Page 28 - Seniorstoday June2023
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Alaimentary | A Story of a Tale - 3
Balance Sheet of Life
In the third ‘episode’ of this special story series, Nagesh Alai relates the
story of how a divine intervention helped realise the overseas education
dreams of Raghavan and Ragini
D Subramaniam Iyer, hailing from a careers to earn their fame and fortunes.
middle class conservative family from His great grandfather and family had
Karur, a charming little town, rather a migrated in circa 1905 to the de rigueur
glorified village of yore, now famous for city of commerce and opportunities, then
textiles and an eponymous bank to boot, called Bombay. His grandfather had found
is an erudite person, knowledgeable a job in a well-known cotton mill of those
in spirituality and science. He had days, run by the British and had settled
consciously taken up the profession of a down in the sylvan and shaded suburb of
priest to serve temples and homes with Chembur, a bastion of the South Indian
the objective of spreading India’s ancient families in those days. He had ensured
scriptures, scientific thought and wisdom. that his children got the best of education
It was not just about the Hindu scriptures, from well-regarded schools/institutes,
but also about the texts and teachings believing firmly that there can be no better
of Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrian and investment.
Jewish in which he was proficient. Subbu, Subbu was different from his growing
a fond moniker used by his family and up days, unlike his two siblings. Like his
friends, was secular and syncretic at heart father, Subbu too believed that the real
in all the talk and the walk and could hold growth of a person lies in the traverse from
forth unequivocally and unbiased at any education to knowledge to wisdom and the
debates across religion forums. Not just extent to which one can share that wisdom
him, his two siblings, a younger brother for societal transformation. He had been
and a sister, were equally wise and adept greatly influenced by his virtuous great
at these, though they went off to corporate grandfather, who was a well-regarded
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