mahashivaratri

Tomorrow is MahaShivaratri.
Ammamma`s birthday.
Tata loved MahaShivaratri.So Ammama had to prepare Sabudana khichadi,Boiled sweet potato in sugar syrup and lots of fruits.

Maha Shiva Ratri and Tata

sitafal

When we were building this house we were renting Parkumars house.One time Daddy bought lots of Sitafals and on the way they all got crushed and were mass pulp of the same.Tata was visiting us over a weekend.So both Nanamma and tata said how can we waste the fruit,So they both sat and consumed entire amount.Now Sitafal is one fruit it is very difficult to digest if you are not careful.So next morning both of them were catching their Tummys and running to loo every few minutes cursing the fruit.
Nainamma and Tata were good friends.She always used to tease ammama for ill treating her friend.And they used to have friendly verbal fights about tata.

cricket

After Tata came back from Australia he was posted to Kolhapur.There we lived in an apartment.So one day Tata asked us if we understood cricket.We had never heard of such a game.So next day he went and bought a black board and chalks.He made us sit around it and explained us about the long leg,short leg, slip position, what was an over etc.After that we all became cricket match addicts.In those days there was only radio commentary.Prasanna, chandrashkhar etc were the bowlers and Sunil Gavaskar,Patudi. I can never forget those thrilling close finishing matches.Spinners were on the top those days.In the school we used to go to office to find out the score in between classes.

Photos

When we were in Kolhapur,Tata every year used to perform annual ceremony for his mother.Which meant Amma had to have a bath and cook specific food for the Brhamins.Vada,Allap pachadi,etc.Now these Brhamins were supposed to eat to their hearts content occasionally burping loudly,so that my grand mothers soul will be well fed! Unless they finished eating non of us could eat our lunch.Which meant we used to be starving since morning till late afternoon cursing those brhamins.So cute tata used to hide some Vadas and bring them in to bed room and give them to us.Amma used to get upset, but he will say they are children and how long can they wait.That was the greatness of Tata, balancing old ideas with modern ideas!

tatas return from Australia

Tata returned from Australia with a slide projector and lots of slides.I was the official operator of the machine.Tata used to give the running commentary.Intially I used to feel very important doing the job.After wards I used to avoid it.Then he had also brought lots of Tapes and a tape deck(spool player),And had methodically taped lots of music.I remember ~Autumn leaves`,Dave Brubeck,Etc.He also was given one beautiful velvet red color cloth with white lace by his professors wife for me.Khode the tailor made a lovely frock for me.Which was my favorite.Tata took us to Sambhaji Park and took photos.And of course we had Bhelpuri there.
Even When we were in Kolhapur every Sunday we used to go to udpi joint for breakfast and then Ice cream.I think it was called Salunke Ice cream.

Romantic at heart

Tata was to come back from Australia after all most four and half years.He regularly wrote letters to Ammama.I remember he asking amma to buy a sky blue sari and wear it when she came to receive him at bombay airport.We went and bought a cotton sky blue with delicate white boarder.We went to one of our friends house (Mr.Sonavane)I think Nanimama and self and ammamma went,do not know why aigo and r`mavshi did not come.

Aigo's Post from Facebook - Tata's Shastipurthi

26th January 1980, we moved to 236, Sind Society. That is exactly 31 years ago. Which means I have spent exactly half of my life here. Amazing 31 years, everything important and nice happened in this house. The very function we had was Tata's Shastipurti in October 1980. Every one was there and we had a great time.

Post #4 from Facebook via Nanimama

(Dr TKT). Tata was always Jolly and a family Man. He held himself to very high standards - both professionally, Morally and socially. He made friends easy. 
He worked as a CHILLY specialist in LAM farm near Guntur when the Andhra state was created and he opted for Maharashtra in the earstwhile Nizam state. He moved to Parbhani as a principal, agricultural college which he developed and in a very few years it was elevated to be a college. We had a cook ( Hamid Miya aka. Subraminiyam - since his father wasn't supposed to know the cook was a muslim!). Meat and Chicken were described as egg-fruit bhaji or curry ( ofcourse never served to his father). There were parties in our house for ever!. He was a very popular teacher and mentor. His friends were one Feroz (owned local theater), local IAS collecter's, One Dr Chari ( a local doctor who later designed Hyderabad apollo Hospital) and so on. Badminton was played in our grounds. He played Tennis in a club close by. Ammamma was a great sport and support. Yethiraji movedto Parbhani for a while and Radharaman was born in Parbhani. K babu, Pillamma pinni were frequent visitors and she fecilitated their union. Almost everyone visited us those days (1951-1957). I was away in Andhra persuing my studies, if you call them that!. Missed out on a lot, I must say.

Post #3 from Nanimama via Facebook

DR TKT: Tata studied in Taylor High School, Narsapur. The environment wasn't great for education those days. Tata's ancestors had lands stretching from TANUKu to Narsapur. With no income and upper caste style of living these were squandered and sold till hardly anything was left by the time Tata grew up. He studied MSc(AGL) in Coimbattor and further (MA) in Banares Hindu university. 
He was always a very generous and kind hearted man - to the extent of 'annoying' Ammamma I ofcourse it didn't take much to annoy her :). ( She was also extremely kind and sensitive to other's needs...and her annoyance was largely 'pretend'!). Life wasn't easy for her. While in Ramachandrapuram, her mother died in Amalapuram. So her father moved to Korukonda with Ayyengar, Rangayya, Chudamani, Ammani, Ramanujam, Rajyam ) but Amalapuram ata's brothers refused to care for them for too long. This brought out the BESt in Our TATA. He took all the kids ( girls) to Ramachandrapuram till Amalapuram tata remarried and set up a home again in Amalapuram. While in Gurajala, Aigo was born in Rentuchintala. When tata was studying in benares (with A Ravindernaath, now in Toronto) Chandu mavashi was born in Amalapuram.

Post #2 from Facebook

(DR TKT): One has to consider How different Tata's upbringing was in the context of the prevailing conditions and customs in Narsapuram. His father was born in Vizag ( in a traditional and pious family) but adopted by a childless couple in Narsapuram and thus became a T K ! TK people were rich. Being from Sri Vaishnavite families t...hey were revered by the kings and were 'gifted' entire villages. Gradually the families split up. Our Grand father led a sedentary life - visiting temples...not 'doing' anything much but Just 'being'. ( my philosophy too: Life is NOT about DOING but about 'BEING' !!!). His neighbour and cousin ( Subhadra's Husband RANGA's father) TK Ramanujacharyulu was a great Sanskrit Scholar. Tata's Dad wasn't that gifted. However he was the local temple trustee and was offered the 'Prathama Theertham' (holy water given first before others after Darshan). Tata was always 'spiritual' and by-passed the religious route somewhat. His thinking was more evolved and did not need such a route. He more like 'served' and 'sacrificed'. Made people laugh. He could relate to any age group!

Post #1 from Nanimama - the facebook post that started this whole thing

I am just copying from FB here so we don't lose this stuff:

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Tata (Dr TKT ACHARYA) was born Aug 30, 1920. His father T K Narsimhachari and mother Sithamma. Tata was oldest of 6 sibblings. Sathakopam Babu, Ramu's dad), One sister who died young (her son CV Raman lives in Vizag and another died), K. Babu, Yethiraji atta and Alwar babu. 
Tata studied B S C Agriculture in Bapatla College. He and Ammamma married young. NANI MAMA (1944), RamaPriya mavashi(1946) were born. He worked in Ramachandrapuram and nearby places as an Agricultural Demonstator. By then he had lost his mother ( My Nayanamma). So Ammamma looked after Yethiraji and Alwar both just small kids then. Ammamma herself was very young ( born 1927). to be continued)