Registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under R.N.I 53640/91
Vol. XXVI No. 13, October 16-31, 2016
Besant to Vasantha
by K.V.S. Krishna
“I was a student of Besant Theosophical School during 1938-50, a school Annie Besant had helped to establish.” She was greatly admired by the people of India for her contribution to the freedom movement as well as her devotion to education. She established the Vasantha Press with her own funds, outside the Theosophical Society (TS) compound, to publish her political writings as well as all the publications of the TS. She herself published some 300 books.
Annie Besant
Annie Besant became the President of The Theosophical Society in 1907 (till 1933). But, was Vasantha the real name of the press when it was started in 1908? We do not know who gave the apt name, Vasantha. However, at the end of the day, Besant gifted it to the TS and this acquisition was sold by the TS in 1973.
The Besant School’s prayer song was composed by Papanasam Sivan with the words Devi Vasanthae and the Besant School magazine published annually, was named Vasantha, with students contributing to it. Similarly the School’s Scout movement was named ‘The Vasantha Boy Scouts and Guides’. Even the Krishnamurthi Foundation premises is named Vasantha Vihar. This building came up on 6.5 acres off Greenways Road. It was designed by an architect friend of Rabindranath Tagore and given by Annie Besant in 1928 to J. Krishnamurthi, for his residence. He used it for five decades.
N. Sriram was a devoted Assistant Editor of New India and a right hand for Annie Besant. His eldest son was born on October 1, 1922, which is also the birthday of Annie Besant, So, he named his son Vasanth Nilakanta in her honour. Similarly, a Theosophist devoted to Annie Besant, N. Swaminathan, named his daughter as Vasantha.
Papanasam Sivan was the first teacher of music when the Besant Memorial School was founded by G.S. Arundale with K. Sankara Menon as its Headmaster and P.S. Krishnaswamy and K. Venkatala Sastry, the other two teachers. It was inaugurated on June 27, 1934. G. Sundari writes in the book South of the Adyar River, “I was five years old and was sitting on my father’s lap. N.Sriram, the Chairman of the School Committee, spoke first and he was followed by an inspiring speech by Dr. G.S. Arundale, the then President of the TS. Papanasam Sivan, the music composer and musician, known as the Thyagaraja of the 20th Century, composed Devi Vasanthe as a tribute to Dr. Annie Besant at no one’s behest. His devotion to her had impelled him to do it. He has heard her soul-stirring lectures several times. Though he did not know English, he understood her, as she conveyed her message to the atman.” This prayer song could have been sung on the very first day of the school.
When Papanasam Sivan first arrived at Madras in 1929, it was Rukmini Devi who was the first person to recognise his genius. His association with her matured to his becoming the composer and musician when the School started functioning. Kalakshetra was soon afterwards formed, in 1936.
About the first anniversary of the School, G. Swaminathan writes, “My proudest moment was on the School Day in 1935, when I received – for proficiency in English, Mathematics and Cricket – lotus petals from the Chief Guest, the Revered Rabindranath Tagore.” The first SSLC batch had just nine students who appeared for the exams in 1937, but only two passed the exams. The school now has got more than 1000 students, though the name has been changed to The Besant Theosophical School.
Captain G. Swaminathan, the other student who passed in the first batch in 1937, showed me some years back in 2007, his Scouts Scarf, which was a silk square of violet with a border in yellow. Dr. G.S. Arundale was the Commissioner for Scouts in India in 1934 to 40.
Annie Besant’s last wish expressed to Dr. Arundale before she passed away in 1933 was to establish a school in Adyar, as the one she had earlier established was gifted to J. Krishnamurti at his request, so that he could start The Rishi Valley School at Madanapalle, his native village. Dr. Arundale carried out his promise to her and established the Besant Memorial School in 1934 in Adyar.
“I contacted my classmate (1950) Prof C.V. Chandrasekhar and he translated the school prayer song and sent it to me with his brief views”.
“Regarding the song composed by Bramhasri Papanasam Sivan on Dr. Besant, it still continues to be sung in all the institutions under the Kalakshetra Foundation on all special occasions of the institution. I had the good fortune of learning from him an Ashtapadi from poet Jayadeva’s Geetagovindam, for which Rukmini Devi composed the dance for my arangetram in 1950.
The song on Dr. Besant which was written and tuned by Sivan goes thus
Devi Vasanthe. Ragam: Vasantha, Talam: Adi Translation
Pallavi: Oh Goddess Vasantha, Hail to you, Hail to your compassion
Anupallavi: The queen of speech, you work tirelessly, you have hoisted.
The standard (flag) in the world, establishing the greatness of truth, equality,
And wisdom through the right path, and celebrated by the rulers of the world.
Charanam: Condemning ego, you joined hands with the poor, helpless and downtrodden, you established the Religion of Truth as the highest religion.
A fitting tribute to Dr. Annie Wood Besant. She never elaborated on her maiden name, Annie Wood. However, the book South of the Adyar River has a picture of thickly wooded forest in its backcover!
My book in a bookstore
Today I am on cloud nine! The journey skywards started last September when my book Seeing in the Dark, a translation of R. Chudamani’s short stories, was released. If you have ever seen a determined woman peering closely at airport bookshelves in the months since then, it was me. The first anything is special, the first child, the first love, the first teacher, the first salary… make your choice. It is not that the next is less precious. The first writes on a clean slate. This was my first book.
The circle of family and friends loyally attended the book release function. The said circle also loyally asked for my signature. One special member of the audience was my six year old grandson who sat patiently listening to the speeches just to see his Paatti stand up. Then began the saga of ‘The Search of the Bookshelves’. I really don’t know what I expected. I only know I was sorely disappointed not to see a single copy of my book anywhere. Then I told myself that perhaps the first edition had sold out… completely. But as in the old black and white movies where two K.R. Vijayas or Saroja Devis appeared with flowing hair, one in black saree and one in white sari arguing with each other, my black sari image appeared and dampeningly told me “Prabha, you’ve got a hope!”
Today I went to Star Mark at the Express Mall to buy books for my grandchildren in the US. Ruskin Bond seemed the right choice for my grand-daughter. I picked up two of his and then went around the store. I returned to Ruskin Bond. There… I could not believe my eyes… were my books, Seeing in the Dark, nestling between Ruskin Bond and Amitav Ghosh. Not bad company at all. I was thrilled. A slender sales girl was quietly re- arranging the books. I told her,” Do you know.. that is mine!” She didn’t know, it would seem, judging by the way she was dropping her jaw. What was this grey haired lady in a grey cotton saree trying to say?
“Ma’am , are you saying you are the writer?”
“Yes, yes.”
I picked up the book and showed the last page where I was beaming from a picture.
“Ma’am, shall I shift them all to the top shelf?”
“ You will?” And I rushed away.
I don’t think she had ever seen anything like this.
Then I went up to the cashier.
“You know what? You have my book!”
“What, Ma’am?” Second jaw dropped.
“The book I wrote… you have it there.” I took a deep breath.
“Oh! Cash or card, Ma’am?”
I will be more composed and dignified when my second book hits the shelf!
-Justice Prabha Sridevan
