A Nationalist Editor

It was in the month of January 1929, that on a morning after 8 a. m., I had two visitors at my chamber in the old (no longer existing) “Ashrama” on the Luz Church Road. One was the late Sri A. R. V. Aachar, the well-known Congressman, Gandhite and Councilor of the Madras Corporation. The other happened to be Sri K. Ramakotiswara Rau to be introduced to me by that common friend. To have met each other was to have begun forging an abiding friendship. Ramakotiswara Rau’s appearance reminded one of the Founder of the famous Andhra Jateeya Kalasala, Sri Kopalli Hanumantha Rao, a sterling man of worth for his genuine spirit of nationalism. Ramakotiswara Rau also had been one of the ardent workers in the Andhra Jateeya Kalasala, as a teacher, who had not only served with true interest in that institution, but had felt the same burning spirit for national regeneration in all our arts and literatures. A further element which gave unusual strength to Ramakotiswara Rau’s character-build was an emotional temperament, which was ready to catch the glow often while listening to noble deeds of great fighters for the freedom of the country. Maybe one of the reasons for the growth of a lasting bond between us was his admiration for my father.

Wearing fine Khaddar in pure white, often of the Chikacole variety, his taste and general outlook easily impressed anyone whom he met for the first time, of his tidiness of mind even as his external accoutrement. The year 1929, was something to Triveni to be remembered for a much more memorable reason. The man of letters, Sri K. S. Venkataramani, wrote an article on “Sri S. Subrahmania Aiyar (Mani Aiyar)” in one of the issues of that year, which was of outstanding literary merit, apart from its portraiture and intuitive understanding of a great son of India. The Madras Bar, in those days was quick to evince its appreciation of the brilliance of its members in any of the activities they had shown for real talent or service. Dr Alladi Krishnaswami Aiyar, then at the heyday of his practice and leadership of the Bar as its Advocate General, required not much of an inducement to recognise Venkataramani by having a public function at the Advocates’ Association premises and present him with a salver in silver, inscribed with words of adequate spiritual evocation. Because the article appeared in the pages of a just recent arrival in the journalistic world, it created a general sympathy for its growth and an eagerness to read its contents in subsequent issues. Venkataramani having been also a good friend of Ramakoti, the occasion filled the Editor with a sense of the journal’s growing importance. Though it was not always a smooth sailing for the journal with its irregularities which started even so early, the discerning readers, both old and young, waited for its arrival without much accusation of its totally uncommercial attitude. Being much of an idealist, Ramakoti never would go in for advertisements to earn money for its upkeep, if they were of the unsavoury kind or blatantly exposing of their spuriousness. “Rather would I die a decent journal, than achieve wider circulation with these methods of boosting one’s own fare in the ugliest form” was his constant declamation against those who advised him to take in more of the ever so many odd types which are the normal feeders for any daily or weekly or monthly today. No doubt such a resolution had its additional adverse effect on the slender resources for running an English journal, which even otherwise could not gain a wide circle of subscribers.

Ramakotiswara Rau’s credentials to conduct a journal in English were many. He was a wielder himself of a good prose style. His “Triple Stream” attracted attention from all around for their careful appraisal of current events in the political and social life of the country as also his choice or selection of topics of the growing aspects of public life for comment. They were sought with almost similar eagerness by the sober public as later. What Rajaji’s “Dear Reader” columns in his Swarajya or the opinions of D. V. Gundappa in his Public Affairs were able to draw attention.

One distinct virtue of Ramakotiswara Rau was his unassuming attitude towards the younger writers who felt it an enviable honour to appear in his journal. Far from patronising any one of the younger group he would be the liaison between many of the writers, old and young, by his hearty recommendation of their individual merits to each other and make them in their turn friends and helpers for enriching a literary atmosphere, in the first-floor hall of the Y.M.I.A.buildings of Madras. Particularly in the early years of The Triveni’s fortunes, the intellectual aroma in the meeting of literary friends around Ramakoti brought him greater satisfaction than even success of his venture. Unerring in his assessments of fine specimens of Indian Art, he would not cease worrying for the correct print of coloured blocks of some of the productions of India’s reputed artists in his journal. The articles that he gathered from persons of established reputation for their knowledge of the arts like Dance, Painting, Music must be according to him, of the first rank, and whenever anything had passed unnoticed which sometimes later caused criticism for their meagerness or lack of original matter, would be the occasion for him to feel depressed. Also any proof mistake which had escaped his very careful reading would cause him immense pain the like of which he would not have experienced even at the passing away of a dear friend.

What an amount of travail he bore with patience when added to the dwindling financial resources every time when the journal had to come out, he had also to solicit the favour of the press from non-co-operating with him on the ground of delayed payments. But suffering of such a nature never thwarted his mirth and geniality or damp his spirits in seeking the company of men of distinct qualities for enthusing him on topics of perennial interest –like art and literature.

If Triveni was his own choice of life, it did not stand in the way of his joining the national movement whenever an occasion offered itself for his sacrifices. On one such long interregnum in jail, he had to seek the devoted services of Sri Sampathgiri Rao of Bangalore to keep the journal alive till his return from incarceration. He could make friends everywhere; for his nature absorbed the good traits in strangers even, and made him familiar with all types of men and women who could display some talent for writing or for the arts. On the whole his name evoked reviving respect from elders as much as from the youth, and every time he returned from jail, there was a rush to meeting him with warmth.

Though soft by temperament he could show firmness when confronted with attempts at compromising of principles. He was even proud, though never offensive, while directed against those who tried to subdue him. If his clothes were simple and clean to a finish, his Editor’s table never presented an appearance of clumsy disarray littered with proofs and books thrown pellmell. At times his fastidious taste would only show how much befitting it would be to one born of a socially privileged class.

Restraint in his desires, yet unrestrained in giving of his love to others; upright in his dealings, yet unbending before insolent might; strong of faith in shining ideals, yet most generous to forgive the failings of his near and dear, he was a human of humans with an unrivalled flair for being an Editor.

Triveni was his adored child, not because he was childless himself, but because most of his cherished thoughts, ideas and experiences of life were garnered therein so very abundantly that it proved to him as to his close friends that his real adversity would be if ever he should drop the child from its secure place on his lap.