a comforting tone. “ I will ask Bhama (incidentally Bhama was his daughter) to collect the calendar for you Just give me that coupon”. “ Be careful”’ warned Patti. “ Send it immediately to Bhama otherwise you will misplace it”. A couple of days later, the nagging started. “Did you send the coupon?”, Patti would ask petulantly. “Of course, what else did you think I would do with it?”, Venkataraman would reply impatiently. “Then why is Bhama taking so long?” “ Amma, Bhama has so many things to do than to rush off to some office in the outskirts of the town to get a stupid calendar. She will get it for you in due course”
The matter would not end there. After a few days, Patti would come up with, “ Call Bhama on the phone and remind her about the calendar She is very forgetful”. “ Okay, okay Amma , I’ll ask her when I call her next”. “ No, call her right away. i would not depend on you and your daughter for all these things had I been younger. My hearing is not too good, otherwise I myself would have spoken to her on the phone”. Patti would fume. Venkataraman would not reply and Patti would depart in a huff.
A few days later, the volleying would start again. “ The calendar has not come yet. I’m beginning to wonder whether you have sent the coupon at all in the first place. Perhaps I should myself go over to Trichy to collect it ”, Patti would say. Venkataraman would carry on as if he had not heard anything. Then one day, Patti announced, “ Venkataraman, I am going to Trichy tomorrow with Manickam, our farm manager” “ Amma, are you out of your mind? You are eighty five and are you going to gallivant around town for the sake of some stupid calendar”, Venkataraman exploded. Patti was not put down however, "Venkataraman, enough is enough. I have been very patient right through. I have to act now or never. Arrange for a taxi to take me to Trichy. I will first visit the Uchhi Pillaiyar temple and break a coconut to seek Ganesha's blessings and then proceed to Sridharan Finance's office to collect the calendar”. Venkataraman’s jaw dropped. He was too dazed by the speed with which Patti moved that he could do nothing but comply with her instructions.
The next morning,Patti left for Trichy. She visited the Ucchi Pillayar temple and enjoyed a New Year feast at granddaughter Bhama’s place, complete with payasam and vadai. “ Aha “ thought Patti, “Bhama has taken good care of me. Now remains the difficult part of my project - getting the calendar”.
Patti arrived at Sridharan Finance's office without much of a problem. The Receptionist appeared surprised to see a regally dressed octogenarian walk in and politely enquired, “Madam, Can I help you?” “I am coming from Thanjavur for the calendar”, Patti announced quite bold and plain, The perplexed receptionist came back with the Branch Manager, who probably had been apprised of the situation. “ Namaskaram Maami”, the manager gushed. “ An elderly customer like you should not have taken so much trouble. A word from you and the calendar would have been delivered at your doorstep.” With that he handed Patti a calendar. Patti returned to Thanjavur triumphantly.
A few days later, Patti received a letter from the Head Office of Sridharan Finance based in Chennai. It mentioned that the Company was compiling a profile of its committed and loyal customers and that the Trichy office had recommended her name to be included in the list. The trouble she had taken to procure their calendar indicated the high esteem in which she held their company. The Management of Sridharan Finance was pleased and honoured by her sentiments. They had decided that Patti would directly be sent a calendar every year. The letter concluded with a request that a good colour photo of hers be sent to their office.
Venkataraman sent a photo of Patti to the company. The next year , the calendar arrived promptly. Lo and behold, the first page carried a full-blown, lifelike glossy photo of Patti because the calendar theme that year was, “ Our loyal customers” Below was the caption,
Ready and steady in her trust,
For New Years may come and New Years may go
But Gayatri Ammal and our calendar go on for ever.
Glossary
- Patti-Tamil word meaning grandmother.
- Uchi Pillayar- a temple for the deity Ganesh.
- Amma-Tamil word for mother.
- Maami-Respectfully address in Tamil for an elderly lady.
- Payasam-Apudding like Kheer.
- Vadai-fried savoury.
No comments:
Post a Comment