CHENNAI: “Every day I write one or two pages, as I feel I must document my life, which has been rather unusual,” says G Sundari, a feisty octogenarian. Hers is not an idle boast. Living as she does within the hallowed walls of the 100-year-old plus Theosophical Society, Adyar, she had access to leaders who shaped India’s destiny and well known theosophists like Dr Arundale, Rukmini Devi Arundale and K Sankara Menon.Sundari recalls the little instances concerning India’s freedom struggle. For instance, as to how the idea of the Indian National Congress (INC) was first mooted at the society’s international headquarters, Adyar and how A O Hume, a theosophist, went on to become the INC founder of the INC. Annie Besant, the first woman president of the INC, left a deep impression on her as did another legendary figure – Dr Arundale, president of the Theosophical Society. “An orator par excellence, people would trudge miles just to listen to Besant’s speech at the Big Banyan Tree,” she recalls. It was Besant who took the message of the Home Rule League to Indian villages, she adds. Another fond memory is that of Rabindranath Tagore, staying at the Blavatsky bungalow and with students and children having a free run of the place, with some even combing his beard! She jokes about how as a 10-year-old she was under the assumption that she was running the office of Dr Arundale on the strength of what she did everyday – cutting out clippings from newspapers that featured him. She also remembers Mahatma Gandhi visiting the Hindi Prachar Sabha.Regarding August 15, 1947, her memories are clear. That was the day her house got a big radio with everybody jostling to listen to Nehru’s ‘tryst with destiny’ speech. Some, like her, went to the theatres to catch the speech as TV had not yet made its appearance then.
Comments
0 comment