Open Book

Dear Kith and Kin,

This is the last thing I would like to post on my blog be it a friend or a foe. We are loosing many of our near and dear with whom some of us might have shared a great relationship and with some others we may not. But the fact remains the same that all the passing’s will have a devastating effect on us which we realize in some cases immediately and in others little late.

If am not wrong, I might have lost like close to 10-15 people from my maternal and paternal side in the past 10 - 12 years or so averaging at a rate of one person per year and in some case also 2-3 people in a given year. In year 2012, we lost 4 people actually like Sangameswara Rao garu, Konnepati Prasad garu, Sivaramaiah garu and Police Pedananna last week. We lost our dear Savitri attayya in 2011 June and some more which we might not have information on.

History of Yamarthy Siblings:

We all know that all the brother and sisters of the family were born and raised under poor situations due to the financial constraints in those days. But we shall applaud “Suryanarayana Rao Tatayya" for giving the children the best possible education in those days. All the four brothers had LLB's in common with B.com or B.sc as their major degree.

It gives me immense pride in mentioning about my father (Sri Yamarthy Venkatappaiah garu, B.com LLB) who is one among the four and was considered to be an asset by one and all in his office and many times got promotions in his career when his seniors were even over looked while considering my hero as the best man for the rank of Deputy General Manger of APCOB.

I think Gopal Rao Pedananna even had a Master's degree (M.sc) in those days itself, and we all know how iconic he was? A precious jewel in the crown of the Yamarthy family. Anjani Attayya did her B.sc, am not sure if she has B.Ed but I think she has one. Many of the siblings were all well qualified as per those day standards and I personally share a very good relationship with all four attayya’s Savitri, Nirmala, Anjani and Satyavathi attayas. We all know what an helping hand Satyavathi attayya is when it comes to functions in any of our relatives. 

Last but not the least is Anji Pedananna (B.com LLB) who is a relatively calm man compared to the other brothers, but always a very loving personality who prefers to maintain a low profile doing most of the grass root work delegated by Police Pedananna.

About Police Pedananna:

Only few people will leave an ever lasting impression on the rest of the world and I think our beloved and highly revered "Police Pedananna" is one of them. Coming to "Police Pedananna" whom we all children fondly used to call, See how amazing he looks in the above black and white photograph? Just like a true learned man, like a thinker, like a leader and just like a true ambassador of the law. Am sure he might have become a national figure had he born in a little more powerful family like Gandhi’s.

He had a B.sc, LLB in those days itself and my father told me that he used to teach the students of 1st and 2nd year students of the B.sc while he was in 3rd year of B.sc.

He was a rare combination of “Industry and Intelligence”. His ken of knowledge on the judicial system was highly impressive. His top quality was the Killer's Instinct with "Never Say Die" attitude. A very daring personality who had the guts to roam around the country with out having a single penny in his pocket. This particular aspect of his traits reminds me of the great "Swami Vivekananda" when he did the same after he decided to go for world entourage soon after his father's demise when his family was literally starving with out food in Bengal. Of course, the purpose was different but the inherent confidence and zeal remains the same.

His only weapon under his armour was his ‘Oratory skills cushioned with unfathomable depths of the judicial system”. I don't have to cite the examples here to illustrate the above mentioned phenomenal quality as we all witnessed in umpteen occasions the mesmerizing magic of his speech. He used to work incessantly day and night where I particularly remember one occasion before coming to this country, It was a late night and I had to go and see him for some reason and he was reading a big book of Law under a night lamp on his table and I was really moved seeing him like that and this happened when he was not less than 70 years. How many of us can do that? when we reach that age despite suffering with all health complications, you name it, he had it. Diabetic for more than 50 years, had all kinds of heart related surgeries, He cannot see properly, neither can walk on his own. One another amazing thing was he was reading the book eagerly like a student preparing to take the exam next day. That just blew me away.

I saw a poster last month by Dr Seuss, a simple but an effective one like "Keep reading, it will take you to places". I could now get the core of it by correlating this with Pedananna’s hunger for books. If I could just read 1% of what Pedananna might have read in his whole life, I would be a different man all together. But I learned respecting the books now more than I used to and trying to read them as and when possible for which am very happy even though little late.

"To err is human", It is very common for all of us even greats like Mahatma Gandhi to have strengths as well as weaknesses. We shall try our best to learn the "Art of Winnowing" by inculcating into our resume of life the good ones and leave apart the bad ones.

There are many more good things we must learn from him like hard work, not envying when others kids come up, helping people especially when they are in need of any health related matters, taking the leadership, delegating the duties and last but not the least is giving back to the place where we belong to. As he did a great work for the Yamarthy village and to the temple there by raising funds? He could do all this by just sitting in his chair and with a telephone call (Graham Bell shall thank Pedananna) as he is the only one to use the phone for most of the constructive purposes,  as many people of today’s generation will waste the time on phone for the crap.

His physical immobility could not conquer his iron will to develop the village and this is highly exceptional in my viewpoint. Very few can do it as the normal weak people always tend to cite the reasons of ill-health and lack of money for not being part of a constructive work especially when it comes to giving back to one’s village or a country.

On a final note, I would like to bring it to your attention that the only way to felicitate this towering personality is to form a TRUST by us (the near and dear and especially the one who have a gut feeling that they were benefitted by him at some point or other) on his name and put some money into it initially, raise the funds eventually and do some humanitarian work. If there is an agreement on this which is sure we will have a unanimous single opinion, I will be the first one to contribute and please let me know your inputs and any great ideas on this proposal.

May "BABA" rest this "Great Departed Soul" in peace as he always worked very hard for the past 80 years?

I am SORRY if I fumbled in conveying the message but would be a HAPPY man if I hit the bull’s eye.

Thank you and Love you,

Chandra Sekhar Yamarthy