Iyer Sar

Prof A Anantha Siva Iyer might sound exotic. But the Guru in my heart is Iyer Sar. So should be it with the tens of thousands of his students. Iyer Sar is no more with us, but he will live in the hearts of his disciples the world over. This may sound a cliche but I feel that any lesser expression will not just suffice to portray the real picture. It was during 1971-73 that I had the good fortune of attending his classes in Bishop Moore College, Mavelikara. Honestly I can say that since then there wasn't a day I had not thought of him. Almost every day there cropped up some incident to remember him. Let me start with the following one some twenty five years ago. Then in my late thirties, I was traveling by the Parasuram express to Thiruvanandapuram. During such travels I seldom talk or mingle with the fellow travelers as I enjoyed the fleeting sights through the window. My fellow traveler was in his  sixties and had all the looks of a high ranking government official. That was another reason for my keeping aloof. But he took the liberty to intrude and started talking to me. I remember the disdain on his face learning that I am a college teacher. Bluntly he told me on my face that ninety per cent of the college teachers in Kerala are good for nothing. He went on to say that there are gems outside but they are never selected. They remain in the dark unfathomed depths. They remain unseen and have to waste their talents etc etc. Usually I don't contest such audacious statements but suddenly I felt a flash in my mind and said, "Sir, I see Thomas Gray in your words." Saying this I recited Gray,
                 "Full many a gem of purest ray serene
                  The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear.
                  Full many a flower is born to blush unseen
                 And waste its sweetness on the desert air".
The disdain turned  into disbelief and he asked me, " You said you teach Physics and you know this?"
I proudly, yet with feigned humility, waxed eloquent about Iyer Sar.
I am addicted to "The Hindu". I find that most of the headings have a background which I would have missed but for Iyer Sar. Recently a girl called Priya Warrior was catapulted to stardom with just one wink and The Hindu had this caption " The wink that launched a million likes?" Reading this I remembered Iyer Sar narrating the Dr Faustus exclamation,
               "Was this the face that launched a thousand ships,
                 And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?"
I remember Iyer Sar as a teacher who often went far beyond the text book and at times took the students to the horizons of fantasy. That was an experience beyond description. He used to quote profusely from the classics suiting well with the context. But for his classes I would never have  understood the wisdom or otherwise of lending and borrowing. He quoted from Hamlet,
               "Neither a borrower nor a lender be,
                 For loan oft loses itself and friend."
These days when elected members of the people are herded from resorts to resorts, I remember Iyer Sar telling us about Bernard Shaw's "Last Resort"
He used to enter the class like a gentle breeze but would induce a "Tempest" in the thought process of the discerning student. Never made any "Ado" in the class. The classes were like the freely flowing bansuri of Chaurasia.
I disagree with Shakespeare (these also I heard from Iyer Sar) when he says in King Lear and Macbeth,
               "Life is a tale told by an idiot,
                Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing"
No. No idiot could have ever told the tale of of the life of Iyer Sar. A life where there weren't any  sound and fury.And of course, a life that signified a lot.
               "As flies to wanton boys, are we to gods,
                 They kill us for their sport"
No, no, no I disagree. Iyer Sar lived a glorious life of eighty six years.
A life that his family can be proud of. A life that arouses awe in anyone who had the good fortune of interacting with him. A life that students look upon with huge admiration and gratitude .A life as a peerless teacher who taught with a purpose. A life no ordinary mortal can emulate.            
Now an anecdote from a Virginea Woolf short story.
The soul of a very nice man who lived a very good life on earth was proceeding towards heaven after his death. On reaching the gates the person in charge could not find his name in the list of entrants. But the person in charge was very sure of the man's eligibility and he contacted God and  God answered. "The person qualifies to be here in heaven. But the guy has regularly attended the classes of great teachers and thus on earth itself he has enjoyed all that we have here in heaven and much more. So for the time being we send him hell"
Do the students of Iyer Sar face this danger??
Respected Sar,
I bow my head in reverence. I thank you for all I could learn from you.You will be remembered for ever ......and of course......in particular.....every time I hear the notes of Sreeragam. Endaro Mahanubhavulu .........