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When the postman knocked
The letter the postman brought on November 10 contained just a small newspaper cutting dated November 7 and with the headline `IA to operate Airbus to Colombo.' Reading through it I was delighted to find that Indian Airlines was not only operating a more comfortable aircraft but also at a more comfortable time than what had been referred to in Miscellany on October 29, thereby showing a welcome concern for passengers and what they say.
Another letter was from Reader P. Sethu Seshan, who, referring to my piece on Dr. Chembakaraman Pillai (Miscellany, October 1), wished to set "the records straight" while providing a bit or two of additional information. Regretting that I called the Emden's surgeon a `Malayalee' instead of an `Indian,' Reader Sethu Seshan writes, ``Dr. Champakaraman Pillai is a Tamilian from `Nanjil Nadu.' Dr. Pillai's father Maruthwar Shri Chinnaswamy Pillai (again in the article his initial is mentioned as `D' instead of `C') was a Palace Physician in Travancore Palace, and his ancestors were from Pandi Nadu.' A good part of Nanjil Nadu having been part of Travancore State during the period referred to, the misunderstanding about Dr. Chembakaraman's roots in all the sources I've seen is understandable.
Dr. Chembakaraman was the first to "utter the mantra Jai Hind." Subash Chandra Bose followed suit, according to Reader Sethu Seshan, who states that he is the grand-nephew of Dr. Chembakaraman Pillai. He adds a final note to the Chembakaraman Pillai saga by retailing the story of the doctor's `last journey.' Dr. Chembakaraman Pillai's wife, Lakshmi Bai, who was from Manipur, returned to India with his ashes. She travelled with them from Bombay to Trivandrum aboard INS Delhi some years after Independence and immersed them in the River Karamani during a Government-sponsored function. The surgeon of the Emden was finally laid to rest — in Kerala.
S.MUTHIAH
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