REMEMBERING Dr. T V V

A multifaceted model for youngsters to emulate Sometime in 1986 I was on the lookout for a house on the ground floor, since my physician had advised me to avoid climbing stairs, following a heart problem. I was told that there was a house available for rent owned by Dr.T.V.Venkatesan, and situated just adjacent to the house where he lived. I had heard a lot about Dr.TVV. He was an eminent dermatologist, and a pioneering one in Madurai. He had won many accolades not only in his profession but also in the clubs he belonged to. He was the District Governor of the Lions Club and during his tenure his district stood second in the entire world in membership growth. He was an important member of the Madura College Board. Later, I heard that he had missed the President's Award by a whisker. A quiz contest So I approached him with some awe and trepidation, wondering whether he would give his house to a non-vegetarian. But my fears vanished because of the warmth with which he greeted me. When he heard that I was a professor of English, the conversation took an entirely different turn. " `To be or not to be, that's the question' who said that?" the doctor asked. "Hamlet" I answered. "All the world's a stage"? "Jaques in `As You Like It' " I said. And for the next half an hour the Shakespeare quiz went on. The doctor didn't ask me whether I was a vegetarian or not, whether I belonged to this religion or that. He didn't ask me how many people were there in my family - the usual questions that landlords ask prospective tenants. But with the doctor it was Shakespeare all the way. And thanks to the Bard, I was given the key to the house straightaway. When we moved into the house — No.21, Jawahar Road- Dr.TVV was there to welcome us. And later he periodically visited us for a chat. During one of these visits he showed me a photograph of himself as Mark Antony striking a dramatic pose. He had done this bit of mono-acting, delivering Antony's oration, in club meetings. I was surprised by his zeal in playing these roles - something surprising in a medical practitioner. Later, I heard that in a conversation with someone close to him, he had said, "Whenever I do anything, I totally surrender myself to it. There may be some in the audience who joke and laugh about me later, though they applaud while I perform. But I don't care. They are the Roman mob, more to be pitied than condemned. Medicine is my profession, but all the other things - Lionism, education and acting - are my escapisms." Unfortunately I never had an opportunity of seeing Dr.TVV perform. Folk tales But, I heard him narrating folk tales with great gusto. Those days I used to go for walks in the Race Course. Sometimes Dr.TVV joined me for a short round. On these occasions he told me some tale or the other. The one he seemed to like very much was about a man who had new trousers made, and found that they were three inches too long. He asks his wife to reduce the length by three inches. She excuses herself saying that she is too busy. Next he asks his sister; and she too declines giving some lame excuse. Then he asks his mother, and she too backs off. Later that night when everyone sleeps, the wife feeling bad about dodging the job, takes the trousers and cuts off three inches. After awhile the sister does the same, and then the mother. When the man tries it on the next morning it comes down just to his knees. The doctor called this "operation without cooperation". At home, while at dinner, the doctor regaled his family with witty conversation about sports, education, politics etc. He also organized contests for them and awarded prizes. He joked and laughed and played with his children, grandchildren and other young relatives, thereby giving them a healthy view of life to be lived with joy. The doctor often said that he would like to die with his boots on - right in the midst of working. And so it happened. On 1st December, 1994, he attended on a patient and then was getting ready to go for a Board meeting in a college when he had a seizure and passed away within a couple of hours. He was 78. J.VASANTHAN (jvasanthan@sancharnet.in) Date:24/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2007/02/24/stories/2007022400290300.htm