My late father, M N Jayaraman, remained unwaveringly devoted to all family heirlooms and genealogy records. He lodged the items in a traditional Burma teak wood chest and rearranged them routinely. Every time dad flung the chest open, we siblings were amazed by its contents. The keepsakes included old prints, pictures, letters exchanged between family members, books, drawings, photographs, military relics, coins from the British era, a scroll of honour presented to grandpa in recognition of his impressive service in the World Wars, antique pens and even a WWII gun holder.
My paternal grandfather, M Narayanasami, was enlisted in the Madras Regiment during the World Wars, performing duties in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Perusing my grandfather’s sepia-tinted photographs in the photo album was exhilarating. The photos presented striking scenes of elephant, camel and horse regiments, rope spans and armed combatants with swords and bayonets. Grandpa was immortalized in photographs alongside the sphinx and the pyramids of Egypt. Sadly, the images got damaged by the relentless march of time, and we had to discard them. Grandfather was decorated with the Order of British India (First Class) and other honours following the wars, and he was worshipped as a hero in the community.
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Appa always held on to old bills and receipts and never threw them away. He kept track of daily expenses and combed them to cut back on excessive spending. He was always happy to record the dates of anniversaries and special occasions of those close to him and was always the first to send them his best on their special day. The diary contained a timeline of family and friends visiting, essential reminders, personal memories, and other exciting tidbits.
We went on a trip to the past as we leafed through the journal, and it also revealed historical data on the rise and fall of the prices of essentials. All five of his children’s wedding expenses are also listed here. He would start a new diary every year but always kept the old ones. Working in the Records Office of the Madras Engineering Group (MEG) in Bengaluru for a long time made him understand the importance of bookkeeping.
A beautiful reminder of the past is a receipt from 17.04.1951 for Rs.58.80. M/s KRV Chetty & Sons, Jewellers and Silver Smiths, 47 Ebrahim Sahib Street, issued it, which was the making charges for a pair of bangles and finger rings against gold tendered. Father had beautiful penmanship, and his diary entries were a joy to read.
Back then, one had to form a lengthy, winding line at the cashier’s desks to settle electricity bills. The counters displayed the message, “Please tender exact change”, meaning that if one didn’t possess small denomination coins, he could be refused service. However, the manual system of ledger-keeping used in those days had its drawbacks. Despite dad settling the bills on time, poor record keeping meant that the amount paid would look like arrears in the following statement. My dad, who rarely got angry, would quickly fish out the proof of payment, reprimand the billing clerk and make sure they rectified the mistake. Sadly, many of dad’s prized possessions got a quiet burial after his passing.
