AS I KNOW HIM

Shri. Pola Venkaiah Chetty

(As I know him)

By R K Shroff

Former Secretary,

Mallasajjana Vyayama Shaala,

Bellary

I became a regular member of the Mallasajjana Vyayama Shaala after I joined service in Bellary in 1942. In those days, we used to organize Prabhata Pheris on important national festivals like the Independence Day on Jan 26^th and Martyrs’ Day on Aug 9^th every year. Shri. Pola Venkaiah Chetty was a regular participant in those programs. That was how I came into contact with him. Youngsters of the present generation would perhaps laugh at me for identifying Jan 26^th as Independence Day and Aug 9^th as Martyrs’ Day; but I am not wrong. Prior to 1947, Jan 26^th was observed as Independence Day – as per a resolution passed by the Indian National Congress in its session held at Lahore in December 1929; and Aug 9^th was observed as Martyrs’ day as a tribute to thousands of brave Indians who had laid down their lives in the cause of the freedom struggle – after Gandhiji gave his call to the nation – ‘Quit India’ for the British Government and ‘Do or Die’ for the Indians – from the sands of the Chaupaty beach in Bombay on Aug 8^th 1942. The Prabhata Pheris would start early in the morning, go round the streets of Bellary and culminate at the Samba Murthy Maidan in front of the City Bus Stand, adjacent to the Cosmopolitan Club. The national flag (consisting of the tricolor with the Charka in the middle) would be hoisted and we would all disperse.

Shri. Venkaiah is a self-made man. I was told that after learning the art of business and the tricks of the trade under a senior businessman, he started his own business under the banner of ‘The Lakshmi Iron Mart’. By dint of hard, honest and sincere work he made big strides and now they have spread their wings in various other branches of business – although we see only the Pola Paradise making its appearance on the television screen.

The traits I like most in Shri. Venkaiah are

(1)   His disciplined life

(2)   His love for Khaadi

(3)   His simplicity

He has been a strict disciplinarian throughout and instilled the same spirit in his children also; he would never allow the vulgar show of wealth by his children at any time; we know how easily riches can spoil the character of a rich child. Shri. Venkaiah loves wearing Khaadi, just as I do; a white jubbah, a dhoti and the Gandhi cap were the hallmark of his simple dress. His personal life was also very simple.

I came into greater contact with him after I was elected Secretary of the Vyayama Shaala in 1946 – in which post I continued for well over 25 years. Inside the Shaala compound there was an old building – a sort of Mantap – which we converted into a place suitable for accommodation dividing it into small rooms. There we provided free lodging for the students studying in the Govt. Polytechnic and the Veerashaiva College. Shri. Venkaiah helped us with money and material in accomplishing this. But the fact is that his contribution was known only to 4 or 5 of us, not known to any other members of the Shaala even, because Mr. Venkaiah was against all publicity. I am quite certain that he has helped many another worthy cause, but those acts of benevolence are not known to others for the simple reason that he dislikes publicity. I wouldn’t have penned these few lines either for the same reason, but for the fact that I could not rule out the request of Smt. Rajani, daughter of Mr. Venkaiah, and a great friend of my daughter Smt. Sandhya. This old hostel building was subsequently demolished and in its place there now stands the well known Gandhi Bhavan.

The last time I met him was in March 2002 when I had been to Bellary to attend a meeting held to condole the death of Shri. Bindu Madhav, the driving force behind all the activities of the Vyayama Shaala. Shri. Venkaiah was there and he reminisced his association with Bindu Meshtru as the latter was fondly addressed; they were both born in 1914 it seems. It is very unfortunate that I have not been able to travel to any place outside Bangalore after my trip to Bellary in March 2002. I have been confined to my residence in Bangalore after the surgical operation on my thigh in May 2002.

Before I conclude, let me express my happiness at the fact that Shri. Venkaiah has entered into his 97^th year. Whenever I think of someone crossing 80 years, a thought comes to my memory. On the 9^th of May, 1941, a news item appeared in the paper that morning (I was doing my B.A. in the college at Ananthpur at that time). Gurudev Tagore had completed eighty years of his life and Gandhiji had sent a telegram saying “Four score is not enough, may you complete five” and Tagore in his great humility, although a world renowned person, had replied “If four score has been useless, five would be intolerable”. I would like to make a little change in this wish and tell Mr. Venkaiah “Just 97 is not destination Mr. Venkaiah, go farther beyond 100 in good health and cheer”. May God grant this prayer