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December 21, 1996

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V Gangadhar

Naicker's Magic

Dominic Xavier's illustration During my visits to Madras, I always make it a point to visit a suburb called Tambaram. The place brings back pleasant memories. We lived in Tambaram for about three years during that late 1940s. It was here that I first learnt to play cricket, had a group of real friends and spent some happy years at the Christ King Convent High School.

Today, Tambaram is a bustling suburb, quite unlike the sleepy, quiet residential area of those days. But certain landmarks, like the names of roads, have not changed. Kalidas Street, Agastyar Street, Vyasar Street still remain as they were. Fortunately, the Dravidian parties' obsession with Tamil culture spared these street names.

We lived at Number 3, Kalidas Street, in a huge mansion. In fact, the house was occupied by several tenants though the entire ground floor was ours. The landlord's family lived in a section of the first floor. The house was a landmark in Tambaram because of its size and design. Ask for 'Naicker Bungalow' and everyone knew where it was.

Our landlord was one of the most remarkable men I had ever met. R Govinda Naicker was of medium height, dark, with close-cropped hair. Dressed in a pure white dhoti, shirt and angavastram, he sported a red namam (caste mark) on his forehead and a wrist watch with a gold chain. We called him Naicker mama and, very soon, he became a close family friend.

Govinda Naicker was not highly educated. He was a self-made man, having made pots of money through contracts, supplying all kinds of goods during the Second World War. When we came in contact with him, the war had ended and his profits were down. The friends who ate and drank at his expense were slowly disappearing. Naicker was on the lookout for new business ventures.

He seemed to know everyone in Tambaram and Madras city and was comfortable in any kind of society. He respected and admired my father, who was a senior government officer. My father, a serious man not given to making friends, found Naicker an interesting companion and consulted him on various issues. He liked me immensely and strange to say, a nine-year old and a 45-year-old became close friends.

Naicker owned a shabby-looking Morris Minor car. Whenever it was not in the garage for repairs, he and I would drive it all around Madras. Quite often, he took me along on his business jaunts. Once, he decided to try his hand at being a cinema exhibitor. Hiring the Kapali cinema in Mylapore, he went around with me to film studios and offices of producers, trying to get good films for his theatre. Unfortunately, since Kapali was not a first-rate theatre, he could not manage new films and had to be satisfied with re-runs.

I was introduced to an entirely different world. At the studios, I came across some of my Tamil screen idols. M K Radha, Ranjan, T R Rajakumari and so on. They patted me on the back, ruffled my hair and I narrated these experiences to my wide-eyed sisters. Since Naicker had to be present at his theatre every evening, it was my duty to be with him. Together, we watched the same film for days together, till I knew the dialogue and songs by heart. But the project fell through because the reruns did not attract house-full audiences. Naicker decided to cut his losses and move on to something else.

Besides business, he was interested in many other things. Naicker was the moving force behind the Tambaram Cosmopolitan Cricket Club which played in the Madras league. He recruited players from all parts of the city and suburbs and made it a strong team. The day it finished on top of the second division and was promoted to the first was a proud one for my friend. He also became a member of the Madras Cricket Association and never missed a Test match. Naicker was not very interested in the game, but it gave him opportunities to meet people and opened new business avenues.

One fine morning, he decided that he should take more interest in Tamil literature. "Thambi, I am attending the Bharatiyar (a leading Tamil poet) festival in Ettayapuram, his birthplace. Care to come along?" I was thrilled. My parents could not say no to Naicker and we drove all the way to town. It was an unforgettable experience.

The festival featured cultural and literary programmes where famous artistes participated. I particularly enjoyed the Kathakalakshepam (story in verse form) on Gandhi by Kothamangalam Subbu, a film actor and a man of letters. That trip was also memorable because lightning stuck the local temple when we were inside it. Huge stones fell down, there was dust everywhere. Grabbing my hand, Naicker ran to the safety of the car.

Travelling with him was fun. He knew what young boys wanted. At home, we were not encouraged to eat in restaurants. With Naicker, it was different. He took me to all kinds of restaurants and ice cream parlours, which were a rarity in those days. I asked for paan, I got it. "You are spoiling him," my mother complained. Naicker grinned sheepishly.

Our friendship continued even after we left Tambaram. Father was posted at Tindivanam, Madurai, Vellore, Fort Cochin and finally Kozhikode. Naicker visited us at all these places and we had a great time. In fact, he insisted that we travel from Vellore to Fort Cochin by road in the family car, an aged Ford. It was a memorable trip because the car gave endless trouble and we were forced to halt in many villages. There was something wrong with the petrol supply to the engine. Naicker who fancied himself as an expert mechanic, used a rubber hose to suck the petrol from the tank. By the time the trip ended, his mouth had developedsores.

Sometimes I wondered why Naicker showered so much love and affection on us. He had a son and two daughters. The son passed SSC, played cricket at the club level and then joined the railways. Today, he is in his sixties, managing a provision shop near the family home. The house itself is used by many tenants and has lost much of its earlier charm. The Naicker magic is no longer there.

It was my eldest sister who informed me about his death. Bronchitis and a weak heart claimed him. I thought of all the wonderful times I had with Govinda Naicker who was like a second father and more important, a friend to me. He was one of the most unforgettable characters I had ever come across.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier

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