P.N.Krishnaswamy Iyengar (PNK) hailed from the Pudupalayam village, which is located within the vicinity of Paramathy Velur near Karur.
P.N.Krishnaswamy Iyengar (PNK) hailed from the Pudupalayam village, which is located within the vicinity of Paramathy Velur near Karur.
He was a criminal lawyer in Coimbatore and having purchased the property (1909), he began living at ' Rama Vilas ' near the Collectorate in Coimbatore. It was at a times when a number of foxes used to create a flutter in the neighbourhood of the town when it was just beginning to become a commercial centre. PNK had a good practice in the court and therefore his income enabled the family to lead a comfortable life.
He had purchased a number of properties and agricultural lands with the surplus income that was generated due to his practice. PNK married Andal of Udumalpet and the couple was blessed with a number of children - Narasimha Iyengar, Desikachari, Rajammal, Janaki, Kamalam (wife of leading advocate Narayana Iyengar), Pankajam and one more son who passed away early due to an accident.
He built a portion in his property on Bank Road in order to accommodate Doctor Sakha ram Rao who happened to be his physician. The property belonging to P.N.Krishnaswamy Iyengar used to extend up to the ' Ashoka Pillar ' which is located in front of the Collectorate and he donated 1000 square feet of land in that location in order to accommodate the road in the neighborhood.
This contribution of P.N.Krishnaswamy Iyengar is continuing to help millions of commuters to move about in a relaxed manner. He passed away in the year 1947. It was during the times of P.N.Krishnaswamy Iyengar that a number of friends and relatives used to camp at his residence for months together. Those were the times when people from the surrounding towns and villages had to stay long for their medical treatment and the accommodative P.N.Krishnaswamy Iyengar used to host them.
The house had a large infrastructure and a number of cows too. The family used to be attached to the Pandamangalam Venkatachalapathy Temple near their native place and their Kula Deivam was Tirupati Venkatachalapathy.
‘Nadai Mannan ' K.Desikachari was born as the son of P.N.Krishnaswamy Iyengar on 19/12/1912. He did his schooling at Coimbatore and his BA was from St. Josephs Trichy while his BL came from the Law College in Chennai. Since his son born in the star (Thiruvonam) as Swami Vedanta Desikan (1268 - 1369), the great Vaishnavaite preceptor after Saint Ramanuja (1017 - 1137), P.N.Krishnaswamy Iyengar named him so after the great acharyan.
PNK and his ilk were followers of the Vadakalai Sampradayam which was propounded by Swami Vedanta Desikan and this year will witness the completion of the great acharya's 750 years. K.Desikachari had a reasonable practice and he used to always be in favor of a compromise settlement on most occasions. His civil practice kept him going. He married Padmasini (1931 - 2007) and the couple was blessed with Krishnaswamy aka as Kasthuri and a daughter Ranjini who lives in Chennai. He was always found with a turban on his head.
K.Desikachari was known for his long walks and this walking habit was his companion all his life. He used to walk from his house to Singanallur and walk across the city and reach Sai Baba Colony between 3 and 8 PM every day. A distance of about 20 kilometers used to be covered by him regularly and he used to meet people and have a cup of coffee within the course of his walk and was ready to have the beverage in the residence of one and all.
He used to walk up to five corner in Nawab Hakim Road and get his snuff (T.A.S.Rathinam Pattinam Podi) from Sheikh Mohammed for years. Thayir sadham was his favourite and if it was accompanied by narthangai pickle it used to make his day. K.Desikachari co-founded the ' Coimbatore Tiruppavai Committee ' in the year 1958 and was the Treasurer of the organizations for a long time. His brother in law P.S.Narayana Iyengar used to be the Secretary while P.A.Raju Chettiar was the President. He used to involve himself with the yearly ' Thiruppavai ‘programmes. Desikachariar used to be up early in Margazhi, get ready and read Thiruppavai, the composition of Andal while his wife Padmasini used to prepare nice and hot Pongal for Naivedyam. Some of the bachelors who stayed in the same compound as tenants used to listen to the recitation of Desikachari who had a stentorian voice before partaking the Naivedyam. Thereafter Desikachari used to gather himself - get into the route bus number 2, go to Sankara Mutt at Raja Street and attend the Thiruppavai lectures without fail. He used to bring the contributions that were accumulated during the morning session and deposit the same in the bank that very instance.
The ' Nadai Mannan ' was awarded this title by the Brahmin Association and the Ayyappa Pooja Sangam for he had collected a sum of Rs.35000 for the purpose of constructing a building for accommodating for the Hindus doing the final rites for the deceased.
The religious- minded advocate used to read aloud the Ramayanam in the ancient ' grantha lipi ' every day. Desikachari used to be a tennis umpire those days and never had to use a mike for he was endowed with a strong voice. He had done the umpiring for the match that took place between Ramanathan Krishnan and Neil Fraser in Cosmopolitan Club over 60 years ago. Desikachari was a keen footballer and used to play tennis during his younger days.
He was a close friend of Ramaranganathan and was a classmate of G.K.Sundaram of Lakshmi Mills. He had hosted the 44 Th Jeeyar of Ahobila Mutt His Holiness Vedanta Mahadesikan at ' Rama Vilas ' during the former's visit to Coimbatore. The son Kasthuri (Krishnaswamy) narrated the incident connected with the visit of the Ahobila Mutt Jeeyar, “His Holiness came with the tutelary deity Lord Lakshmi Narasimha of Ahobilam on a tractor from Palakkad. An elephant and also a horse were part of his retinue and the animals stayed at our house during the 15-day visit. Food was made with the aid of firewood and it was an unforgettable experience for our family." Desikachari was also responsible to bring the current Jeeyar of Srirangam (Poorvashramam name was Varadachari) to Coimbatore long ago. The children of the famous advocate C.P.Meenakshisundaram Sastriyar lived in the neighborhood and his popular sons including M.Panchapakesan used to play cricket at ' Rama Vilas ' during their childhood years.
It’s pertinent to share some facts about Padmasini Desikachari for she was an interesting home maker. She happens to be the daughter of one Duraiswamy Iyengar, a Deputy Commercial Tax Officer (DCTO) from Kumbakonam and he was quite close to T.S.Rajagopal Iyengar of T.S.R.Gokul during his times. The T.S.R. vehicles that used to ply between Coimbatore and Kumbakonam used to be parked in ' Rama Vilas ' family residence for days together at one point of time. The younger brother of Padmasini Desikachari was an Under-Secretary at the Finance Ministry in New Delhi. She was a soft-spoken lady and was known for her helping tendency. She was an encyclopedia of all the family related formalities and used to be an active social volunteer. Kasthuri (Krishnaswamy) recalls a role played by his mother, “Amma used to go the residence of Binny Subba Rao in R.S.Puram at the time of Sri Rama Navami and used to clear the leaves that were used for having lunch by the devotees as part of service. In fact, she never ate there due to her involvement in this regard." The son is married to Padmini and their sons are Karthik (he is into the business of selling books) and Arvind (he works for a software company).
‘Rama Vilas ‘, the residence of K.Desikachari had witnessed many a childbirth and weddings. Lord Malala (Lord Lakshmi Narasimha), the presiding deity at Ahobilam presides over the good happenings connected with the old family. The two painted elephants placed atop the pillars supporting the gate, continue to keep watch over the old residence constructed by P.N.Krishnaswamy Iyengar.