Wednesday, July 20, 2016

RAJA MARTHANDA VARMA AND NIMHANS

NIMHANS



Little would people realize when they motor on the Hosur road in Bangalore that a key architect and personality behind NIMHANS .....National Institute of  Mental Health and Nuero Sciences is a man of Royal lineage from Mavelikkara in Kerala and with affiliation to the Travancore Royal Family and an FRCS surgeon. I did not know this though I had visited the offices of NIMHANS in some connection. It is likely he was tutored in surgery by K C Nambiar or his brother-in-law P C Nambiar....K C Nambiar being a Dean of the Stanley Medical College in Madras Chennai. It is also possible some other family connections exist as the wife of K C Nambiar Tara is the daughter of  Rama Varma ,,,the Raja of Chirrakal...This is a possibility and the facts have to be assessed.


Dr. Marthanda Varma is basically a nuero-surgeon and is known for 'Varmas technique" for Parkinsons disease. For many years he has rendered selfless service to NIMHANS.

He paased away in 2015 at the age of 93.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

K P P NAMBIAR AS I KNEW HIM

I used to know KPP Nambiar in Bangalore.(KPP stands for Kunnath Pudiyaveetil Padmanabhan Nambiar..The father of my brother-in-law Santosh is from this house-hold).He  has held many official positions in Government and is England educated in tandem with many people of his era who studied at premier British Institutes whose Indian equivalents were just taking shape.I remember seeing a certificate in his office in Koramangala which is from the Imperial Institute of Science and Technology.I was even interviewed in this office at Koramangala for some post in Namtech..and also met his son Padman  and his daughter Sarojini few times.




KPP Nambiar is the nephew of P C Nambiar FRCS....possibly P C Nambiar was deceased in 1975 or so and Remember  meeting this elderly  Nambiar as a child. The wife of Dr. P C Nambiar is a cousin of my grandmother and hence the connection.




KPP as he is generally know had many constructive parts in him as a person.....was tough..helpful to people....had a sense of humour....and had a strong passion for Science. I remember seeing a "Murphy Nambiar Equation" regarding vacuum tubes in some text book of electronics at the British Library.











When I first met the discussion went on for a long while in his office.....and on many occasions interacted with him on the telephone.He was the CMD of ITI Ltd for possibly two years...and Founder Chairman of Keltron earlier for many years...Secretary to the Dept of Electronics in New Delhi...and also Founded the IIM at Kozhikode being its Chairman for some time.







Later I heard he was ailing for a long time...Years of struggle must have taken its toll..I remember seeing KPP Nambiar along with TPG Nambiar inside the BPL Colour TV  assembly plant at Old Madras Road in 1989. I have also seen portraits of KPP along with Krishna Menon...Indira Gandhi... Rajiv Gandhi...DhiruBhai Ambani ...Gundu Rao and  Ratan Tata.












He passed away  on 15 th of June 2015 at the age of 86.

Monday, July 4, 2016

CHELLAMUTHU AT REC NIT CALICUT

Between 1980 and 1985  there was a student at REC Calicut by name Chellamuthu who was an ace basketball player even representing the Southern Zone. I suddenly happened to remember him for no particular reason.We used to meet often in the Basketball court and he used to even teach me some tips in  Turn Table -for which he was well known.He used to even talk other happenings in the Hostels.Being my senior he possibly left an year ahead of me from REC.


He was nearly six feet tall, stout and well built and was from Tamil Nadu. The last thing I heard about him is that He had joined some Govt. service in Tamil Nadu. Cheer up Chellamuthu..there is some one who still fondly remembers you and your skills at basket Ball.