A book on our great maternal uncle

How our beloved Maternal uncle, SN,  touched our heart and life

In the celebrated  Indian family tradition, maternal uncle plays an important role in the lives of children of his sister.  In our large family, our maternal uncle,  late Sri S Nataraja Iyer of SBI, Mumbai, as a wonderful human being,  created a profound and powerful influence in the lives of many relatives and friends. It is 19 years since he passed into pages of history. But, we all still admire and adore him for his devotion to God and Gurus, his selfless service, foresight, humour, positive approach, patience and unconditional hospitality. Hailing from Tappalampuliyur village near Tiruvarur in TN, he was the younger brother of my beloved mother, Kamalambal. After working in Sundaram Motors in Chennai and Railways at Jabalpur, he joined the erstwhile Imperial Bank of India in Mumbai and which later became SBI.

Thirty years ago, Mumbai was the only major job market and it topped the minds of aspiring middle class for starting their career. It was SN and  his family who had graciously accommodated them in their large heart and small house. I am one of his nephews always grateful for his support in shaping my life and career. After my PG at Kumbakonam arts college,  he invited me to come to Bombay in 1978. I lived in Mumbai for three years before returning to Madras in October 1981.  

Two years ago,  when I revealed my interest to bring out a book on uncle using my long experience as a journalist, my uncle’s sons, N Muralidharan ( formerly with Wipro, Jobstreet.com and now a consultant in B lore)  and N Pattabiraman ( now holding a top position in Axis Bank, Mumbai), encouraged me to go ahead. Then, we asked relatives and friends to share their thoughts on  how SN influenced their life.

Finally,  September 25, 2011 marked a memorable day in my life. That day, a coffee table book compiled by me on our beloved uncle, was released by uncle’s wife and our beloved aunt, Smt Jayalakshmi,  at a function in Navi Mumbai. Titled Thoughts of Dear & Near on Sri S Nataraja Iyer, the book is meant to serve as a good material for today’s generation to refer, reflect and imbibe my uncle’s great human qualities. It was a proud occasion attended by relatives and friends of uncle family. A number of people including my aunt, uncle’s sons and daughter, son in law, daughter in laws and others have nicely shared their ever green  memories about our uncle.. A number of gen-next members showed keen interest to read the book to know about my uncle.

In my preface, I have mentioned that we are all proud of India emerging an economic power and big improvements in our career and personal life. India stands out from rest of the world and able to march ahead due to its celebrated democracy, secularism and peace-loving people. At the same time, there is a concern over westernisation of our established culture, tradition and values. Our cherished joint family system is on the wane. Fostering harmonious relationship among family members, friends and neighbours has become a big challenge. Gen next is  desperately on the look out for elders and God fathers to guide them in leading a peaceful and prosperous life.

Here is a collection of thoughts of late S Nataraja Iyer (SN) who was a beacon of light for many. He was a role model for young and old. It is meant for private circulation and given to important members of our family. Along with this article I have shared the pictures taken on the occasion. I am holding a book and the pix was clicked at our home in Chennai by my son, Lakshman ( alias) Sreekumar on Diwali day.

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