When we tried to reach V Kalyanam, Gandhi's last assistant, we were told by a friend of his that he's suffering from some age-related health issues. Kalyanam is now 97 but even just a few months ago, he was as active as any 20-year old, giving interviews, writing and tending to his 1000 plant garden. But his friend, Kumari S Neelacantan told us that he knew all about Kalyanam, so much so, that he had written a documentary novel based on his life and experiences with Gandhi.
The 55-year-old writer, poet who was also a senior announcer at AIR. Neelacantan has written various books, short stories, songs and produced award-winning documentary features throughout his life. But in 2005, while doing his transmission duty as an announcer he happened to listen to an interview with Kalyanam and he was intrigued. Intrigued enough to want to get to know him and write a book about him.
Fortunately for Neelacantan he found out that Kalyanam actually lived quite close to his house. "There were already enough books about Gandhi and so I wanted to write something different," he said. So he spent all his leisure time with Kalyanam and at the end of it brought out a book titled August 15, to honour the date Kalyanam was born and Gandhi’s previous secretary Mahadev Desai died. And of course, the reason why that day is special to all of us - Independence Day.
In 1942, at the age of 20, when he was hired for the job Kalyanam did not have the slightest clue who Gandhi was. But he was a bit of a freedom fighter himself, funnily though he had no idea that he was being one. He was caught by the police slipping small pamphlets under some doors. Some of his friends had asked him to do so but he had no clue what he was getting himself into. He was arrested for sedition and spent the next nine months in jail. After he was released, he had to start looking for a new job and joined an insurance company. Through a Madras Lord, he met Devadas Gandhi, Gandhi’s last son and joined the ashram. But Kalyanam had no idea that Devadas was even related to Gandhi.
“When he went to the ashram he found that there were no doors to the rooms, no locks, just a roof," Neelacantan said. At the entrance of his hut, Kalyanam saw a centipede at the entrance he crushed it, “But the people there were all shocked and said that they never kill anything at the ashram because they thought it promoted violence and that he should capture it and leave it elsewhere.”
Even though he lived there a while, Kalyanam never saw Gandhi because he was in jail at that point. "He used to arrange all the letters language wise for Gandhi, that was his work at the ashram," he added. But in 1944 Kasturba passed away and Gandhi got Malaria in few weeks. The British feared that Gandhi might die of malaria in jail and fearing that they might be blamed for it, they released him. The first place that Gandhi went to after his release was Bombay and he stayed in Shanthi Kumar Morarjis house, business magnet and when the news reached the ashram, Kalyanam set out to meet him," Neelacantan tells us. That would be the first time, they met.
When Kalyanam first met Gandhi, he smiled at him and began to speak to him, "However, he didn't understand much of what he was saying because Gandhi didn't have any teeth. But he went on to enquire about what work he did , if it was going okay, where his parents were and if they were dependent on him. He even asked him how much he was earning. He apologised for not being able to pay him enough, just a paltry amount of 60 rupees." But Kalyanam told Gandhi that even if he did not get the 60 rupees, he would be more than happy to provide his services.”
One of the stories that Neelacantan recalled was a time when Gandhi was on a silent fast on a train ride. He had decided to not speak for 12 hours, during this time he gestured to Kalyanam to type a note he had written. It was a letter that they had to send to Delhi for Viceroy Lord Vavel. Kalyanam took the letter and sat idly.
After completing the fast, Gandhi called Kalyanam for the letter. Kalyanam said he hadn’t typed it because he didn’t bring a typewriter. He assumed Gandhi would ask for it later."He had misunderstood Gandhi." He got worried about how Gandhi might react, "He told him that when he asks a barber if he can cut his hair, he expects that the barber brings all his instruments as well."
Kalyanam was stressed out but his other colleagues suggested getting a portable typewriter from the journalists who were travelling in the next compartment. Kalyanam got down at the next station, got a typewriter and finished the work. “However, the typing wasn’t very legible, so Kalyanam was worried again but Gandhi didn’t say anything and was happy that he had managed the situation,” the writer recalled.
Kalyanam and Gandhi grew quite close over time, he was also by his side when the bullet struck Gandhi that fateful day on January 30, 1948. “In fact, he was the person to serve Gandhi his last meal," Neelacantan said.
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After Gandhi's demise, Kalyanam went on to work for people like Nehru. Edwina Mountbatten, Red Cross, "He even went to China on a goodwill mission. He served Rajaji as well. He learnt to speak Hindi, Gujarati, English and he already spoke Tamil, so he was well versed."
The things that he did learn from his time with Gandhi and went on to practice till now was gardening, including discussions on economy . "Till a few months ago, he would tend to all the plants himself, he has over 1000 in his home. He would get up in the morning and start work on them. It was one of his life's greatest passions," Neelacantan said.
Neelacantan has written all this down in his book but it isn’t a biography, "The book is 70 percent facts. I wanted to write a book that will appeal to everyone and I wanted it to be simple. So I made the book look like a blog, a conversation between a 13-year-old Satya and a Kalyana. The two discuss social issues, politics and stories from the past. The book won six award when it came out five years ago," the writer said proudly. It also just released in Hindi as well with the foreword by the Governor of Tamilnadu and it was translated by H.Balasubramaniam, who is a Sahithya Akademy winner. It has already been translated in English, Malayalam and Telugu.
A poem by Kumari S Neelacantan —
My Portrait of Gandhi
I started sketching Gandhi
He appeared weak.
When I drew his hairless head,
It felt like journey in Thar Desert
With fire in the air.
When I went through
the outer lines Of his forehead,
I was in a deserted Street.
When I stroked his eyes
with the brush,
Its hair became ashes.
His dreams were fragmented
in his cracked cheeks.
When I drew his nose,
It blew like hot chimney.
I became hopeless
in bringing smile
To his toothless mouth.
My brush could not walk
On the multiple folds
of his neck.
Hands and feet
Stood stiff;
His chest was
very hot and heavy.
When I tried to
Draw his walking stick
My hand started to shake;
My Gandhi was very weak
After completing the image
I looked at the picture;
From the eyes of Gandhi
A drop of paint
Was dripping on a side.
I could not at all
See the Gandhi
Of my heart
In that art.
Below that I tried to write
The word Gandhi.
When I finished his name
With the last letter ‘i’
A heavy thunderbolt struck
In front of my eye;
My pen was thrown away.
There was a mountain of fire
Pumping volcanic gravy.
